Is a MB-D18 and necessary accessories worth the cost?

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jst1moor

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I would like an honest opinion.
I have a D-850 and shoot mainly birds and BIF and mainly for personal pleasure. Of course I keep wondering if I should bite the bullet and buy the grip, battery, charger and the grip door in order to get to 9 fps. But geewhiz... the cost makes my head spin.
Am I really gaining that many missed shots between 7 fps and 9 fps? I know Steve did an example between 5 fps and 10 fps in his excellent Secrets to Stunning Wildlife Photography book but really, am I missing out with the 2 fps? I more often think not but then wonder about it anyway.
I rarely shoot vertical photos and I am not a "spray and pray" shooter 10 - 15 shots in a row would be my "long" releases.
I know I could probably buy used and save but even then it is expensive.
All opinions are welcome, Thanks in advance!
Stay Strong / Stay Healthy
RJ
 
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jst1moor said:
All opinions are welcome, Thanks in advance!
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I purchased the Vello vertical grip, some Wasabi batteries with charger and the battery door for my D850 and I'm very happy with that setup at a fraction of the cost of original Nikon parts. I much prefer the D850 with the grip attached to the basic camera body and IMO the extra FPS is very useful for any kind of action photography.

That said, no the grip and larger battery are not strictly necessary as the D850 is already a great camera but IMO it's at least worth the extra cost of a good third party grip if not the original Nikon grip.
 
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DRwyoming said:
I purchased the Vello vertical grip, some Wasabi batteries with charger and the battery door for my D850 and I'm very happy with that setup at a fraction of the cost of original Nikon parts. I much prefer the D850 with the grip attached to the basic camera body and IMO the extra FPS is very useful for any kind of action photography.

That said, no the grip and larger battery are not strictly necessary as the D850 is already a great camera but IMO it's at least worth the extra cost of a good third party grip if no the original Nikon grip.
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Hello, Thanks for the reply. Are you really getting 9 fps with the third party grip and batteries? I keep reading reviews where people are NOT getting the 9 fps and that the batteries are locking up the D850 as well as other issues. I used Wasabi batteries with the D4 I had before the D850 without issue.
 
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I also bought the Vello grip and a third party charger, however, I use Nikon batteries. I too have been quite happy with the functionality and savings. I haven't tried to verify the frame rate, but its noticeably faster with the grip.
 
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I have the Nikon grip on my first D850, no issues. It is easier for me as I already have the charger from my D5 and extra batteries. For my second D850 I decided to try the Vello grip. It functioned fine with the Nikon batteries but when I went to mount it to a tripod using the QR plate I had attached to the bottom of the grip, I noticed excessive play between the grip and body. No amount of tightening would reduce the play. I sold the Vello and bought a second Nikon grip which works perfectly and equally important doesn't have any play. YMMV.
Both my D850's with grip and 18c battery do 9 fps. I was already spoiled by 10 fps when the D850 came out and while 6 fps might be considered fast a lot of years back, it's painfully slow to me now. I shoot diving osprey and even at 12 fps the time between frames often leaves me wishing for 24 fps to get that perfect shot.
 
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jst1moor said:
Hello, Thanks for the reply. Are you really getting 9 fps with the third party grip and batteries? I keep reading reviews where people are NOT getting the 9 fps and that the batteries are locking up the D850 as well as other issues. I used Wasabi batteries with the D4 I had before the D850 without issue.
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Yup, I get 9 FPS with the Vello BG-N19-2 grip and Wasabi batteries. I have read that the first version of this Vello grip had some issues like loose fit and FPS issues but I've had no issues at all with this second generation version.
 
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Warren D said:
I have the Nikon grip on my first D850, no issues. It is easier for me as I already have the charger from my D5 and extra batteries. For my second D850 I decided to try the Vello grip. It functioned fine with the Nikon batteries but when I went to mount it to a tripod using the QR plate I had attached to the bottom of the grip, I noticed excessive play between the grip and body. No amount of tightening would reduce the play. I sold the Vello and bought a second Nikon grip which works perfectly and equally important doesn't have any play. YMMV.
Both my D850's with grip and 18c battery do 9 fps. I was already spoiled by 10 fps when the D850 came out and while 6 fps might be considered fast a lot of years back, it's painfully slow to me now. I shoot diving osprey and even at 12 fps the time between frames often leaves me wishing for 24 fps to get that perfect shot.
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I was afraid someone would reply with this response. $$$
Thank you Warren for trying to push me over the fence ;).
:unsure::unsure: still though. LOL.
 
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FWIW, I recommend taking the $1k you would save not buying a Nikon Charger, battery and grip and spend it on a used D500, which I see for around $1100 in Excellent condition. You'll get 10fps with a virtually identical camera and IMHO the DX format is better suited to small subjects at distance - like birds.
 
