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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List Price: Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
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: Save your $$$ to buy more memory cards
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this batter grip after reading some of the reviews. The quality reviews on the unit are accurate (really!). The battery compartment latch is flimsily and the battery trays are made of thin breakable plastic. You are not going to be hammering roofing nails with this unit. So treat it carefully as you would any camera equipment. I do not often remove the unit from the camera, so it will not get a lot of wear and tear. Buttons and controls work great.
This unit comes with two batteries! You could spend $50 buying two batteries. The batteries make this grip a great deal! If the unit last as long as the batteries I will be completely satisfied with my purchase. Let me put it this way, if you need batteries, get this unit!
Okay, here's the best part. The battery grip comes with a second battery tray that holds 6 AA batteries! Yehaa, you will never run out of power with this unit. Extra power is only a convenient mart away.
Summary:
It works!
Not Canon quality, but acceptable
Must handle unit with care
Comes with 2x 1200mA batteries
Comes with secondary AA battery tray
With monies you save buying this unit over the Canon unit, invest in huge memory card(s) to match the extra battery capacity.
Customer Review: This may NOT be what you want.
Summary: 1 Stars
Please be advised this grip (or I should say The grip I received) has NONE of the below mentioned options that are listed with this products reviews. It is a plain "grip" Only. There are no buttons, no way to open it to add or replace any batteries, and No slot on the bottom for a strap.
The descriptive reviews for this item state:
" The battery compartment in the grip is very easy to remove and insert batteries, optional AA battery insert looks easy to use, and is good to have in emergencies. "
AND
"The vertical shooting buttons on the grip (exposure bracket, A-E lock, Auto Focus point selection, selector wheel and shutter release) are, as far as I can tell, identically placed like those on the Canon grip. All work like they are supposed to."
AND
"The grip comes with an "On-Off" slide so you can turn off the vertical shooting buttons when they are not needed. This prevents accidentally activating one of the buttons or taking a picture if they are inadvertently pressed while shooting horizontal."
AND
one review also stated "This DOES have the slot on the bottom for a hand strap. "
NONE of these reviews reflect this product at all. Customer service with Amazon was Excellent with return authorization for a refund immediate.
Customer Review: Get the Canon, it's more $$$, but it's dependable!
Summary: 2 Stars
When I look at a item I always look at the reviews before I purchace the product. This Grip rated really good for price and overall look and feel of the item, mainly that it was cheaper than the Canon grip. So I purchased it.Looked great when I got it, look and feel was up to standard like a quality name brand item. Well I've had it for about a month and it has been giving me problems such as when turning the camera to use the grip controls the camera has been shutting off, losing connection is my guess on the pins inside.This thing is tight on the base too, takes two fingers to loosen the the attachment screw.This is definetly a design problem. I'm hoping I can send it back and purchace the Canon grip. Sorry for those of you that rated this item so highly. I hope yours keeps working and doesn't have problems like mine has had.I have contacted the seller for return of this item with no responce from them.Look at the Canon Grip reviews no connection problems with their unit, not one!If you like to gamble, this grip is for you!Excellent price!(Mine's useless)Doesn't even work for a paper weight!If I paid 20 bucks for this it still is useless.I could have a tank full of high priced gas instead to look for my next photoshoot!Customer Review: Intermittent Contact Issues
Summary: 1 Stars
Like one of the previous reviewers, I am also experiencing intermittent contact issues with the battery grip resulting in loss of power. Specifically, when using the lithium battery magazine, there isn't a snug fit even when the lock knob is engaged. That is, there is clearly some movement possible between the battery magazine and the grip. After inspecting the contacts inside the grip, this appears to be sufficient to break the connection resulting in the power loss. When holding the camera with the grip (that is, rotated 90 degrees), this essentially guarantees that the camera will not power up.
Inspecting the unit further, I think it was a combination of a misaligned latch for the lock knob allowing the movement between the grip and battery magazine, and a poorly positioned brush contact inside the grip.
In addition, when testing the AA battery magazine, one of the contacts fell out.
Overall, this seems to speak to variability in quality that buyers should be aware of. This was my first experience with Opteka and likely to be my last. The price of the Canon grip may be higher but I would not underestimate the value of a better manufacturer.
Customer Review: Not bad. Definitely worth the money.
Summary: 4 Stars
Grip works fine as do the included batteries. It couldn't imagine paying twice as much for the Canon-branded solution ... especially on an entry-level DSLR.
This is the only battery grip I have used for the Rebel XT so I cannot compare it against the Canon product or the other 3rd party grips. However, there's not a lot to it mechanically so I can't imagine a whole lot of difference ... especially given the price.
I haven't tried the 6-AA batery adapter but it's nice to have the option. I also haven't had any functional problems with the grip or the 3rd party batteries. I might even buy some spares.
My only minor complaint is that the rubber grip is separating slightly from the plastic grip molding that it overlays. It's like a vinyl sticker that's peeling up around the edge. It's very minor and hardly noticable. However, it is a little disheartening to have this issue at less than 1 month of usage. I've manage to keep it stuck back in place but it might be a problem in the future.
Given the price/performance ratio though, I would still re-purchase this item given the opportunity.