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Reviews: Canon Battery Pack BG-E2N
Is a battery grip something that is absolutely needed when using the Canon 40D or any of its siblings? The answer is no, but that is not to say that there are not some strong reasons behind purchasing the BG-E2N Vertical battery grip from Canon. Lets take a look at the reasons you might want to consider this item starting with the best reason...It is made by the same folks that made the camera. That means that the quality will be the same and it will function well with the camera.
Battery Power...
The battery grip houses two of the Canon battery packs as opposed to the single one that is normally housed in the camera body. This will increase your time before having to worry about batteries when you are shooting for extended periods. This is especially helpful when you are out in cold temperatures which will reduce your battery life significantly.
The nice thing is, you can put in two battery packs that are not charged equally without any ill effects. The design of this grip will use the available power in both batteries without any problems. The power remaining icon on your camera body will work as it always does so you will see when you need to swap out your battery packs.
I have not done any scientific testing on this unit, but I've found that battery life is close to doubled when using this battery pack, so you can shoot longer without having to stop what you are doing, retrieve a battery, and replace the dead battery pack. Canon rates battery life as follows:
40D -- 2200 shots warm/1900 shots cold without flash
1600 shots warm/1400 shots cold with flash
The 30D and 20D are similar in battery life, but a bit lower.
While talking about batteries, a really nice accessory that is included with the battery pack is a holder for six "AA" batteries. If you are like me, you already keep several of these on hand for the accessory flash unit, so this is very convenient. If you run out of Canon battery packs, you can substitute the "AA" batteries for those last few shots that you have to get. Of course, batter life is greatly reduced, but those few extra shots can be a lifesaver at times.
Canon rates the use of six "AA" batteries as having a life of 400 warm shots, and 200 cold shots with no flash. Using a flash reduces each by 100 shots. That being said...on a cold night, using a flash, you can get 100 extra photographs using those "AA" batteries that you have stuck in a corner in your camera bag. Not too shabby!
Redundant Controls...
As I mentioned, since Canon built this item, it will work with their camera bodies. This is where the rubber meets the road so to speak. When using this battery grip, you can flip to a vertical/portrait orientation very easily while keeping your proper hand positioning on either side of the camera. The battery grip allows you to hold the camera vertically as you would have when it was horizontal. There are duplicated controls on the grip that match up to what is on the body itself. Of course, there is a shutter button in the same location, but you also get the shutter speed control wheel which is oriented correctly with the shutter button. Where your thumb would go, you will find the familiar AE lock and AF point selector buttons in the proper places. These are the controls that are very important to keep in the right locations since you will likely be manipulating them by touch only.
At the top of the grip behind the shutter button, you will find an on/off switch that tells the camera where to take control from. While this might add a small step when switching from landscape to portrait orientation, it will keep you from accidentally pressing a redundant button when you don't intend to. It is no fun to lock the exposure when you aren't intending to, and thereby ruining a great picture.
Layout...
In addition to the redundant controls, the battery grip also provides a threaded hole that can be used with a standard tripod allowing you to take advantage of the extra battery life while still keeping your pictures tack sharp. I'll get into how it mounts to the camera in a bit more detail, but this is secure enough to support a 40D/70-200 f/4 combo with the tripod mounted to the battery grip...impressive. You will also find a tab for the neck strap if you find yourself shooting portrait orientation primarily.
The battery door in below the AE lock and AF point selector buttons. It is opened by use of a slider switch that pops the door open. Inside, there are two retainers that keep the individual batteries in place, or the "AA" battery pack from slipping out. The door is not weather sealed as is the rest of the 40D which is a bit of a disappointment.
Mounting to the camera is a pretty easy affair, and a secure method as well. With the 40D, you would open the battery door on the body and remove the battery pack. Then you will put the door in a half closed, half open position so that you can pull the door from the hinge and remove it. To keep track of that battery door, Canon built in a holder for that door that fits alongside the insert. The door is both protected from damage and loss when secured in this fashion.
You can now insert the battery pack into the camera body just as you would a battery pack. As everything is engaged, you will twist a large thumb wheel that will turn a mounting screw which mates to the tripod mount on the camera. In addition to the battery insert and the tripod screw, there is an indexing pin on the far side that will keep this grip from shifting and putting any undue pressures on the insert.
As with the battery door on the grip, the mounting surface of the battery grip is not weather sealed, so I would be cautious about using it during a rainy shoot without some added protection. However, for general use, I see no issues here with the lack of sealing.
Build Quality...
As I mentioned, the battery grip is made up to Canon's high standards of similar materials that are used with the 40D. The grip itself has a nice texture and feel that inspires confidence when holding it by one hand. The plastics used are all nice and substantial resulting in a nice and solid feel. There is no give when the battery grip is mated to the camera body, and the design that they have used makes the battery grip feel like a part of the actual body of the camera when attached. This was my biggest concern when I purchased this item. I didn't know if I felt comfortable with it being held on by one screw, but it feels very stable as if held on by many mounting points.
Final Thoughts...
Since I am a tripod photographer for the most part, the ability to hand hold the camera easy in a vertical orientation was not that big of a deal for me. However, I do occasionally shoot for extended periods in colder weather so the ability to have two battery packs powering my camera at once was a nice idea. It was an added bonus when I realized that you could run your camera off of "AA" batteries as well with this grip.
Whether you are wanting more hand holding flexibility, or extra battery life, this battery grip will deliver what you ask. Canon has built this to their typically high standards so you will not likely have any complaints in that department. However, I would have really liked to see some better weather sealing for this item to go along with the protection of the 40D. In Canon's defense, however, this was designed for the 20D and has been added to the list of accessories for the 30D and now the 40D. I would like to think that Canon will be upgrading this item to match the 40D, or possibly the 50D when it comes out.
At any rate, I am totally impressed by this product and highly recommend it. The lack of weather sealing prevents me from awarding it a five star rating, however. As with several other of my Canon reviews, I will give this a very high four star rating. I am very happy with my purchase, and have no doubt that you will be as well.
Recommended:
Yes
Written by Greg A. Kiser
Read the original review at epininons.com.
radar446 at 10:41:00 AM EDT Blog about this entry |
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Thanks Greg, great review as always!
Martha :-) -
Funny you should bring this up. This was one of those things I was reading in the many reviews of satisfied cannon customers. Now with your reccomendations, I will put that on my list of must have when I do purchase mine. I also think the way to go for me will be a package deal for these items.
Nancy
3/28/08 11:42 AM
Vicki