Best 3rd party Battery Grips

Amac

Good day all...

I am looking for a battery grip for the D800. I recall very recently seeing on NR & BHphoto a newer magnesium grip from a 3rd party manufacturer. They also made a regular version but came out with a deluxe or step up version. I googled & searched the BH site but just cant find it or recall the name. The price point was slightly more than there regular sub $100 version.

Any info would be appreciated.

with thanks..

al

roombarobot

I don't know anything about them, but here are two 3rd party magnesium D800 battery grips:

Flashpoint D12 = http://www.adorama.com/INKMBD12M.html
Phottix BG-D800M = http://www.adorama.com/PHBGD800M.html

Anyone know anything about them?

Amac

Ah... thanks... great finds!!
Thanks a lot I appreciate it.

Do you have an after market grip for the d800, if you what are your thoughts?

al

Nikonfan

I tried the Pixel grip for the D800, but the camera would not recognize the grip. The grip would fire the camera, and change the focus point. It would not recognize or accept power from the battery pack. Very odd.
I now have the Flashpoint magnesium grip on the camera and it is recognized in the battery menu and works in all ways like the Nikon grip I have on my D300.

TaoTeJared

There is a lot of info out on the web and a lot of grips. Most have issues with battery operations (only the battery in the grip works, if battery in body, no batter in grip, doesn't work, 3rd party battery only, shaking it, power failure, etc) and a few have issues with the keys being reversed and barely working. Seems like Nikon changed something that has done a number on the accessory companies.

I have been watching these and it seems none are close to as good as Nikon's. Phottix BG-D800M was suppose to be the best, but I haven't seen any reviews on it yet. Flashpoint seems to be re-branded Meike products - you may want to look at reviews for that.

The pricing Nikon has on theirs (down to $369) which is better than when it was released but still ridiculously high for what it is. For that price I would expect a built in GPS tagger or something that would make it worth while.

adamz

I didn't get grip for my d800 yet but was using 2 3rd party grips on both d90 and d300s. the company that manufactured that grips was meike (aka alpha in some countries) and was more than happy with the results.

ray_f

I bought the Meike grip for my D800 back in October. Works relatively well, but I've had some connection issues with it, sometimes the camera doesn't see the grip attached. I have to squeeze it while screwing it in to make sure it's connected properly. The buttons still work (shutter release and af-on) even if the camera doesn't see the battery pack, and since there is no increase in the frame rate in FX mode, it really isn't a big deal. I use it mostly when shooting basketball, shooting in portrait mode is much more comfortable with the grip. Got it for $68 on Amazon, couldn't go wrong.

SquamishPhoto

I have the Pixel Vertax grip for my D800 and its been solid. No connection issues, feels good on the camera, cheap.

adamz

so does anyone actually have the original one, or maybe the original and a cheap replacement so can say sth from first hand experience about both of them?

TaoTeJared

bump

Rx4Photo

Ive had the Flashpoint D12 magnesium alloy grip for about 4 weeks now. Absolutely no problems with the D800. In fact it fits more solidly on the camera than the Nikon brand battery grip fit on my D7000 which had a tiny bit of play even when extremely tight. I actually like the feel of the shutter button more in that it's a distinct on/off click and not springy like the D800's button. No way was I going to pay that much for the original.

JJ_SO

@Rx4Photo that was the same with mine on the D7000. At least, Nikon exchanged it with a new one, that was much better. On the D800 I bought the original one as well but am now thinking if I'll do that for D7100 likewise. I don't like everything on the original grips:

I find them overpriced as well
On a tripod, they are not that stiff - the thickness of the Magnesium is not enough for adding much stability.
The wheels are different from the body wheels, (material and necessary force to turn them) front wheel is better than the one on the body, back wheel needs too much force and the angle of it is not natural for the thumb
Ergonomics was not first on their list, handwrist is in an awkward position
The joystick is hmm, improvable, too- tiny, difficult to use
For that price, a charger socket or at least a power socket would have been nice. Fiddling around with these adapter when doing static time lapse or focus stacking shots - don't like that bit. Also, putting 8 AA cells in and out is like dismounting the petrol tank when out of gaz

Now, if I have to tell about the good things, it would be: it improves handling of portrait shots for me anyway. As I saw with D7000, genuine parts are not a guarantee for tight fit, but the MB-D12 is excellent in that aspect.

