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A900 battery grip

edwardkaraa

New member
Just got this new toy today. This is a real nice piece of equipment. Made of metal and the ergonomics are excellent. It takes 2 batteries but uses only one at a time (the one with the lower charge), then switches automatically to the other one when the battery is completely exhausted. It shows the exact charge of both batteries. Very nice!
 

dhsimmonds

New member
I also have the vertical battery grip and it just is such a great improvement, the batteries seem to last forever with this set-up. I have also added the hand strap which makes for a bit more security. The battery grip also balances the heavy Zeiss lenses better imho.:D
 

jdbfreeheel

Member
Agreed that it's a great piece of kit. Unfortunately, while I can get away with using generic batteries in the camera body, they do not work in the battery grip. Somehow, the grip seems to have high standards than the camera itself.

-Josh
 

dhsimmonds

New member
I struck lucky as my local camera shop (part of a national chain) had overstocked on Sony 900 batteries and were selling them off at half price! So I now have three.
 

jonoslack

Active member
What a funny lot you are :p

For me the great joy of the A900 is that it doesn't have that nasty lump sticking on it's bottom, after the d1x, D2x and D3 it's lovely not to have to deal with it.

Shooting portrait I hear you ask? Elbow wedged in side, it's even more stable than using a grip.:)
 

fotografz

Well-known member
What a funny lot you are :p

For me the great joy of the A900 is that it doesn't have that nasty lump sticking on it's bottom, after the d1x, D2x and D3 it's lovely not to have to deal with it.

Shooting portrait I hear you ask? Elbow wedged in side, it's even more stable than using a grip.:)
The solution is to buy 2 A900s ... one with grip, one without ;)

The camera is really well balanced with grip when using the 70-200/2.8 APO and 135/1.8. Very nice combo.

BTW, the hand strap works with or without the grip. It's the best one I've ever used, :thumbs: and I'm going to get one for my D3.
 

Eoin

Member
I kind of agree with all of you, I happen to like the grip when using bigger lenses such as the 135 or 70-400. However I tend not to use the grip with the other ZA Zooms. Best of both worlds, put it on when I need it, take it off when I don't. And what's surprising is the build quality and rigidity of whole package when it's on, much better than any Canon grip I used before.
I'm using an old canon hand strap on mine, works quite well also. Figured I'd save €40 by not splashing out on the sony one :ROTFL: I'm a real cheap skate, I know!.
 

jonoslack

Active member
The solution is to buy 2 A900s ... one with grip, one without ;)

The camera is really well balanced with grip when using the 70-200/2.8 APO and 135/1.8. Very nice combo.

BTW, the hand strap works with or without the grip. It's the best one I've ever used, :thumbs: and I'm going to get one for my D3.
2 A900s!!!! I have that £2000 stashed away to buy a couple of S2 bodies and some lenses in the summer :rolleyes:

I really should try the hand strap - most of the time I wander about with the body in my hand and the neck strap dangling - I've had a couple of close calls with it getting caught on things (usually the dog). Don't think anyone is going to persuade me to get the grip though . . . however good it is (never ever used the vertical release on the D's).
 

edwardkaraa

New member
I kind of agree with all of you, I happen to like the grip when using bigger lenses such as the 135 or 70-400. However I tend not to use the grip with the other ZA Zooms. Best of both worlds, put it on when I need it, take it off when I don't. And what's surprising is the build quality and rigidity of whole package when it's on, much better than any Canon grip I used before.
I'm using an old canon hand strap on mine, works quite well also. Figured I'd save €40 by not splashing out on the sony one :ROTFL: I'm a real cheap skate, I know!.
LOL Eoin, you paid all this money on the expensive Zeiss lenses and the 70-400, and now you want to save 40 euros :ROTFL:
 

douglasf13

New member
That and a mule.

Anyway the grip is my next purchase ...And perhaps a sigma fifty.
Oooh, I can't wait to see some shots with the sigma 50 and the A900. I'm using the Sony 50, which isn't too bad, but I'd really like to see what that Sigma can do. I use 50mm a lot, and I'd love a ZA 50 to surface some day. I know that there are a lot of manual focus 50mm options, but for this length I'd like to stick with AF.
 

Eoin

Member
LOL Eoin, you paid all this money on the expensive Zeiss lenses and the 70-400, and now you want to save 40 euros :ROTFL:


Ah now come on, I'd hardly call these lenses expensive when compared to Leica M glass. Anyway broke now, have to make an effort to economise.
 
Oooh, I can't wait to see some shots with the sigma 50 and the A900. I'm using the Sony 50, which isn't too bad, but I'd really like to see what that Sigma can do. I use 50mm a lot, and I'd love a ZA 50 to surface some day. I know that there are a lot of manual focus 50mm options, but for this length I'd like to stick with AF.
Douglas, actually I am not dying to be an early adopter, and would much rather see some of you taking the plunge before I do. I bought a sigma (a 24mm in nikon mount) 20 some years ago and said that would be the last one, it was an ok lens optically but a mechanical nightmare (a grinding one). however what I am seeing coming from the new 50 is very nice and I only will shoot it from ƒ1.4 or thereabouts beyond that I will use the 24-70 ZA.
Besides, I am being wary because of focus errors reports (though Canon mostly) and not willing to start a long chain of returned lemons till I find an apple. And yes, it is not a Zeiss.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Oooh, I can't wait to see some shots with the sigma 50 and the A900. I'm using the Sony 50, which isn't too bad, but I'd really like to see what that Sigma can do. I use 50mm a lot, and I'd love a ZA 50 to surface some day. I know that there are a lot of manual focus 50mm options, but for this length I'd like to stick with AF.
Ill be interested also. I did recently have the Sigma 50/1.4 for my Nikon D3 and when I tested it against the New Nikon AFS 50/1.4G I sold the Sigma. Very nice lens, but the Nikon focused faster, was considerably smaller and lighter, and the in-focus specular highlights didn't halo as nearly as much as the Sigma did (think white type on a dark background). Currently I find the Sony 50/1.4 very similar to the Nikon 50/1.4G with a touch better supression of the halo effect.
 

woodyspedden

New member
The solution is to buy 2 A900s ... one with grip, one without ;)

The camera is really well balanced with grip when using the 70-200/2.8 APO and 135/1.8. Very nice combo.

BTW, the hand strap works with or without the grip. It's the best one I've ever used, :thumbs: and I'm going to get one for my D3.
Marc

Do you have a link to the handgrip? I would also like to get one for my D3

Woody
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Ah now come on, I'd hardly call these lenses expensive when compared to Leica M glass. Anyway broke now, have to make an effort to economise.
Yeah, now if Leica would only make a camera you can use them on ;)

Actually the Zeiss and Sony G lenses aren't any more expensive than Nikon after Nikon's last price increase. :eek:
 
Is there a way to use the hand strap + a neck strap simultaneously? I hardly use the neck strap when shooting (I wrap it around my wrist), but I find useful to leave the camera hanging from my neck/shoulder when changing lenses, reaching to the bag ...
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Is there a way to use the hand strap + a neck strap simultaneously? I hardly use the neck strap when shooting (I wrap it around my wrist), but I find useful to leave the camera hanging from my neck/shoulder when changing lenses, reaching to the bag ...
No, not that I can see.
 
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