Nikon MB-D10 Multi Power Battery Pack for Nikon D300 & D700 Digital SLR Cameras (Retail Packaging) by Nikon
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Digital camera reviews of Nikon MB-D10 Multi Power Battery Pack for Nikon D300 & D700 Digital SLR Cameras (Retail Packaging)
Digital camera Review: A must for your D300/D700.
Summary: 5 Stars
Solid. Fits perfectly without any wobble. It feels like part of the camera it is that solid. The ability to use AA batteries for 8fps or in place of the expensive batteries from nikon is great. I use Energizer 2500mah NiMH rechargables as 8 cost me $21. The en-el4a batteries cost $99 plus the charger. The command dials are just as solid as the cameras though i find the release to be a little soft or spongie. I've gotten used to it over the last month and no longer have issues with it. That is honestly my only complaint about this grip. This is the best grip nikon has ever released.Digital camera Review: An Organic Extention of the Nikon D300
Summary: 5 Stars
If You Already Have the Nikon D300, or if You are Thinking About Buying One, this Battery Grip Should be a Must Have on Your Accessory List. Not Only Does it Serve as a Secondary Reservoir of Power, Boosting The Continuous Shooting Speed of the D300 (Crucial For Professionals), But Also, and Really Non-The-Less Important, it Complements Both its Balance and Ergonomic "Hand-Holdability" so to Speak, Especially for Outdoors Where You Frequently Find Yourself Having to Shoot From Very Difficult Positions, Switching From Horizontal to Vertical Configuration as Well as Having To Hold Your System By Either Hand While Changing Your Camera Settings on-The-Fly...... Buy it Without Asking Too Many Questions, You'll Thank Me Later!
There Could Only Be Two Reasons for Buying the Nikon D300; A) You are a Professional Photographer or a Serious Amateur and B) You are a Consumer who'll Settle for Only The Best, and the D300 is The Best, Short of a Full Frame For the Professional.
Now that we've Established the "Whys", We Need to Figure Out the "What's Next"!.... If You're a Pro Buying the D300 as your Main or Back up Camera, You'll Definitely Need The Reserve Power and the Extra Hand-Hodability afforded By the Battery Grip. And If You are a Serious Amateur, The Same Principle Applies to You; You'll Need the Extremely Important Hand-Holdability Factor and the Extra Balance that this Battery Grip Provides. And If you are Other than a Pro or a Serious Amateur, Then You'll be Very Happy to Learn that This "Contraption" Adds a Lot to The Appearance of Your Camera, Which Will Distinguish You From The Rest of the Toy-Camera-Toting Crowd You are Trotting Along With, Pretending to Be a Photographer of Some Stature, With All Your Expensive Geer, Lenses and Gadgets That You Have Never Learnt What To Do With, Much Less How To Use! In This Case, an Extra Piece of Expensive Gear Should Make You Really, Very Proud! ..... There You Go, Happy Trotting, ehem; Shooting!
Digital camera Review: Another GREAT accessory for someone on the go
Summary: 5 Stars
When I bought my D700 I also purchased the MB-D10. I'm from the film camera days and learned the value of these battery packs are two-fold. First, it's another place to pack more power. Second, it provides a second shutter release when you're shooting vertically. Because the MB-D10 is made for the D300 and D700, it also offers a second set of main and sub-command dials conveniently located near the second shutter release, making vertical shots easier on the photographer. With this accessory, I can spend more time looking through the viewfinder and not having to look at the camera back. The MB-D10 is nice because it accommodates different types of batteries, although I prefer to work with multiple EN-EL3e batteries. But it's always nice to know you can throw in some AA batteries in a pinch!Digital camera Review: Awesome product - with so many pluses
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been drooling over the Mb-D10 for so long since I found out I will be out of the country for a long time and in remote locations. I wanted to be able pop-in AAs instead of getting all the different electrical convertors, etc. I originally thought I wouldn't get it since it was just too much after spending so much for my D300s. I was leaning towards getting the Zeikos ZE-NBG300 Battery Power Grip for less than a third of the Nikon. But then one day fortune smiled on me as I saw the Nikon Mb-D10 for sale used on Amazon. I snapped it up. And I couldn't be happier especially at the cheaper price.
