Targus Digital TG-BGD40 Battery Grip for Nikon D40/D40x/D60
by Merkury Innovations
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List Price: Our Price: $64.92 You Save: $65.08 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $24.99 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Targus Digital TG-BGD40 Battery Grip for Nikon D40/D40x/D60
Customer Review: First Day Impressions
Summary: 4 Stars
Got this yesterday and connected it up to my D40.
Pros: It fits well and having a place to store the Battery door is a great feature. The camera sits well in the cutout around the top of the unit. The vertical shutter button does function but it does it via IR so there is a little delay but it does function as indicated. The unit is strong and adds a good amount of body to the camera.
Cons: The unit is made of hard plastic so if you have dry hands this may be a problem for you but because of it's large size it should not be an issue. The unit does have a hole in the bottom for a tripod mount but lacks the smaller hole like the camera does have which would make the tripod mount a little less reliable. On the camera if you put a tripod mount there is an extra hole in the camera body so the tripod mount does not turn when it is on the camera. The battery holder lacks this hole but you can still screw the mount into the battery holder.
Customer Review: Bit of a hack, but gets you extra battery life!
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this mostly for a trip where I was going to need extended battery life, and as an added bonus I would get an additional shutter button for portrait shooting. I picked up 2 extra batteries for my Nikon D40 to go into this unit. The extended battery life aspect of this device worked great, and doesn't add a whole lot of extra weight. This unit also comes with a caddy to use standard AA batteries. I never got this to work reliably. As far as the extra shutter button, this is a bit of a hack. You must set your camera to remote mode and then on the grip there is basically a remote built in that triggers when you push the shutter release. It is a little slow, and makes you switch to it every time you want to use it, so it is not for on the fly shooting. For the price of $40 that I paid I would say it was worth it, but if you want a true battery grip you will need to upgrade your camera and get one that is designed to be used with a device like this.Customer Review: I drop things...I just wanted a better hold on my expensive stuff :)
Summary: 5 Stars
I did not buy for the vertical shutter release feature and have never bothered to try that out. It looks like others have covered the bases on that review. I use my camera (nikon d40x) daily and just wanted a better fit. I like the larger feel in my hands, feels more steady to me. It certainly didn't add much weight. What it did add is the ability to have two batteries charged and ready to go. I bought a generic style battery here for around 7 dollars. Battery life is terrific. I like that i can swap out AA's as needed but haven't had to use that either due to great battery life. My only wish is if it had a more rubbery feel to it but at this price, I can live without it.
update 9/2010: I notice that the price has taken a huge jump. I stand by my good review at the price I paid (about the cost of a dvd movie) but I'm not sure I would feel the same at higher price listed today.
Customer Review: Decent for the Price
Summary: 4 Stars
Pros:
- Holds two batteries. That alone gave me more than enough juice for 14 hours worth of wedding/reception/dance coverage without ever having to change batteries.
- When loaded with batteries, the grip is comfortable and adds just enough weight to the camera for a pleasurable fit.
Cons:
- The shutter release does not communicated directly through the camera. No half-hold focusing. Instead, it communicates through an IR remote. Makes it difficult to use the grip's release without planning ahead through the camera menus for vertical shots.
- While the fit is fairly snug, a gap between the grip and the camera body remains. Very flush for a non-factory grip, but still a little off.
For the price, this grip does what I wanted it for. It provides extra space for my big hands to comfortably hold the camera.
Customer Review: Battery grip a Must-Have!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This battery grip is awesome. I recently got one and used it for a day's (night) shooting at an event. I took close to 1000 shots during the shoot and didn't come close to having to change batteries. I was even able to lend one of my spare batteries to another shooter who's battery ran out.
The portrait shutter button is a bit of a pain in that one has to fiddle around to set it up. It works however and if one knew one had a series of portrait shots to take it's okay. It doesn't have autofocus in that mode as it works through the infra-red system.
At around $40.00 this unit is a must have for the extra juice factor. It also adds some beef to the D40 D 60 cameras which are quite small - I have big hands so the camera feels far more substantial with the grip.
I highly reccomend this product.