[shuttertalk]

Anyone use a battery grip with their SLR? Do you find it necessary, or will a couple of spare batteries suffice?

[adam]

I don't use one; I carry a spare battery in my camera bag;
However, a nice feature of the battery grip is the vertical grip.

[slejhamer]

One was included with my camera as part of a package deal. I sold it a year later (for almost full value.)

One battery in-camera gets me 200 RAW shots on a charge, even with a lot of chimping, reviewing, re-reviewing, etc. And I carry 3 charged batteries in my backpack - it's no big deal to swap.

And I found that I rarely used the vertical shutter release - I'd just hold the camera normally and flip it with my hand up top.

With the added weight and dubious benefits (for me, anyway), I couldn't justify keeping it.

[shuttertalk]

I think with some of the higher end SLRs, using a battery grip allows higher FPS rates. Is that the case with the lower end ones as well?

[adam]

I don't have a battery grip, and so have never tried the vertical shutter release; it just looked like something handy hehe; I also read that some people prefer the extra weight when using large lenses? Did you feel the same?

[slejhamer]

Well my "heaviest" lens is the 70-200 f/4, which I find to be very well balanced with the 10D sans the grip. With a heavier lens it might make a difference.

[Petographer]

I think with some of the higher end SLRs, using a battery grip allows higher FPS rates. Is that the case with the lower end ones as well?

I've never heard of such a thing and am not sure how that is possible. Aside from that, I'm pretty much with Mitch on this. I get a lot of shots from a batter and when the need to change comes it takes mere seconds to swap out the battery. I certainly don't want the added weight. The only thing I can see it good for is maing a d-rebel look more pro and I can't justify that.

[Peted]

As you know I have the *ist Ds and the standard grip is fairliy compact, normally this is great but I shot a lot of photo's the other weekend at a rock climbing competition and after about 3 hours and around 120 shots and probably another 300 shots that I framed and never took I was thinking that a larger grip would be an advantage under those sort of circumstances as my hand was a little stiff.

I have a 24cm hand span from thumb tip to my longest finger so I am thinking that is fairly normal.

[EnglishBob]

I've thought about one, but figure there is enough weight already! And as for the vertical release, I doubt I would use it much, as 90% of the time when the camera is on the tripod I use a cable release.

[slejhamer]

Off topic a little: does anyone use a tripod mount on their longer lenses? I was thinking about getting one for the 70-200, but it's ridiculously expensive.

[EnglishBob]

I don't have a lens that warrants one, but once I get either the Sigma 50-500 or the cannon 100-400 you can bet I will.

I think both these lenses come with tripod mounts as standard.