Battery Grips - If, when and how do you use them?

I have a couple of battery grips but almost never use them. They just add bulk and weight when I'm hiking compared to a few batteries. I always have a backpack with me so I don't need the extra batteries in the camera. That said, I do miss having the vertical grip, a lot.

Do you use battery grips? If so what situations do you usually use them in? Are there some benefits I'm missing?

I've had one ever since my 5DM4 and now my R5. I like the feel in my hand and the ability to shoot P and L without gymnastics. The extra battery life itself is a benefit as well. One thing though, the latest grip isn't magnesium like the 5DM4 grip was, and that's kind of a downer.

I've put a grip on every camera I've bought in the last 8 years. I shoot sports for a newspaper & like how it balances the weight on longer or heavier lenses. Not to mention the batteries, I can spend 8 hours at an NFL game & never need to check battery level. Also like the way it balances on my gimbal with the 400mm shooting wildlife.

I just switched back to film 2 weeks ago & I'm having a very hard time dealing with the Canon A-1. It is a gorgeous camera & does way more than I need but it is SOOO tiny in my hands. I'm looking into getting the grip for it LOL!! Not for the constant shooting, just for the size. Although it is amazing to me that I can shoot 5 fps on a film camera from 1978!!! My 6D doesn't even shoot that fast & my 7D is only 2 fps faster.

Unless you shoot sports or have big hands, I don't see a need for it. Most people can go 6 months on the same battery, or even longer. I do take it off when I'm shooting my macro rig. A 100mm + full set of extension tubes + macro twin flash is plenty heavy enough without adding to it.

After shooting with 1D bodies for so many years without the option to lose the added weight, I personally prefer to not shoot with a grip. For most of my wildlife work, they are not helpful.

That said, there are times I use them, as there are shoots I do where i shoot in portrait mode for the majority of the shoot. Sometimes close to 100% of the shots are portrait orientation, and at that point, it makes no sense NOT to have the grip.

So for me, the grip is a "Portrait grip" only. Not a battery grip as many call them, as carrying a spare battery is much easier than carrying a portrait grip.

I use the grip with the R5 when I'm out shooting birds and wildlife for hours, pretty much all day, and I'm using my monopod or tripod. It's nice to be able to shoot longer in max fps without the fps status dropping and without having to constantly monitor the battery level. Two batteries in the grip pretty much last all day, but in case they don't, I always carry a two-battery pouch with me as a backup set.

When I'm hiking or traveling or shooting around the house when my R5 isn't on monopod or tripod support, I take the grip off.

DesolateMirror wrote in post #19211376
I have a couple of battery grips but almost never use them. They just add bulk and weight

Nope, you're using them right. That's their intended purpose.

I'm left eyed and I rotate the camera counter-clockwise to go vertical. That puts the regular shutter button on the top left where it's pretty easy to get to. I surf goofy-foot too, so maybe that's just me. A lot of, maybe most, photographers seem to rotate clockwise which puts the button on the lower right and takes some elbow and wrist contortions to operate. I can see where a vertical grip might come in handy for those folks.

I think battery grips came from the transition from film to digital. Back in the day all the pros used big motor driven power winders to advance film quickly. That was a real benefit. When digital came along the need for power advance went away but a battery grip made you look like an old-timey pro.

I use grips all the time.
Yes for battery life.
Yes for not having to put stress on the body while shooting in Portrait, vertical. (Just look at your body in a full length mirror when you don’t have a grip)
Most importantly a Camera Body minus the grip is located in the in my right hand that will cause discomfort with in minutes of shooting.
For me, a Grip is Preventative Medicine.

goalerjones wrote in post #19211378
I've had one ever since my 5DM4 and now my R5. I like the feel in my hand and the ability to shoot P and L without gymnastics. The extra battery life itself is a benefit as well. One thing though, the latest grip isn't titanium like the 5DM4 grip was, and that's kind of a downer.

That wasn't titanium, that was magnesium. It cost like titanium, though.

But I agree that I'm disappointed that the new grips are polycarbonate and still cost like titanium.

I've used battery grips exclusively since the Canon F-1. And that ManGrip had ten AA batteries packed inside. Having a couple of those on your shoulders really built up the trapezoids.

I have very wide palms. Size M fingers with size XL palms. Cameras without grips leave my pinky finger hanging, and I'll develop a pinky-cramp within just a few minutes.

Ever had a pinky-cramp?

Hurts.

But I'm one of those who doesn't shift my grip when I go vertical, I just swing out the wing. Don't stand on my right side.

In order to get maximum performance out of my EOS R cameras, I've turned off all energy saving measures, so I need the extra battery all the time.

RDKirk wrote in post #19212605
I've used battery grips exclusively since the Canon F-1. And that ManGrip had ten AA batteries packed inside. Having a couple of those on your shoulders really built up the trapezoids.

I have very wide palms. Size M fingers with size XL palms. Cameras without grips leave my pinky finger hanging, and I'll develop a pinky-cramp within just a few minutes.

Ever had a pinky-cramp?

Hurts.

But I'm one of those who doesn't shift my grip when I go vertical, I just swing out the wing. Don't stand on my right side.

In order to get maximum performance out of my EOS R cameras, I've turned off all energy saving measures, so I need the extra battery all the time.

YES pinky cramp is horrible lol

Yes, I use them for portraiture in the studio and for sports/wildlife off tripod.

I, for one, can't stand the smaller or mirrorless bodies. Impossible to hold steady and comfortably for long periods of time. However, I've always had 1-series bodies, so I've never needed to think about it. They just feel wonderfully fitting in the hand, unlike the 5-series, for me. I rarely use the portrait grip buttons and usually leave them off. Battery-wise, there's no extra batteries for the 1's, but the battery is ridiculous in longevity.

With such, I've actually gone up in camera size, to medium format H5/H6 cameras instead of smaller cameras and have actually gotten better stability and less hand/wrist fatigue. My hands aren't big, but "gripping" a body is much more comfortable than "wrapping" my hand around a body.

I have always used them and love them - I shoot a lot of sports (mainly vball) and 95% of my shots are vertical. Rest of time is a fair mix - but I'm so used to it without having to change hand positions that it feels weird without one on. I also have relatively large "mittens" so I prefer the larger bodied cameras. "I like big grips and I cannot lie"

I find with bigger setups it’s actually beneficial to have a grip. That way I don’t have to keep reaching my arm around when switching orientation.

Having used battery/vertical grips for over 15 years, I could not imagine using a camera without one.

Personally, I find they give a better balance in the hand, but I predominantly shoot wildlife with a long lens on a tripod.