Questions for vertical grip users

Exactly which vertical grip do you have in mind?

The one grip that feels solid is the MB-D10 for the D700 and D300. Most other grips are made out of plastic and don't have a solid feel.

I only use the MB-D10 on my D300 when I need 8 frames/sec. Most of the time I prefer the smaller configuration of the D300 by itself.

I use Nikon's grip for the D200. I suppose I'd be happier if it were made from the same magnesium as the frame of the camera, but then it would be stupidly expensive. It's reasonably well made, though I understand that the versions for their more recent cameras are better still. Mine just about never comes off the camera. I DO sometimes use it while the camera's on a tripod - depends on what I'm shooting. With a longer lens on, I'm using the lens's own tripod foot, so that part never matters.

The second shutter button and comand wheel set feels just fine, and does exactly what you'd expect it to do in the vertical orientation. Having the extra battery capacity onboard, and the extra mass (for me) is a huge benefit. I have large hands, and the whole rig just feels better with the grip installed, so there it stays unless I want to carry a smaller rig with a short lens in a hip bag for walk-about casual stuff.

No, I never got around to getting an L-bracket. On the likelihood that I'll soon be purchasing another body, I've been holding off on that. But then, I've got a very sturdy tripod and ball head, so if I need to go vertical, the off-center-ness of it when using shorter lenses hasn't been an issue at all. Again, on long lenses, the bracket (for me) wouldn't even come into play anyway.

To summarize: feels better in my hand than without the grip - better balance. Doesn't feel flimsy at all as long as you have it seated well and tightened down. More battery headroom: a good thing.

On my D200 I used the grip always with the exeption when used on a tripod, it was too unstable. The whole is a very bad thing, both battery clips broke twice.

On my D300 I never remove the grip. The design is much better, with the 2nd 4-way selector, too.

I use the grip on my D300 almost all of the time. I find it to be very solid and I like the added heft that it gives the camera. I do not use a L bracket on my cameras. The second shutter release on the MB-D10 seems to be a little more sensitive then the primary release. The comand dials work just fine.

The grip never leaves my D200, unless I'm traveling and need the space. I use a tripod quite a bit, and have a ballhead (no L bracket). Stability is not an issue in that area. The dual battery configuration is a must for me on days of continual shooting. It's not as well built as the motordrive on my old F3, but it does the job and then some.

I use my grip all the time. I just remove it to charge the batteries. On my first camera, D80, which had a plastic body same as the grip, I wasn't completely happy with it. It used to get loose. Now my D300/MB-D10 combo, I love it. It is very solid. it never gets loose. It feels like one piece. When you shoot portrait it makes it so much easier to handle the camera and shoot. Rene'

Correction. I don't use the trigger on the battery pack. I always have the release cord attached to my camera and even when I don't use a tripod I use the release cord, but still, the grip helps to handle the camera much better. Rene'

Aside from increased frame rate, I find the grip gives the camera more stability, especially when using a heavy lens. But I suppose it really depends on the size of your hands. I never shoot without one.

The grip is on my D200 and D300 all the time - the added size and weight help me hold the camera more stably. I actually like the design of the MB-D200 better than that of the MB-D10 - having to remove the grip every time to get to the second battery inside the camera is a nuisance. Wish the MB-D200 was metal and not plastic though. Never had contact problems with the MB-D200 but the MB-D10 seems to be more prone to them. No L-bracket - I shoot almost exclusively handheld - and the longer lenses have their own tripod mounts anyway.

Forgot: the selector on the MB-D10 is a major improvement over the MB-D200.

I had a grip with my D200. I liked it handheld or on a monopod with the grip, but tripod work was body-only with an L-bracket. That's not to say I only used the grip handheld. As Shun said, sometimes a relatively compact size is nice.

I put it on my D200 2 years ago and it has never been off. Unlike others, I find it solid enough but will admit I've no D300 / 700 grip to compare. I really like having a back up battery at 100% always available. It is VERY helpful when shooting verticals with long lenses such as 70-200 and 300 f4.

I'll be going to San Fransisco next week and won't even bring anything longer than a 105...for the first time, the grip will stay home. Ditto for street shooting in Paris with a 24mm and 35mm later this year

i keep the MB-D10 on always, as i too prefer the added "heft" and stability it provides. it makes it much easier to shoot in the vertical orientation as well. the controls work well, although the multi-functions selector takes some getting used to. i agree, it's a nuisance to have to remove the grip to get at the battery in the camera body, but i don't see how that's to be avoided.

with a D300, when AA batteries in the grip were exhausted and the camera switched to internal battery power, it's a bit of a dance to get the camera to draw off the grip's battery again. i'd have to remove the grip, remove the internal battery and then replace everything so the camera would draw power from the grip again. the D300 doesn't provide any indication that the AAs are depleted, and if you don't change batteries in the grip in time you have to go through the process i just described.

the D700, on the other hand, gives at least a bit of advance warning that the AAs are low. i also carry an MS-D10 (spare battery rack) with 8 AAs pre-loaded so i don't need to fiddle around with batteries when i need to swap them.

one other notable experience with the MB-D10: once, when i was caught out in a brief shower, a few drops of rain fell onto the camera. i wiped them off, pretty well i assumed. nevertheless, a small amount of water entered the space between the camera body and the grip, and moisture managed to work its way into the vicinity of the electrical contacts between the two modules. the camera behaved very oddly for a time, until i removed the grip and dried the contacts. needless to say, i'm not very careful about using the camera when it's wet outside.

