Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR Reviews

Average Customer Rating - 4.5 out of 5 stars

31 customer reviews

Grip o rama, September 22, 2009
it is effective, right size and full of features for when you hold the camera in 90 level angle. you almost don't lose any immediate functionality. i love it

Absolutely required if you need lens support and long shooting natural life, June 22, 2009
I've always bought battery grips for every Canon dSLR I've owned. Sure, it's an expensive piece of equipment, but if you're spending closely already on a higher end camera, what's a few hundred more? (as my credit card groans)

The freestyle grip holds two of the newer Canon LP-E6 Battery Pack for Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR batteries, and both are registered on the camera so you can see the percentage of charge left. That within itself is amazing - however, it requires you to buy the rather expensive Canon LP-E6 batteries instead of generic equivalents. The grip works fine beside generic batteries, but you don't get the detail of percentage gone and shutter count.

It also has a battery magazine for holding 6 AA battery. This is pretty much treated as an emergency effort.

The additional benefit of a mobile grip for me is that as a bigger guy with bigger hands, I can't gain a good grip of the camera body. And any of the heavier white lenses (70-200's, 100-400) put some serious torque on my wrist so after a day of shooting, I'm sore.

The grip itself is pretty solid, and doesn't get the impression cheaply made. There's no flex to it when you hold the camera by it and throw it around. The shutter button and the dial to hold in portrait mode is pretty handy, so you're not contorting your right hand to press the shutter.

The singular real knock on this is the price. I know, it's well made, but it lately seems like an other insult. Overall this gets 4.5 stars. It's absolutely worth buying, but be prepared to gripe going on for the price to your fellow 5D Mark II owners. It's a bonding experience.

Works as expected, August 5, 2009
Works great, not sure why I choose to spring for the Canon version instead of a 3rd party revision for a third of the price. But it is sturdy and if it holds up like the one I had for my 5D it will ultimate the lifetime of the camera.

Expensive but necessary..., September 28, 2009
i bought this when there weren't any knockoff battery-operated grips. if i buy another 5d II in the future, i'm probably getting a plastic knockoff grip for my 2nd camera.

the bearing i shoot, i HAVE to have a battery grip. i don't mind turning my wrist, but the time it save me later straightening out all of my pictures make it well worth it. plus, who can't use the extra battery energy?

other than that, everything works exactly how it's supposed to. the grip matches up faultlessly with the 5d mk II's body and stays tight/looks great. every once in a while i'll set it on my knees and accidentally take a few pictures or accidentally hit the shutter button while reviewing pictures...but all user error.

i rate this a 4 because it's a little expensive. granted, i paid $300 for mine and very soon you can get them almost 20% cheaper than that. if you can't afford it or don't want to...read reviews, you'll see there are some thoroughly good 3rd party plastic grips for the 5d II and want for yourself if it's worth the extra $160 or not.

-Adam

Battery grip for 5D, May 22, 2010
Works well, comfortable, controls are in equal place as horiz. grip so you don't have to hunt.
All in adjectives, very nice it you need the battery-operated capacity or shoot vertically a lot. My solely complaint, it's
rather pricey.

Excellent and Needed Grip, August 20, 2009
If you have the 5D MKII, my strong suggestion would be to take this.

Reasons being (strictly my point of view) -

- Makes the camera feel *complete* within balance while shooting
- Solid, strong build
- Vertical shooting is so easy near this
- Battery compartment offers (2) methods of powering the camera; by AAA batteries or using (2) lithium battery (you know, the one that came with the camera...only just have to get another one and you'll be shooting for a thoroughly long time!!)

Would definitely also recommend getting the E1 handgrip strap. It cost a little for seriously of insurance especially if you're going to be doing a lot of handheld shooting with the added weightiness of the grip...you definitely don't want to drop your baby...and this grip will distinctly help.

A Necessary Accessory to the 5D Mk. II, January 5, 2009
I purchased this grip while my Canon EOS 5D Mark II was still on preorder. In reality, it arrived a week before the camera did. I did this because I fell in love near the feel of a vertical grip a long time ago, and every camera I've had since after has had one added almost straight (including: EOS Elan IIe, D-Rebel 300D, 30D, and 40D).

The grip is a real benefit to those like me that hold big hands, since all of your fingers can immediately rest against the camera instead of curling up underneath. It's also a great counterweight when shooting with heavy lenses such as the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L. The arrangement of the vertical shutter release and relateon cloud nineons on the side makes for very comfortable vertical shooting.

The grip duplicates the shutter button on the lower right corner of the camera, as okay as the series of buttons (AF-ON, EL/FEL, and focus point select) that are normally under your right thumb on the camera body. So when you are shooting vertically, adjectives of these buttons are in the standard location and you can shoot as you would horizontally, without have to reach your hand across your forehead to shoot. The grip also have an on/off switch that defeats these buttons when they're not needed, so they aren't accidentally pressed.

The grip accept one or two LP-E6 batteries, and includes a tray for emergency use that can be loaded with 6 AA battery. While you can get a couple hundred shots off next to the AA's, that number drops off quickly beside a lot of LCD use, and there's no point in even TRYING to use the AA's to shoot video. I convey the tray in my bag contained by the VERY unlikely event that I manage to drain both of my LP-E6's. You can find AA's anywhere in a pinch.

