Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 43
 Perfect addition to my canon DSLR July 18, 2010
Funman (Iowa USA)
Excelent price. 2 batteries = extended shooting time. grip extension makes camera more comfortable to hold. Don't wait. Buy now!
 Can't beat it for the price! July 15, 2010
Larry L (WI United States)
20 bucks on Amazon. When it comes to camera gear that usually spells trouble. Considering that a grip goes for over $100 I was willing to give it a shot. I am pleasantly surprised at what I received.
I've got large hands and the primary reason for the purchase was to give me something more to hold onto on my Rebel XTi. The secondary reason was the ability to hold two batteries at a time. The extra controls for taking pictures in "portrait" was simply a bonus as was the tray for holding "emergency" AA batteries.
I'm simply a "hobby" photographer. I use the camera to shoot everything from snaps of my kids to our family portraits with some scenery and travel pictures thrown in for good measure. I probably shoot about 10,000 frames per year.
So far I am very happy with the grip.
When you install the grip on the camera, you must remove the original battery door of the camera. The grip has a place to store the door. This is the one small "problem" (if you can call it that) that I had with the grip. I did not have the door quite in the right place and at first I couldn't get the grip to seat properly in the camera. A cautious approach and a careful look at the situation revealed the problem and I had the grip attached in a few moments.
The overall build of the grip is O.K. I'd certainly hope that the Canon unit is made better based on the price difference, but I can't complain. I can see where the rubber grip surface may start peeling off but super glue is pretty cheap.
The latch on the battery tray needs to be paid close attention to. If the tray is not fully seated in the grip when you turn the latch, the tray will fall out. If you install it correctly however, you won't have any problems at all. The important components of the latch are made of metal and work well as long as you're paying attention.
The Off/On switch on the grip controls the 2nd set of buttons. This is very convenient so that you don't accidentally push something when you are shooting "normally."
The wheel and shutter button don't have the nice crisp feel of the original Canon controls - I'd describe them as "spongy." They work well though. As I said, I did not buy the grip for the buttons, but I'm glad it has them - they turned out to be more useful than I thought.
Overall the grip does what it's supposed to do at what I consider an unbeatable price. I am very please with it.
 You get what you pay for... July 11, 2010
SeattlePhoto
At first I was thrilled with this grip, it is a huge asset for the xti, especially for people with large hands. The controls on the grip all are easy to use and while they do not have the same feel as the built in controls it is not difficult to get used to them. In particular the shutter button is softer than the build in one. It is slightly heavy, but the added comfort of the larger grip more than make up for it. These things considered, for the price, it would be a 5 star review. However, after 3 uses (each 10+ hour wedding shoots) the scroll button on the grip signaled the xti as if it were constantly scrolling to one direction. Obviously this makes it useless unless you are shooting automatic which I never do. I took out the batteries and it was temporarily fixed, however, after 20 min the same thing occurred. If the grip functioned properly 100% of the time, it would be a 7-8 star product for the price, however since it broke after only a couple weeks, with no abuse whatsoever (never dropped, etc, never taken of the camera unnecessarily) I am forced to give this 1 star...
Get it. You'll be glad you did for many reasons... July 8, 2010
M. Carlos III (Bay Area)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Reason 1 - Bigger is better.
If you're into a larger, heavier camera, this battery grip will do it for you. Just take the door off your XT/350D/Digital-N, take the old battery out and screw this baby on. Your camera just gained about 1.25 inches in height and a larger grip surface as well as a lower center of gravity. This means if you have big hands like I do, this camera is more stable, feels less toy-like and is no longer awkward in portrait mode. Have an external flash? The added grip area in the right place makes portrait mode practical - before it was almost painful to hold the camera on its side, I almost wanted to hold the camera by the flash instead.
Reason 2 - New features.
The battery grip now gives you duplicate buttons and wheels for your right thumb/forefinger to manipulate while in portrait mode. The buttons/wheel are not as well made as the ones on the camera body or original battery grip. That's what you get when you don't spend $75 more for the original Canon grip. Same features at 79% OFF? I'm sold.
Reason 3 - 2 LiON Batteries on tap.
Now, you do have to provide the batteries, but having the 2nd one already sharing the load means instead of getting 200-250 pics (about 2GB in RAW) and really long flash recycle times, you get almost double the pics and faster flash pics. In fact, let's be honest, we take more pics nowadays bcs we just delete the lousy ones when we review. Taking home 250 pics for review on the computer means about 350-400 field pictures without erasing any. You need more battery life, and a battery grip gives it to you.
Reason 4 - Battery backup.
You never have enough batteries, that's why I keep 6-12 AA batteries in my case just in case. The battery grip comes with a cradle that allows you to use them. They take years to self discharge, so a little preparation goes a long way.
Reason 5 (75) - It's $20.
Really, why spend more, 4.75 times more, for the same features? Bragging rights? That little Canon logo in front? Maybe. Go ahead, buy the Canon Flash, Canon batteries, heck why not pick up a couple of Canon L lenses while you're at it. The reason is simple, it's the same reason you still use the XT/350D/Digital-N in the first place. It takes does the job, so why spend more? Most of the other non-Canon alternatives are more expensive than this Targus.
So get it. You'll be glad you did.
Very worthwhile June 21, 2010
Mark A. Brozak (Crestwood, KY United States)
Just bought online here at Amazon and had it within 36 hours! Extremely easy to install and works great. Took pictures of my daughters birthday party yesterday and it was very comfortable and useful. Not sure of the longevity of it, but if you take care of your equipment it should last as long as the camera. The fastener for the battery drawer lock seems a bit flimsy, so I will watch it when using it. Only one battery installed, with another on order so it obviously adds a bit of weight, but makes the shots you take verically easier with all of the controls right there where they should be. Makes the camera ensemble look more professional as well, not the reason I bought it, but it does add to the look. Cannot compare to the Canon grip, but for the price of $19.99 (and free shipping), you cannot beat it. Worthwhile purchase.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 43
|
![AmazonBasics Quilted Case for Small Electronics Including Cameras, Mobile Phones, GPS Units (Black) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B002VPE1YS.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
