Opteka Battery Pack Grip / Vertical Shutter Release for Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi & Rebel XT with 2 NB-2LH Batteries
by Opteka
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Opteka Battery Pack Grip / Vertical Shutter Release for Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi & Rebel XT with 2 NB-2LH Batteries
Customer Review: So far so good...
Summary: 4 Stars
Opteka Battery Pack Grip / Vertical Shutter Release for Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi & Rebel XT with 2 NB-2LH Batteries (2400 mAh Total)
I have had this product for less than a week and I'm impressed with it so far. I had read most of the 106 previews written about this battery grip before I decided to purchase.
I recently purchased 3 L series lenses and the battery pack grip gives my Rebel XT and Rebel XTi the extra heft needed with a 3.5 pound lens. My wife, who is 5'4" has found the extra grip helpful for her smaller hands as well.
The shutter release button does feel a little mushy when you are using it for the first few times, but you get used to the feel. I also like that there is a place to put the battery compartment door when the battery pack is attached. I used to hate doing portrait views because of the awkward angle you have to hold the camera, but now it is a very different experience.
The battery pack has an on/off switch so that you don't accidentaly take a picture or change a setting while just holding the camera. I have left mine in the on position so that I won't miss a picture by forgetting to turn it to the on position.
Also you will run into a need for the extra battery power when using bigger faster lenses with IS and USM. I was a little leary when first charging the batteries that came with the product because of the amount of time that each battery took to charge. 2 of the batteries took well over an hour while one of them charged in about 10 minutes. I have been using the camera all week (about 2000 shots) and still have not run the batteries down. I'll try harder to get them to drain in the next week or so and then update about the batteries. I'm also using the original Canon batteries in my other camera as a comparrison of the off brand batteries.
23 Jan 2008
I have had very good results with the off brand batteries that came with the grips. They are comparable with my Canon batteries. I have gotten used to the feel of the buttons on the grip as well and have no complaints.
Customer Review: You get what you paid for
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased this battery grip because of the rave reviews here, so I will not go into how "good" it is because there are a lot of good reviews. However, I have had a bad experience that I'd like to share.
First of all, I purchased it from 47th Street Photo. I tried to arrange for an exchange for a Canon grip but so far, I've had the run-around and lack of response.
The grip came with 2 extra batteries so the price is almost too good to be true. And after a few uses, I find that it -is- too good to be true.
First, the batteries. I was amazed that the batteries only took about 5 minutes to charge until I put them in and they only lasted a few minutes. These batteries are essentially paperweight now.
The grip. The appearance is -very- nice and well made. It fits my Rebel xti like a glove. Like everyone says, it will make it more comfortable to hold. The shutter button on the grip is mushy and the dial is very soft. Instead of the click-click feeling of the camera, the battery grip dial is almost smooth.
It was very easy to connect to my Rebel xti. But after a few minutes of usage, I noticed the big problem. It would lose power at random times, the camera just shuts off as if someone pulled the plug. I tried tightening the connection, holding the camera differently, changing battery source... nothing helped. Some other people had the same problem, but unfortunately I didn't catch them on the Amazon review.
So I don't even use it now because I don't want to risk losing power when I need it. I would recommend just buying the Canon version... you're spending on the camera, lens... the last thing you want is to lose power without warning.
UPDATE:
I returned the grip to 47th Street Photo wanting a refund, but they actually sent me another set of grip + battery. This time, they work great. The batteries last a long time and the grip fits like a glove. I don't use the shutter button the grip because it is very soft. But this grip definitely serves its purpose. So I guess it's just luck of the draw, hopefully you'll get a good one.
Customer Review: Exactly what I needed
Summary: 4 Stars
Grip:
I got this grip just a few days ago but I am so far really pleased with it. Its exactly what I expected. It doesn't seem that the logos will scratch off (I tried to!). Using it makes the camera much easier to hold when holding the camera for portraits. It's much less tiring and awkward. The buttons are placed so that switching between portrait and landscape orientations is extremely natural.
