40D battery grip, too much?

I found two reasons why I needed a grib.

1 - I tend to do more vertical shots, and its easier if you have the grip. (15%)
2 - Extended Battery life. (85%)

With #2 - 16GB CF cards and 2 - 8GB CF cards I tend to shot a lot, specially at sporting events (soccer, 90+ minutes of game time). Without a grip I would end up holding back to make sure I get to the end of the game.

for me - too much for carrying around, but perfect for portraits and landscapes, especially at night...

aram535 wrote in post #5884470
I found two reasons why I needed a grib.

1 - I tend to do more vertical shots, and its easier if you have the grip. (15%)
2 - Extended Battery life. (85%)

Ditto for #1. My #2 is the better balance (I have huge hands) and my #3 is the look

Here's my personnal view on it. I have big hands and when holding the 40d my right pinky falls under the camera instead of being on the side of it like the other fingers. If i have my 35mm glass on the camera, it's fine. But as soon as I put a heavier lens on it, I feel more stable with the battery grip on and all my fingers on the side of the body.

Now with that in mind, you need to see the battery grip as an accessory that can and needs to be used only when needed, not something that one you purchase it needs to stay on your camera or the world will implode.

I suggest getting one at a local store, give it a run for a week and then return it if you dont like it. The feeling of your camera in your hands is like shoes. You need to try it and walk a bit with it before knowing if you are comfortable with it or not.

Hope this helps!

I take a lot of vertical sports photos (people running are usually taller than wide), so I use the grip mainly for - the grip.

The added battery life is an extra plus, but not the essential thing for me.

If I want to carry a camera for a long distance, I take the grip of my 400D instead, and put on something like the EF-S 17-85 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, to get a good range in a single lens. Pretty lightweight then. But that's when I carry more than I take photographs.

When it's the other way around, I use the gripped 40D.

I'm thinking about getting the grip for my 40D. Can someone post a shot of the grip mounted on the 40D and also list the model number I should look for?

Thanks!

form wrote in post #5880978
The grip makes it look like a more expensive and important camera. That in itself is worth the extra (wasted) money.

My opinion is that I have never been able to financially justify paying to hold two batteries at once when it takes less than 30 seconds to remove one and put another in its place.

if you think all a grip does is provide an extra battery, you likely don't shoot portrait orientation w/ a heavy lens much.

gjl711 wrote in post #5880015
It’s a personal preference. I think that the 40D is already too heavy and that’s without a grip, but that’s me. Others couldn’t see shooting without one. See if you can find someplace to try it out for fit.

Agreed. I'm sort of in the middle. Some times I use a grip, sometimes not. It's definitely not a necessity though.

How much does a 40D/gripped weigh compared to a 1Dseries?

The grip makes little difference in weight when using a flash and fast zoom lens. The extension in battery life and improvement in ergonomics in portrait is worth the cost and slight weight increase. The only annoyance for me is the fact that it's plastic and feels slightly flimsy in comparison to the 40d body.

I have the grip and have mixed feelings.
I think it adds a lot of mass and when I am traveling light I remove it. It does not fit in my small camera bag with the grip.
I love to shoot vertical with the grip and I like the idea of having the extra battery. Since I got a used one and two batteries for $120, I felt it was a worth while investment.