Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for D300 / D300s / D700

Comments about Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for D300 / D300s / D700:

I mainly use Nikon D3 bodies, but I do have a D300 which I bought mainly for the hobby side of my photography, wildlife. I recently added the grip as I'm so used to having the verticle shutter button. I also find it balances the camera better, particuarly when using lenses like the 300 f2.8.
Grip is well built, as you'd expect from Nikon.

Comments about Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for D300 / D300s / D700:

I have had a D300 & 700 for some time. While on a recent birding holiday another member of our group had a D300 with the MB10 grip. I was impressed and bought one as soon as I returned. With the 4e it last forever. Shame Nikon charge extra for the battery fitment. Love the balance it gives with a long lens. It also makes your kit look like a D3!!!

Comments about Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for D300 / D300s / D700:

As with many of the other reviews i considered the price a tad high but you gets what you pays for!
To photograph motor sport it adds great stability when using a 400mm lens, also boost the frames per second and as found at recent Brands Hatch meeting is very durable and water proof.
Added plus is a perfect match for the body of your camera so i would suggest forget the price and take the plunge becuase its a worthy adition to anyones camera kit.

Comments about Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for D300 / D300s / D700:

Whilst this grip is quite expensive I have found it an invaluable addition to my D700. By doubling up on the standard batteries it gives huge battery life and I have happily taken 1500+ shots on a location shoot with no concerns over battery life. With the AA batteries in the grip it gives 8fps which is great for action shooting and I find that rechargeable batteries give decent life.

But perhaps the biggest single benefit for me is in the stability that the grip gives when shooting with larger lenses - it makes comfortable hand holding much easier. I also like the fact that when I am on a portrait shoot I can use the camera in portrait orientation and use the shutter release on the grip rather than awkward reaching for the main camera release.

Overall, I am very happy with this grip and would recommend it.

Comments about Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for D300 / D300s / D700:

Battery Options:

It comes with two battery trays: one holds an EN-EL3e 7.4v 1500mAh lith-ion battery (same as what the camera holds). The other tray takes eight, AA batteries. Depending on which AA cells you install (Ni-MH, lithium, Ni-MN or alkaline) you can have 9.6 (NiMH at 2500mAh or more) or 12 volts. That voltage (when using the 8x AA's) can crank the motor to its rated limit of 8 fps...at least until the buffer fills up and its frame rate slows while it writes to the card. You also tell the D300 via the menu which type of battery you have installed. It keeps track of charge for you based on the type. Very smart.

The grip will also take the larger 11.1v/1900mAh EN-EL4 or EN-EL4a battery... but you have to buy a BL-3 cover, which is really just the end of the battery trays mentioned above but without the tray. The cover clips to the end of the EN-EL4(a) and has a twist lock to hold and seal it into the MB-D10.

It's common knowledge but worth noting you need to use the larger 11.1v/1900mAh EN-EL4 or EN-EL4a battery or the 8x AA setup to achieve 8fps, and also worth noting that the AA setup adds a fair bit of weight to the camera.

The gray EN-EL3e is an update to the D70's black EN-EL3. The EN-EL3e can power the D70 but the older D70 batteries cannot power the D300. That's because the newer EN-EL3e has three contacts on it as opposed to the EN-EL3's two contacts. That extra contact allows the D300 to track the entire life of the EN-EL3e. Interestingly, the D70's older MH-18 charger can charge the newer EN-EL3e as can the D300's newer MH-18a charger.

With an EN-EL3e in the camera body and another in the MB-D10, the D300 tracks and remembers how many shots you've taken on each battery, it's percentage of charge remaining and even how many times the battery has been charged. When the battery as reached its design limit for recharges (years from now) the D300 will tell you.

I bought the MB-D10 because I shoot many vertical shots and wanted the camera to feel more balanced and controllable. I've also got access to a D2x and had a spare battery and charger, so have gone for the EN-EL4 setup to get the full 8fps but not much extra weight.

If using a second EN-EL3e in the grip, the D300 allows you to pick which battery you want to use first: the one in the MB-D10 or the one in the camera. I guess if you were using this setup you want to use the MB-D10 battery because it's easier to remove for charging. You have to unscrew the MB-D10 from the D300 to get the internal EN-EL3e out of the camera body. But even then the large thumb wheel allows quick and easy removal.

There is a solid rubber L-shaped plug on the camera body's bottom that protects the multiple contacts between camera and MB-D10. That plug stores in a special area on the MB-D10 so you won't lose it. And if you remove the MB-D10 for some reason to use the camera without the MB-D10, you can plug up the contacts on the camera immediately.

Controls:

The MB-D10 has a complete alternate set of controls on it for when you are shooting verticals: an end-mounted focus/release button with lock ring to prevent accidentally hitting it; an AF-ON button; Master (rear) and Secondary (front) selector wheels for changing program and other functions; and a four-way selector/navigation switch. It's a lot more than a battery back. The same controls your forefinger and thumb access when holding the camera horizontally are there when holding the camera vertically. And it really is more comfortable to hold vertically this way, even though you do have to get used to regripping the camera. I've shot verticals for so many years I'm still getting used to holding the camera in such a foreign way.

