Battery Grips - Do you NEED one? || Neewer Battery Grip for Sony a7iii a7Riii a9

[@andygarside5921]

I bought a Meike grip for my Canon 6D as it was so cheap. I like using it, but I’ve hardly used it as it makes an already large(ish) body a bit unwieldy for a day-out-on-the-hill camera.

[@philiplee9892]

I own both Sony VGC3EM and 3rd party grips. If you are shooting weddings or portrait, DON'T get the 3rd party grip. The vertical grip manual focus button is too slow in response time comparison to the Sony VGC3EM. This is SO important because you'll miss your opportunity for the shots you need since every professional NEVER use AUTO focus. Also, 3rd party grips are made of plastic compared to the VGC3EM, and NOT weather/moisture sealed. Meaning if you shoot professionally and the environment is moist, or you are shooting on a rainy day, your battery might catch moisture/water, and you might break the entire camera body. Believe me, I owned both Meike and Neewer, and I had to regrettably purchase the expensive VGC3EM for professional purposes. If you are shooting landscape, 3rd party should be fine if you're hobbyist as long as weather is okay. A lot of KZbinrs are sponsoring the 3rd party, so don't listen to everything they say. I know it costs more, but in the end you'll know what I am talking about after you purchase the Neewer/Meike. It is 3rd party and only cost around 1/4th price of the VGC3EM for a reason. 3rd party is cheap plastic VS VGC3EM which is made of Magnesium Alloy. Think of Chinatown knock off Replica vs Full Grain Leather. Get the VGC3EM if you don't want to risk moisture in your battery compartment, but the biggest upset of this grip is it's slow response time when you use the manual focus buttons on the grip. it will respond roughly 1second to 1.2 second slower, and sometimes, it can't even catch focus properly. I hope this helped a lot of you making your decision.

[@FamauMedia]

A few points: What on earth is a manual focus button? There’s many, many professionals who’ve moved to Sony almost exclusively for the autofocus - don’t try and speak on behalf of everyone in the profession. Of course they’re cheaper plastic - that’s why they’re more affordable for most people 🤷‍♂️ I’ve shot a swathe of wet & dusty shoots from rally, marathons, MTB & surfing using the Neewer grip - didn’t once have an issue dealing with adverse conditions. I never once had an issue with response time - it’s an electronic on/off registration, not mechanical. The buttons won’t feel as nice in use, but they work just as well. I’m glad you’ve found security in the genuine Sony grip, but for the majority of buyers, even the majority of working photographers & videographers, Neewer’s grip will work great for them. Especially their latest grips for the newer body shapes.

[@philiplee9892]

@@FamauMedia look man... I watched your video and got the Neewer. You're part of the reason why I gave the 3rd party grip a shot. But don't mislead people into saying it is fast in response time as the OEM. Believe me, I wanted to like my Neewer. I really did. That way I don't have to spend crazy money on the OEM. But facts are facts. Point Focus joystick is NOT quick in response as the OEM. Neewer HAS a delay time of 1 sec to 1.2 compared to the VGC3EM. Did you even try the Sony grip? Don't promote something that is not true. Also, the plastic is NOT weather and moisture sealed; meaning it can cause malfunction in extreme temps if you're shooting in winter time or humid conditions. You want to tell people they will be 100% safe with this grip? You better insure those damages if so it breaks, since your viewers (like me) trusted your review and got it. But don't mislead people into thinking that it is the best choice by lying to people that the joystick is quicker than the OEM, and people are guaranteed protection from moisture damage. You may have been lucky those two years because you baby your camera, but these 3rd party don't come with warranty on the SONY body. Which means if these 3rd party grips cause damage on your MAIN camera, your warranty is busted. This is coming from a person who owns MEIKE, NEEWER, and VGC3EM.

[@FamauMedia]

I've not once said it's better. I'm not a fanboy of any brand - they've had my money, they don't need my loyalty. I'm sure you're right that the battery compartment entrance may not be fully weather-sealed. And I'm sure they don't claim it is, either. Every piece of equipment has its threshold - but mine never skipped a beat, no matter what I threw at it. Is the joystick what you were calling the manual focus button earlier? If so I didn't have the issue, so I stated my experience. That's not misleading people, it's an honest first-hand account. For these reasons - no, I didn't try the Sony grip. Why would I if my £40 grip suited my needs perfectly well? I've gained a great reputation on this channel of being fully transparent and only offering opinions based on personal experience. Please don't accuse me of lying or misleading my audience.

[@philiplee9892]

@@FamauMedia Look. I am trying to give you my HONEST opinion because I HAVE all 3 grips. You only tried 1 grip and think it is the best out there. I am here to tell you it isn't. Meike is better than Neewer, and VGC3EM is better than all the 3rd party. You may have been lucky during those 2 years. So good for you, but you won't be so happy and promoting your 40 pound plastic with such joy if YOUR camera body one day gets unlucky, and moisture builds into your camera and that expensive camera is now bust without warranty because you wanted to save a couple hundred bucks. NOT everyone will be fortunate, and photographers like me risk the main body harder since we live in cold climate with humid temps during summer; and if the grip isn't weather seal we can pretty much say goodbye to our gear. I am only saying this because people deserve to know 100% the risks they are getting into once they dedicate to this cheap plastic. Once again, I am trying to give people unbiased opinion from someone who tried all 3 grips, and believe me, if this grip came weather seal, and the joystick responds fast as the OEM, I would promote this too. But on the current models, you deserve to tell people the risks, pros, and cons. You are not being transparent if you don't explain these, and just promote it without giving somewhat warning to people that the plastic is REALLY plasticky like dollar store plastic, and it CAN bust the warranty on the main body if it malfunctions.

[@FamauMedia]

Look. So was I. Very few people are going to read this far down the comments - I'd suggest posting somewhere it might actually be seen. It'd be great to see a video comparing all three, and you'd be the very first to do so. Right now you're talking to one person who doesn't even own an a7iii anymore, so I was pretty much over it on the first comment. But I've been bored on a day off, so here we are. At no point have I said the Neewer is the best grip out there. I'm sure the Sony probably is, but I couldn't say so without trying it - so I haven't. Please, please stop putting words in my mouth. I do say in the video that if you're not making a living with the gear, then it's probably worth going cheap just to see if you even like using a grip - and I stand by that. I'm sure 80-90% of this video's viewers are not professional shooters, which is why the title stood out to them in the first place - in which case the Neewer would be a great first step. That's all the video is about. Everything is a risk. Taking a camera body out of the bag is a risk. That's what insurance & back-up equipment is for. If you haven't already I'd suggest getting both. Otherwise I look forward to seeing your comparison video - feel free to link it in the comments of this video. Ben out 🖖

[@luiferrincon4419]

Does it fit on the vertical cage by SmallRig?

[@FamauMedia]

No idea, sorry! I’d assume so as it matches most dimensions of the Sony grip