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Strodav said:
FWIW, I recommend taking the $1k you would save not buying a Nikon Charger, battery and grip and spend it on a used D500, which I see for around $1100 in Excellent condition. You'll get 10fps with a virtually identical camera and IMHO the DX format is better suited to small subjects at distance - like birds.
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Your point is taken and it is very valid. However, I owned a D500 and while it was fast and just was never enamored with the images it took. I don't know if it was me, the camera or what. I also once had a D810 and again, was not impressed with it's images. I owned a D4 that I thought took amazing images but sold that to purchase the D850 which I happen to love despite having to work with such large files.
Thank you for your input but I still have to wonder if I am missing opportunities by being 2 fps short?
 
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Okay here's another take on having the grip. I was doing some landscape photography the other day and was using live view and doing panorama's for sometime and it is nice to have a long lasting battery. I also have the D4 and shooting the D850 without the grip was so slow I had to have the grip for the D850.
 
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I’ve used the Nikon vertical grip on my D300, D810, D500, and D850. With the D300 I use just a second standard battery. After I purchased a D4, all other cameras I used the 18 battery. FPS is always nice, but I really like the feel and the ease of going vertical. So nice when on a tripod to rotate back and forth from landscape to vertical and not miss a beat.
 
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farwest said:
Okay here's another take on having the grip. I was doing some landscape photography the other day and was using live view and doing panorama's for sometime and it is nice to have a long lasting battery. I also have the D4 and shooting the D850 without the grip was so slow I had to have the grip for the D850.
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So you noticed a marked increase in speed of two more FPS by having the grip? Or do you mean improved handling?
 
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fulltimewanderer said:
I’ve used the Nikon vertical grip on my D300, D810, D500, and D850. With the D300 I use just a second standard battery. After I purchased a D4, all other cameras I used the 18 battery. FPS is always nice, but I really like the feel and the ease of going vertical. So nice when on a tripod to rotate back and forth from landscape to vertical and not miss a beat.
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I understand some just like the ergonomics of having the grip. But as I stated I rarely take vertical photos. The question is, am I really missing that many photo opportunities by having 2 FPS less without the grip to justify the cost of grip, battery, cover and the charger?
Thank you for your input.
 
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jst1moor said:
The question is, am I really missing that many photo opportunities by having 2 FPS less without the grip to justify the cost of grip, battery, cover and the charger?
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Well the vast majority of the time you won't miss a decent shot with 7 FPS vs 9FPS but if you shoot a lot of action you'll miss some potential shots. Is that risk of missing some you might have captured worth the cost of entry, only you can determine that value tradeoff. Of course the exact same argument could be made for a 12 FPS camera over the 9 FPS of a gripped and battery upsized D850 or of course how a Sony with 20 FPS might capture even more magic moments.

We'll never capture every possible wing position or every nuance of touch down, close interaction or other things that might happen in fast action sequences and of course in an awful lot of wildlife shooting including perched birds, larger mammals posing, slower behavioral sequences and the like fast frame rates aren't even necessary. There's no magic break point between 7 FPS and 9 FPS so no one can say definitively that it will absolutely make a critical difference though statistically it certainly can if you shoot a lot of fast action.

I don't think you'll find an absolute answer to your question. A lot of us like adding a grip and larger battery to a D850 but no one can say absolutely that it will make or break your wildlife photography or whether it's worth the added cost. Only you can answer that question.
 
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A grip ads weight, bulk and it costs you.
Batterylife as a reason is imo invalid since an extra en-el15 in your pocket will do the job too.
So there’s apart from the better vertical shooting experience (which doesn’t apply to you like you said) in this case only the real benefit of a faster camera.
If you look at the higher framerate from a mathematical pov there’s less than a 1/3 higher chance to get the ‘best’ shot when you’re shooting ‘something’ fast. (+29%)
Like DRw stated.

DRwyoming said:
We'll never capture every possible wing position or every nuance of touch down, close interaction or other things that might happen in fast action sequences
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Only the chance to capture that ‘magic moment’ grows a bit.
Wether you think it’s worth your money is completely up to you.
 
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I always have the grip with ENEL18 for the insurance of the extra fps 'to capture the moment'. The vertical grip is also a bonus, as is the additional weight, which balances a telephoto rig.
My solution, the total cost in Dec 2017 was £259,83. No problems:

Mcoplus Grip £85.99; Ex-Pro Nikon BL-5 £10.95; Wasabi charger £44.10; Hahnel EN-EL18 £118.79

This charger indicates battery charge, and the D850 also shows the charge on a Hahnel battery. I also use the OEM batteries.
 
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I have been selling kits of third party grip/battery/charger .BL5 on ebay and have sold dozens without problems provided you get the right grip and most important the right battery . If you are in the UK I might be able to help you item No 174309263259
 
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Thern said:
A grip ads weight, bulk and it costs you.
Batterylife as a reason is imo invalid since an extra en-el15 in your pocket will do the job too.
So there’s apart from the better vertical shooting experience (which doesn’t apply to you like you said) in this case only the real benefit of a faster camera.
If you look at the higher framerate from a mathematical pov there’s less than a 1/3 higher chance to get the ‘best’ shot when you’re shooting ‘something’ fast. (+29%)
Like DRw stated.

