- Tamron 28-75mm 1:2.8
- Canon EF 50mm 1:2.5 Compact-Macro
- Canon EF 28mm 1:2.8
- Tamron 17-50mm 1:2.8
- Canon EF 24mm 1:2.8
- Konica Hexar AF
- Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM
- Minolta MC W.Rokkor - NL 21mm 1:2.8
- Canon BG-ED3 Battery Grip
- Canon 10D
- Sigma EF-500 DG Super EO ETTL
- Minolta Dimage Scan Elite II
- Sears 55mm 1:1.4
- Minolta X-370
- Canon EF 28-90mm 1:4-5.6 III
- Canon 400D (Rebel XTi)
Canon BG-ED3 Battery Grip
Date:
9/15/2010 More often than not I'm looking for a way to make my field gear smaller and lighter. The addition Canon's BG-ED3 battery grip to my Canon 10D seemed a step in the wrong direction. Because of my pre-conceived distaste for extra heavy camera gear I think I worked a little longer and thought a little harder about this item to be sure it received a 'fair shake'.
The BG-ED3 fits Canon's D30, D60, and 10D. I used it on my 10D. The grip required the removal of my 10D's plastic battery door (no tools necessary). The grip provides a slot to store the removed battery door. With the exception of the 10D's CR2015 three volt clock battery, all controls and features are accessible with the grip in place. My copy of this gear was well used when I purchased it and showed signs of heavy use. Despite this use it functioned without issue.
As a vertical grip the BG-ED3 provides a secondary shutter release and primary control wheel. It also includes secondary buttons for FEL (Flash Exposure Lock) and focus point selection. Less obvious is the switch that deactivates these controls. A big benefit for users with older batteries is the ability to load and carry two batteries although the grip will power the camera with only one present.
After using the grip I bit it seems three main functions are offered:
Longer battery life. With two BP511A batteries on board the battery capacity is doubled. This might be helpful for Canon 10D owners that are looking to milk a little more life out of their well used batteries.
A convenient handle for portrait orientated use. This wasn't a big deal for me as I seldom found myself shooting exclusively portrait images and in a position to utilize the extra controls.
And, wait for it, additional mass. When the 10D was fitted with a long lens the additional weight of the camera grip helped balance and steady the rig for hand held and poorly braced shooting. When I fitted my longest lens and concentrated on shooting some wildlife the extra heft was greatly appreciated for both balance and for helping slow the inevitable camera shake movements.
The build quality seemed quite good. And the ergonomics seemed to match that of the 10D. For my hands, it felt a bit klunky.
After a few months of use it was pretty easy for me to remove it from the pool of gear I keep available. The occasions that I wished for more weight to stabilize a long lens occurred much less often than the occasions I wished to be carrying less weight. Your mileage may vary.
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