Meike battery grip and battery draining problem

I have a Meike grip for the 6d. I put in some new batteries, keep the switch on the camera and the grip to the OFF position, and after a day or 2, the batteries are drained. I put the same battery into the 6d, did not turn the camera off (camera goes to sleep automatically), the battery is not drained after 2 days. So it looks like the grip is draining battery. Did a quick search, seems to be a common problem. Any work around? May be taping certain connection pins?

I assume you don't have WiFi or GPS on (GPS will drain the battery even with the camera off). Sell it and buy the Canon one. I have no such issues with my Canon grip.

I had a Meike grip with no draining issues. But on a Non GPS body, I also had their lens adapter and it worked perfectly. Quality was on par with the Canon stuff for half the price.

It depends on which camera the adapter is for, and which manufacturer makes the grip. All my 3rd party grips have been just as good as the Canon equivalent, and if there were any battery issues they were resolved before I bought mine; most manufacturers have quietly updated their product if there were issues. I have gone on record before as saying that my Vello 5D3 grip is superior to the Canon in terms of feel and mechanical quality.

The only 3rd party grip I've ever had problems with was the Opteka model for my 550D. It was a direct copy of the OEM grip - which had the same mechanical defect as the knockoffs, because there was a design issue that everyone copied.

I disassembled mine when I thought I had the problem. Couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Put it back together and the problem "stopped".

If you can't get it stop then... guess you have to remove batteries everytime.

After a year, my Meike battery grip started draining both batteries overnight. I didn't get a 60D until fairly late in its production life so it isn't like the 3rd party battery grip was still under continued development.

I ended up buying a Canon grip and never had a problem again. For that reason, I bite the bullet and buy Canon grips if and when I buy a new body. I believe they are overpriced (like everyone else) but they do seem to be reliable.

How did you take it apart? Was it difficult ?

Phoenixkh wrote in post #17648759
After a year, my Meike battery grip started draining both batteries overnight. I didn't get a 60D until fairly late in its production life so it isn't like the 3rd party battery grip was still under continued development.

I ended up buying a Canon grip and never had a problem again. For that reason, I bite the bullet and buy Canon grips if and when I buy a new body. I believe they are overpriced (like everyone else) but they do seem to be reliable.

My experience is exactly the same

Have a Meike grip on a 5D3. It will occasionally not power the camera unless removed and re-inserted.

Doesn't feel as well made compared to Meike grips on my older cameras. More flex and poorer fit to contours of camera body. The joystick is far too sensitive also.

I had a Meike grip on a 5D3, I also had problems with battery drain. I ended up getting a Vello I have had zero problems. Plus the quality appears to be better than the Meike grip

Phoenixkh wrote in post #17648759
After a year, my Meike battery grip started draining both batteries overnight. I didn't get a 60D until fairly late in its production life so it isn't like the 3rd party battery grip was still under continued development.

I ended up buying a Canon grip and never had a problem again. For that reason, I bite the bullet and buy Canon grips if and when I buy a new body. I believe they are overpriced (like everyone else) but they do seem to be reliable.

Same here.

GregDunn wrote in post #17648704
It depends on which camera the adapter is for, and which manufacturer makes the grip. All my 3rd party grips have been just as good as the Canon equivalent, and if there were any battery issues they were resolved before I bought mine; most manufacturers have quietly updated their product if there were issues. I have gone on record before as saying that my Vello 5D3 grip is superior to the Canon in terms of feel and mechanical quality.

The only 3rd party grip I've ever had problems with was the Opteka model for my 550D. It was a direct copy of the OEM grip - which had the same mechanical defect as the knockoffs, because there was a design issue that everyone copied.

What mechanical defect does the OEM grip for the 550D have? We've used the Canon grip on our t2i (550D) extensively for years, mostly used by my wife these days. My son often also uses the same copy on his t3i (600D) since it will work on both models. He too has had no issues.

Gungnir wrote in post #17650928
Have a Meike grip on a 5D3. It will occasionally not power the camera unless removed and re-inserted.

Doesn't feel as well made compared to Meike grips on my older cameras. More flex and poorer fit to contours of camera body. The joystick is far too sensitive also.

So why would you spend all that money on a professional quality 5D3 body and then use an inexpensive and apparently subpar grip on it? If you are having electrical issues with it, I would be concerned that it could short out your camera. For me a bargain is not a bargain unless you can get the same quality and performance for less.

mwsilver wrote in post #17660829
So why would you spend all that money on a professional quality 5D3 body and then use an inexpensive and apparently subpar grip on it? If you are having electrical issues with it, I would be concerned that it could short out your camera. For me a bargain is not a bargain unless you can get the same quality and performance for less.

Just from a third party perspective, the person said he has used those grips on other cameras without any issue and that the build quality and finish was higher than the newest one he has. So to answer your question, up until now he apparently did get the same quality at a lower cost.

I do agree that I would probably stop using the grip until a new one is purchased though. Nothing worse than grabbing the camera to get a shot and having it not work for you.

BTW, I've either got a meike or Vello grip on my 5D2 and had one or the other on my T3i before that. Both work(d) flawlessly and even after sitting for several months, the batteries still had a decent charge. based on past experience, I'd have no issues getting an off brand again.

clb wrote in post #17650321
How did you take it apart? Was it difficult ?

Very easy. Just undo the screws, not that many of them.

If you don't do this for money, then saving $300 per grip is a pretty good deal, even considering all the "issues".
Some grips are better than others. Even if you pay $100 for 3 grips to find one that works, still better than $300, especially for hobby use.
For multi-cameras, you save even more

I have owned like 10 or more 3rd party grips and one or two had the battery draining issue.
This is for 10 or more cameras and one of them magically went away.

For 5D3 I also had three of these at one point and three aftermarket grips - no problems. Maybe have been Meiki or Neewer, don't remember now.
I also had a random no name with rear battery access (the one where you can pop the batteries out the back, no tray required).
Worked great The quality wasn't the best, but for $30 can't complain and it worked fine for my purposes - holding an extra battery.
I never really used any of the controls but of course they didn't feel that great.

For the 6D grip, I thought I was having a drain problem. I did a tear down on the grip and I didn't see any solder blobs etc., and there didn't seem to be that much that could go wrong. When I put it back together, I didn't notice any more issues. This was like 2 years ago so I don't remember the details anymore.

If it's that bad, just take the tray out when you are at home... or try a different brand / new grip

That being said, it's your money and you can do whatever you want with it

I would rather spend $100 for 3 grips than $900 if I owned three cameras... at one point I had like 4 or 5 full frames (for a job).
Spend $200 or spend $1,200+... (In case you are wondering, I sold most of the cameras after the job - almost free rentals!)