Only the chance to capture that ‘magic moment’ grows a bit.
Wether you think it’s worth your money is completely up to you.
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I disagree with the weight penalty but it a matter of perspective/preference so there is no right or wrong. I personally don't care about the additional size or weight. I find the following to be true for my tastes
  1. Handling is improved for those who shoot vertical images
  2. No need to worry about multiple batteries, some of us want to just shoot all day without worrying about running out of battery or carrying extras. An EN-EL18 battery runs pretty much all day (I don't recall ever running out of juice on my D850 with grip/EN-EL18
  3. That extra 2fps while not a HUGE deal does offer a greater chance for that perfect pose
The OEM MB-D18 is built much stronger than the third party grips however the cost is 4-5x as much as the Vello or Meike grips. I had the OEM on my D850 and a Meike on my D500 and while you could tell the difference it was pretty slim in function. Where the OEM grip stood out was in it's weather sealing (I believe a small gasket on the door) and it's stiffness (I'm 200lbs and could probably stand on the oem grip without a battery in it. The Meike would have been crushed). For batteries I use Wasabi Power batteries (not the black ones with built in charger) and they worked perfectly with the D850 giving 9fps and the D500. I also use a third party charger as well and have had the whole setup since I purchased the D850 (the Meike grip for 2 years prior to that) at its release and I haven't had a single issue.
 
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Terry.R said:
I disagree with the weight penalty but it a matter of perspective/preference so there is no right or wrong. I personally don't care about the additional size or weight. I find the following to be true for my tastes
  1. Handling is improved for those who shoot vertical images
  2. No need to worry about multiple batteries, some of us want to just shoot all day without worrying about running out of battery or carrying extras. An EN-EL18 battery runs pretty much all day (I don't recall ever running out of juice on my D850 with grip/EN-EL18
  3. That extra 2fps while not a HUGE deal does offer a greater chance for that perfect pose
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RE 1.
I didn’t say weightPENALTY but nonetheless the grip ads weight and bulk.
Wether you’re okay with that is another personal story.

RE 2.
I do always carry an extra EN-EL18 battery with me, so I don’t see a problem with carrying an extra battery, (Btw I always have a little bag with first aid stuff, battery, memorycards and lensclean stuff

RE 3.
Yup like I said too, it offers a 29% increase in framerate and thus a bit higher chance for that magic shot.
(Nonetheless a hummingbird flaps its wings at 50-80 ‘FPS’ or flaps per second LOL)
 
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When I first received the D850 no grips were available for the review, so I did quite a bit (lots of birds) with the 7FPS frame rate. Once I got the grip, I did appreciate the extra two FPS. The problem is, you don't know what you're not getting. I can tell you that when I went from 7 to 9FPS for BIF, I didn't get 2 extra frames that were identical to the one next to it. Instead of 7 different frames every second I got 9 different frames every second. The the the frame rate, the more nuanced your selection is. Maybe at 7FPS you get a nice shot with the wings almost exactly where you want them, but at 9FPS you get a shot where the wings actually ARE right where you want them.

In addition, I keep thinking I'm going to hit a cap when it comes to "fast enough" frame rates - but even at 20FPS with my a9ii and BIF, every shot is still noticeably different. I just have more options to choose from. To me, that's valuable and often is the difference between getting a good shot from a series and getting a great shot from it. So, at least in my opinion, I think you should grab the grip setup. :)
 
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Steve said:
When I first received the D850 no grips were available for the review, so I did quite a bit (lots of birds) with the 7FPS frame rate. Once I got the grip, I did appreciate the extra two FPS. The problem is, you don't know what you're not getting. I can tell you that when I went from 7 to 9FPS for BIF, I didn't get 2 extra frames that were identical to the one next to it. Instead of 7 different frames every second I got 9 different frames every second. The the the frame rate, the more nuanced your selection is. Maybe at 7FPS you get a nice shot with the wings almost exactly where you want them, but at 9FPS you get a shot where the wings actually ARE right where you want them.

In addition, I keep thinking I'm going to hit a cap when it comes to "fast enough" frame rates - but even at 20FPS with my a9ii and BIF, every shot is still noticeably different. I just have more options to choose from. To me, that's valuable and often is the difference between getting a good shot from a series and getting a great shot from it. So, at least in my opinion, I think you should grab the grip setup. :)
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Okay, I get this. This is what I was waiting for. Not that the other members input was not valuable, it was... extremely! But an opinion from the Guru is always highly valued. I beleive I will try the grip.
Now the decision is .. try a third party as DRw and Charlie are using or use the genuine article. I just have read so many bad reviews on third party grips that i hesitate. Hearing from two BCG forum members who are happy with the 3rd party grips makes me think, try it on for size. it's a smaller risk that way ( or could be added cost if it doesn't work).
Thanks so much for your input Steve. Your work is very much appreciated.
 
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