D7000 Battery Grip Options *Aftermarket VS Nikon Brand* Video Inside

Now I know that many people are going to be wondering which battery grip they should get, aftermarket or Nikon. Specifically on different forums including Amazon and eBay. There has been one brand that has been doing a pretty good job and seems to have better reviews than all other "Aftermarket" battery grips and that is "Meike" also the exact same as "Vello" which by the way is owned by "B&H Photo". They are all the same.

Many people are claiming that for the money it's a better buy because you're saving so much and the quality is pretty close. This is not the case and in this video I will demonstrate the differences.

Enjoy!

Good, impressions vid man, but you'll hear me say this all the time- how long/how often does one fail over the other? They both have AA tray options, which IMO is the REAL deal breaker between more sophisticated units and beginner gear that honestly really matters outside of reliability.

If Nikon grip lasts 3x as long as Meike according to the price and warranty, then they're still about equal in performance. What feels more flimsy only really matters if the performance varies rather than the build quality.

I like that you tried both out, but about a week is hardly a fair benchmark.

SkvLTD said:

Good, impressions vid man, but you'll hear me say this all the time- how long/how often does one fail over the other? They both have AA tray options, which IMO is the REAL deal breaker between more sophisticated units and beginner gear that honestly really matters outside of reliability.

If Nikon grip lasts 3x as long as Meike according to the price and warranty, then they're still about equal in performance. What feels more flimsy only really matters if the performance varies rather than the build quality.

I like that you tried both out, but about a week is hardly a fair benchmark.

Click to expand...

I tried them for 4 consecutive weddings. I don't like the feel of the aftermarket grip, there is no real warranty, and no AA battery tray case.

As a professional, I need more than that.

So, well Meike aside, no other Chinese manufacturer offers AA tray like nikon does? And from pro standpoint, understandable. My advise is to gear reviews of things like these towards both pro and am shooters, keeping budget in mind as well as reliability. Almost want to say- its really all about how/well Meike/other grips fare since we know Nikon stuff will be outstanding given the price tags and the brand.

It's not just from a standpoint as a professional, you have to also look at the fact that the difference in price isnt enough to warrant such a drastic difference. This aftermarket grip has loose buttons, rattle, it flexes and moves too much, its made of complete plastic and there is no support for the tripod mount as its a female thread glued to plastic on the inside. Drop this grip one time and I am willing to bet that it would crack in half.

There is also the fact that it doesnt come with a case for the AA tray, the Nikon does. Also the tray itself also is cheaper and flexes. So it basically comes down to this:

Are you willing to get a flimsy grip that will get the job done, and risk that it will likely wear out faster, and will break if you drop it in exchange for savings? Get the Meike.

If you want the rugged grip that can take a beating, has a case for the AA tray, doesn't flex, and doesn't make any noise and has a 1 year warranty? Get the Nikon.

I just can't justify that just to save $140 bucks. Most people won't want to either.