to get a grip or not get a grip?

i think its really a matter of personal preference. on the rebel series it is a must specially since it will improve the handling of the camera.
on the xxd series on the other hand the added weight just kills it. the 40d its ergonomic enough to be withouth a grip.

i once held a 5d gripped with a 24- 70 f2.8 L and a 580ex mk1 that was heavy!!! i cant imagine carrying that thing around. but i guess u get used to it over time

I love my grips. I got a grip for my XTi because of the size of the camera and it helped a lot, but one of the main reasons I got the grip for my 40D was so I could use the E1 hand strap. I don't like neck straps and only use them when I am using both camera and need to hand one on my shoulder. The E1 hand strap is great and makes the grip really worth it. I also like my grip for the extra buttons and the ability to hold 2 batteries. I have 10GB of memory and have filled it all without changing the 2 batteries in my XTi. Just one less thing to think about.

It just cracks me up to hear everyone complaining about how heavy a 40D with a grip and flash is. Ansel Adams used to climb all over Yosemite with a 60 pound camera, wooden tripod and a dozen glass plate negatives on his back...

JWright wrote in post #5881673
It just cracks me up to hear everyone complaining about how heavy a 40D with a grip and flash is. Ansel Adams used to climb all over Yosemite with a 60 pound camera, wooden tripod and a dozen glass plate negatives on his back...

Uphill both ways, of course

JWright wrote in post #5881673
It just cracks me up to hear everyone complaining about how heavy a 40D with a grip and flash is. Ansel Adams used to climb all over Yosemite with a 60 pound camera, wooden tripod and a dozen glass plate negatives on his back...

Nope used a mule.

Quad wrote in post #5881792
Nope used a mule.

No, I really think he used a tripod.

Quad wrote in post #5881792
Nope used a mule.

Not all the time... There were places a mule couldn't go, like up Half Dome. (Page 3 of his book Examples, The Making of 40 Photographs.)

Days we go around and around on this.

Do you really need it? Is your camera working for you as is? Spending $150 on a grip versus spending it on a nice lens if you save a little bit more?

I have a grip for my 40D I bought off of Jon, who didn't use it for his 20D. It works great, but the 40D with grip does not fit in my little bag, so off it went and haven't put it back on since. But it doesn't fit your XT. Sorry. I plan on using it again once I get into sport season again, but if you don't need it, save it for something you really need.

SuzyView wrote in post #5882121
Days we go around and around on this.

Do you really need it? Is your camera working for you as is? Spending $150 on a grip versus spending it on a nice lens if you save a little bit more?

I have a grip for my 40D I bought off of Jon, who didn't use it for his 20D. It works great, but the 40D with grip does not fit in my little bag, so off it went and haven't put it back on since. But it doesn't fit your XT. Sorry. I plan on using it again once I get into sport season again, but if you don't need it, save it for something you really need.

I am shooting with Sigma's. A 24-60 most of the time and my 70-200 for sports. I use a monopod and tripod as much as possible. Will the grip go on a pod? Will it throw off the balance on a pod?

I guess it really don't won't help me much overall, I have never had a problem holding my XT. I guess I am just looking for something to spend money on.....

I bought a grip for my 20D and used it for a little while and ended up selling it again cause I didn't like it. Took up too much room in my camera bag and I felt more comfortable shooting in the portrait orientation without the grip (plus quicker to swap between portrait and landscape orientation).

I do mainly use my camera for Landscape/travel shots though, not really into sport stuff.

If you have the 70-200 f4, it doesn't need a collar. Should just be fine connecting with the camera. I use my camera as the connector without the grip for that lens. Now, with the 70-200 2.8 IS, the lens has the ring, grip or not.

Coffee999 wrote in post #5880315
Get a grip!!

YES, calm down... get a grip... breath deep... that's better isn't it?!

I want to get a grip, but I keep buying lenses instead.

As much as I like to save some money on camera products, any added accessories which will be on my camera for long periods of time, such as flash or battery grip, I personally feel more at peace when using Canon's own brand.

It just feels perfect after a bit of getting used to.

The grip on the 10D is more of an integrated design (for a Canon at least) and makes it feel more complete and similar to my 1D II.

The grips for the newer XXDs are quite a bit more clunky so I never desired one when I had the 30D.

The grip for the XXXD line was almost a necessity for me just to be able to tolerate the little suckers. Of course if I knew then what I know now, I never would have started out on that series in the first place.

My 40d has a grip, and I have no problems carrying it +70-200 2.8 IS/1.4x +580ex II around for hours on end