I saw this on Amazon and thought I should mention it. “Battery Grips” are detachable extensions which fit on the bottom of your Canon 5D, 20D, 30D, 40D and allows for a few things:
1. To hold the camera vertically without strain on your wrist, the grip allows for this by including a second shutter button.
2. It allows for a second battery which means more shoot time without needing to change lenses. Good for image stabilized lenses as they draw power from the batteries. (But lets be honest how hard is it to change a battery? lol)
3. Greatly adds to WOW factor. The camera looks bigger, and believe it or not, clients are more impressed with the bigger hardware.
I am very careful about recommending off brand gear. What it comes down to for me is a balance between Functionality first and foremost and secondly price. If it works as good or better than brand name, and its significantly cheaper- YES.
This grip costs $80 new, compared to nearly $200 for the Canon version. Also, it comes with 2 batteries, AND if you look very closely, you will see that there are 2 additional shutter buttons, one for you lefties. There have been times I have said to myself….I wish I had a button on the other side (just due to the composition at hand.)
While I dont have an immediate need for it now, this will be the next grip I get. If anyone else gets it and tests it out, please let me know what you think.
Ok….just bought it. I must be on a spending craze. I’ve had a some mad money set back for some new things and your description on this sold me. So, I bought it. With several weddings coming up, I need all the help I can get on my wrists. Plus, the WOW factor is always nice! I’ll let you know what I think once I play around with it. Thanks for always offering great tips! And I’ll be emailing you trying to get a set date on when I can work with you. 🙂
sweet heather! I am actually very interested in seeing this. I know it also has a built in charger. Talk with you soon!
Funny you should mention that. When I upgraded to the Canon 40D, I figured I’d be able to just use the same grip from my 10D. Wrong! Those clever buggers at Canon made sure they’d be able to ding us for what I consider to be a must-have accessory! I’m like you in that I tend so shy away from off-brand items, but this one looks pretty good. Oh, and you’re so right about the "wow" factor. It shouldn’t matter, but it does! It gives an air of professionalism that always gets comments. Too funny!
Me, again! Heather’s comment about her wrists reminded me that, since we have the same rig for the most part, do your hands and wrists start to fatigue after shooting awhile, Michael? The camera itself isn’t light, but in combination with our very sturdy Canon telephoto lens AND our batter grip and two batteries AND sometimes our flash unit. I find my hands start to ache much more than ever before. Any tips?
Hey Scott! It is normal to feel hand fatigue at the end of a 8 hour shoot. Im not sure how to avoid this, but yes I have noticed it too. As far as the Opteka Grip, yes, its interesting to me that not all the Canon grips are interchangeable, but I know that the 20D grips work on the 40D grips. The 10D grip was the only incompatible one I know of, I havent bothered to try it on my 30D. Good to hear from you!