Survey: BG-E2 Users [Archive] - Canon Digital Photography Forums

Blue Knight

14th of July 2005 (Thu), 01:04

toyguru

14th of July 2005 (Thu), 01:31

My contribution to the questions that you have posted:

1. Max out at a little over 200-250 shots considering I fill up all my 512mb cards using RAW so I have never ran out of power so far. Haven't gone over that because it's hard to shoot pics when your cards are full. About half has been with flash during one outing.

2. Don't remove batteries unless I feel the need to charge them.

3. Weird thing....hmmm? Thought I saw a UFO one time, but it could have been swamp gas (so they say):rolleyes:

4. Open sharing: I buy really expensive things (mostly camera equipment) when I get angry.:evil: I've already been mad a couple of times this year (look at my sig).:D

Blue Knight

14th of July 2005 (Thu), 14:30

AjP

14th of July 2005 (Thu), 14:33

100% Flash(external), RAW, one night did about 600 and still had full battery indicator

tim

14th of July 2005 (Thu), 16:17

1. It depends. Expect around 1000.
2 & 3- nope.

I've only had mine for a few days, but I quite like it. I have the new version, and it seems to work perfectly. I haven't actually bothered to put 2 bats in it yet though.

toyguru

14th of July 2005 (Thu), 21:46

Thanks for sharing...looking at your lens collection, do you think the 50mm is an overlap with your 28-135? I'm planning to get the 28-135 as well but many people said the 50mm is bang for the buck....

The 50mm is an overlap, but I wanted a fast prime for those times that I may shoot in lower light conditions as well as an ok portrait lens and at less than $100 it was a no brainer. I love the 28-135 as an all around lens (for now), but it's not sharp enough unless it's about f8 or higher.

I just picked up the 50mm lens a few days ago and have been impressed with the test shots that I've taken with it. Hopefully I can really shoot with it pretty soon. Girlfriend comes home in a few days and I hope she's willing to be the test subject! Hope this helps a little.

AjP

14th of July 2005 (Thu), 22:02

Thanks for sharing...looking at your lens collection, do you think the 50mm is an overlap with your 28-135? I'm planning to get the 28-135 as well but many people said the 50mm is bang for the buck....what are you talking about, 50 is f1.8 or f1.4 PORTRAIT lense, nothing to do with zoom 28-135 f3.5-4.5, absolutely no overlappin', two absolutely different purpose lenses

Blue Knight

15th of July 2005 (Fri), 09:10

I see.....I guess I'm going to pick one up and try it out myself....it sells locally for $79 plus tax. Overlap or not, I'm not going to argue over this price :)

jforget1

15th of July 2005 (Fri), 09:15

I lova the grip on my Rebel XT. It actually saved my camera recently at a Red Sox game. Had it in a backpack and after the game we went to a bar and they checked the bag and when I went to pick up the bag it was not fully closed and the camera fell out. Camera was fine because the grip took the brunt of the fall. Unfortunately it hit the exact spot where the shutter release and broke that. But I would rather replace the grip, which I did than ruin the whole camera or the 70-200 F4L lens attached to it. It also really gives the camera a better more professional feel and is great for vertical shots. Highly recommend the purchase.

CorruptedPhotographer

15th of July 2005 (Fri), 14:26

Greetings to all fellow 20Ders and BG-E2ers :)

I'm fairly new to this site and would like to get a short survey going to help me understand the BG-E2 a bit better. I've read all the manuals and literatures but I like to know the full range of users' experiences....

Given: BG-E2 with two Canon OEM batteries

1. How many shots do you get with two full batteries? % of flash used?
2. Do you remove the batts if camera not in use?
3. Anything weird ever happened?
4. Open sharing....

Thanks.....

1- I havent used it in one go to know how many shots it can take, sorry :D

2-The manual says something so important that I wish ppl knew it and said it mor often. The manual states that before ever every connecting the BG-E2 to the 20D, take out the batteries from the BG-E2. So, plug in the BG-E2, screw it in nicely, then open the battery compartment and plug batteries in. Reverse this when removing the BG-E2. If this was not significant, Canon would not waste money on the ink used to print it in thier manuals.

3- nope :D

4- i think it is a must for two reasons, if you are rather large ( im 6'1 -185cm- ) and have fairly large masculine :P:lol: hands, the B-E2 will feel like a bliss. Secondly, with lenses like my 50-500, the battery grip makes holding the camera and lens much more stable.

