Battery Grip 7D Mark II

I was looking for battery grip for 7D Mark II.
I had used Zeikos on and also similar 3rd party one on 5D III.

For 7D Mark II however it looks like there are not many third party grips available. May be the price of the genuine grip is not much ($200 street).

Someone mentioned at DPR that BG-E16 is a solid grip but that comes with the weight and 3rd party grips are better in that sense.

With the lack of information on any 3rd party grip it is hard to say.

So, please share your experience of the battery grip you are using on your 7D Mark II, genuine or 3rd party.

I had problems with a third party grip on my first DSLR, i.e., the 60D. Both batteries would drain from a full charge to zero overnight. After that, I decided it wasn't worth the risk and I've purchased new (and expensive) Canon grips for both my 70D and 7D2.

Others have had more positive experiences and your mileage may vary, as always.

Phoenixkh wrote in post #17671045
I had problems with a third party grip on my first DSLR, i.e., the 60D. Both batteries would drain from a full charge to zero overnight. After that, I decided it wasn't worth the risk and I've purchased new (and expensive) Canon grips for both my 70D and 7D2.

Others have had more positive experiences and your mileage may vary, as always.

Thanks.
I am actually leaning towards the OEM as there is not much price advantage from the 3rd party ones..

rndman wrote in post #17671039
I was looking for battery grip for 7D Mark II.
I had used Zeikos on and also similar 3rd party one on 5D III.

For 7D Mark II however it looks like there are not many third party grips available. May be the price of the genuine grip is not much ($200 street).

Someone mentioned at DPR that BG-E16 is a solid grip but that comes with the weight and 3rd party grips are better in that sense.

With the lack of information on any 3rd party grip it is hard to say.

So, please share your experience of the battery grip you are using on your 7D Mark II, genuine or 3rd party.

The Canon OEM grip is made from magnesium alloy like the camera. The 3rd grips are made from plastic, probably polycarbonate. None of the 3rd party grips, that I'm aware of, have all the controls of the Canon grip, and are therefore not functionally equal. Reports by users on various 3rd party 7D2 grips vary, but at least a few people that posted about them were not happy with their purchase. For me the decision is simple, I just spent $1500 on my new Canon 7D II. Buying an inexpensive wanna be grip with less functionally and a less robust build for an expensive camera doesn't seem like a good choice to me.

mwsilver wrote in post #17671227
The Canon OEM grip is made from magnesium alloy like the camera. The 3rd grips are made from plastic, probably polycarbonate. None of the 3rd party grips, that I'm aware of, have all the controls of the Canon grip, and are therefore not functionally equal. Reports by users on various 3rd party 7D2 grips vary, but at least a few people that posted about them were not happy with their purchase. For me the decision is simple, I just spent $1500 on my new Canon 7D II. Buying an inexpensive wanna be grip with less functionally and a less robust build for an expensive camera doesn't seem like a good choice to me.

While I agree with you about the build quality of the 3rd party grips, there are some that are 100% functionally equal (e.g. Meike).
If there are any quirks in them is unknown.
So yes, the best bet would be to go OEM.

rndman wrote in post #17671570
While I agree with you about the build quality of the 3rd party grips, there are some that are 100% functionally equal (e.g. Meike).
If there are any quirks in them is unknown.
So yes, the best bet would be to go OEM.

As far as I'm aware, there is no 7D2 grip other than the Canon OEM version that includes the lever control over the joystick. If that is true than none of the 7DII clones are functionally identical to Canon's version, although they may come close. That lever is something I use quite frequently to change between the 7 focus modes and would miss it if it wasn't on the grip.

rndman wrote in post #17671570
While I agree with you about the build quality of the 3rd party grips, there are some that are 100% functionally equal (e.g. Meike).
If there are any quirks in them is unknown.
So yes, the best bet would be to go OEM.

I agree, the MEIKE is functionally equivalent. The other tradeoffs remain.

mwsilver wrote in post #17671592
As far as I'm aware, there is no 7D2 grip other than the Canon OEM version that includes the lever control over the joystick. If that is true than none of the 7DII clones are functionally identical to Canon's version, although they may come close. That lever is something I use quite frequently to change between the 7 focus modes and would miss it if it wasn't on the grip.

The MEIKE has the lever.

I have the Meike and it works perfectly fine. No battery drain issues. The lever is great and something I don't know that I would do without. And I was able to get the Meike for I think $75 which to me was worth the money. So as everyone has said, your mileage may vary.
I have 3rd party grips on my 6D and my 7D2 and both work as expected and have never been an issue. But I also don't buy first party cereal, ketchup or kleenex. I don't feel obligated to buy something just because it has a name brand on it.

sirquack wrote in post #17672589
I have the Meike and it works perfectly fine. No battery drain issues. The lever is great and something I don't know that I would do without. And I was able to get the Meike for I think $75 which to me was worth the money. So as everyone has said, your mileage may vary.
I have 3rd party grips on my 6D and my 7D2 and both work as expected and have never been an issue. But I also don't buy first party cereal, ketchup or kleenex. I don't feel obligated to buy something just because it has a name brand on it.

Thanks for confirming about Meike grip.
There are very few reviews/comment that I could find about that grip.

sirquack wrote in post #17672589
I have the Meike and it works perfectly fine. No battery drain issues. The lever is great and something I don't know that I would do without. And I was able to get the Meike for I think $75 which to me was worth the money. So as everyone has said, your mileage may vary.
I have 3rd party grips on my 6D and my 7D2 and both work as expected and have never been an issue. But I also don't buy first party cereal, ketchup or kleenex. I don't feel obligated to buy something just because it has a name brand on it.

How does the texture match up with the camera body? Close enough?

For what its worth as far as I know the Canon grip is the only one that is weather resistant. Made from the same stuff as the body

rndman wrote in post #17672962
How does the texture match up with the camera body? Close enough?

Better than close Enough. And, much better than the 7dc. And aftermarket grips.

Looks like I need to buy the grip sooner than later. Canon or otherwise..
Battery consumption with 7DM2 seems bit fast compared to 7D classic or 5D3

gschlact wrote in post #17673209
Better than close Enough. And, much better than the 7dc. And aftermarket grips.

One more question if I may ask.
The on/off switch on the grip is supposed to turn on/off the grip functions or it also cuts off power to the body. I believe it is former, but someone at someother forum mentioned it cuts off the power to the body. That seems a bit odd.
Could you please confirm?