The MB-D10 fits the D300 like it was molded in one piece: seamless and very ergonomic.

It makes the camera quite large and much heavier, but it has a solid feel and for sure I'm not going to run low on power. It's also comforting to know I can buy some AA's anywhere in the world and be able to keep shooting should the EN-EL3e's not have available power for recharging. It's also nice to crank the camera to max frame rate if needed. Some say it also helps balance the camera when you have a really large lens on a tripod.

And it's just so...manly. Point-and-shoots are cute and handy but this thing really dresses up the D300 in a useful manner, adds performance and extends power enough for any conceivable assignment.

And in a crisis, you can swing the thing like a mace. It probably would not break even then...

Comments about Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for D300 / D300s / D700:

I got used to using a battery grip on my old D80 and very quickly found I much preferred the feel of having that extra grip on the bottom and also loved the vertical grip controls and extra battery capacity, as it meant I could easily load up a pair of batteries and shoot all day long without ever having to worry about running out of juice, so when I got my D300 there was no debate that I had to get the battery grip for it.

While I love the feel of my camera with this thing attached and as with my D80 love having that vertical grip, extra battery capacity and just generally that bit of extra bult making the camera feel more substantial, I do begrudge the price Nikon put on this thing, over £100 more than my D80 batter grip was and even that was overpriced compared to the competition, plus I also feel it has a slightly odd design choice

Whereas with my old MB-D80, you removed the flap on the camer's battery compartment and the grip had a part which went inside the compartment so the batteries both went intide the grip, with the MB-D10 one battery stays in the camera and the other slots in the grip. This is fine in principle but in practice is a bit of a pain when you need to replace the battery in the camera as you have to remove the grip to get at it, which means whereas with my D80 I would tend to wait until both batteries were practically dead, with this battery grip I tend towards letting the grip's battery run out and then only running on the battery int he camera until I find a suitable opportunity to change the one in the grip.

Even with this gripe though and my qualms about the price, I still wouldn't go without the MB-D10 on my D300, I just so much prefer the feel of the camera and the convenience of the extra battery capacity and the vertical grip controls. Plus being able to load it with rechargable AAs and wind my D300 up to 8fps is always a nice bonus!

Comments about Nikon MB-D10 Battery Grip for D300 / D300s / D700:

Pretty stupid title for a review isn't it? Well not not really. I have a Nikon D2XS, had a 2DHs and also have a D300. Now both the D2XS and 2DHs are pro cameras and as such have larger battery capacity. They last longer then the other Nikon SLRs and are faster. Now the D300 is a great camera but is regarded as a semi-pro/amateur camera and as such some areas in design are cut back. One of these areas which is compromised is the larger battery capacity and to make up for that and a vertical shutter release you need to have the MB-D10. I am a semi-pro photographer and shoot sports and celebrities so I like to have a fast shutter speed for the sports and the ability to shoot vertically for both portraits and for football. The MB-D10 gives me those options. So it fits the bill then? well not entirely.

Being an "add-on" the MB10 doesn't actually feel like part of the camera but rather an addition and as such it does not feel as robust and solid when attached to the D300 as you would expect it too and it does not emulate the feel of the larger cameras being the D2XS and D2Hs. Whilst both of these cameras feel great in your hands when shooting fast and doing vertical shoots the D300 with the MB-D10 does not have the same feel. It does feel like a cheap option, which it is compared to the D3 and the other professional cameras.

Similarly the Multi-Power Battery Pack vertical shutter release also feels somewhat uncomfortable and I cannot put my finger on the reason why. (No pun intended).

My main gripe with the Battery Pack however is that it has additional accessories, which I feel should be standard and added in the price for something, which is not cheap. The Pack does come with 2 options for batteries, being AA battery holder and standard D300 battery holder, but heres where I think Nikon should have added additional accessories. Withy the battery pack added you need another D300 battery if you wish to get the best out of the Pack but - you guessed it you have to buy another battery which can be upto a further £40.00. Also I have additional batteries for the D2XS and these can be used in the Multi-Power Battery pack - but only if you buy the additional holder which again is up to £30.00. I would add that these battery holders are hard to get too and my one has been on order for over 4 months - not great planning.

Now the reason for the heading. In my opinion the D300 feels better and more familiar without the battery pack and to me I feel more comfortable using the normal shutter release when putting the camera in vertical positioning, then using the vertical shutter release on the D300. So I generally don't always attach the D300 Multi-Battery Pack and if I start shooting without it, I don't miss it. I would say that I do need the additional longevity the battery pack gives me so if I am on a long shoot I do attach it but more and more I do not attach it when I am shooting football. So its only a 3 star for me.