IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO USE A BATTERY GRIP?

Hi birders.

I am sitting here in my office feeling bored because everything seems to slow down during the Chinese New Year celebration, work wise i mean. You know what i mean, some clients and consultants are not back from their respective home towns and are still on holiday, even my boss is still on holiday.

I have just come back from Fraser's Hill on Monday(23 Feb) on a day trip which lasted only a few hours, not enough to produce anything significant. But i did manage to get a few photos of Green-billed Malkoha which i posted earlier. The spot that i chose at a bend along Jalan Air Terjun near a utility building with high fencing, was very productive and lively with a few species spotted at the same time. Other than the Malkoha, the others were Olive-backed lesser nape Woodpeckers, Black-browed Barbets, Crimson-chest Oriole, Sultan Tits, Chestnut laughing-thrush, Long-tailed Sibia, and some flycatchers. The day was really overcast with thunder clouds above so the lighting was not very good, even when using the Canon EX600RT flash with extender i did not get good results especially when using the Sigma 150-500mm lens. The Sigma lens are known to be soft at the long end. What i managed to get (only realized after reaching home) was two leech bites on my legs, duhh never happened before in my life! Oh well there is a first for everything.

Anyways, one thing i noticed though when the bird wave came all around me and i started shooting rapidly, the battery started to drain very fast. I was using a third-party LP-E6 equivalent(China brand) with a claimed 2100mAh bought at around RM130, because the original one by Canon is so expensive at around RM350 a piece!! I have a few of those third-party as back-up batteries. Nowadays, you can get one for around RM80 at 1600mAh rating by Phottix, which have no issues with the original charger or the camera body reporting.(as a matter of fact i am waiting for 4 nos of Phottix Titan batteries i ordered on line from Shashinki.Com to arrive while writing this post). I am digressing, sorry.

So, there i was scrambling for a new battery in my back-pack inside the back of my Honda SUV while those birds were hopping and jumping from branch to branch, the woodpeckers climbing the tree trunks - madness! By the time i replaced a new battery most of them were gone! I was cursing at my self for missing the opportunity to photograph my target species that day - the woodpeckers. I was saying to myself, i should have bought a battery grip so i have two batteries available for this kind of occasion. In birding, you will only have a few seconds to get that shot of any particular species, they come and go very fast during a wave. For every one good shot you probably wasted 10 lousy ones.

The thing is before this trip i did order online a battery grip but it was out of stock. I ordered an E-11 Vertax battery grip for my 5DMark3 by Pixel which retail for RM328, since the original Canon BG-E11 was so expensive at RM899! I thought i would give a try since the Vertax got good reviews from users on the net, and at RM328 i would not lose much if i decided i did not like using a battery grip. To be fair the canon original BG-E11 was more expensive because it has a magnesium shell and weather sealing to match the 5DMark3 body, while the third-party battery grips do not have these features.

Pixel Vertax BG-E11. Image from Pixel.

 

Some people say that having a battery grip with two batteries inside adds a significant weight(400grammes +) to the already heavy set-up especially with a long lens attached to a solid body like a 5DMark3. However, i feel that this will not be an issue if you use a tripod. The heavier body plus a battery grip will counter the weight of a long lens, even when hand carried. The other good thing is that in portrait mode you do not have to twist your hand awkwardly to take a shot because there are duplicate buttons for shutter, a multi-controller for selecting and changing AF point, AE/AF lock , AF start button and main dial. The only thing that i am worried about is the gap in between the bottom of the camera body and the battery grip which does not have a rubber gasket to prevent any water seapage when exposed to rain. Water can get into the battery grip compartment and also the camera battery compartment if not protected properly. I think whatever the manufacturer's claims are regarding the weather sealing we must use our wisdom not to use it any conditions other than a very light drizzle.

After Monday's trip to the Fraser's Hill, i decided to bite the bullet and go for the Canon original BG-E11 battery grip and cancel the Pixel battery grip even though i think the price is ridiculously high for the Canon grip. I figured that the extra toughness of the shell and weather sealing(if any good) will help me in the long run.

A got a phone call from Shashinki today that they are going to deliver my Phottix Titan LP-E6 batteries and the Canon BG-E11 battery grip that i ordered tomorrow(26 Feb). I am very excited to try them out and will post my feedback later in another post.

Happy birding.