It's official: Canon acknowledges BG-E2 grip is faulty

I called Canon UK about this and they say that there are no recalls in the UK for this grip and that "the american ones must be different" !

bikers1 wrote:
I called Canon UK about this and they say that there are no recalls in the UK for this grip and that "the american ones must be different" !

Fools

Unfortunately this does not address the BIGGEST problem with the grip... power loss due to a loose fit with the camera. From what I can tell this affects ALL the grips, but some people just dont notice the problem.

At present I don't have the grip, but I'm following this saga with interest. There is discussion in other forums as well and I came across this in Rob Galbraiths. It is a bandaid fix for the intermittent loss of power due to flexing of the the grip. What was done is a small piece of Velcro was attached to the grip opposite the end where the connection end sticks up. When the grip is tightened to the body the Velcro acts as a shim to cause more pressure to be applied to the connection side.

Canon will shortly be mailing a piece of Velcro to everyone that registered their BG-E2 grip by mail or online!!!! (Ha,ha only kidding........... maybe)

Credit to RobBenton over there...
http://www.robgalbrait​h.com …age=0&fpart=all​&vc=1&nt=3

Thanks for the link.
That is an interesting fix. But mine is on the way to Canon again, so I can't test.
However, when I had the grip, I tried putting a business card in that spot, and it didn't help in the least. In fact, it seemed worse.
I still have NO idea how Canon could release such a problematic product!?
As soon as you attach it to the camera, anybody can immediatelty see that the grip doesnt fit properly.... nowhere near as tight as the grips for the 10D or 300D. The designers must have been having a drinking party that day!

I called Canon some time ago about the all too common flexing issue, and the tech guy told me it was a known issue, but he told me to send it to Tennesse for the fix... which I did't, I couldn't wait that long. Now there's a recall, but on the false low battery warning, not the other problem. Supposably that's a design mistake (missing a washer)... why it flexes. I'm right with you on this one, Drisley, It's embarassing how they designed the grip for this camera (the one for the 300d is way better)

When I called about my flexing problem when I first got the grip, Canon Service told me they were aware of the problem and it was a simple fix. The tech on the phone told me he had seen the problem with his own eyes many times.
Well, I sent in my grip, waited a month, told they had trouble fixing the problem so they would just send me a brand new one. Well, the brand new one ALSO has the same flexing problem.
So, I called them again, and they said that Canon had just announced a fix, and they should be getting parts to correct the issue later this month. I told them that I knew of the announcement, and it had nothing to do with the power flexing issue. They insisted it did. So, I send the grip back yesterday, on their coin, and included a message that said "test before sending back" and "do not return unless the problem is verified to be fixed".

Canon has been very clear about this, the AA batteries are meant to be used in an emergency if you are out of power from the rechargables and need to get a few more shots, it was not meant to be used for normal operation.

For anyone ordering from B & H--mine had had the battery problem--showed low battery immediately upon turning on. I took the grip off, packed it up and am retunring it. I"ll most likely buy one when there is a 'fixed' version as I've used grips for quite a long while. Just got my 20D also and am getting used to shooting without a grip--I just moved the old grip from body to body, but--

Diane

Curious, picnic, did you place the batteries into the grip THEN install the grip?
That is supposedly the cause of the low battery indicator for most people.
If so, remove the batteries, remove the grip, then install the grip, then install the batteries.

You are right dude, that does sort out the problem. BUT if i do that and then turn off the camera for a while it comes back on with the low batt sign!!!

Ah, Ok, definately send it back.
I would almost say that Canon is losing major money on this grip because of all the returns.
But then again, they did charge alot more for it than the 10D or 300D grips.
I do know that many stores that I've talked to wished they never carried the BG-E2 because they have indeed lost money on the BG-E2 because of all the exchanges, returns, shipping, etc.

This blows mightily.

Purchased grip with new 20D this past Friday.

I just removed both BP-511s from my grip (attached to the camera) and inserted the AA carrier with 6 swear-to-god fully charged nimh 2500 mAh. Closed the door, turned the camera back on then sputter blink low battery then no battery game over pal, game over.

Am I hearing I have to send this thing off to Kookamonga for a repair...?

Yup. Atleast they acknowledge the problem with AA has been acknowledge, and a repair is now available. Still blows mighty though.

Hi everyone,

I live in Australia and have just bought a 350D. I've ordered a BG-E3 grip which should turn up in a day or two. Does anyone know of any problems with this grip or is it just the BG-E2?

Shifters.