Well, I realised after I went out shooting with the d800 last weekend that I really do prefer to have a vertical grip on my cameras.
The trouble was that the Nikon MD-D12 that I ordered was
- very expensive
- broken
See the blog report here.
So I was very retiscent to order another Nikon grip. I feel that I was given a second chance in not blowing 260 quid an item that is only worth half of that. I decided that I would do without a grip.
But then I went out and found that I really do prefer the camera with one on.
So I looked around the net and found numerous grips that were very cheap but also not very good, and some that were cheap and were judged to be OK by the photographers that used them. But I didn’t necessarily want very cheap, just cheaper than the Nikon unit but I would like a similar build quality (but better quality control).
After searching around numerous websites and forums, I came across the Phottix BG-D800M. The ‘M’ stands for magnesium, the same material used by Nikon for their grip and what’s more it was only £140. I hummed and haa’d about it for a couple of days and then I pushed the button.
It arrived today and I was immediately impressed. It was solid, weighed about the same as the Nikon and apart from the logo on the bottom, was virtually identical to the real thing. Ok, it has no water-proof seals, but if it worked, then I promised myself I wouldn’t take it and the camera swimming. The buttons and wheels do feel a little more freer than on the Nikon, but again if they worked, so what?
OK, the big test. I fitted it to my D800…and it worked perfectly. It recognised the battery, the AF-On button worked as did the two command wheels and joystick pad. Sorted.
So to sum up the biggest differences between the Phottix grip and the Nikon grip were
- It was cheaper
- It worked!
©live
sensored-view.com 