Earlier, there were issues of faulty BG-E2, but for your information, Bg-E2 in the United Arab Emirates are free of these faults :D

Gadget-Guy

15th of July 2005 (Fri), 14:41

Both batterys fully charged shooting in large jpeg,fine setting with no flash. Filled up 4 Sandisk 1meg extreme 3's before the battery warning started to blink.

Only remove the batterys to either charge or remove the grip for cleaning.

Never had any problems with camera or grip.

Blue Knight

15th of July 2005 (Fri), 14:46

All very good sharing....I'm glad to be part this forum family due to the wealth of knowledge.

I personally don't remove my two batts because I'm lazy. I know that as time progresses, the batts will discharge gradually anyways. However, I do remove my lens every time I put my camera away.

Lotto

16th of July 2005 (Sat), 00:52

1. the longest session I shot was over 700 L-JPG, one battery in the grib, battery showed half full after.

2. one battery always in the BG-E2

3. Sometimes the battery inicator goes half full after 20 shots from a full charge. But If I take the battery out and clean the contacts, it would go back to full indication.
4. My grib's serial starts 091xxx, never have the power cut off problem. So as long as the battery last few hundred shots, I am not planning to take to Canon for exchange. I have the E1 hand strap working with grib, and love the combo.

Jaymz

16th of July 2005 (Sat), 01:55

kawter2

16th of July 2005 (Sat), 02:18

I can shoot 1500 with a 70-200IS w/IS engaged and I might break one bar down

Blue Knight

16th of July 2005 (Sat), 02:45

I see.....I guess I'm going to pick one up and try it out myself....it sells locally for $79 plus tax. Overlap or not, I'm not going to argue over this price :)

just picked up a 50mm f/1.8 lens for $79 and took a few dozen shots at a nearby outdoor mall with lots of nice boutiques and restaurants.....i'm impressed with the sharpness for the $$$....better than the kit lens. i've tried many shots at f/1.8 and i must say the quality is pretty good.

this one is a keeper.......

SidW

17th of July 2005 (Sun), 17:21

I have the grip and I wouldn't be without it. I find it comfortable to hold.
Nothing weird has happened so far. I always leave the batteries in.
Don't know how many shots it will take

Sid

drisley

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 13:10

I bought the grip 4 months ago, and I've only had it in my hands for a couple weeks.
I've had to send it in to Canon Service 4 times, each time taking 1 month, to fix the well-known "flex/power loss" problem. Each time they just sent me a new one, and each grip had the same problem. The last time I sent the grip in, they totally ignored the problem and sent it back saying they fixed the known AA battery problem, something I never mentioned having a problem with.

CorruptedPhotographer

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 14:09

drisley man thats sooo frustrating. I know how you feel. You send it in multiple times, and instead of fixing it, they act retarted by claiming to fix another non-related problem. God knows if you even had a problem with it. Apparantly not, because you said u never mentioned it. Listen do you want one from here UAE? I mentioned in other threads and forums that the MiddleEast market receives Canon products months after they are released in the US and Europe. And 1 month ago I went to the Canon Dealer (showroom) and they didnt have the Bg-E2, nor did they ever receive it. So 2 weeks ago they got it and I bought it and its working fine. If you want we can set up something for you to get one. I paid 680 AED (Arab Emirates Dirham). Which is about 183 USD. No taxes, its a tax free country.

drisley

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 14:27

Well, mine last one is definately one of the newest batch. It's serial number is 109xxx .
It fits much tighter than the other 3 I had. But still, when I have my 420EX attached, the extra weight is still enough to cause a momentary power loss when the camera is given a slight shake.
Basically, the little protrusion on the grip that presses into the button on the camera to tell it that the battery door is shut, well, it's too short I guess. I ended up just adding a little adhesive piece of rubber on that bump to extend it just enough to prevent any further outages.
There is no way I would spend another dime on another BG-E2. To be honest, I got so used to not having the grip, I actually prefer the 20D without the grip. But, I'm not going to sell it knowing that somebody else may have a problem with it (I almost did sell it too).

CorruptedPhotographer

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 14:42

good luck disley :D

p.s : you could sell it and inform the potential buyer that even though this is the latest batch of BG's and you got it straight from Canon, it could have problems and you are not responsible.

drisley

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 15:06

True.
Canon service is trying to tell me, and others, to send our camera in with the grip as mods may need to be made to the camera. There is no way I'm going without my camera for 1 month, especially after being without the grip for 4 months.
My 20D is one of the early models, from the first month it was released, and it's been 100% flawless. No lockups, glitches or anything. There is no way I'm sending it to them.