The complaints I have so far are basically nitpicks. The buttons are a bit "squishy" but completely and totally usable. It isn't hard to know where half-way point is on the shutter button but it doesn't have as distinct a stop as the camera's shutter. Also the main-dial isn't as responsive as I'd hoped for. It doesn't have the distinctive click like the camera does. Sometimes its hard to tell if its "clicked" into a point. Also, as soon as I got the grip, part of the rubber texture seems to be pulling away like it wasn't glued down properly but it doesn't affect using the camera at all. Nothing a little super-glue won't fix.
Batteries:
The batteries I received were Opteka OP-2LH which are stated to be 7.4V 1200 mAh, not the 900 mAh as stated on Amazon. This is still great, especially since the Canon battery is listed as 7.4V and 720 mAh. Haven't had problems yet, but I haven't had them long either. Only time will tell, but replacement batteries from Canon are ridiculous in price so I don't mind terribly.
Pros: -Makes the camera much easier to hold
-Improves the balance
-Longer Battery life
-Very natural to use
-Included batteries are 1200 mAh (At least mine were)
-Makes you camera look even more impressive ;)
Cons: -Squishy, sometimes imprecise controls
-Rubber not totally glued (quality control?)
-It doesn't say Canon on it
Customer Review: Great bargain, works quite well, very happy!
Summary: 5 Stars
I do quite a few extended photo shoots, so having an extra battery or two is a must. I didn't have to have a grip, but it would definitely come in handy and make things a lot easier.
When I ordered my Digital Rebel XT, I was checking prices to go ahead and order a couple of extra batteries. The Canon batteries were about $50 each. The Canon grip was around $150 at the time (price fluctuates between $150-200). So, the Canon grip and two extra batteries were gong to run me around $250.
Enter the Opteka Battery Pack/Grip. This little jewel was recommended to me by the great guys at my local camera shop, but they didn't have any in stock at the time. So, I checked Amazon. The grip + two batteries was only about $80!!! Wow! That was just a no-brainer. I was a little worried about the quality of the batteries, but they are great, and hold a charge just as long as the Canon brand batteries.
The grip is extremely easy to use, actually almost identical to Canon's. It has a nice heft to it, doesn't feel cheaply made at all. I've been using it for several months now, and it is still working like a champ, being used several times a week. A really nice little bonus feature is that it will also hold standard disposable or rechargeable batteries, so if you really run long on a shoot and exhaust the charge on all of your batteries, you can always toss in a few AA's and finish up. I've only tested it to make sure it worked, but I've never had to do it. Still, nice to know the feature exists in case it's needed.
I've been extremely pleased with this purchase, and highly recommend it to anyone who is considering the Canon grip. Or if you just need extra batteries, get this for the batteries and consider the grip a freebie that you just might come to use and enjoy one day!
Cheers!!
Customer Review: Works great
Summary: 5 Stars
This handgrip makes the XTi feel more secure. I have medium sized hands and appreciate the feel of the camera when I have something for my pinky to rest on.
This handgrip is cheaper, and comes with two batteries. This was my real selling point as other reviews have stated that this grip is made in the same factory as the Canon part. I don't know if this is true, and I haven't compared it, but this has a good quality build to it. I like the feel of the plastic. It's designed rather sturdily and all the necessary functions are located on the grip.
Pros:
-comes with extra batteries
-cheaper than Canon version.
-Makes camera feel more secure in my hands.
-looks awesome on the black XTi body, and fits snugly, as it should.
-has tripod mount on the bottom.
Cons:
-Does make the camera heavier - bad if you have a good lens on it, it makes the whole thing HEAVY!
-dial and buttons feel a little mushy, less stiffer feeling than the ones on the XTi body (I don't know how they feel on the Canon-version grip)
-the rubber on the bottom does seem prone to peeling, I can ignore that and fix it myself later.
-the large size does cause some problems with placing it into my camera bag. You might want to consider this carefully, otherwise you might need to buy a new bag as well.
-no auto-off for the grip. I would like this thing to recognize that the camera is on, and turn on, then turn off when the camera turns off. I hate fussing with switches, and it will drain your batteries if you don't turn it off. The Canon version doesn't look like it's much better.
Overall, I recommend this grip - it's nice to have the extra juice for lots of picture shots, and it gives a good balance when you're holding the camera.