Put an MB-D10 on my D700 and now it is about the size and weight of a Buick.

I hope the extra battery capacity is worth it. I may need to get a Sherpa to pack it around.

Mike in Alaska

Visit Fortymile Photo

If you just want the extra buttons when in portrait orientation, you can leave out the battery and save on weight.

I like the size with the grip, the weight I just have to live with since I want the extra frame rate.

---------+---------+---------+---------+
Joseph K
Seattle, WA, USA

D700, D200, D70S, 24-70mm f/2.8, VR 70-200mm f/2.8 II, 50mm f/1.4 D,
17-55mm f/2.8 DX, 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR, 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 DX

Mike,

I added a grip to my D700 and right away I noticed what a great advantage there was going to be with the balance.....in fact I liked it so much I went right down and bought one for my D300 also. Since I bought the grip, I've had at least three experiences where I was in the middle of shooting wildlife when my battery changed over seamlessly. I was very pleased that I did not have to stop and put another battery in the camera. I would have missed some very nice shots had that happened. Especially in the winter, your batteries will go down fast and it's no fun to change batteries in the cold.

I tried shooting with it the other day without the grip and it was so nose-heavy it felt like it was going to tip out of my hand. This is especially true when shooting offhand with a big lens.

Good luck with the grip,

Lee

Lee
Alaska USA

Hi Mike,

You just need some time to get used to it.
After decades shooting Pro bodies with Motor Drives and Battery Grips, when I pick up a camera without a grip it feels like a toy to me.
Good Luck and Enjoy your Nikons!

Best Regards,
Marty

Mike,

I had the same experience. The grip added a lot more weight and bulk to my D700 than I had expected. It's not as big and weighty as the 1964 Buick Electra I once owned, but it's getting there! As a result I have not used my grip very much. I may try it again if I'm using one of my light-weight 50 mm. or 85 mm. primes attached to the D700, but not if I have a beast like my 80-200 f/2.8 attached. I like to travel light and am glad to have the D700 where I can opt to leave off the grip if it's going to be a drag to lug the D700/grip combo around all day.

Bob

>Put an MB-D10 on my D700 and now it is about the size and
>weight of a Buick.
>
>I hope the extra battery capacity is worth it. I may need to
>get a Sherpa to pack it around.
>
>Mike in Alaska
>

>Visit Fortymile Photo
>

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

I used to leave the MBD10 on mine all the time. But now I rarely use it unless I have to. I only use it with a tripod for now since I have the camera plate for the grip.

I occasionally use it for portrait shoots, too. I've ordered a D800 and I don't expect to buy a grip for it.

Come on!
It feels like a man's tool, balances better, it gives a faster fps rate, extra power, a shutter button for verticals, and it is good exercise

Have a great time
JRP (Founder & Administrator. Nikonian at the north-eastern Mexican desert) Gallery, Brief Love Story, The Team
Join the Silver, Gold and Platinum members that help this happen; upgrade. Join your personal web site to the Nikonians WebRing
Make sure you check our workshops at The Nikonians Academy

>Come on!
>It feels like a man's tool, balances better, it gives a faster
>fps rate, extra power, a shutter button for verticals, and it
>is good exercise

JRP,

The character Tim from the former TV show "Home Improvment" (played by actor Tim Allen) would definitely have liked the battery grip on his D700 if he had one...but something would likely have exploaded when he modified the wiring to juice it up even more.

That said, I prefer the integrated-grip bodies when push comes to shove...which incidentally have better balance and are slightly more compact and lighter in weight than the D700 with MB-D10.

But if someone wants real weight, they need to try an F3 with MD-4...

An undeniable paradox: To think that there is any such thing as an absolute rule is at worst naïve, and at best, shortsighted. There is no such thing as an always-true, all context- or situation-salient, absolute rule that always holds true…including this one!

I shoot long hours with the D700 and 70-200 VRII and use a hand strap mostly. It takes getting used to, but with the grip and strap, hangs pretty well at the end of your arm to rest. The strap allows you to release tension on your fingers somewhat to provide relief, as well.

I've also got the Kirk arca-type l-bracket and love how solid that makes the camera body/grip feel. Really adds some protection. Yes, it's a heavy rig, but what a great tool!

Quick note: I've also got the Blackrapid strap that I clip on the rig for support between shoots. I don't really like it connected to the camera when I shoot, though...