I leave the vertical grips on all the time with the L brackets attached too on my D 200 and D 300. It adds more weight and balance to my long lenses, something I like. When shooting with normal lenses, I get in the habit of shooting a vertical right after a horizontal on most shots. That way I have both looks, a trick taught me by a photo-journalist. Editors often want a look we do not want or think of at the time we are shooting. Most images in magazines are verticals and not horizontals. I usually shut off that second button on the vertical grip.

Joe Smith

I leave the vertical grips on all the time with the L brackets attached too on my D 200 and D 300. It adds more weight and balance to my long lenses, something I like. When shooting with normal lenses, I get in the habit of shooting a vertical right after a horizontal on most shots. That way I have both looks, a trick taught me by a photo-journalist. Editors often want a look we do not want or think of at the time we are shooting. Most images in magazines are verticals and not horizontals. I usually shut off that second button on the vertical grip.

Joe Smith

I have MB-10 Verticle Multi-Power Grip on both of my Nikon N90s cameras, and I wouldn't have it anyother way. The grips are solid, and really help improve the "feel" and balance of the camera.

I love my grip on my D300 for a lot of reasons already mentioned, but I do find that the shutter release button is at least twice as sensitive as the one on the camera. I only remove it for stuff like my kid's school play where I want to keep things as small as possible. The design is better than the grip I had on the D80 when it comes to removing it; they include nifty rubber covers whereas with the D80 the grip extended into the body and removing it would leave a hole where you removed the onboard battery door.

I have a grip for every Nikon I own that has one. They never come off. I removed the grip from the N90 when I sold it and it's on the N90s. I have grips on F80, N90s, F6, D200, D300 and D700. One of the (many) things I liked best about the F5 was the built-in grip.

In addition to the grips Shun mentioned as being solid, I can voutch for the grips on the F80 and F6 as being fine quality and quite stable. I have never had a problem, really, with any of the grips. If a Nikon has a grip, I want it because they work just right for me. A camera without a grip feels naked and that's what I didn't like about the D70s.

Aside from having long fingers which fit more comfortably on a camera with a grip, about 85% of my photos are taken in portrait format. I'm beginning to get over that but almost everything I frame looks better to me in portrait format.

Conni

the d300 grip is way better than the d80 grip (which just made the d80 look more 'pro' and that's about it) and besides better build it has more functionality. it's great when handholding longer lenses as it provides a more stable shooting platform.

that said, it adds quite a bit of weight/bulk, and you really dont need it all the time unless you're shooting vertical shots at 8fps. i wish it gave a more precise reading of battery drain with AA's and the shutter is somewhat of a hair trigger.

but it's good to have, especially because you can pop in AA's if you run out of charge on EN-EL3s. in situations like travel, this could be a life-saver.

I had the grip for the D200 and the camera would sag dramatically on the tripod with my 17-35 attached. If you always hand hold its a great accessory, but it makes working on a tripod very quirky. Back when I had an N90s, the grip was rock solid on a tripod so I was very disappointed.

I bought grips for both D40x and D80 although they are aftermarket they feel very solid and I like the fact I dont have to change the batteries that often also grip for D80 allows me to use AA batteries in case I ran out the otherones. Also the ability to shoot portraits is very nice.

Love the grip with the D300. The D200 grip didn't get used as much because it was such a reach to the control wheel, even with reasonably long fingers. The D300 grip is solid and the little thumb control is a fantastic addition. Too bad it's so expensive, but I think it's worth it.

The problems: when working on a tripod it can get in the way for certain orientations or for switching orientations with certain lenses. It adds weight (so it gets pulled off right away for hiking and for most travel). It does take longer to pull the battery out of the camera itself to charge it. But that's about it.

I use a D200 with Nikon grip most of the time. It's a bit flimsy, as noted, but does make the camera feel better-balanced. I use it most of the time, but take it off to put the camera on a tripod. The only problem I've had with it is that the pins at the top can get bent or jammed quite easily - it's worth using the little cap that comes with it if you are packing it into your camera bag.

You can get round the D-pad problem - if you hold the AF button on the back of the grip pressed down, the front command dial can be used to cycle through the AF points. You need to set this up in the "autofocus" section of the CSM menu.

I use the grip for the D300 all of the time. In fact the only time it comes off is to charge and change the batteries. I usually rotate the batteries between the grip and body. I also purchased a Kirk L-bracket which has also acheived permanent connection status to the camera/grip as well. The unit feels very solid, and on my tripod is a joy to handle. I probably shoot in portrait mode better than 90% of the time and this combination works very well. I have heard some people talk about the release button on the grip being more sensitive thannthe camera shutter release, but I can't say that i have noticed any particular difference between the two.

--David

D200 + grip here. It's on pretty much all the time, I get that little bit of extra support (pinky + half of my ring finger) when shooting vertically.

I appreciate all of your insights. I am thinking most of the D80/D90 battery grip. Since it has no tangible benefit (i.e. does not increase the fps, and for me battery life and use of AAs is not an issue since it's easy to carry an extra battery), I'm mostly concerned with the fit, feel and ergonomics. So I'll be stopping by the store to try it out.

Again, thanks for all of you input.