Canon SLR Reviews

Opteka Battery Pack Grip Vertical Shutter Release for Canon EOS 20D 30D 40D and 50D Digital SLR Cameras with 2 BP 511 Batteries

Opteka is proud to be allowed to use the same factory and mold as Canon uses for their BG-E2N. Opteka is one of the world’s leading producer of high-performance batteries and accessories. Opteka believes there is no limit to the potential of portable power – and as a company they will always strive to find innovative and efficient ways to power your life in the future! The Opteka 50D/ 40D/ 30D / 20D grip holds 6 AA Batteries or 2 BP-511 batteries. This provides a extremely extended shooting time. The vertical shutter release also makes shooting with the camera in a vertical position just as comfortable as shooting horizontally. Compatible with the Canon EOS 20D, 30D, 40D, & 50D Digital SLR’s. This kit includes 2 Opteka 2000 mAh BP-511 Batteries for Maximum Power (Also accepts AA)

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Works fine, not quite all good.
This grip fits and works fine. It has the functionality expected (buttons, use of 2 rechargeable or AA batteries). It is much cheaper than the Canon grip.

As far as I can tell the claim that this is the same mould as the Canon grip is correct.

But that’s where the trouble starts. This grip is very bulky, the Opteka and the Canon alike. It is too large for small hands. This is not Opteka’s fault of course, the Canon grip suffers from the same problem. I don’t see the need for this, it has extra surfaces that aren’t required for the battery fit to provide grip, but they overdid it. It is much larger than e.g. the grip for a Rebel XSi which is usable with both small and big hands, IMHO.

Second, it might be same mould, but it either is different plastic or it isn’t treated the way. While color and texture are good, it has a very strong chemical smell right out of the package. I attribute this to skipping some finishing step (or using different plastic) to make the price difference. Having said that, color and texture fit the 40D perfectly.

Another nitpick is that the product label says “with 2 BP-511 Batteries” but what you get is 2 “Opteka branded BP-511 compatible batteries”. This isn’t the same thing and the product label should be more strict about it. I didn’t test these batteries but at the very least this damages your resell value compared to original equipment batteries.

So – should you buy this grip if you need a grip? Yes, price/performance is much better than the Canon grip which is pretty much identical and comes with no batteries of any label.

However, my concern about bulkyness is real. If you have small hands (I am thinking of petite women’s hands here) you will probably end up leaving this thing in the bag. The capability to run on AA batteries can be invaluable in the right situation so it’s worth having in the bag. What I’m saying is that it is not as clear a win as the grip for e.g. a Rebel XSi is. As I mentioned, this critique applies to the Opteka and the Canon grip alike. To my knowledge a slimmer grip is not available for these cameras.

1 Star You get what you pay for
I bought this grip for my 40D.

In a nutshell this is a poor quality product.

!!The shutter release button works only 50% of the time!!

Holding the camera vertically I have to press the camera’s shutter release button, when this product decides that it will not work.

This defeats the purpose of this product.

The 2 batteries last about 20 shots before a low battery indiction.

They are good for paper weights, nothing more.

I was lured by the lower price, compared to the OEM (canon). Alas, as the title of the review suggests..

you get what you pay for.

Skip this one, and buy the Canon battery grip.

5 Stars A cheap device
A great device, costing less for the same options of the original brand. In addition, two batteries, the best option.

4 Stars Great grip, and saves you money too!
Here’s another non-Canon product that can help you save money in the very expensive world of digital SLR photography.

This Opteka grip works perfectly on my EOS 50D and goes a long way towards enhancing the experience of being a photographer. And since it does everything the Canon-branded grip does I do not see the reason for spending significantly more for that grip just because it has the word “Canon” stamped on it.

The Opteka grip fits beautifully on my camera, obtains a tight fit with the body, is solidly built and looks professional.

The only reason I did not give it a 5-star review is because I believe these grip manufacturers need to start including the “AF-ON” button on their grips for us so-called “back button” focusers. When shooting I typically manually focus (what’s the point of owning an SLR if you don’t?) and thus my camera’s autofocus mechanism isn’t triggered by the shutter button; but on occasion I use that “AF-ON” button to let the camera do the work for me. This is easy enough when I’m holding the camera horizontally. Holding it vertically with this grip attached, however, means that if I come across a situation when I want to autofocus I can no longer use the handy shutter release button on the grip because there isn’t an “AF-ON” button on the grip. Even the Canon-branded grip doesn’t offer that functionality and so this wasn’t an oversight just on Opteka’s part.

4 Stars Pretty good
I do miss the scroll wheel on the grip but will live with it. It is all I could afford and works great otherwise.

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