D700 l N90s l AF-S 16-35 f4 l AF-S 24-85 f3.5-f4.5G VR l AF-S 70-200 f2.8G VRII l AF-S 50 f1.8G l AF-S 300 f4 l TC-14EII l 2x SB600 l Autometer IIIF.
https://www.facebook.com/tony.johnson.photography
http://www.eyesonboulder.com
My Nikonians Gallery

>Put an MB-D10 on my D700 and now it is about the size and
>weight of a Buick.
>
>I hope the extra battery capacity is worth it. I may need to
>get a Sherpa to pack it around.
>
>Mike in Alaska
>

>Visit Fortymile Photo
>

What's wrong with a Buick?

Tom
D5000IR, V1, Oly OM-D E-M5
Nikkor Zooms: AF-S 18-105 f/3.5-5.6 VR, VR, AF-S 18-135 f/3.5-5.6
Nikkor primes: 24 f/2.8Ai-S, 28 f/2.8D, Micro 60 f/2.8, 85 f/1.4D, Nikkor-C 500 f/8 Refl.
Nikon 1 lenses: 10mm f/2.8, 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 VR, 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6.
Voigtlander 58mm f/1.4, Sigma 70-300 Macro f/3.5-5.6.
Oly 12-42mm f/3.5-5.6, 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3, 12mm f/2.0, 45mm f/1.8, 75mm f/1.8.
Lumix 20mm f/1.7, 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8, 100-300mm f/4.0-5.6
Gitzo GT3541L, Manfrotto MT293A4, MP 680B
Markins M-20, RRS BH-25 Pro

I have the dumbest sense of humor, like writing in a two-word reply, size matters, but that's not even funny. Oh well, maybe one person laughed. I really just need to get more serious about life.


"Shadows are the soul of the picture."rick sammon

I leave the grip on all the time. I like the balance and the size doesn't bother me.

Hylos Barrett
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." John Wooden

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

+1 with the grip and l-bracket all the time!!!
I do have big hands.


José

Nikonians!!! My best investment made after my camera!!!

D700, D90, F80, F Photomic FTn

The size and weight of a Buick maybe - but a better MPG!

More seriously, I like the combo, although today I have left the grip at home. Not only does it double the electric capacity of the machine, but it really balances better. Oh, there are even occasions when the grip comes in handy although I don't shoot in portrait orientation: the other day, shooting flowers in my garden, I found myself lying flat on the floor, holding the camera by the grip for balance and clicking on the side button...

And as the Boss (not Bruce, JRP! ) wrote, it is a man's tool! I like the look on people's faces when I tote a D700 with grip, a 80-200/2.8 mounted on it, and a SB-800 in the hot shoe with a small diffuser for height Sort of a definitive "mine's bigger", so to speak! That of course was already the case with the D300, but it was mitigated by the use of DX lenses...

Olivier Rychner
__________________________________________
Jetez un oeil à ma galerie if you feel like it! And it's a bit void as of now, but I also have a Nikonians blog

Auta i lomë! And my Nikon's only awaiting daylight...

Hi all.

I have grips on my D200-D300-D700. That way they feel more like my D2h-D2x-D3s. I also use L-brackets on all six so they are always ready for attachment to my tripod or BlackRapid strap. For me this feels like the norm and I like the balance of the extra size and weight. Everyone needs to find their own preference for different conditions of course but with the removable grips that's easy. Mine stay on all the time.

I really like the increased battery capability and use EN-EL4a batteries in my D300 and D700 grips as well as the batteries in the cameras. I consider a camera without a vertical shutter release to be crippled. To each his own.

It is interesting to note that the D300 and D700 with grips are both larger and heavier than the D2-D3 bodies.

Aren't we lucky to have so many choices?

JIM

> I really like the increased battery capability and use EN-EL4a batteries in my D300 and D700 grips as well as the batteries in the cameras. I consider a camera without a vertical shutter release to be crippled. To each his own. <

I concur with all the points made here. First time I used two batteries in the grip for the D200, I waited for a camera prompt to switch batteries - happened seamlessly. The D3-type battery that's available for the D700 grip will provide even greater capacity. I have large hands so the camera/grip combination balances and handles well for me and enables single-handed use.

> Aren't we lucky to have so many choices? <

Remember 30 years ago when Nikon life was a choice between a Nikon F2, F2S, or a used F, or a Nikormat EL or FT2? Body choice was relatively easy; lens choice, however, was the hard one. And when the EL was introduced, so much photographers proclaimed, "There goes the neighborhood." Now the F2S plus MD2/battery compartment was heavy - late 50's Cadalac heavy!

Mp

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

I love my Buick Enclave almost as much as my D700 with the grip installed.....2 wonderful machines.....

Jason

www.gorgasphoto.com