Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

I've been very happy with the feel and handling of the Nikon D7000 camera by itself, so I had no intention of buying a battery grip. But a day after receiving the camera, Nikon announced a battery recall and my serial number was in the group. The notification warned to immediately stop using the internal battery. Well, I wasn't going to surrender my new camera's battery and then sit and wait for a replacement battery to arrive. Of course, when I tried to buy a spare Nikon battery it was out of stock as everyone's inventory belonged to the recalled lot. My only recourse was to buy a battery grip and use external batteries until Nikon could ship me a new internal battery. Thus, after some research I decided the Bower with its included 6AH battery was the best deal.This battery grip looks and feels like it belongs on the Nikon D7000. It is that well made. Functionally it is handy for those portrait aspect ratio shots. A duplicate shutter release button makes the handle nice to use.The added weight nicely counterbalances the heavy 28-350mm f 3.5-5.6 Nikon lens I'm using as my primary grab and go lens.The high capacity battery that comes with it provides twice the run time of the internal camera battery thus extending run time three fold when using it in conjunction with the built in Nikon battery. I've been shooting intermittently for days and have not yet needed to recharge the batteries. The lens has active vibration reduction, meaning it draws a fair amount of additional power. And I've accidently left the camera turned on for hours when not in use.Unlike the internal battery, the external battery pack can be recharged without removing it from the grip. At the price offered by B&H this battery grip with its two holders, one for standard AA cells and the other for the Nikon battery, plus the 6000ma/hr battery pack and charger is an excellent buy. The battery alone is worth the price.What is imperfect? The shutter release does not have the same feel as that on the camera itself. Even so, it works well. The only caveat is the other buttons are easy to accidently bump, so I often operate the lockout lever on the battery grip to mitigate accidental activation.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

I've only used this grip for one shoot so far, but it worked perfectly. As others have pointed out, the shutter trigger does feel a little different from the camera's button, but it's no big deal. I didn't really pay attention to how quickly it charged, but the included battery lasted all day and I shot about 1500 photos and there's plenty of juice left in it. The grip fits on the camera easily and looks like it belongs. It also makes the D7000 look and feel much more substantial. So far, so good!

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

I'm really surprised at the value of this considering it comes with it's own battery pack. Installation was simple, the fit and finish are quite satisfactory. Battery life with the grip attached is outstanding

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

Can't give it a perfect score as I've had it for 5 days. Great product, perfect fit on my D7000. Solid build.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

This product is cheaper, easy to instal, very practical. Use own battery, the Nikon D7000 batery and AA bateries.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

Works great!

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

I've had a Nikon branded grip before and I hardly see and feel a difference between that and this Bower grip. The rubber grip actually feels better than the grip on the D7000 body. This is serisously a great deal as it comes with it's own battery and two extra battery adapters for another lithium battery and AA batteries. I bought an extra lithium Nikon battery just in case and I still haven't had to use it. Can't say it's as solidly connected to the camera as the Nikon would be but it's pretty secure. I'm not one to buy off-brand products but this one was a steal and quality is awesome.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

I've only had this for a few days so please take that into consideration.

With that out of the way I must admit, for the price, this was a much better than expected buy. Not only did it look OEM but felt like a quality product that belonged with the camera. It's sturdy and fits very snug without any perceptible movement. How it will fair over time is yet to be seen but so far so good.

Also something that's worth mentioning over and over is it came with a battery! It also came with the adapters for the stock as well as AA batteries. How much more convenience and value can one ask for?

As for battery performance? Well I did 2 full days of shooting (> 10 hours total) and it has yet to drop one bar. This is the battery that it shipped with BTW.

All the buttons and dials worked as expected and there were no surprises which was a relief after reading some of the reviews. So far there isn't anything to hate. With time that might change but considering this is less than half the price of the Nikon part and came with a battery to boot, I can certainly forgive a few quirks.

I would recommend this without a second thought. It's a great value that's hard to match.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

Very impressive product overall. For the price, its unbeatable.

Pros:

- Matches the finish of the camera completely - looks seamless, and feel of the rubber and the plastic are all spot on. Looks better than the item photo.
- Fits very tightly on the camera
- Included battery works perfectly and lasts very long on a single charge.
- PRICE. No other grip comes close on value, and it looks 100% part of the camera.

