Customer Reviews

Nikon MB-D200 Multi-Power Battery Pack for the D200 Digital Camera (Retail Packaging)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I don't expect to have anything at all go wrong with this type of an
accessory and so far it works great.
For me the ability to have the second battery online alone would justify the cost. My grip rarely comes off because I like the added size, weight and feel much more with it mounted than I do using the camera alone. In particular when using a Nikkor zoom or even the 105mm micro. Just balances everything out very nicely and gives me a more secure feeling holding the camera.
Note that it has a slot to store your battery compartment cover from the D200 that keeps that piece secure and easy to find when you decide to use the camera without this attachement.
That is one example of the thought Nikon put into this grip. Another would be the AF button and shutter release placed just where you need them for vertical capture.
People have asked so I might as well mention that I feel just as secure mounting this unit to the tripod as I would mounting the camera directly.
Great menu interface! You get seperate readings for each when you access Battery Info via the Set Up menu. Information displayed includes the percentage of charge for each unit plus the overall status of each battery. Status being indicated by the left to right scale showing overall condition by a needle wavering in between New and Replace. Above that and on the same screen are a L and R column for each slot showing percentage of battery power left. You also get a number representing how many shots have been taken with each battery!
Something to think about before you write a review about the battery and claim others lack understanding!
Included is a plastic tray that accepts eight various AAA batteries for use when the stock EN-EL3e units you use are drained. This is for when you just have to keep shooting. The way I use this tray is to carry spare batteries most likely intended for the SB800 flash unit. It does that job very well!
Good luck!

Some reviewers have criticized the build quality of this accessory. I do not agree. Yes, it is true that this grip is made of high-impact plastic and rubber rather than magnesium like the D200 body itself. This is not a bad thing, because it means that the grip does not add all that much to the weight of the D200. And in my opinion it is sturdy enough. The rubber on the grip, and the overall shape of it, adds heft and a pleasing ergonomics to the D200.

The D200 uses batteries at a more rapid clip than either the D70s or the D100. That makes this grip more useful. Being able to have two batteries rather than one supplying the D200 is very useful and practical. The D200 meters each battery individually when using the grip, and the grip uses one battery fully before switching to the next. This means that when it is time to recharge one of the batteries it will likely be fully discharged, which is good for the battery according to Nikon.

Besides the battery management aspect of the grip, it also makes taking portrait shots a little easier. It has a shutter release on the side, that makes taking these shots a little easier. Most users will grow to appreciate this.

Overall, I do not agree with those who criticize the build quality of this unit. A metal grip would have been too heavy. This one is light but sturdy. Recommended.

After reading many of the other reviews (especially about build quality), I was a bit nervous about how well I was going to like this item. But once I received it, installed it on my camera and used it a bit - my fears went away. Yes - it's plastic and not alloy like the camera, but it is well made and sturdy (if it were alloy, think how much they'd charge for it!). I really like how the camera handles now - much easier to grip in all cases. It especially makes it nicer to take pictures with the camera in a vertical mode. Someone said that it's a problem that it only has a single attachment point (the tripod socket), but I found that once you tighten it up (which is easy to do with a large toothed wheel), it doesn't budge - feels like it and the camera are a single unit. Yeah, I wish the price were a bit lower - but all in all, I feel like it's a good value: the camera handles better (especially for vertical shots), you can take a LOT of photos without changing batteries, plus it gives you the option to use 6-AA batteries in case you find all your D200 batteries depleted (or if you just prefer to use AA's instead of the D200 batteries). It's not an "absolutely must have", but it's definitely a "really nice to have" sort of item.

I got my MB-D200 last fall and after more than 6 months of using it I should say that Nikon has created a winner yet again!!!

THE GOOD:
1. The ability to have 2 fully charged batteries while going out to the field gives you that extra peace of mind.
2. In addition Nikon has added a menu that will give the shooter a very good indication of the battery power remaining. I have been able to get more than 200 shots in a day starting out with 2 fully charged batteries in the MB-D200.
3. The weight increase is very minimal and in fact the meager increase in weight enables the shooter to balance the camera better.
4. It was very thoughtful of Nikon to add the shutter release buttons for taking portrait shots and the main and sub command dials, to the MB-D200. I find myself using these controls quite frequently. If the user had to revert to the controls on the camera it would have been quite frustrating IMHO.
5. If you are a nature/landscape/wildlife photographer, you can carry additional AA batteries with you in the field and rest assured that you won't miss out on the "Kodak moment" due to a drained battery.

Some suggestions for improvement:
1. The first thing I noticed was the latch on the battery compartment. It feels quite flimsy and I wish Nikon had done a better job on this. A latch along the lines of the one found on the camera to release the door for the compact flash card would have been solid IMHO.
2. Though I mentioned that you can use AA batteries (you will need 6 of them), they can drain out amazingly fast, depending on the type of lens (with or without VR), depending on whether you are using the in-built or external flash and other variables. So you will need quite a few AA batteries if you ever have to rely on them in the field. To overcome this problem I am thinking about purchasing 2 more EN-EL3e batteries as I have found that they have impressive battery life once fully charged.

Hope that this review was useful to you! Thanks for reading!

Update as of 12/29/07: For those users who are thinking that this can be used with the new model, Nikon D300, please note that the MB-D200 *will not* work with the D300. The D300 comes with its own MB-D10 which is different in construction from the D200. This is just a note of caution in case you are planning/contemplating purchasing this for the D300.

Thanks!

When I got my D100, I bought it used, and it came with this equivalent hand grip. When I upgraded to a D200, I initially thought I didn't need this handgrip... but wow did I miss it.

First, if you take portrait-oriented photos at all, this is a hand grip with a control dial and shutter button exactly where you expect them. You can take portrait orientation without sticking your arm out like a chicken wing.

