Aftermarket Vertical Grip for Alpha A200

[chmodx]

Anyone know/heard of companies making a third party vertical grip for the Alpha A200?

I've seen them for the A100, but nothing else.

[David Kilpatrick]

There is an official vertical grip which fits the A200, A300 and A350 - the VG-B30AM

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VG-B30AM-Ver ... B0012DADCO

It's so much better than any aftermarket grip is likely to be!

David

[plevyadophy]

Anyone know/heard of companies making a third party vertical grip for the Alpha A200?

I've seen them for the A100, but nothing else.

Try Ownuser third party grips, they look real cool ( can be used left or right handed ):

http://www.ownuser.com.tw/e_a100_4.htm

and

http://www.ownuser.com.tw/e_index.htm

[[SiC]]

Anyone know/heard of companies making a third party vertical grip for the Alpha A200?

I've seen them for the A100, but nothing else.

Try Ownuser third party grips, they look real cool ( can be used left or right handed ):

http://www.ownuser.com.tw/e_a100_4.htm

and

http://www.ownuser.com.tw/e_index.htm

They currently have for the A100 as it seems, but for A200/300/350 there is no one yet.. It says "Coming soon!" on their web page

[Dr. Harout]

Don't know about the vertical grip, but I do know it's your first post here, so a big welcome.

[plevyadophy]

Anyone know/heard of companies making a third party vertical grip for the Alpha A200?

I've seen them for the A100, but nothing else.

Try Ownuser third party grips, they look real cool ( can be used left or right handed ):

http://www.ownuser.com.tw/e_a100_4.htm

and

http://www.ownuser.com.tw/e_index.htm

They currently have for the A100 as it seems, but for A200/300/350 there is no one yet.. It says "Coming soon!" on their web page

If you look closely at the website you will see that the Battery Grip for the A100 is actually of a semi-universal design (I say semi because the design is the same for a whole host of cameras, they just vary slightly in dimensions). So it may well be that the A100 version (or a version for another camera) will work with A200/300/350. Note that the Battery Grip has battery modules that can be purchased separately according to the camera you wish to use with the main Grip body.

The A100 type Battery Grip seems better to me because it allows you to really have additional battery power because you can keep the battery in the camera body in place whilst having another two in the Battery Grip thus making three. Now, I know the Battery Grip website states that you should remove the battery from the camera body but if my memory serves me correctly that isn't necessary; it's not necessary because when you plug mains power into the camera it doesn't charge the battery if the camera is on. So you can use the in-body battery until it is empty and then plug in the Battery Grip to benefit from the two batteries housed in the Battery Grip.

I for one detest the stupid design of 99.9% of battery grips; the are daft beyond belief. You carry this big lump attached to your camera and all you get is the ability to have one additional battery. The only battery grip, in my opinion, that makes any sense is the battery grip for the Nikon D300 which houses two batteries IN ADDITION to the battery in the camera body. For all their bulk, 99.9% of battery grips are just a waste of space and are only for show; people attach them to their camera to LOOK more serious/"professional" - it would be simpler to just carry an extra battery in your trouser pocket!!

However, this Ownuser Battery Grip does seem to be good in that, like the Nikon D300 battery grip, it allows the use of TWO additional batteries and added to that you get the twin shutter feature enabling one to hold one's camera left handed (this is of benefit to people who have flash guns that don't swivel 180degs to the right for use when holding the camera in portrait orientation, and it also means that for right-handed folks they can use their left hand for shutter release and their right hand to change things like exposure compensation etc as these controls will be close to their right hand)

The Battery Grips coming for the a200/300/350 are part of the company's, I think they call it, One-for-One range. They are in essence the same as the original camera manufacturer's version (i.e. stupid design that only gives you the benefit of one extra battery) but with the additional (useful) feature of having twin shutter releases so that you can hold the camera left-handed in portrait orientation.