Cons:

- Directional buttons aren't great - the little joystick works, but is tricky, and you'll want to use your camera one to go through your menu.
- Shutter release doesn't have the same feel as the Nikon one - feels more like a stiff button rather than the soft press of the Nikon shutter. Not bad, just different. But, it doesn't feel cheap, and it works flawlessly.
- My lock wheel feels like it scrapes a little. But works perfectly.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

This is the best grip for the D7000 -- the rechargeable battery that comes with this lasts an incredibly long time. The quality is equal if not better than the Nikon counterpart... no wonder its always sold out!

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

easy to install.
comes with a portable charger.
fits fine with my camera.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

Excellent product works very well, grips seems to be perfect color as the d7000 and all the buttons function great. Grip is pretty solid both wheels work smoothly and the lock holds it perfectly tight to the camera no gaps or slop. Battery last a long time also. Great deal it comes with a battery giving u 3 options to power your grip.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

Fits like a glove on my D7000. Performs very well, integrates just fine with the Nikon body, and so far is working flawlessly. For the price you cannot beat it.

Very flexible and a great add to the camera bag. Power whenever you need it.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

Works great would be 5 stars except the included battery works great the day of the charge but will totally discharge on it's own even out of the camera in about 36 hours. Means I have to be sure I just charged....

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

So, you looked at the Nikon grip for the D7000 and weren't quite convinced it's worth the price, hm? I was very much in the same boat, and if I had the money to spend on a nicer grip rather than batteries/memory/other accessories, I likely would have gone with the Nikon grip.However, for [$] with the included EN-15A battery, I've discovered that this Bower grip is quite a value buy. Construction is very solid, and while the scroll wheels and shutter don't feel the same as the camera's (not as comfortable or smooth), they're by no means bad - they are responsive and in the proper directions). The AE/AF lock button's function can be set within the settings of the D7000, and it works quite well, though the rounded plastic doesn't feel nearly as nice as the Nikon button. I will note that the directional pad however, is a bit of a disappointment - mostly because I find that trying to middle click to center focus isn't as reliable as the on camera button (tendency to tip in a direction instead of straight down). That said, it's really only an issue when I'm using a single focus point.Ergonomics are quite nice, and the rubber itself even matches that of the D7000, unlike some of the other off brand grips. If you've seen complaints about the wheel that screws into the tripod mount rattling for other off-brand grips, it isn't a problem here. The grip mounts very securely to the camera, and fully screwed in there is no more play between the two than what you get if you try to turn your Nikon lens back and forth inside of its mount. (A millimeter, if even that much.)Now, speaking of the tripod mount - this is where I have been most impressed with the grip - I have been using this grip with the Black Rapid RS-Sport sling, which screws into the tripod mount on the grip and hangs at my side. If you're not comfortable trusting your camera to third party equipment, I don't blame you, but after a month of carrying the camera via this strap and the grip daily, I haven't had the slightest doubt about the camera's security as I run down the court or jump onto ledges, or any number of taxing situations for the mount. The FastenR stays securely in the tripod mount of the grip, and the grip's screw in the camera hasn't loosened a bit on it's own, despite being bounced around quite a bit.This item includes three battery trays, all of which I have used. The included EN-EL15A battery performs fantastically, not only capable of more shots, but also exhibiting slower idle discharge than the Nikon EN-EL15 in the camera. The AA battery tray works just great in a pinch if you need to go those extra hours but are away from an outlet. That said, unless shooting video, I have run through 1200 or so RAW shots (~500 firing the on camera flash, though usually as a CLS trigger) without the EN-EL15A dying, so expect this to greatly extend your shooting time (still or video). Lastly the standard EN-EL15 tray works just as it should, which is great if you carry a spare EN-EL15 in addition to the one inside of the camera.If there are future problems with the grip (short of the tripod mount failing and me being out a camera) - I would buy a second to replace it before buying the Nikon grip (especially with that grip not coming with a battery). I do note that the glue for the rubber on the Bower is not the best, and the rubber did already wrinkle around the tripod mount from screwing in the Black Rapid FastenR. But this is a very minor issue compared with the grip's overall performance. Bottom line, for [$] you get a grip that is durable, comfortable, and more than gets the job done. The Nikon grip is probably better, but I know that I got everything I wanted in this grip, and more, for [$].

