Battery Grip - really worth it??

Hi there...this is first ever question here in the forum.
I plan to get a battery grip for my D7000.

Is it really worth the money to get it? there are many reasons to get one,.. most of my friends told me to get one, mainly because it will turn your body to look like a D3x/D4 (from a distance of course),.. to make it looks more powerfull beside what we actually need for extra juice.
Another friend of mine, never put extra battery inside the grip, told me the grip will make it easy to shoot in portrait or vertical because of the extra shutter button. But he is a Canon guy.
Based on my experience while in Japan...i took approx 1000 photos per day with my used stock battery, without having it dried at the end of the day. I shoot and sometimes reviews some of the photos .. shoot with VR on, AF etc...but the battery never dries. Now as i got new D7000, my personal record is over 1200 shots in a day and the battery still have 1 bar left in the indicator. So i still feel there is no need for me to get one. However, friends are still pouring poison for me to get one (nikon mb-d11, which on sale for approx US $120).

I'm just an amateur hobbyist who shoots maybe 2-3 times a month.
SO do people like me do need the grip (if budget is not a problem).. beside turning the body into a pro looking camera, extra juice , as well as extra weight , now i'm in dilemma.

Please assist me. Thanks in advance.

Zaidi

It is personal choice in terms of how you shoot. The grip helps for vertical shots and of course battery life. It seems you don't shoot much flash off the camera so perhaps you'll be fine. I personally love the look and stability of the grips but sometimes I enjoy the lighter weight and portability of the smaller D7000 camera. But if I'm doing more serious shooting I like to have the grip handy, plus I have bigger hands so it just feels more secure when I shoot. I would not get it because your friends like you to have one but because you find it to be more comfortable to use, and that it is your style of shooting that requires it. Can you borrow one of your friend's grips and try it out for a shooting day and see how you like it? That's what I would do.

I love grips!

hey bro..thanks for your reply. Outstanding gear that u have..i envy u....
btw, i do agree with you...it's more to personal preferences and the way we handle the camera. However, i still cannot make up my mind ..to buy or not to buy.
Being a newbie, is using flash will also suck the power out of the camera? stupid me..i thought it will suck the flash batteries not the body. Occasionally, i mounted my Sb-600 and shoot... now i remember few weeks ago i used flash extensively over 600 shot and notice the battery drain faster. Now i knew why..Duh!. Thanks for pointing it out.

btw, my friends that used grip are all with D90s. I tried once with my old D80. Kinda like it....but only for test shot never for real...

thanks for your points...

Th extra battery power is nice but I really like the feel, it is like I have a more stable grip on the camera. This is especially true with a longer lens. I have a 5100 and it is smaller/lighter than a 7000.

Pat in NH

I don't have one...I thought about getting one but ended up buying a couple of extra batteries...

crycocyon said:

....if I'm doing more serious shooting I like to have the grip handy, plus I have bigger hands so it just feels more secure when I shoot

Can you borrow one of your friend's grips and try it out for a shooting day and see how you like it? That's what I would do.

I love grips!

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I agree with this assessment... extra battery is "nice" but you can accomplish the same with a bettery in your pocket. I also have large hands and my 5100 is "small"! That is great for a walk around etc but I like the more secure grip that I have on the camera with the grip!

Good suggestion to borrow one if you can... I had a couple people on here who shared some insights on the 5100 grip, pro's and cons's before I bought mine. That was a big help.

Pat in NH

As far as buying one to make the camera look more impressive I wouldn't waste my time. What impresses people are the pictures that you capture. I have seen many a person with expensive cameras and lenses that could not take a decent picture. As far as the grip goes I have one on my D7000 and like the feel of it and find it very useful when shooting and it is especially handy in portrait position having the extra set of controls. I also like the fact that I have a second battery so I do not run out of power and the balance it povides with longer lenses. Overall I like having the extra grip and will purchase one for each camera that I get in the future.

i have also thought of this but cant find enough pros to buy it, i did buy an extra battery though, just incase.

I have small hands, the only thing is that i keep knocking off the small rubber mount on the bottom inside of the hand grip, this does get annoying, by adding a grip would that solve this problem?

