Battery Grip Controversy

The Opteka battery grip went up to 90 dollars and after shipping its 95, the Bg E3 is just 140 at B and H. I have heard that the opteka grip is the same, but people have complained about the shutter release, and the BG E3 has been rumored to make the camera shut off. Are both of these true, and should i spend the extra fifty and get the canon one or stay wiht the opteka, you can not get it thtrough amazon right now, just 47st photo.

I've heard no real complaints about either, so I'm not much help to your decision making :P

If indeed they are both the same grip, common sense says get the opteka

If they are the exact same thing I would definetly love to save fifty dollars, but I would spend the extra fifty to avoid any sort of problems on the opteka, anyone who owns them, comments would be great.

Personally, I'd spend the extra just for peace of mind. My BG-E3 never had any problems or power issues.

In the span of about 2 weeks the Opteka went from $59 to $89 to not available on Amazon. Probably a combination of low supply, and glowing reviews on this forum. At $59 it was a bargain, and worth the chance. As it gets closer to $100 I tend to agree with Ron, might as well get the real thing.

i agree, unless the price drops drastically in the next week, i'll get the bg e3, and also what do you think about using rechargeable double a's, the 2500mAh energizer ones.

Think of using 6 AA batteries as of the last resort.
They will last far less than two NB-2LH’s..

has anyone tested them, i have plenty of rechargeable double a's, 20, how many more hours can you get from two NB-2LH than the double a's

I tested them myself..

With 6 2500mAh Energizers I could have 200 – 300 shots, at the most.
With two NB-2LHs I set and forget..

I have the Opteka grip on my silver XT and it works fine, I haven't had any problems with it whatsoever (I wish I could say the same for my XT itself). If anything, my only problem is that I managed to screw it on so tight that I can't take it off, not that I would ever need to. It really adds to the camera's 'feel', and I can't imagine shooting without it, honestly.

The shutter button (and all other buttons) on mine work fine, I haven't had any problems with them. I haven't had any power-related problems with my camera, either.

Overall I highly recommend the Opteka grip, it's a great grip at a great price.

A clone item is only worth buying if it is significantly cheaper than the original - no matter what we are talking about. If you need to sell, it may actually cost you more.

Where there is no significant price advantage, forget it.

Graham

I've read somewhere that the touch and feel of a half pressed shutter button on Canon is much better than on Opteka..

I don't have personal experience, though..

i read that also, i think i read it on dpreview.com, dont have the exact link

Those 2500 AA's are wonderful, and the best option you've got if you run out of NB-2LH's. I've used them and shot a whole day before. Hundreds of shots. One NB-2LH is only supposed to get like 500 shots anyway. You should check into sterlingtek batteries on ebay. Tons of people here swear by them. About 10 bucks, and they last longer than the real thing! Get a heap of them.

Oh, and those lime green 2500 AA's? In a flash, they're the only way to go, assuming you don't have lead acid batteries lying around.

I have been using the opteka grip and have not noticed any difference between the shutter button on the camera and the grip. I am extremely happy with the grip particulary as I purchased mine from 47th Street and even with postage saved me about AU$100 on the price of the Canon grip.