My Impetus

The Canon BG-E3 Vertical Grip/Battery for EOS Digital Cameras is an interesting accessory for the Canon Digital Rebel (350d) and Digital Rebel XTi (400d) cameras.

The BG-E3 is a welcome addition to my 400d, giving it a bit more weight and balance - especially with heavier zoom lenses such as the EF 70-200mm f/4.0 IS USM. The surface of the portrait grip is rubberized for a great tactile, secure feeling - and adds some much needed room for your pinky in normal grip. Pictured on the right is a side view of the BG-E3, mounted on a 400d with a 17-40mm f/4.0 lens attached. Visible on this side of the grip is the battery release lever, which turns and unlocks the battery tray - which then slides out.

When I first held the 400d, it felt good, but it was a bit small. I noticed that when shooting, my right pinky finger seemed to dangle off, and it naturally started to curl up under the camera. When I mounted the battery grip, it immediately felt like a much larger, more robust camera, and ‘felt’ much better in my hands.

The extra room provided by the grip made shooting a breeze. My pinky no longer dangled off of the edge, but curled around the nicely textured grip and I didn’t feel as much fatigue in my right hand as I was no longer supporting the camera with my pinky finger.

The BG-E3 holds two NB-2LH battery packs (or 6 AA batteries) for double the shooting time. The grip attaches to the camera via the battery door. On both the 350D and 400d, the battery door has a small slider that allows for easy removal and storage. With the battery door removed, the grip plugs in and then screws in securely via the thumbscrew.

The NB-2LH battery mount is different from the AA battery mount - ideally it would be great if you could just ‘pop’ in some AA’s. This is not the case - you will need to keep the AA mount with you in order to be able to use AA batteries - they are not interchangeable. In addition, the grip comes with a small plastic covering that is to be placed over the metal contacts on the mounts to prevent damage during storage. There are two slots for the NB-2LH batteries. Fortunately, however you do not need to have both batteries in the device in order to function, and it doesn’t matter which slot is occupied. In addition, the batteries are wired in parallel - thus power is drawn from both batteries simultaneously. This should give you ample time to take photographs (and power IS lenses) before you notice the battery level dropping. However, you might need to pick yourself up another charger =)

The grip allows for full use of the camera in portrait grip (vertical shooting) including: shutter release, AE lock / FE lock, index / reduce button, main dial, AF frame select button, and the aperture / exposure compensation button.

Before I had the grip attached, I found myself shooting less than 5% in portrait mode - the stock 400d does not lend itself well to shooting in this mode. It is somewhat awkward to manipulate your fingers around the camera to press the AE or shutter release buttons. However, after I attached the grip, I noticed a much larger percentage of my photo’s in portrait. Shown to the left is the nicely sized, rubberized portrait grip, along with the controls - you can also see the the gap where a Canon (or third party) hand strap can be mounted. In addition, the tripod mount screw is directly in the middle of the grip. This is truly a wonderful addition to the 400d, and nothing is sacrificed by adding the grip as every feature is duplicated and in the ‘right’ spot.

The BG-E3 is available from Amazon. Get yours today! Makes an excellent Christmas or birthday gift for the budding photographer in your family.

Dimensions:	5 x 3.8 x 2.8″ (128 x 96.4 x 70.7mm)
Weight:	8.1 oz (230g)

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