Decided To Take The Plunge - 5DMII Here I Come....

[elmo_2006]

Hello everyone...

I've made the decision to take the full-frame plunge - Canon 5DMII here I come!
I know in the past that I have opinioned how IMHO Canon held back on some technology from this body (AF being my beef - but I'm not here to stir the pot! ), however given the recent price drops on Canon gear and other programs, the next logical step in the evolutionary ladder would be from APS-C to FF (please note that even if a 5DMIII were to be released soon I would not be able to afford the 2700 to 3500 price tag that may be attached).
With that in mind I'm in the process of selling off my beloved Sigma EX 10-20 f4-5.6 and possibly my Xsi to fund this purchase which will be soon due to Henry's trade-in program expiring in 10 days...this would knock off $600-700 off the purchase price.

I would like to ask you if a Canon battery grip is worth the purchase?
Perusing Bryan's reviews and comparing the different sizes between the Xsi and the 5DMII, I'm questioning the option.
I love the BGe on my Xsi but lets face it the Xsi is a small body to begin with and is all plastic vs magnesium.
Should I also consider a third-party grip?
What about CF media, any particular preference - again please keep in mind that my priority would be photography with a bit of video...

Opinions/suggestions...and as usual thanks

[Sean Setters]

Once you enjoy the benefits of a battery grip, you tend not to go back.

1) It balances out the body quite nicely; it fits in the hands better.
2) The portrait buttons are much more comfortable to use than bending your elbow above your head.
3) The longer duration between battery changes is much appreciated.

[HDNitehawk]

I love the BGe on my Xsi but lets face it the Xsi is a small body to begin with and is all plastic vs magnesium.
Should I also consider a third-party grip?

I have never had one for the 5D II. I never missed having one. I have the 1D IV now which has the larger frame and controls on both ends, I still don't see a need for it on the 5D II. Others seem to like it.

[conropl]

Elmo - I am a bit jealous.

As for the Grip... I have one on my 7D (which is about the same size as the 5D II), and I really like the feel of it and auxilary controls. It rarely comes off. However, with the Canon grip there is one problem I have noticed - the base plate that the quick disconnect attaches to is a little flimsy. I noticed that the mount does flex a bit. Basically, you could have a real stiff ball mount and tripod, then the base of the camera grip flexes and throws all that expensive stiff gear out the window. So when I am doing something that I am worried about vibration or movement, then I remove the grip and mount directly to the camera bottom or I have to be real careful. I do not know if anyone else has the same problem, but it is the one thing I do not like and it makes it seem a little cheap.

[DLS]

Hi elmo. Congrats on the decision! My 2 cents:

When I went from my gripped XT to the 5D II, to tell you the honest truth, I never missed the grip - and I loved the grip on the the XT (still do!). The battery in the 5DII is awesome, which compensates a bit for the loss of 2 in the grip.

As for CF cards....It depends on how much you shoot in one sitting, I guess. I have 2 8GB cards and that's good for me right now, but I don't shoot tons of frames. An 8 GB card will only allow ~250 full sized RAW shots (~390 sRAW1 and ~520 sRAW2). I shoot 98% in sRAW1, 1% in full RAW and 1% in large/fine jpeg. Shooting HD video, its very easy to fill your card up. If I shoot a 3 min clip in 1080 HD its comes out about 1GB. Buy the biggest card you can afford.

You will love that camera!

Happy shooting.,

Damian

[neuroanatomist]

Congrats!

I like the grips on both 5DII and 7D, for the reasons Sean listed, and also for attaching the E1 hand strap.

I use Sandisk 16 GB 60 Mb/s cards in my 5DII.

Enjoy your new body!!

[cls]

Hi, I had a BG for my T1i which made it much better to hold. When I upgraded to 7D I decided not to get one first, but to wait and see if I would miss a grip. So far I still haven’t purchased a grip though there have been some occasions where it would have been handy.

I agree with Sean’s listed benefits of a grip, but no. 1 and 3 haven’t been an issue for me with the 7D - I like the 7D size and the batteries last really long. So far I haven’t missed portrait orientation controls enough to motivate a purchase.

Then there is also the obvious downside - the larger size and heavier weight may be a good thing when shooting, but when carrying it around you don’t really need it. (I could squeeze my gripped T1i into my Slingshot 202AW but I suspect a gripped 7D would require a new bag as well.) My advice would be to wait with the grip until you’ve got used to your new 5D2 - then you will know if you need one.

Regarding CF cards I would recommend two medium capacity cards of a well renowned brand for a start, e.g. SanDisk 16 GB, 60 MB/s (I have two of those and I’m really happy with them).

[Steve U]

I've gone the genuine battery grip on the 7D and the Vello grip on the 5D and they both work equally well. The Vello grip is great on the 5D if you are shooting an event, for me, most of the time I'm shooting landscape or snap shots around the yard with the dogs and I don't have the grip attached. But if you shoot a wedding it is critical. And for me the non-genuine Vello grip from B&H is reliable and affordable and I can't tell the difference with the genuine Canon grip.

[Sean Setters]

I obviously overestimated peoples' devotion to the battery grip. Speaking for me, personally, I'll never go back. ;-)

[Sheiky]

I obviously overestimated peoples' devotion to the battery grip. Speaking for me, personally, I'll never go back. ;-)

But then you'd have to remember that you are mainly a portrait photographer and you shoot a lot in that orientation. In that case I would have wanted it as well.

In my case I had an XSi with batterygrip(because the thing was too little on it's own). When I upgraded to a 50D and later a 5D2 I never missed the grip, because the size of the camera just felt good.
For the type of photos that I make I rarely shoot a lot portrait orientated. And when I do, I can just swing my arm over my head. Even in a wedding when you're switching fast from landscape orientation to portrait, I think I prefer to lift my arm over my head. If I would do a series of portrait orientated shots, the batterygrip would be much more justifiable. Also when I work with the tripod, I think the added weight of the grip and therefor the larger momentum on the ballhead when shooting portrait orientated would be a negative factor.

So if you are really used to working with the portrait orientated buttons on the grip, you're going to miss it. But if the grip is just for the better feeling...I would suggest to try without it for a while. In the Netherlands the 5D grip is also significantly more expensive than the rebel series grip.
The battery of the 5D2 has never failed on me, even when shooting 2000+ photos a day during air shows. So if you're a casual shooter the added battery power isn't really an important thing either.

But again, it's all personal. I have times where I wouldn't mind having one, but I also have times where one would be bothering me.

As for the CF cards, I have 2 8GB cards from my 50D which I use as backup cards. I use a 32GB Sandisk 60MB/s card as my main card and it stores about 1000-1300 shots. I love it.