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

Im very happy about this product it,s work very well !

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

I HAVE THE NIKON POWER GRIP, BUT DECIDED I WANTED A GRIP I COULD JUST CHARGE WITHOUT REMOVING THE BATTERY FROM THE GRIP. THE BOWER FITS THE BILL PERFECTLY. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BOWER GRIP IS THE SAME QUALITY AS THE ORIGINAL NIKON GRIP. ALL THE BUTTON AND FEATURES WORK THE SAME. BOTH GIPS HAVE A BATTERY CARRIER FOR THE NIKON RECHARGEABLE BATTERY AND A BATTERY CARRIER FOR DOUBLE A BATTERIES. THE BOWER ALSO INCLUDES A RECHARGEABLE BATTERY. ALL THE BATTERIE CARRIERS LOOK LIKE THEY ARE MANUFACTURED BY THE SAME COMPANY. YOU CAN CHARGE THE BOWER BATTERIE BY PLUGGING THE ADAPTER INTO THE GRIP WITHOUT REMOVING THE RECHARGEABLE BATTERY. THE BOWER IS ABOUT HALF THE PRICE OF THE NIKON GRIP, AND A LITTLE MORE IN PRICE THAN JUST THE ORIGINAL NIKON BATTERY ALONE. THE BOWER RECHARGEABLE BATTERY HAS EXCELLENT CHARGE DURATION. THE BUILD QUALITY OF BOTH GRIPS APPEAR TO BE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME.

I DID HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE ORIGINAL BOWER GRIP I RECEIVED AS A GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS. WHEN I ATTACHED THE GRIP TO THE CAMERA I WOULD RECEIVE AN ERROR MESSAGE CONCERNING THE SD CARD NOT FORMATTED. WHEN I REMOVED THE GRIP THE ERROR MESSAGE WOULD GO AWAY. I RETURNED THE GRIP AS DEFECTIVE AND THE SECOND GRIP I PURCHASED WORKED FLAWLESSLY.

SINCE I HAVE BOTH GRIPS I WOULD TEND TO PURCHASE THE BOWER OVER THE NIKON. SAME BUILD QUALITY, SAME ACCESSORIES, AND A RECHARGEABLE BATTERY INCLUDED WITH THE BOWER.. I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS ITEM.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

I use the product every time I shoot pictures. I had a similar grip on my D5000 and like the fit but the release didn't operate all of the time. I was a little fearful of this one but for the price it was worth a try. I have no problems so far (around 2k pictures on it) Battery is great I wish charging the pack and the camera battery could be done at the same time, that doesn't see to occur when I have tried.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

This is one great grip! the fit and finish is almost perfect. some reviewers complained about it not being tight and had some movement but I can tell you this is not the case with mine. I carry the camera on my waist in a holster clip with a 28mm to 300mm lense and it stays as tight as can be.
I would have given it 5 stars but the internal battery takes a very long time to charge but I consider the battery a gift at this price point. All of the onboard controls work fine also.

Comments about Bower Professional Battery Grip for Nikon D7000 Camera:

Recently I purchased the Bower Grip for my D7000 and so far it has been perfect. It fits nice and clean with the body. It feels solid and has no loose feeling when attached to the camera. The grip comes with two battery trays; one for AA batteries and the other for a EN-EL15. But I have not used either tray due to the rechargeable battery pack that is also included in the box with the grip. The battery may take up to two hours to charge but it lasts for a very long time; Much longer than I expected. The grip still allows you to keep the EN-EL15 battery in the camera body and lets you use both batteries for camera operations, just like the Nikon grip. The grip looks 99% identical to the Nikon grip and the rubber grip on the Bower feels solid. It is very comfortable to hold vertically and makes me feel like I am holding my old friend the Nikon F5. The button and wheel controls are working great and have not given me any issues. In a professional environment it was great to have the extra stability when shooting two recent NHL hockey games when using my tele-photo lens. Overall, great price and solid product. A major steal for what is included in the Bower box. Thanks Bower!