I really wish Nikon would make a grip for the 5100. I have heard to many bad things about the 3rd party grips. Having the 70-300 on the 5100 is a tad awkward and the extra vertical height on the grip would be nice. I missed out on a used one for my D80 that was only going for $70 at Henrys I would get it for the extra grip because of my big hands, second for the extra battery power. Getting one in order to make your camera look "pro" or like something it is not (a D3), is just silly.

I have a grip for my D700 and one for my D7000. 99% of the time they sit comfortably in the lens drawer. I find they add weight and was so used to shooting vertical shots with non-motorized film 35mm that even with the grip, I sometimes forget to use the vertical buttons on it. Plus, with the grip I hardly can fit camera and lenses in my camera bags.

And I've yet to run out of battery power and only charge them once in a blue moon.

Just my experience. I know that if I'd be shooting for long periods or specific events, I might need it for sure, but for my amateur use, I probably spent money for not much use.

I echo the message of not using them. I got them for my older cameras, and they collected dust, I have no issues shooting veritical, and heck, one set of controls are enough, Today's cameras get so many shots with one battery, that hardly worth the expense. If I am going to be out ALL day shooting thousands of photos, I'll throw an extra battery in my kit.

To me, they are a leftover from the old film drives of olden days. We all remember that distinct sound of the Nikon motor drive. Heck, I bought one just to hear the sound. In those days, then the motor drive could be hand for the burst shots, even though you were just burning thru film.

but, with digital they became basically a way to extend battery (more important in the early days when CCD cameras burned thru batteries), and for those that like the veritical control.

and..

Yes, ego,, some folks do like that "pro" look.

I almost never use the vertical button on the grip when shooting vertical as it is just easier to rotate my arm to shoot using the primary shutter release rather than flipping on and off the grip switch because if I leave it on my hand always actuates the grip shutter.

Roy1961 said:

I have small hands, the only thing is that i keep knocking off the small rubber mount on the bottom inside of the hand grip, this does get annoying, by adding a grip would that solve this problem?

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Ya that little rubber mount drives me crazy as I'm always pushing it back in when handling the camera without a grip. It isn't a problem with the grip because the bottom of it isn't being caught anymore as it rests just above the grip.

For me, I found the battery grip on my D7000 to be indispensable. Not because I shoot vertical or needed extra battery time but because my hands are large and I found having the grip on the D7000 made a huge difference when it came to hand-held shots. I could hold it far more steady and the camera just felt "right" at that size.
Fast forward to the D800, I bought a grip soon after the camera arrived but in this case the combination was too large and the D800 w/o a grip fits perfectly in my hands.

thanks guys for your input...i really appreciate it.... yeah , i agree that having the grip to look like a pro doesnt really justify the purchase...but some people did... now i get a clear picture.. my hand are not that big (typical asian size..lol) and i havent know the ergonomics of having the grip to shoot for a longer period. Grandpaw's tips on having the grips is a poison at first.. i think i'd better invested on another spare battery (just like i did with my D80)...save the money for expensive family dinner ..

thanks guys....really appreciate it.... (but i will try to borrow from others (if u found one)) ...

I got mine for couple of reasons, the grip stability, extra battery as well being able to be able to use AA batteries with it. It really does help with the feel, but adds a little weight which I dont mind.

I had a grip for my D300 & rarely used it. Nothing wrong with it, for me the camera didn't need a grip to feel comfortable. If one has large hands I can understand how it helps with the camera handling.

With my D7000 I just keep a spare battery in my pocket. I rarely need it, the D7000 has pretty good battery mileage.

yesterday, while hunting for a pair of nice cammo pants, i ended up in a small camera store...the nice lady showed me a used MB-D11 (still under warrantry that ends June 2013)...bargain begins and we got a deal for about USD$65. Cant hardly reject this offer..so took home the grip and forgot to buy pants...wife gimme the looks that kill...

anyway, tested with my D7000 and i simply love it...my daughter played with my camera and feel good about it...

so sorry! haha

Nice find, now go buy some pants.....

i love using the my pair of gripped d7000s so much that i will not use them ungripped!
i wear a medium sized glove so my hands are smallish, but i found that without a grip i had nowhere to rest my littlest finger. also, that little rubber cover kept popping up frequently.
further to this, if i go out with two cameras i typically have the nikon 300 f4 and 1.4 tc on one body and a sigma 150 on the other. both are hefty lenses and the grip helps to stabilise them on a monopod or tripod.