Regards

[bfitzgerald]

Maybe the OP feels the A200 grip is a tad pricey!
Last I checked many were selling it for near £170+, I am sure you can dig about and find a better deal. Stil, have to wonder why it is near double the price of the Canon 450d grip, and of course it does not offer the choice of AA's either. And it is, not far off the price of the whole camera!
This is exactly the same mistake minolta made, overpricing on some areas. If you go hunting on ebay for a film 7, and want a grip for it, be prepared to shell out almost the same price you paid for a body. Rather silly really.
Might be an idea for Sony to price their grip at budget levels, as their camera is a superbudget one! Maybe they can grasp simple stuff like this, maybe one day that is...
Being fair to sony, they have adjusted some of their lens prices down, and their lithium battery is a bit better on price (still no 3rd party alternatives that I know of), more work to do here for the big S company

[KevinBarrett]

For all these complaints hurled against Sony's "battery grip," I should point out that it is a "vertical grip" as well, and offers better ergonomics than any other manufacturer's grips. It offers full reproduction of the controls and the shutter release is at the correct offset to the axis of the lens. I can certainly see that if one was interested only in the additional battery capacity they might be somewhat disappointed by Sony's offerings. However, the lack of third-party offerings could be due to the fact that Sony's grip is simply awesome, and what more could you want? Perhaps a third battery would be nice, but batteries transport pretty easily in a pocket, I hear.

That said, I have to agree that the price is a little steep. It would be nice if for $350, the a700 grip came with the additional battery.

[bfitzgerald]

I have not touched the A700 grip, but I believe it is made from magnesium, and has some additional sealing. The price? Well amazingly it is almost the same as the lower end A body ones. I cannot find the logic in that. A better grip, bit more pricey..for the A700 (a more expensive camera by some margin), sure, I can understand that. But selling the cheapest DSLR in Europe, with the most expensive grip for it's class, is not sensible thinking. And a plastic one at that.

Onto the lithium only area. both Canon and Nikon offer the choice of AA's. Some have questioned the logic on this, but we know full well, if sony sold a grip priced at reasonable levels, that took AA's, a lot would bypass the lithium problem. I know, you buy an A900 and the battery cost is peanuts, but by 2 batteries for your A200, and suddenly it starts to look like a bit of a rip off. Even more so, unlike every other maker, you have no choice of a 3rd party offering. Hell, if I want to use my KM batteries, I can buy a Pentax/Samsung DSLR...that is sony at it's worst. And it's time to cop onto this a bit. Let 3rd parties make them, offer AA's, problem gone. Might seem like a minor point, but it is areas such as this, that act as a turn off to potential buyers. I bet sony sell a load of A200's and not many grips..wonder why. And while we are at it, continued support of MS is another area, sony being stubborn..there are only 2 major formats, MS isnt one of them. The list goes on..live view, sony being stubborn again. Believe it or not I think sony will come good, it's just going to take a while to get there. And they have to get this proprietary thinking out of their system, it will do them no good.

[plevyadophy]

For all these complaints hurled against Sony's "battery grip," I should point out that it is a "vertical grip" as well, and offers better ergonomics than any other manufacturer's grips. It offers full reproduction of the controls and the shutter release is at the correct offset to the axis of the lens. I can certainly see that if one was interested only in the additional battery capacity they might be somewhat disappointed by Sony's offerings. However, the lack of third-party offerings could be due to the fact that Sony's grip is simply awesome, and what more could you want? Perhaps a third battery would be nice, but batteries transport pretty easily in a pocket, I hear.

That said, I have to agree that the price is a little steep. It would be nice if for $350, the a700 grip came with the additional battery.

