Vello BG-C8 Battery Grip

I decided to get a battery grip for my Canon EOS 6D. I didn’t want to get the Canon brand as it was out of my price range. I didn’t want to get something inexpensive because I wanted it to last long. I found the Vello BG-C8 on Amazon and it had a lot of good reviews. The price isn’t too bad so I got it. Right off the bat, the reviews were accurate.

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The build quality is excellent. When you connect it to the camera, it feels as if it’s part of it. It’s metal and heavy but it’s comfortable – for a lack of a better word choice. The grip area has a consistent feeling like the grip on the side of the camera.

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You connect it on the bottom of the camera where the tripod mount would go. There’s a huge circle to turn so you can lock it in place. You don’t lose the tripod mount, as it has another under the battery grip. You will have to remove the battery cover on the camera in order to use the grip. It’s easy to do. Just make sure you keep the cover so you don’t lose it. You’ll still need it when you’re not using the grip. There’s an on/off switch on the grip to enable/disable the buttons on the grip. The buttons have the same functionality as the ones on the camera but are more accessible when taking portrait shots.

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Here is a side view shot of the battery grip. I hope it gives you an idea on how much larger the camera gets when it’s mounted on. As I mentioned before, it does make it significantly heavier but you gain an extra battery.

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The grip can use two batteries. I use the Canon battery that came with it. The other battery I got for free as part of the package deal at the store. The second battery is the Digipower RF-LPE6. What surprised me was it came with another battery holder for AA. It holds 6 AA batteries. I tried it with the AmazonBasics AA rechargeable batteries. I took a couple of shots with it and works as expected. I don’t know how long it will last though.

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The only thing I didn’t like, which is not the fault of the battery grip, is I couldn’t use my CarrySpeed sling. I’ve used it for many years and love it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit because the grip has a larger footprint than the camera body. I ended up getting a new sling from Altura. It strap itself was not design like the CarrySpeed but it worked well. We took a trip to Disneyland and my setup worked great. Although the camera was heavier, I’m glad I used a sling. Find a sling or you will have a workout.

Overall, the grip and sling is a great addition. This is my first grip. My other cameras didn’t have any battery grip compatible with it, otherwise I would have gotten them.

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