Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for the D300
I love the Nikon D300. It is a great 12 megapixel camera, but I had one problem with it. OK, more than one, but they were all solved with one quick add-on.
Why
My problems were little things. I like to shoot in portrait mode often. This creates that weird “right elbow in the air” pose that you see with some photographers. I didn’t have a problem with the pose, but in the resulting lack of sharpness in the images when I can’t steady my arm enough. Also, when used on a tripod, I had to flop the camera over to get it into a portrait position. This limited the use of the ballhead.
In addition, I didn’t like the way that that the battery seemed to always discharge right when I needed it most and that was only half-way through a shooting weekend. And finally, while I don’t have huge hands, the camera felt kind of small in my hands and therefore a little unsteady.The answer? The Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for the D300.
The Features
The grip quickly solved the problem of the turning the camera on it’s side to put it into portrait mode. The extra shutter button on the grip makes shooting in portrait mode easy. In addition, there are the other controls used in conjunction with the shutter that can be found on the MB-D10. Both the front and the rear dial for controlling the aperture and shutter speed. Also the grip contains the back toggle button to control the focus point and playback features.
The extra battery is a real bonus. I shot in the Eastern Sierra a couple of weeks ago for three straight days and STILL had enough battery power to last a couple of days of light shooting. The extended battery life takes all of the worry out of when your battery is going to die.
The grip gives the camera some real heft. That makes it very easy to keep more steady as I shoot and fits into my hand better. Also, when a Kirk L-Bracket is added to the camera the ability to place it on a tripod in either landscape or portrait mode is a simple pleasure.
The Problems
Ok, there is a trade off. If you add a second battery, the camera gets heavy. VERY heavy after a while. If you are going to carry this without a comfortable strap, it will begin to become a burden.
Also, if you have small hands, the grip may be kind of large to handle. I have fairly small hands and I don’t have a problem, but if they were much smaller, I could see having a problem.
Finally, my biggest gripe is that the shutter button on the Nikon grip is VERY sensitive. If you try to push the button half-way down to focus or lock the exposure, chances are that you will trip the shutter. It can become a problem when you are working in a tight, quick situation. (A small problem is that the lock ring for the grip rotates the opposite way as the On/Off ring on the camera body.)
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a way to extend battery life and make easy changes, but at an expense of a little extra weight, I HIGHLY recommend an battery grip. Just be careful when pushing down the shutter button part way.
