Blind Test- We Compare 3 Different Battery Grips for the A7IV

We bought the 3 most popular Sony a7iv, a7riv and a7siii battery grips and did a blindfolded test to see which we liked best and WOW!! We were shocked!!!
Testing out the following grips: (not affiliate links)
Meike - $89 - www.amazon.com...
Sony - $400 - www.bhphotovid...
Vello - $88 - www.bhphotovid...

[@ekphotography]

I have used the Meike's for over 10 years and love them. Never had a problem and the price is a no brainer considering the Sony's price. I never knew Vello made grips, but I will stick with Meike since I have used them for years with great results.

[@wolfgangwagner7251]

What about weather sealing?? I’m an adventure photographer in Hawaii and need the weather sealing

[@coolpras26]

Are there battery draining issues with Meike?

[@aroncontinuousconversation]

Finally, KZbin suggests small channels. Subscribed.

[@JAXTWIN]

Thanks so much for this test! The Meike was probably the closest to Sony design-wise so I am sold.

[@stevenwaldstein2249]

I know this video was done a while ago but the third party grips can have one problem you didn’t evaluate. Some will not properly accept an Arca Swiss compatible L-bracket made to fit a VG-C4EM. They have, in some cases, kept the size of the older VG-C3EM. You should have a base plate or L-bracket to evaluate them. Thanks for the video.

[@michaellim4165]

I have the Sony and I was highly disappointed in it. There is a noticeable gap between the camera and battery grip, negating the entire weathersealing aspect of their marketing. Stick with third party grips but use Sony genuine battery, however.

[@HanginWithTy]

I have mine coming tomorrow. Is the Gap that bad? I hear third party brands change your camera settings every time you restart it

[@Picplosions]

Sending mine back to Sony for this reason this week. They said it's the bottom plate on the camera but we'll see... 😢

[@Penta_Penguin_237]

@@HanginWithTy Please let me know, did it have the gap?

[@HanginWithTy]

@@Penta_Penguin_237 no it truthfully wasn’t that bad at all lol

[@lorraine6185]

Love the blindfold!

[@casianosd]

Need to stay safe!

[@artphototech]

I got the Meike with the remote. Absolute amazing price comparatively.

[@Huginn1000]

What is the working distance of the remote controller?

[@artphototech]

@@Huginn1000 farthest I've tried is about 50ft, but the manual says 100m (I don't think it goes that far), but I haven't tried.

[@tristfularcadia]

Fantastic video guys just want to start off with that, but at the end of the day, if you’re using your cameras for professional work in the field, you should go with the Sony grip. It’s made of the same material as the camera itself, (magnesium alloy body) it’s actually designed with the blueprints for the camera itself. Now, if you’re a hobbyist, or using your camera indoors only then the third-party options are absolutely fantastic. But I wouldn’t trust a third-party grip if I was shooting a wedding for instance, or really any event that’s only one time thing. Third-party grips are fine if it’s a repeatable thing, but do you really want to trust a third-party grip on a several thousand dollar paid shoo BecauseBecause you wanted to save 300 bucks. If it’s that big of a deal, increase your prices of your shoots by like $50. The only reason I even consider third-party lenses right now is because Sony released all the schematics for the emount several years ago which allows third-party manufactures to actually create native lenses without having to reverse engineer anything. basically it comes down to if you’re professional you should buy the appropriate gear for the type of work you’re doing. Using cheap, third-party equipment is rarely the route to go as it can cause you to mess up an entire event. And while there’s a time in place for this type of gear, I don’t personally believe it belongs in the bag of a professional who’s out in the field

[@charlierivera5725]

Awesome!!! I will love to see more from you guys thank you. Can't wait to get my Sony a7iv, is on its way yeayyyyyyyyyyyyyy, I am 57 years old and I feel like a freaking 5 year old :-) :-) :-) Now, does Tamron lenses work well with Sony e mount cameras? Please let me know as I am researching them so I can make a decision. Thank you guys

[@lumetrymedia]

Love it!! Certainly makes us all feel like kids again! We don't own any of the Tamron lenses but have used them before and hear lots of great things about them from our friends.

[@MiaBrewsky]

I just got my a7iv and 2 tamron lenses 24-75mm and the 70-180mm I love them!

[@charlierivera5725]

@@MiaBrewsky I decided to go with the 24-180 2.8 and it’s incredible how sharp it is. Thank you

[@charlierivera5725]

Sorry 70-180

[@charlierivera5725]

@@MiaBrewsky how do you like the Tamron 24-75mm f2.8 so far? Thank you 🙏

[@jerran_duty]

I keep seeing reviews mentioning a gap, did you see this with the a7iv?

