Question: Vello & Zeikos battery grips

[Mike Buckley]

Mike, what was the damage to the D7000? Did they specify when they repaired it?

They repaired the battery contact. The damage was likely caused when the battery became dislodged in the grip's carriage unit while inside the grip after hours of use.

Interestingly, the exact same dislodging recently occurred in my Nikon grip, though fortunately no damage was done. Yes, I make sure the carriage unit clicks when I insert the battery in it. So, I am absolutely positive that this is a design or manufacturing flaw.

[Glenn NK]

Good points Manfred.

[RustBeltRaw]

For what it's worth, I had a Hähnel HC-60D battery grip for my 60D. It was definitely built to a budget, and was clearly not a direct copy of the Canon original. Different battery door and AA magazine, exterior surfaces, exact control layout, etc. The battery door eventually fell off, at which point I replaced it with the Canon version. No problems with that one so far, except that the grip material is starting to delaminate. Nothing a little cyanoacrylate won't fix.

There's also a Vello version, which looks nearly identical to the Canon, but I suspect it lacks details like the gold-plated contacts and extremely rigid. My only Vello product is a remote cord, which is quite well-made, so I wouldn't be surprised if they battery grips are perfectly serviceable. But the OEM part, for now, will always have the best build.