 Targus BGD40 for Nikon D40,D40x & D60 (outstanding) |
| Review Date: October 10, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Darren W. Brown, Houston, Texas USA |
This is my third attempt at owning a battery grip for my Nikon D40x.
My first was one of those grips that's also a built-in rechargeable battery in itself. Sounds great in theory but the fit to finish was horrible. It didn't sit/mount flush with the Nikon camera body. And the texture of the grip was shiny and smooth, while the Nikon body is purposely textured a bit rough and not as glossy. My second attempt was a similar battery grip by another maker, though it was identical to the one I've originally stated. Back it went for a refund, as did my first.
With that being said, the Targus BGD40 is my third attempt and it's a keeper. The fit to finish is the best I've seen on any after-market item for Nikon. It fits flush and tight to the Nikon body. No gaps are along the seems. Nothing rattles. And both the Targus grip and Nikon camera body compliment each other nicely.
This grip will hold either two Nikon batteries or six AA's. That's nice for times of travel, if your Nikon batteries can't be recharged for any reason. And of course this Targus grip gives you a full size camera, when you need one. Plenty to hold!
It does feature a vertical shutter release, but keep in mind that it functions via infra-red signal. You simply tell your camera to use remote shooting, and turn on the grip's vertical shutter. You also have to hit a switch on the grip that releases a little pop-out infra-red remote. That's all there is to it. It's not horrible. It's not great either. But if you need it, it's there. You can't half-press focus like you're use to doing with the vertical shutter release. You just press (just as you would your Nikon wireless remote control) and the camera quickly detects the best focal point and snaps the photo. That's not the fault of Targus. Nikon didn't include a way for battery grips to communicate to the camera body. At least not on our lower end D40 series cameras.
But all in all, I like the grip, and it's a nice option to have and at a fair price.
One more thing.. yes, the little battery door that comes off of your Nikon body gets stored inside the Targus grip for safe keeping.
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Great product
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| Review Date: November 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Clemente C. Jandayan, Pembroke Pines, Fl |
| In comparison to other brands out there, this was the cheapest and had fairly good review here in amazon and nikonian.org. The grip fits and blend perfectly with my Nikon D40x. So far, I'm very happy with this purchase. Adding the grip really makes my camera look professional. I have a (2.8, 80-200mm lens) which is very heavy and awkward when carrying it. This grip really does balance the weight of the 2.8 lens. For the price and quality, I highly recommend this product. |
Very happy with this grip
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| Review Date: December 31, 2008 |
| Reviewer: DRH, Cincinnati, OH USA |
Okay, I read all the reviews and was a little skeptical of this grip, but went ahead and purchased it. Yes, it will extend battery life, but battery life on the D40 is pretty good already, veritical shutter works but is IR, might make the camera easier to grip...
Hmmmmm...
So I get it in the mail and open it up: light plastic. Put it on the camera (easy cheesy). Grip it. Not sure I like it, feels a little weird. I take a few pics and put it away.
Get it out later that night, take a few more pics, try the vertical shutter, nothing too exciting there, but maybe I like the bigger feel after all...
Get my two high capacity batteries in the mail and put them in. Go out and shoot for a while. The grip has grown on me. I now love it.
* I really like the increased size from the grip. It is much more comfortable for me. This is my only camera, so for me my D40x is my high-end camera. Some people with bigger cameras like a D300 have a D40 as their travel camera. The whole advantage to them is the small size and light weight, so the grip would defeat the whole point. For the rest of us, the extra size and weight can be a plus.
* Extra battery life is a plus. Not a necissity, but a luxury I will enjoy.
* Veritcal shutter button. I thought this was more useful than most of the reviews I have read. It has all the weaknesses of an IR trigger, but note the reviews on the IR remote trigger (ML-L3 or something like that)are all great. Taking a hundred wedding photos in portrait mode would not be feasible, probably should not have a D40. But I can imagine scenarios where I am just taking a few easy to compose pics and it might come in handy.
In the end, I am really glad I got this grip. |
This Product Is Awesome!!
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| Review Date: November 18, 2008 |
| Reviewer: J. J. Taylor, Buck Creek, Indiana |
Everything it was promised to be! And it does match up to the Nikon cameras as other reviews have mentioned, looks like and functions like it was a factory part of my Nikon D40X. Would highly recommend to all others.
Fast Delivery from DBROTH, great job thanks! |
Works Great
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| Review Date: December 22, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Scott D. Ladzinski, |
This battery grip has lived up to it's promises. I bought this with two new, 1800mah(or whatever it is) batteries and it was a month before I had to recharge them, even then I was still at 67% power but I was about to go out of town for a few days and wanted to top them off. Though an amateur photographer I have two children so my camera is always out. I tend to shoot with a 1.8 50mm lens and try to avoid using the flash to get more natural light, however I do flash when necessary. So the battery power that I walk around with now is ample.
I have pretty big hands and the D40 was a little small to hold. That was my primary motivation for buying this product. My D40 was/is my first dive into the DSLR world so I didn't want to spend a fortune, knowing these grips were also available I went for it. The grip makes it a lot easier to hold the camera as well as bringing some of the weight back which helps keep my wrist from fatiguing.
The grip fight wonderfully on my first try, nice and snug to the camera body and the texture patterns match almost exactly. I wish it wasn't plastic and had the same rubber feel as the camera does but for $34.99 I wasn't really expecting that.
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