CorruptedPhotographer

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 15:19

Dont send it to them, thats why Im saying, if you really wanted a working grip. Sell your current one and let me get you one LOL..no one is askin/forcin you to send your 20D to Canon. Heck lol, im having trouble sendin them my 20D for 7 days to get it cleaned. I know how you feel.

kawter2

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 15:24

My 20D is one of the early models, from the first month it was released, and it's been 100% flawless. No lockups, glitches or anything. There is no way I'm sending it to them.

exactly what i told them!!! I had the thing on the first day it was released and I haven't had a problem and im not gonna let them screw it up

drisley

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 16:24

They are almost making it sound like the design of the early model camera has something to do with the flex problem. I wonder if the button in the battery door isn't as long as in the newer cameras.
I have a funny feeling not, but you never know!
I might take my grip down to a local camera store tomorrow and try it on one of their cameras (if they let me).
Kawter are you having the same grip problem?

Blue Knight

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 17:29

I've read many horror stories on these grips and spoke to a few sales folks and they claimed that the only way to have a loose grip is to shake the camera excessively or using heavy equipment (lens, flash, etc...)

having worked with lots of electromechanical systems before, i often see screws loose in the field due to heavy vibration or operator misuse. screws are a tricky business so i'm not surprised to hear such stories here. i personally don't have a problem with mine and i take my camera just about everywhere i go.....

drisley

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 17:56

The sales folks are dead wrong. Just ask me, Toogy and the hundreds of other people with this problem (there are probably thousands, but since the power goes off and then back on so quickly, most probably don't even notice).
It's not the "shaking" that causes the vibration to cause the power outage. It has nothing to do with the electronics per se. It's a design flaw.

It's caused because the grip pulls away from the camera (http://images2.fotop.net/albums2/sharpnsmart/miscellaneous/grip.jpg)just enough for the little button on the grip to lose connection with the little battery door open button on the camera. The camera thinks the grip has been removed and shuts down (just as it does if you open the battery door with the camera turned on).
The reason I know this (as does Toogy, and hundreds of other who have experienced this), is because if you put a little extension on the button (http://images2.fotop.net/albums2/sharpnsmart/miscellaneous/gripfix.jpg) on the grip that pushes the "battery door closed" button, the grip won't lose power.

Also, I'm not shaking the heck out of it either. I attach my 420Ex, or even a heavy lens, and gently move the camera around while held by the grip. The power will turn off, then back on quickly.
This would mimic me picking the camera up, or even just moving it around in normal use. If this happened while I had pictures in the camera's buffer.... bye bye pictures.

The first 3 grips I had were very loose. You could feel quite a bit of play, and even see a gap between the camera and grip when an external flash was attached.
This latest grip I have fits very snug, but just not snug enough to cause the power outage in the previously mentioned conditions.

Blue Knight

18th of July 2005 (Mon), 18:36

did i leave out the part that says sales folks are full of beans?? i guess i did....

this is the unfortunate part of the business. though some sales are honest and really recommend the best for the customer, most are not. they wouldn't dare state the obvious when they have a stock pile of this sitting on their shelves....

in our business, there could only be 3 root cause for field failures: design, manufacturing process or component.........the customer could never be blamed :)

drisley

19th of July 2005 (Tue), 11:12

Definately. I've rarely ever heard a sales person admit to any sort of problems with any product.
Worse is that Canon Service will not admit there was/is a problem with the flexing issue.
They often said to me "yes, we are aware of the problem, and Canon just put out a press release about it". I then tell them that the press release only mentions the battery indicator and AA battery problen, and each time they INSISTED that this included my problem and that the fix is "quick and simple". So, I would send in my grip, wait 1 month, and then just be sent a new one.
I am really unhappy with the Canon service, especially this last time when they didn't even touch the problem I sent it in for (and wrote a 2 page explanation with diagrams and links to internet forums). I'm definately writing a letter to them to complain.

Blue Knight

19th of July 2005 (Tue), 11:54

very true...this is just the standard way of business for large corporations where they have deployed a large volume of defective products. if they announced it publicly, the returns would be devastating and warranty costs and repairs would be sky high.

the only way to grab their attention is to try and get a hold of someone up high (Director/VP of Quality or Manufacturing)....i know because i work in a 35,000 employee company and unfortunately, this is the way some of our top customers get our attention....