Second, with the D200, even with the cool battery management capabilities, battery life seems shorter than the similar setup did on the D100... probably because of the bigger screen, faster sustained picture rate, etc. The ability to stick two batteries in this really extends battery life.

Those two things combined make the investment in the D200 so much more useful.

On the D100 version of this, the handset adds a small microphone so you can annotate individual photos. I used that feature exactly once, when I wanted to figure out how it worked. This handset does noe include that feature, and I'm thankful - this handset is *much* more inexpensive than the D100 handset, probably because of smart design decisions like this. The courage to cut a feature rather than add more useless stuff is refreshing - and what earned this the last start to push it into the '5 star' category.

I purchased one of these units for wedding I finished last week. All of the reviews I read before purchasing claimed that the build quality of the unit is impressive and that it fit well on the camera. I did not find this to be the case.

The MB-D200 feels hollow and sloppy on-camera. It's density does not match the d200, so it feels unbalanced when used, most notably so with heavy, professional lenses (28-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8, etc.). The sloppiness of the unit is due largely to the single point of attachment it has to the camera, which is the 1/4" screw into the tripod mount. When twisted and manipulated in the course of normal use, the MB-D200 feels noticeably feeble. It's weakness is particularly manifest in use with a tripod (at weddings I often stick my whole rig - flash with lightsphere II and camera -- on a quick-release tripod head for group shots; the MB-D200 doesn't do this well).

Perhaps a lot of my frustration with the unit is borne of comparisons with other Nikon products. I own an F5 and have used an F100 with detachable v-grip and found them both to feel solid enough for professional use. This product just doesn't stack up, which is a tragedy considering the great benefits it provides (battery capacity, etc. etc.). The d200 is a fantastic camera: it's too bad this essential accessory doesn't match it in performance.

I have owned the MB D200 Battery Pack/Grip for eight months. Although the unit functions as designed and is helpful for extending the battery life of the D200, I've found the build quality is greatly lacking. I'm a commercial photographer and often shoot a thousand or more images to accomplish a single assignment. I wanted to improve the "feel" of the D200 and to be able to shoot for extended periods without changing batteries. Unfortunately within three months, the two white battery retaining clips broke off while making quick battery changes. The unit still functioned, however recently the main battery door will no longer stay closed. I have to use a strip of gaffers tape to keep it shut to avoid having the batteries fall out while shooting. I'm sending the MBD200 in for service this week. But I'm very disappointed that a better system wasn't designed to retain the batteries within the grip and a better locking system on the main battery compartment door. The MB is not up o the excellent build quality of the Nikon D200 camera itself. Since only Nikon produces this item, I'm at their mercy for engineering a reliable piece of equipment. The D200 camera is outstanding, but the battery pack/grip accessory leaves a lot to be desired.

UPDATE: May, 2007: The repaired MBD200 was returned after about three weeks at Nikon. In January 2007, the battery retention clips broke again!!! So I'm back to taping the battery door closed. The design is defective. Unfortunately, the grip is now out of warranty.

This is a cool implementation of a much needed device for those with D200s. The camera loves batteries. Having two is good! Having the ability to watch one drain and knowing there's another on standby is a fine feeling. Knowing that there are two more batteries in the case waiting is even better! For a full day of shooting, you need this and some serious memory. Highly recommended. Also handles AAs... always good in field conditions.

Used this combination with an attached 300mm telephoto on a field tripod for a solar eclipse in very windy conditions. The results were wonderful: no shake, no issues, and still had plenty of battery to use afterwords.

As a day old user, all I can say is that the Nikon MB-200 definitely enhances the camera's look and feel. It looks as though the battery pack is seamlessly integrated with the D200 thus giving it a *pro* look. Looks aside, I bought mine for two main reasons --

1. First off, I needed a good battery backup - the MB-200 does just that and more. It can take one or two EN-EL3e Li-ion batteries or if your Li-ions run out of steam soon enough there you could load six AA (NiMH/ NiCD/ NiMn) batteries in the supplied MSD-200 cartridge. "Battery info" in the camera's menu smartly displays the battery meter, picture meters and charge life for each Li-ion battery on the Left and Right banks - quite a nifty feature! By default, the D200 consumes the RHS battery's power, first.

2. Oftentimes on my motorcycle tours, I shoot with my gloves/ gauntlets on and it is annoying when I don't get a good grip. The MB-200 supposedly reduces the center of gravity which is much-needed while shooting with heavier/ telephoto lenses. I have relatively small and lighter lenses and the grip is good even with a thermally-insulated gauntlet!

No comments on the build quality. Though the MB-200 is made of high-impact plastic, it feels rugged while being light -- very much acceptable by enthusiast standards.

My only gripe is that the redundant, shutter release button and dials (used for vertical compositions) gets quite annoying at times. Especially, the neck strap comes between the viewfinder and my eyes. You tend to lose out on composition or accidentally fire a shot or two unless you are used to such accessories.

Aside that, I wish there was a provision for "latching" the camera's battery compartment door on the MB-200 itself -- ala Nikon F80's MB-16 battery pack.

Buy this one if you want to...
* have a good battery backup
* get a good grip
* shoot with heavy and big lenses
* enhance your camera's look

The handling for portrait shots (vertical format) is improved. This is because the battery grip has its own shutter button and mode dials. With the battery grip on the D200, the camera's size closely approximates that of the Nikon D2X. The weight also understandably increases, but I think it helps to keep the camera steadier; especially with shaky hands and when the wind is blowing hard. This battery grip is ideal for travel, because if you run out both batteries, you can load up six AA batteries into the grip and keep making photographs. It's a well-made, sturdy accessory that I can highly recommend.