[@steachey]

My question is: Does the Sony brand make the same amount of noise as the Vello? Its hard to quietly use the Vello for weddings.

[@bobc.6419]

I just bought the Sony OEM battery grip for my a7IV. It was on sale but still expensive. However, it is very well made, very solid. It’s an exact match for the look & feel of the a7IV. It has a safe storage place for the battery compartment door that you need to remove before installing the grip. (Removing that little door is quite easy.) The buttons and dials feel like & work like the ones on the camera body. I bought the grip for better ergonomics in case I do a lot of vertical shooting, and also for double the battery life if I do any lengthy videos. It does make the camera bulkier and heavier, so that’s a consideration. If you need a battery grip for an a7IV, I recommend this one rather than the 3rd party types. But I doubt it is essential for most a7IV owners, as the battery life of the Sony batteries is very good, so that carrying one spare battery would cover most shooting situations and avoid the bulk.

[@Penta_Penguin_237]

Thank you for the explanation, I am considering to buy the same grip for my sony a74 however I fear there is a gap between the bottom of the camera and the battery grip like the Meike one I tried, does the your one have the gap on your sony a74?

[@bobc.6419]

@@Penta_Penguin_237 There is a slight gap with the Sony grip on the a7IV, about 1/16". But it doesn't affect stability.

[@Penta_Penguin_237]

@@bobc.6419 Thank you very much for the reassuring words, being said that I would note that the gap is extremely annoying and that 1/16 of an inch is a lot. Other than a total loss of any dust an weather sealing.

[@bobc.6419]

@Penta_Penguin_237 Why is the gap annoying? Why do you think it’s a risk for dust?

[@bobc.6419]

The grip has no access to the camera interior & access to the battery area is blocked.

[@LuisPerez-fy6up]

The Sony has Weather Seal. Totally worth the price tag when they go on sale.

[@pretor706]

What's the lowest price on sale?

[@nogerboher5266]

Weather sealing on the grip doesn't matter anyway... Water and moisture from rain, snow or splashing can still creep in through the battery door connection because not a single grip from any manufacturer has a rubber sealing/bearing on the part of the grip that goes into your cameras battery door. The moment you take off that door aka. put on the grip, you lose half the weather sealing your camera has - until someone makes a battery grip with a weather gasket/sealing/bearing on around the part that goes into your cameras battery door, you will have a risk of moisture or water getting inside your camera and inside the worst spot too - the battery door...

[@nogerboher5266]

@@pretor706 Battery grips, not just from Sony, in general, almost never go on sale and even when they do, it's usually a 30-40 bucks decrease in price, which is still not worth it over the 3rd party grips - and since the weather sealing doesn't matter due to what I explained in the comment above, it's never worth going for the brand battery grip, 3rd party ones are always a better choice - especially the newer models for newer cameras - they are no longer made cheaply but still retain their cheap price range of 80-100 bucks.

[@pretor706]

@@nogerboher5266 make sense.

[@mrwashur1991]

I think people overestimate the need for weather sealing. People used cameras with zero weather sealing for probably over a 100 years. Also manufactures are bloating prices for a rubber gasket like it’s some kind of crazy technology. Don’t get me wrong I am thankful for weather sealed gear but an extra $200 extra for a rubber gasket.. The Sony grip is probably nicer all around but $398 is an absurd price tag for what it does.

[@_teeshots]

Fun & interesting video 👍🏼

[@lumetrymedia]

Thanks Teeeshots!

[@chowacow]

Just for anyone looking right now. At least in the US and at least this past weekend/week best buy has had a clearance on the grip. 180.99 for Sony retail, $240 off after taxes. Go in store and see if stock, if not they can order and ship to you

[@MPJmike]

sometimes is like to feel hammer in your hand - doesnt matter lighter is better, I will say - I will stay with Meike!

[@LL_cinema]

Thanks for test, nice video, looking forward for part 2 - compare after some period of use. I am migrating from Canon to Sony so trying to choose a grip for Sony a7 IV. But with Meike, I had bad experience on Canon - it was loosing internal connectivity to camera, causing power loses, so it was useless for handheld shooting. Meanwhile on tripod, when camera is mounted stable, it was working fine. So I have some fears on second party products. Btw, in my country I have one more grip option to choose from - Jupio battery grip.

[@hansdegebruiker1968]

thanks guys, you saved me a lot of money

[@Shawns_snapshots]

I ordered the Sony one for my A1 and was horribly disappointed. Maybe I’ll try the Meike

[@wolfgangwagner7251]

Thank you for making this video I’ve literally been going crazy trying to figure out which one to get😂😂

[@eucsvoboda]

amazing video, so much fun to watch

[@veselinvasilev9362]

Thank you!