So, I would give flashpoint a chance, if it's in total (import costs) not more expensive than the original MB-D15 one. But the risk buying in the US is kind of a brake and eBay for these things a no-go to me - probably I'll go the easy way again.

Amac

Excellent, excellent info!
Thanks it gives me options.

DaveRobo

Why is the Flashpoint model from Adorama discontinued? I have one and it works well. I'm very happy with it.

kampa

I personally think that the battery grips could offer a larger number of features, Nikon could make good money by offering different battery grips with different features for each camera. The only extra feature they seem to have offer (vertical composition aside) is the slight increase in FPS in some models.

As stated before, by @TaoTeJared the battery grips will offer a more attractive option to some users if it they would come with a GPS module, WiFi connectivity, more FPS, additional connectivity (PC sync flash socket for example) or even aditional flash card slots.

This could reduce the price of future bodies while still covering the increasing demand for these features.

aquarian_light

My recommendation...
http://photographylife.com/reviews/zeikos-d800-battery-grip

ImageFaktory

The BG-D800M Looks great and has a professional feel to it, the finish is almost identical to the camera grip, mounts snug to the camera body. Only major downside is the shutter button feels flimsy and no were near the quality of the original shutter button, it requires a lot more effort to press and shoot and sometimes doesn't respond . The navigation toggle switch is over sensitive and always overshoots the target or the intended focus point, I find myself not using it at all. The two function dials seem to work fine. The BG-D800M works well for what you pay, although more effort should have been put into the shutter button as this is an important function for vertical shots. If your a casual photographer Im sure you will be fine with this Phottix Grip, if your a serious shooter then I suppose you already have the original Nikon grip and probably not reading this review.

proudgeek

So I take it no one has the Vello that B&H is offering as a package with its D800s.

kkanuck

Go to ebay and search for this:" MB-D12 Multi Power Battery Grip for Nikon D800 D800E Camera + EN-EL18 Battery " You should see presently 394 sold. It comes with an aftermarket EL18 included. Very happy with the build and match to original D800 chassis. Good value. Shutter button a little different feel, but not an issue for me.

I purchased this after reading many recommendations. The battery meter also works with the built in system meter, where a lot of the aftermarket grips do not (you must have a battery EL15 in the main body for this to work)

proudgeek

I bought my D800 without the battery grip. Will purchase one down the road, either OEM or aftermarket.

Golf007sd

This discussion is also worth looking into. Some options have been mentioned there as well.

TaoTeJared

Out of all the options I still haven't read any of the 3rd party grips that are reliable. It seems for every good review of one, I read reviews on Amazon or other sites where people have issues with them whether it being mushy/bad shutter button or power reading issues or various LCD windows going blank. The Phottix BG-D800M Magnesium Battery Grip seems to be the most promising but I haven't seen any long term use reviews of it.

I miss having the grip and am ready to get one - just curious if anyone has found one that is 100% working/ no performance compromises

Golf007sd

@TaoTeJared: Buddy just get the one from Nikon and let your mind be at ease. Their is no "real" substitute for the original one. If you want to save some money get a 3rd party but then you have to deal with what it has and does not have. The one kkanuck got so far work and he is happy with it. But 1) it is not weather sealed, it uses a look alike (proprietary) battery that looks like the one in the D4, different charging system, and a few other things here and there.

kyoshinikon

Not completely on topic but I have a genuine nikon grip for my D700 and it wont do 8fps on CL when SET to do it. Why?

TaoTeJared

I think you have to shoot on JPEG and have the D3 battery in it for it to do 8fps. Of course your shutter speed needs to be fast enough as well. Realistically, I wouldn't expect anything above 6fps.

@golf - yeah, yeah, you're right, but I had the $$ for another flash!!! gumbel -

PB_PM

I think you have to shoot on JPEG and have the D3 battery in it for it to do 8fps. Of course your shutter speed needs to be fast enough as well. Realistically, I wouldn't expect anything above 6fps.

No, it will shoot 14bit RAW at 8FPS with the grip. You need either a D3 battery or 8AA batteries. It does shoot faster than 6FPS, since 6FPS is the fastest of the old D300, and it most defiantly shot faster with the grip and the right batteries (only 12bit RAW for the D300). The D700 shoots the same speed, so it does work. The issue is that EN-EL3e batteries do not have enough voltage to fire 8FPS. Oh, that and you'll want a fast shutter speed, I'd say at least 1/1000s.