Do you really use battery grip on 550d?

Just to hear what other people think and how they use their camera:

I own a 550d and recently bought a (3rd party) battery grip. Given that in my experience the original battery lasts several hundred shots, I mainly thought I would use it to improve the ergonomics of the camera. In particular enlarge the right hand grip on the body when shooting landscape. However it turns out that this does not really work given the large bulge of the battery grip (this actually prevents a much better grip). When shooting portrait format the grip improves things.. but at the price of much increased weight and bulk.

So actually I now take the 2 spare batteries that came with the grip (but hardly have to use them).. and leave the grip off the camera.

I also still try to find my preference between classic straps, hand-strap only, hand-strap with classic straps or (recently bought) sun-sniper.. but that is another story

How do you shoot?

Which lens do you use ?

once I tried a friend's 550D with a grip, felt comfortable but I did not use it for a long time. May be by time it gets heavier and uncomfortable? But it gets bulky for sure.
How is the sun-sniper? which model you've got? is it a nice thing to have ?
--
love to shoot both airguns and pictures

Use the camera with Sigma 10-20mm, Canon 50mm (1.4), Canon EFS 15-85 and hopefully soon 70-300l.
I guess with heavier lenses the grip makes more sense?

Re: Sun-Sniper - just ordered the "Steel - Pro" version, but can not report on use yet.

I bought 550D primarily for its relatively small size and weight, so adding a battery grip would not make much sense for me. I have three batteries, which is more than enough for one day shooting.

I really like the size of 550D, although my hands are not small.

Some folks confuse the battery grip with just the regular grip that is available.

For at least 15 years my Canon film cameras were always attached to a hand-grip and when I got my T2i/550D I got the Hakuba grip, and it's always on that camera.

As noted, the batteries in the T2i last a long time (and I carry a spare) so a battery grip is not really needed. And one of my main reasons for getting the T2i was to have the lest weight, consistent with high quality.

Works with tripod, battery door is accessible in seconds, costs under $15.00, it's a win-win!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/194968-REG/Hakuba_KGP_02.html

Very interesting, I was not aware that such grip exists. How do you attache it to the camera?

canuck dave said:

Some folks confuse the battery grip with just the regular grip that is available.

For at least 15 years my Canon film cameras were always attached to a hand-grip and when I got my T2i/550D I got the Hakuba grip, and it's always on that camera.

As noted, the batteries in the T2i last a long time (and I carry a spare) so a battery grip is not really needed. And one of my main reasons for getting the T2i was to have the lest weight, consistent with high quality.

Works with tripod, battery door is accessible in seconds, costs under $15.00, it's a win-win!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/194968-REG/Hakuba_KGP_02.html

Click to expand...

Normal hand-grips can only be fitted to the EOS 550d if a battery grip is attached.. this one apparently has its lower connection through the tripod socket.

I've got a 550D and have been wanting to get the BG-E8 battery grip for ages now, just not bothered yet. Partly to increase battery life, partly to make portraiture easier, partly to make landscape orientation more comfortable to hold (I find it a little short, my bottom two fingers kinda dangle off the bottom of the camera) and partly to increase weight. I don't have a problem with a heavy camera and would actually prefer it, as extra mass would help keep it steadier.

I'd prefer a handgrip that would keep my hand at the side of the camera rather than at its bottom. Do not know if such grip exists though.

I got a grip for my 500D. It has never been off the camera.

I find that the extra wight improves the balance of the camera lens combination in landscape and the grip works well in portrait.

I've added a chinese knock-off of a Black Rapid Strap for carrying the camera.

I use an arca-swiss clamp attached to the strap to connect to either the arca swiss plate on the camera or the arca-swiss plate on a lens collar depending on the size of lens I'm using.

goldenmole said:

Use the camera with Sigma 10-20mm, Canon 50mm (1.4), Canon EFS 15-85 and hopefully soon 70-300l.
I guess with heavier lenses the grip makes more sense?

Click to expand...

Exactly, and E1 handstrap (not for portrat orientation)
If heavy, use just one battery
I hate neckstraps too

Photos, please!

YLK said:

Photos, please!

Click to expand...

Not sure, if you mean me , but here are you. (400D with 17-55 IS 2.8 on)

I don't shoot without it unless I'm specifically packing light or want a less threatening look for the camera. The battery grip improves the handling tremendously even in landscape orientation (lengthens the side so my pinky isn't just hanging off, plus it feels more balanced) and I do a lot of shooting in portrait orientation.

Guiness, yes, thank you! I was also hoping Jim4496 would provide photos of the grips he mentioned in the post.

I shoot with a 400d and use the grip on mine.

battery life with a single battery is pretty damn good, so I taped off the contacts on the second battery slot and use it as a place to store a spare battery (so I always have a spare with me, rather than running two batteries flat at once).

What is more important to me is the portrait orientation controls and the extra mass and size - the controls are pretty obvious, in that portrait shooting is much more convenient which is great when you are shooting it a lot over a day (rather than spending long periods with your wrist bent oddly). I do feel it improves the grip too, I guess the way it braces against the palm of my hand and balances the weight of the camera differently. On the size issue, it depends on what you want - I have the 400d because it was all I could afford/justify at the time, so a bigger camera to me is not a huge downside, and the extra weight I feel balances the camera better with larger lenses like the 10-22mm or 17-55mm. If I do want to go lightweight when hiking or whatever, I just take off the grip and the camera is back to being wee again.

Obviously it is a personal thing whether the grip suits your needs and desires, for me at least it works brilliantly.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/narcosynthesis
http://www.illaname.deviantart.com

Here's the pictures of the camera with grip and the strap with the arca swiss clamp that I use to carry the camera.

I don't use a battery grip now because I cannot hold heavy lenses any more but prior to my current condition, I could not use the 100-400L on a Rebel camera without a grip. I never felt the need for the grip with lenses smaller than the 100-400.
--
Olga

Thanks for the photos, it looks very serious, I can see you are using a battery grip and than a strap attached to it or the lense. I'm looking for something light, that could be attached to the side of the camera, like the straps on camcorders. I do not know if anything like this exists though...

Jim4496 said:

Here's the pictures of the camera with grip and the strap with the arca swiss clamp that I use to carry the camera.

Click to expand...