BUT now on to the actual review of the product:
In case you wondering I don't have a big heavy lens. Just a small 50mm f/1.8.
It fits perfectly on my D300s. The screw in dial doesn't jiggle up and down. It does have some play back and forth. The play in the screw is not loose and thus has to be by design.
The bottom front of the battery grip (under the front of the camera lens when mounted) has the same subtle lip that provides the right amount of grip/edge for your finger tips to hang on to your camera with. This same grip exist on the side grip found on the camera... very nice detail. I can also use my left hand to grip the battery grip to further stabilize the camera.
I don't have large hands but the grip is perfect for my pinky to grip when I'm shooting in normal mode. It really allowed my hand to spread out better. I was really surprised how much better it felt in my hand.
One thing I read that had me lean toward the mb-d10 was another review that mentioned all the controls on the battery pack work EVEN when its empty. I tried this feature out as soon as I got it. And its awesome.
A lot of people have commented on the hair trigger on the battery pack and it definitely is sensitive. Its not a hair trigger or something. Maybe because I read it over and over in other reviews, but I didn't find it that bad. I had no trouble just focusing without the shutter going off. Ive also read anoher review that said the ultra sensitivity is to prevent the camera from moving when the shutter button is pressed. I noitced that in my test shots.
Overall I was able to adapt to the extra sensitivity within 1 or 2 tries. There's also a work around - the auto-focus button is about 15 degrees counter clockwise from the shutter button. So you could focus with your right thumb (which in my case was practically right next to it) and shoot with your right index finger.
A lot of people commented on the extra weight... I couldn't DISAGREE more on the weight. Its really not that noticeable. For perspective I am into specing titanium and carbon parts on my sub-13 pound road bike, yet I didn't think it felt that much more heavier. It also didn't change the balance of the camera as much as I expected. It actually feels more stable.
I've had it only about 3 hours so far and I was curious to take it out and hold it in my hand and it didn't feel that heavy. I was expecting something with more heft after all the reviews. Then I loaded it up with 8 AA batteries figuring that would be the worst case scenario and it didn't feel that much worse. I totally liked the recessed slot found on the battery grip, for the rubber cover from the bottom of the D300s. Thats a well thought design and I thinks it speaks to the thought put into the design as whole and the way it would work and integrate with the camera. The plastic cover for the leads found on the battery grip had no place to be put ... but I don't think its big deal (for me) since I don't plan on taking it off that much.
One benefit I thought about that I noticed that none of the reviews touched on is the bottom of the camera is now shielded by the battery pack which is built with the same magnesium as the camera. The bottom is probably more water sealed than before.
The menu selector toggle on the battery grip is in someways BETTER than the one on the camera since it a little toggle with square edges so you can actually pull back/ push forward on it. I find this much more easier to do than with the selector on the camera. The only improvement would be if the selector was closer to the shutter so I wouldn't have to rotate my thumb as much down to use it. But I think it would be hard to do given it would have to be right on the edge of the selector.
The shutter button is well shielded. I think it would take a lot of effort to accidentally trigger it But it can happen. Luckily the button can be locked off along with all the other dials and the selector toggle.
So thats about it... if you can afford it get it. Its worth it. If you can't, wait and wait and save up or eventually it'll be on sale used... especially after Christmas. Thanks.
Digital camera Review: Big, heavy, functional, manly
Summary: 5 Stars
The MB-D10 is really nice.
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 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 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.
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 and has a twist lock to hold and seal it into the MB-D10. [...]
I bought the MB-D10 because I had purchased a second EN-EL3e knowing full well I'd probably never use it. (My second D70 battery was rarely used because one battery powered the thing about forever.) So, to get some use out of my second D300 battery, I don't leave it in the camera bag...I carry it on the camera as a built-in backup battery. The D300 also allows you to pick which battery you want to use first: the one in the MB-D10 or the one in the camera. I tend 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....