How Does A Battery Grip Work?

[Pehpsi]

Never seen/used one, but i'm guessing they just hold a few batteries in the one place for convenience? Can't you just as easily change the battery when needed as opposed to buying a grip?

[Reschsmooth]

Never seen/used one, but i'm guessing they just hold a few batteries in the one place for convenience? Can't you just as easily change the battery when needed as opposed to buying a grip?

In the film days, a battery grip was often referred to as a motor drive as it provided automatic and/or faster film [re]winding. They may also provide a second shutter/AF/AE button for use in portrait mode.

In some cameras (I think the Nikon F4/s/e), the addition of more batteries provides a faster fps rate.

[sirhc55]

The modern battery grip is exactly what it states. It’s a battery holder attached to the bottom of the camera that provides storage/or use of extra batteries. In some cases it also serves to enable vertical shooting with another shutter release (but not for the D70). The old grips (as referred to by Patrick) were, in the main, the drive motor for the main body, and as such do not apply in the digital age.

[methd]

a few more points not noted:

*balances the weight of the camera for bigger lenses

*for me, it's more comfortable to hold

*automatically switches to the spare battery when the first runs out

[ATJ]

I also believe they can provide higher frame rates on some cameras - for example from the specs for the D300:

1) Single frame [S] mode 2) Continuous low speed [CL] mode: 1 to 7*¹ frames per second 3) Continuous high-speed [CH] mode: 8 frames per second*¹, 6 frames per second*² 4) Liveview [LV] mode 5) Self-timer [ ] mode 6) Mirror-up [Mup] mode. *¹ When using AC Adaptor EH-5a/EH-5 or Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10 with batteries other than Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e. *² When using Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e (When shooting in Continuous-servo AF (C), Shutter-Priority Auto [S] or Manual [M] exposure modes, at a shutter speed of 1/250 sec. or faster with other settings at default)

[Pehpsi]

Cool, thanks for the replies.

I'm quite comfortable with the D70 as is, I like the small size and weight, so I don't think i'd like the grip all that much, probably just grab another spare battery..

[PiroStitch]

There isn't an official battery grip for the D70 anyway. The grip also makes it easier when taking photos in portrait orientation. Less twisting of the wrist.

Additionally, if you're mounting a heavier lens to a lighter camera body - the centre of gravity is towards the front which makes it more inconvenient to hold. With the grip, it adds a bit more mass to the camera end to balance it out a bit more.