Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Nikon D90 Vertical Battery Grip - Nikon MB-D80!


Well i just received my first vertical battery grip for my D90 and i Love it! This thing is sweet and works like a charm! You just might want to get yourself one i don't think you'll regret it.

The Nikon MB-D80 Multi-Power Battery Pack holds 2 EN-EL3e Lithium-Ion rechageable batteries, effectively doubling your total shooting time. Can also hold a AA battery holder (included), so users can use AA batteries as a power backup. The MB-D80 Multi-Power Battery Pack provides an AF-on button, vertical firing release with lock, and front and rear command dials.

15 comments:

Rick said...

I was looking through Ebay and found several 3rd party battery grips that "look" just like this one. One had an LCD display screen.

Does anyone know if these third party battery grips are worth it? Most of them were priced a lot lower than the Nikon.

Scbbbc said...

Rick, I was in the same boat as you with the 3rd party grips. But after a lot of research i ended up getting the nikon one. It's been great!

Jim A. said...

My D90 arrived today and I couldn't be more thrilled with the camera. I also purchased the Nikon battery grip which makes this a wickedly cool camera (especially since I have larger hands).

Something odd, and maybe it's something I'm doing (probably is). I charged up the batteries for about four hours, and while they were charging, put the 6 AA into the grip so I could learn my way around my new friend. It worked like a charm.

Now the odd part -- I took out the AA's, and put the two Nikon batteries in the grip and the battery level on the camera barely registered -- even with each separately. I took off the grip, and tried each battery in the camera, and it showed a full charge on each, and the camera worked just fine. Weird, huh?

Do the batteries need some sort of extra charge hours at the beginning? It was strange only to have one bar on the display with the grip attached. I would have thought it's the grip, but the AA's worked just fine.

Ideas? Suggestions?

Scbbbc said...

Hello Jim, I'm not sure what to tell you on this one! Check the MB-D80 flickr group. I'm sure someone there has had this question or problem.

Jim A. said...

Thanks, Scbbc -- I found the answer there, and I'm quoting it here for anyone else looking:

"The grip is great. A lot of people have had trouble with the grip and the battery indicator suddenly showing up low.

There's a quick and easy fix. Obviously the contacts aren't as close as they should be.

Get a thin piece of cardboard and put it in the front part of the tray of the MB-D80 and it fits ever so slightly more snug, and the battery indicator doesn't stumble."

Thanks again for the help and referral!

dcbaynes said...

Is there a battery pack that takes two AA batteries and fits inside the camera body as an alternative to the bulky MB-D80 attachment?

Scbbbc said...

dcbaynes, Not that I'm aware of!

Unknown said...

I got a d90 with the mb-d80 grip and two Nikor lenses, 18-105 & 55-300... which bag would you advice? My main concern is the battery grip as with my actual bag (Tamrac Messenger 5) I have to take it out of the camera to fit in the bag.

Scbbbc said...

Miguel Angel I'd look at the Lowepro Slingshot 200
http://nikond90blog.blogspot.com/search/label/lowpro

Anonymous said...

Rick, this grip is being copied by a lot of "off-shore get on the band wagon manufacturers", and 3rd party grips are just that, reports from many buyers of such are, some work great, others not at all. The pin fit has been a problem with many and some workmanship is not there. Be safe... "Buy Nikon OEM products and you can't go wrong". What you may save with a 3rd party supplier may cost you that and more to get an OEM one that works. After all why do we buy Nikon if not for the quality, right?

Hellraiser007 said...

After much research I went with the Zeikos ZE-NBG90. The build quality of the Zeikos is excellent and comparable to Nikon. The fit and finish are also excellent. Interestingly I have not had any such problems with the "Third Party" grip that some of your readers have had with the OEM Nikon grip. The best part is that at a third of the price of the Nikon grip and the same warranty, I could not justify paying $100 just to have the Nikon name on the battery grip.

Thanks.
Ken H. :)
P.S. Very nice blog....

slk77photography said...

Ok so what is the point of having one besides longer battery life? What are the big pros? I do a lot of action shots, so will it speed up the shooting of the FPS? I have noticed that it slows down after a bit...like it used up a lot of juice.

Scbbbc said...

I like mine for 1. the longer battery life when traveling, 2. makes hand held shoots feel more steady, 3. Using the button on top when shooting vertical. and 4. just looks cool, LOL

evergreen1949 said...

I love my MB-D80. When I first got my D 90, I spent quite a bit of money for a couple lenses, UV filters, Body etc....Then I got cheap and bought a grip made....who knows where...it wast cheap and even had a digital clock in it. THe battery door never shut properly and would open on it's own. I actually put velcro inside to keep it from opening. Then the clips that hold the batteries broke. It lasted about a year, then I bought the Nikon version. Much, Much better quality. No clock, but It's Nikon and Nikon quality. Don't buy a cheap imitation.

Ajai Krishnan's said...

Hi, I picked up a Zeikos battery grip for my D90.. It feels good.. But just want to know, please help me, is it perfectly ok to use AA size batteries all the time instead EN-EL3E battery. The manual which came along with the battery grip advices to use AA batteries only for emergencies.. Does using AA batteries affect the function or durability of camera.. Please pardon me if my question sounds rubbish!!!