Customer Reviews

Opteka BP-D80 Battery Grip for Nikon D80 & D90 Digital SLR

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I got this product about April '08. I'm quite pleased with it. Most reviews rate it higher than the MB-D80 from Nikon. I get two batteries in the camera, while the third charges. The lock ring tightens very well on mine (read about others having problems) if you put a little umph on it.

The AA battery insert is a nice feature for emergencies. The shutter button on it is not quite as smooth as that on the camera. I'd like to see that improved. I get the sub-command dial and the command dial in the vertical position. It also has a power switch for the grip, to save a little bit of juice when not in use.

The feel is well built and sturdy. It is lighter than I expected, but not cheap feeling at all. The rubber grip appears to be well made and has stood up well to many long hours of sun, heat, and sweat. I have a sure grip even with the sweatiest hands. The ability to have a second battery is easily worth the price of the unit. The only thing missing is a second card slot!

The instructions aren't the best, but what's to know. Plug in, turn on. Not quite as sturdy feeling as my old Canon grip, but tougher than it seems at first and well made. The shutter button could use a little work, though.

Four Stars!

Why pay almost double the price for the Nikon MB-D80?
The Opteka is a perfect fit for the D80 and does what it's supposed to. Also adds much-needed girth to the D80 (small hands beware!)
Having said that this grip (like any other) will add extra weight to your camera and make it substantially heavier.
All in all highly recommended.

I purchased this battery grip in March for my D80. It worked, for the most part. When I first put it on, the camera acted as if there was a non-Nikon external flash attached, and it would not let me adjust the shutter speed higher than 1/200 sec. Also, pressing the button to pop up the flash did nothing.

When I tried to take it off, the wheel that unscrews it literally shredded the gears inside and I had to pry it off with a screwdriver. I absolutely did not over-tighten it, either.

Opteka's customer service was good (when you could get them on the phone) and they replaced it after going back and forth with me for a few weeks.

The new grip has the same issue. When I put the grip on, 1/200 sec is the fastest I can go. If I let it sit for a day or two, everything works like it should. Opteka told me that it was a firmware issue with the D80 and that they could not offer a replacement or solution.

The other problem with the grip is that if I let it sit for four or five days without using the camera (life gets busy sometimes), the batteries are dead! Even when the grip is turned off.

Save your money and buy the Nikon version if you have a D80.

This is a great addition to my Nikon d80. It is a little big (wide) where your hand sits for the vertical shutter, may be an issue for someone with small hands. Works great.

I was a little skeptical as the price is much less than the Nikon battery grip. I was pleasantly surprised. I've been using it on every shoot for about a year now. I have colleagues that spent more for the Nikon grip and I find them using mine because they like it better!

The BP-80 by Opteka was a lot lighter than I had expected. The plastic shell adds little weight to the camera, most of my lenses outweigh it. The convinence of using AA is extrememly helpful, especially if you are in locations where it is impossible or impractical to recharge the lithium-ion batteries. The grips on the battery pack work well, I enjoy using the battery pack to do vertical portrait shots. On the downside, the shutter release is somewhat unpredictable, it doesn't have the feel of the camera's shutter release. At times, I've had to push quite hard in order to take a pic, which can cause blur do to small vibrations. Another downside is the battery pack cover keeps opening up. This doesn't cause any problems with the opperation of the camera, but it is still anoying.

I like the unit overall, but it does feel cheap and the grip is just a bit large for my hands. It is not as nice as the MBD200 unit from Nikon that I use on my D200. But from what I have read on the Nikon forums the Opteka BP-D80 and the Nikon MB-D80 seems to be identical in shape and feel. So for the price I am happy. I like the AF button on the BP-D80. I have taken over 300 pics with it so far and it works great.

I bought this winter 2007. Needless to say I wanted to save money with this model vs buying the Nikon brand which was about 50 buxs more at the time. I wish I had bought the Nikon version. This one is now having issues with reading 2 batteries at same time and will render the camera inoperative. I have to use only 1 battery at a time to get it to work. Not only that the vertical grip buttons and thumb roller does not work very well. Save ya $$ and get the Nikon version!

What ever brand is it, as long as it works that is count. This Opteka grip works perfectly and I paid for much much less.

It's nice and light. The dials are not as smooth as the one on the camera and the grip has that cheap plastic feel. But the nice thing about it is that you can choose to use 1-2 lithium or 6 AA battery. I prefer AA rechargeble because I have 2 15mins chargers and 12 AAs. And everything added up is still cheaper than buying 2 nikon lithium battery and the nikon grip. And it charge in 15mins! Buy it, and save you money for a nice big lens.