[@RyanKorea]

Excellent video! Subscribed:)

[@hdstudiosdanaandrobinjenki3992]

meike does charge both batteries via usb on the a74

[@desertbornproductions]

Thanks for your video. I don't know why anyone would want a different feel shutter button than on the camera itself. The Sony shutter design is obviously way more precise and expensive to produce. You didn't mention anything about the ael or af-on buttons for back button focusing. Are they exactly the same?

[@JesusMartinezCreates]

YES! Thank you for this haha

[@tomgoffnett5624]

This is the greatest help. But I can't find out if these work on a A7R5 . It is very frustrating trying to find out if A7R4 accessories work on 5's. Does anyone know if A7R4 accessories work on A7R5's? I really enjoyed this video and thanks for saving me 300.00.

[@lloydjavier7629]

Does BG of A7iii compatible with A7iv?

[@AlexanderPrilukov]

Mike grip works with "big" small rig cage?for 7iv?

[@ChrisLeeX]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@tonybest9307]

ive used meike for years last year a bought the neewer pro ..it blew the circuit board on my a6500,,,repair shop said camera a rite off .... and its not 1st time they have seen the problem ,,

[@lumetrymedia]

Dang... The neweer blew it? Why didn't you get another meike?

[@naomiocampo1930]

Fun stuff

[@PEDANTSENOR]

Looking for 1

[@keystonebrotherb]

I got the Sony VG-4CEM. Why get cheap on a grip? Also SmallRig has a cage for the new iv with grip. It’s great.

[@casianosd]

I mean if you got the dough, then spend it. But for me there's not enough noticeable difference, not one to make it worth while to spend $300 more.

[@keystonebrotherb]

@@casianosd I always look for things on eBay or Facebook Sony gear pages. I paid $200 for it in mint condition from a guy that bought an A1 and didn’t like to weight.

[@lumetrymedia]

@@keystonebrotherb Gotta loved used gear! I bought my first lenses 2nd hand and theyre still working perfectly to this day!

[@keystonebrotherb]

@@lumetrymedia I have 3 dozen emount lenses, nearly all purchased used in mint condition.

[@mrwashur1991]

Because it’s literally a grip. I have a Mieke grip on my older Sony and I was actually surprised by the quality. I was pretty skeptical of it being trash. What to you makes the Sony grip worth $300? Lenses Id definitely fork up the cash for but a grip is literally plastic for me to hold and push a button and hold an extra battery. There’s something’s that’s okay to cheap out on and I think a grip is one of them, especially when the cheaper one is pretty damn good

[@hozo101]

There's a gap between the a7riv and meike grip should that be a concern? Its not a huge gap but

[@lumetrymedia]

Weird...we didn't find a gap. Can you dm us the gap? Perhaps via IG @LUMETRYMEDIA. Thanks!

[@JesusMartinezCreates]

do you still Stand by the MEKE?

[@lumetrymedia]

Yes. We've been using it since this video and it's worked great for us. No issues.

[@JRhill]

This was several months ago so I'm curious how (if at all) your conclusions have changed since then. Do you all still recommend that Meike grip now? P.S. Great content; I sub'd! --Thanks

[@ItsChrisAngeles]

😂 good one guys!

[@lumetrymedia]

So... you ready to make the switch back to Sony?

[@ItsChrisAngeles]

@@lumetrymedia 😂

[@theviperkid1]

What about testing them instead of (just) feeling them? -_-

[@pblogic007]

Yeah, the A7IV shutter feels TERRIBLE. I like the button on the off brand grips way better.

[@SteveDuchesne27]

The fit of the grip on the a7iv looks so bad

[@lumetrymedia]

It's not bad at all, very comfy and feels like most other grips.

[@SteveDuchesne27]

@@lumetrymedia What I'm saying is the fit of the grip on the a7 iv doesn't look like it was meant to be on this body. The a7iv's body is a bit larger than the a7siii/a7riv and it uses the same grip. That's why I'm saying the fit looks horrible.

[@joelmulder]

@@SteveDuchesne27 Agreed. These battery grips are made to work universally on all the A7 cameras, and the IV is just a little fatter.

[@Penta_Penguin_237]

@@lumetrymedia Do the grip and the camera have a gap in the between?

[@lumetrymedia]

@@Penta_Penguin_237 no. No gap.

[@User-pq2yn]

I would fire the engineers of all 3 manufacturers! Why didn't they make the battery loading from 2 sides so that you can change the batteries without interrupting the recording.

[@jarmaxpro]

You can change the batteries without interrupting the recording... Just temporarily plug in a power brick.