Yeah, the Sony "battery grip" does APPEAR to be outrageously good ergonomically. When you hold it, even though it is pretty stupid that it holds just one extra battery and costs a stupid amount of money, you feel you just have to have it. Oh by the way, the ergonomics of that "battery grip" have NOTHING to do with Sony; it's a KM design, just look at any old KM catalogue

As for your point of it being a "vertical gip", well that's a pretty weak point. To correctly hold a camera vertically, one should be holding it with the shutter button lower most/nearest to the ground (that's why most flash guns don't rotate all the way to the right, because the expectation is that you would be holding the camera correctly so don't need right-side rotation when holding the camera vertically). As Gary Friedman (author of numerous excellent KM and Sony guides) points out, these battery grips are a legacy from film days and the use of power winders; they serve very little purpose now, other than the pretense that one is more professional for having one on their camera. However, if one is to have these "battery grips" stuck on cameras they should have some use (other than great ergonomics) like the Nikon D300 "battery grip" which gives you TWO ADDITIONAL batteries AND an increase in frame rate.

The Ownuser Battery Grips are to my mind better than the KM/Sony thing because they allow you to shoot left handed thus using your non HVL-F58AM flash in vertical mode effectively and you can still comfortably control the AE-AF, ISO, and similar buttons easily with your right hand, AND the bulk is reasonable in comparison to the extra power you are getting (three batteries instead of the mere two one gets from the Mickey Mouse "battery stalk" design of almost every other "battery grip" including the allegedly ergonomically friendly Alpha grips)

And one more thing, the Ownuser Battery Grips also allow you to use AA batteries. So I reckon that pretty much kills off the Sony offering.

Regards,

[KevinBarrett]

Oh by the way, the ergonomics of that "battery grip" have NOTHING to do with Sony; it's a KM design

Who was arguing that? Is KM making cameras?

However, if one is to have these "battery grips" stuck on cameras they should have some use (other than great ergonomics) like the Nikon D300 "battery grip" which gives you TWO ADDITIONAL batteries AND an increase in frame rate.

I always wondered about this kind of thing. Why isn't the camera capable of that before the grip is added? Is the camera holding back until you ante-up for the vertical grip? Unless there's an extra image processor in there, or a bigger faster buffer, I have to believe it is just marketing.

And one more thing, the Ownuser Battery Grips also allow you to use AA batteries. So I reckon that pretty much kills off the Sony offering.

Bring it on! When will they make one for the a700?

Please understand, I'm not criticizing the aftermarket battery grips. They are a good thing, in fact, I wish there were more. However, the tone of this thread had leaned very heavily against KM/Sony's vertical grips for a very silly reason: battery capacity. I, for one, will trade the extra battery capacity for uncompromised ergonomics any day. I have never used up my battery in one shoot, but I've taken some badly misaligned photos in portrait format for the want of a vertical grip.

As for the batteries and proprietary technologies, I have to agree with all of you here. Sony is running a bit of a marketing gimmick to include their own MS slot, but some cameras (D700) have only one slot, so the inclusion of the MS slot is still an advantage. Regarding batteries, there were third party batteries for for the a100, and Sony is now keeping batteries consistent throughout the range...it won't be long before we see third party NP-FM500H equivalent batteries. AAs would be nice, but I do hate buying AAs, and hate managing rechargeable AAs even more. Why doesn't anyone make a true rechargeable lithium-ion AA? I'd buy those at $40 apiece.

[bfitzgerald]

I think the point being made, was one of overpriced grips, nobody said they were "bad"
Minolta did the same thing, and I don't think it worked. And like I pointed out with the A200 grip, it's almost the same as the A700 one, but plastic..and frankly I wouldn't pay that price for it.
The real problem is not that you cannot use AA batteries, but that you cannot get hold of 3rd party ones. Nobody would complain if you could. But I suspect sony are being sneaky on this one, and they did no AA's to stop people bypassing the sony only lithiums, and for no other reason but to hold sales on them. It can be handy to have the AA option, you can pre-load the cartridge and keep it as a spare, you don't HAVE to use it.

Camera systems are about "choice", and sony needs to learn this one.

[Javelin]

I thought Amazon was selling NP-fm500H knock off batteries?

[BigRich]

And like I pointed out with the A200 grip, it's almost the same as the A700 one, but plastic..and frankly I wouldn't pay that price for it.

What is the A700 grip made of?

Rich

[Javelin]

From the sales materials

"lightweight dust and moisture resistant magnesium-alloy construction"