With the two LP-E6's installed, the 5D Mark II will register both of the battery and list their statistics simultaneously in the Battery Info eyeshade. The Shutter Count numbers even operate independently. For example, after a long day of shooting (over 1500 frames), the Battery Info screen told me that Battery 1 be responsible for 806 frames, while Battery 2 was responsible for 746 frames. At this point, the batteries still showed a 78% charge on respectively one.

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[Edit 01/08/2009] I have a shoot tonight that I need to be safe and sound for, so I'll be charging both of my batteries before I quit. But I wanted to update my battery info for those that are interested contained by how long two batteries will last: Battery 1: Shutter Count 1400, 60% charge remaining. Battery 2: Shutter Count 1318, 61% remaining.
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Grips for lower-end and ahead of time cameras (such as the grip for my D-Rebel 300D, etc) were made entirely of plastic and had too much flex when attached to the body -- it almost feel like you could break it right off. That is NOT the grip with this grip. It feels as solidly built as the camera itself, and in that is absolutely zero flex. It is also weather hermetically sealed around the buttons, battery compartment and dummy stalk, so you won't need to verbs about it being the lacklustre point in your camera's weather sealing.

The bottom of the grip have a fluted rubber base to reduce slippage and a sturdy tripod socket. It also have a strap mount for use with Canon's hand strap (you use the one on the grip, and the right strap mount by the shutter to install the foot strap).

Finally, as is the case with the BG-E2(N) (but not before models), there is a spot for you to store the camera's original freestyle door since it won't be in use while you have the grip attached.

If you enjoy small hands or often verbs about camera weight, you may want to try this out contained by a local camera shop before committing to the (admittedly expensive) purchase. The weight of the grip plus an extra battery-operated is not negligible, and for those with small hand, it may just make the camera unwieldy. Otherwise, you'll want this. Definitely.

Does what it's supposed to but too expensive, January 23, 2009
I hold mixed feelings about this item. I shoot a great deal of vertical portraits so this was a must however I don't really like it as it add a lot of bulk to the camera and it's way too expensive. It should be $100. smaller number.

I simply do not use it unless I'm doing a portrait shoot. For everyday walking around or tripod work, it's too cumbersome. On the plus side, it feels fairly solid and should ultimate the life of the camera.

UPDATE: There is now a third bash battery grip made by Flashpoint/Meike. It does the same item and is only about $90. You might want to hunt that out.

The Canon BG-EG Battery Grip, September 15, 2009
I'm primarily a wedding shooter and as such I lug around usually at least two camera bodies and a variety of lenses on top of that; so one would think that count extra weight wouldn't be the first thing that I'd prioritize? Yet, i.e. one of the primary reasons that I add the battery-operated grip to at least one of my bodies. Why? The extra weight in reality balances the camera better in your hand when you have one of the heavier lenses on, like the 70-200/2.8 IS matrimony workhorse telephoto lens. Thus it's easier to take a photo that is crisp and sharp, even thought the lattice weight is actually more than lacking.

Of course the battery grip also adds the an extra set of the most essential buttons, conveniently located when you shoot vertical. And shooting vertically I do surrounded by probably easily 75% or more of all the shots surrounded by a day's work. But what about the extra battery and the added battery-operated life? Yes, of course near is that, but for me personally that isn't one of the top two for getting this particular addition. Having said that, of course it's convenient not to have to verbs about swapping batteries as normally as with out or having to shut down the camera to preserve power and risk missing an awesome shot.

The solitary drawback for me, is that although I've never had it come loose or anything like that, the actual mounting feel a bit flimsy for an accessory of this magnitude. Maybe I am biased as I'm used to shooting the 1D series and thus as expected used to the battery grip being piece of the camera body. Still I feel that it should feel more solid than it does presently. One thing worth pointing out is that as you take bad the original battery compartment door, it fits into a slot on the actual grip since the whole thing inserts into the camera, thus if you're surrounded by the field and for some reason establish that you want to take off the grip, the untested door is right there ready to be re-fastened surrounded by its place.

All in all I'd effortlessly recommend this accessory to anyone serious about their shooting, especially beside telephoto lenses on.

No Regrets, December 22, 2009
I knew I was going to call for more than one battery to feed the camera when I run shooting. I was tired of tracking battery go and having to swap batteries mid-session. I be uncomfortable about the possibility of running both battery down and not having an alternative.

The Battery Grip solves all that. It holds two battery and comes with an insert that holds AA Batteries (I bought some lithium ones) so you can shoot at least twice as long beforehand needing to recharge, AND you can use readily available AA Batteries if you hit the wall and involve to keep shooting.

The extra features of this grip include the second set of controls on the side so that when the camera is in vertical you can still shoot beside all your controls handy - and no contortion. Second, the base cover for the freestyle compartment on the camera stows inside the Battery Grip where you pretty much can't lose it and where it is close by if you need to swap off the grip and run back to using the battery inside the camera (some lenses on a tripod won't tolerate the Battery Grip because of fit issues beside the tripod).

Does this add to the size of the camera. DOH! For me that's not an issue. I have really big hand and it actually helps me better run the camera. But if you're trying to travel light, you will find that from a size point of view, it's a trade-off. For me, here is no doubt this was the agency to go. Now when I climb Mt Fuji...we'll see... But I will still have extra battery! ;-)

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