Canon Battery Grip BG-E7 for Canon EOS 7D

I've never used a grip before, but I decided to try one to help when talking shots in portrait mode. A couple of days after it arrived I got to use it at a kite surfing championships, and it was invaluable. With the grip fitted you can hold the camera and smoothly track fast moving targets in portrait orientation just as easily as you can in landscape. In addition, the extra weight provided by the grip does seem to balance the camera better. I like it so much I've decided to pretty much leave the grip on all the time - thankfully my 7D still fits in my holster bag with it fitted (it's snug, but it fits).

As others have mentioned, the grip shutter button is more sensitive than that on the camera. I'd say for sports shooting Canon have got it about right. Since the grip is thicker than the built in landscape grip on the 7D, somehow it feels right for the shutter button to be more sensitive. Can't really explain it, but it just feels right to me. Either way, you'll quickly adjust.

One major criticism (and it's valid for all Canon and 3rd party grips) is that the locking wheel is plastic and could easily get stripped of its hold on the locking nut if you're too "thorough" when you tighten it. A tip I saw on a forum is to put a tiny bit of high temp lubricant on the thread before first use, and accept that when the wheel stops moving with light to moderate finger pressure, then it's tight enough. Don't go Tarzan on it and it should be fine.

This is my second canon battery grip, the first being the BG-E3 for a Canon 400D. Whilst these grips are not the cheapest items around, I find the quality to be very good. The build quality, tolerances and general feel of the BG-E7 is very good.

I have seen cheaper non canon grips on friends cameras and whilst they function adequately, they dont for me have the same feeling of quality that the genuine item does. Mounted on the camera (in this case an EOS 7D), the E7 provides room for the second battery and I was suprised to find the weight was not too dramatic. I also found with this grip fitted and a large lens mounted on the front of the camera that it had quite a nice balanced feel. The grip has the usual replication of buttons and dial plus the shutter release button. The grip also comes with a caddy to take 6 AA batteries should you get stuck, however I wouldnt want to guess how long they would last on my EOS 7D. Overall, good product, a little pricey but you certainly get what you pay for. Thoroughly recommend this item.

This is the first time I have tried a battery grip with a DSLR, and I am already hooked. It is a really nice addition to a camera that is already ergonomically very pleasing. You might think that the grip would somehow unbalance the camera body, or that it would be unwieldy or perhaps a little wobbly, but in reality it fits like a glove and has a reassuring solid feel. It undeniably (and obviously) adds to the weight and the heft of the 7D, but personally I like this and I think that, in my hands, the result is a better balanced and more easily manoeuverable camera. The difference when shooting in portrait format is obvious -- the camera is just much more steady than it used to be. I also found that when shooting with a small lens (e.g. the 50mm f/1.8 II), the grip enables you to steady yourself much more effectively than just by grabbing the lens alone, since it provides an extra 'ledge' on which to put your wrist (or even your hand).

The grip itself is nicely designed. It is not ergonomically identical to the grip on the body itself -- it is much more square, but the shutter button and wheel are cleverly located to make them fall just under your fingers where they need to be. The various buttons and controls don't feel identical to those on the body, but the difference is not huge. It is true that, as many reviews state, the shutter button seems to be more sensitive than the one on the camera body -- I keep taking extra shots by accident. I daresay I'll get used to it. Occasionally I just nudge the shutter on the grip even when I've got the camera in landscape orientation -- particularly if I'm reviewing images on the screen -- and this causes the camera to focus and meter, which can be puzzling and annoying until you realise what's going on. This is presumably why you can turn the controls on the grip off. Other than this, the controls work well and they tend to be where you expect them to be; I have quite large hands so can still operate the quick dial on the back of the camera 'as normal' with my thumb as if I were holding the camera in landscape orientation. This is really handy, since this dial controls so much (e.g. aperture in M mode, focal point selection, etc.). The only thing that *is* different from 'normal' is my inability to reach the joystick multi-directional controller. If you are used to selecting focal points with it using your thumb, you may find this a slight disadvantage -- although really it is a pretty minor one.

The battery info function on the camera works well with the grip -- you can keep track of both batteries in the grip (if you're using two lp-e6 batteries). You can also use AA batteries, although I haven't tried this yet.

So I think it is a very worthwhile addition to a great camera. One significant disadvantage is its price, which in my opinion is about 50% higher than it might otherwise be, but this just seems to be a fact of life with Canon's accessories!