First off at $299 this is a pricy accessory and barely worth the price. There is no way I would pay $399 for this grip.
With that said this is the best grip I have ever owned and makes the OM-D behave like 3 different cameras.
1) Without a grip. Put on the Pani 20mm and you have your go anywhere camera.
2) With first part of grip you get a nice grip on the right side of the camera to help stabilize longer lenses another shutter release and another front control dial which changes either aperture or exposure compensation depending on which mode you have selected. This is the configuration I keep the OM-D in most of the time with the Pani 25mm f/1.4. This is a great combination.
3) With the second part of the grip you now get a portrait shutter release and another front and rear control wheel. You also get 2 more function buttons which can be set independently of the first 2 function buttons. You also get a lock to prevent any of those buttons from accidentally being pressed. Finally, you get a space for an extra battery. Even in this configuration the camera is neither heavy or large. This set up is fantastic for the event photographer and portrait photographer. This setup makes this a fantastic professional camera for many many many situations. M4/3 has arrived into the working professional ranks with the OM-D and this grip.
There are 3 main drawbacks to this grip. The first is the first part of the grip blocks off the battery compartment on the camera. So you have to take the grip off to recharge the batter. The second is on the second part of the grip the tripod lug is well to the right of the camera. I am really not sure what Olympus was thinking here. The 3rd and largest right now is the fact Olympus does not sell the BLN-1 yet. Which sort of makes the extra battery capacity a moot point.
To solve the problem of no Olympus Battery, I purchased the following.
ZIP OLYMPUS BLN-1 (Includes 1-1500mAh battery, pocket charger,LCD Screen protector and Card Reader) for Olympus OM-D E-M5
This battery does not work in the Olympus charger. However, it comes with its own charger that is also a car charger. This charge also charges the Olympus battery so you get a way to charge your Olympus batter in the car. So far I have had no issues with this product.
Overall, if you have the OM-D and some of the larger lenses such as the 100-300mm or 14-140mm then this lens will help stabilize and balance the lenses on the camera making them much easier to use.
Pros
Best grip I have ever bought
Turns the OM-D into 3 different cameras
Great build quality
Cons
Blocks camera batter compartment
Tripod lug not centered
No Olympus BLN-1 batteries available to put in grip
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