Zeikos ZE-CBG50 Professional Battery Power Grip Review (Street Price $69)

Features:

Introduction

After getting my hands on the Ziekos 72″ Tripod and being so impressed with the quality to cost ratio, I decided to give them a try with a couple other products. My Opteka Battery Grip has a broken shutter button so I thought a cheap grip from Zeikos would be a perfect replacement. It’s certainly no Canon Battery Grip (lacks the logo), but it’s darn close. Double the battery power and the ability to throw in AA’s if needed is invaluable when you’re on a 6-8 hour shoot; especially if you have to use a flash. It’s also a nice weight and adds to the stability of the camera.

About Zeikos

Zeikos is a budget electronics and photography accessories company headquartered in New York. They offer a wide range of products for professional and amateur photographers.

In Use

The first thing I noticed is that the packaging was much nicer than the one the tripod came in. The box that my grip came in was clean, designed well, packed nicely with foam and a plastic cap on the connections – standard I know, but first impressions mean a lot. After pulling it from the box I eagerly grabbed my 40D, unscrewed the Opteka grip, removed the cartridge that can hold AA batteries, and swapped out the Canon batteries and battery door (just like the other grips, it has a place to store the door that must be removed before installation). The power grip feels great, it’s shutter release feels much closer to the Canon equivalent than the Opteka so that means major points from me. The FE/Magnify/Point Selection buttons don’t quite feel like the Canon’s but they have proven to be functional and since I use auto-rotate I rarely use these buttons anyway? To me they’re kind of unimportant. The selection dial feels like it’s made of the same rubber as the Canon’s, but I have to admit it feels a little thinner and maybe not quite as good as the Canon’s. Then again, my Opteka selection wheel feels worse yet and still works well. If this is the biggest issue, I think we’re in great shape.

After a few days and maybe 1500 shutter clicks later, the only other real difference I noticed between this and the overpriced Canon BG-E2N was the rubber used in the handle portion. The Canon feels like the 40D Body, where the Zeikos ZE-CBG50 has a “softer” feel. This really is a plus for me because it remains sticky when my hands start sweating and the Canon rubber gets a little slick. I’d rather NOT drop one of the core pieces of my equipment that puts food on the table.

Final Word

If you are in the market for a power grip, I’d only pay for the Canon if you want other people to know what you use – you’re essentially paying $100 more for the Canon logo to be printed on the grip. With a 1-year limited warranty and a company that is striving to take their share of the accessories market, you know they’re going to take care of their customers. The Opteka broke on me after about 6 months, but hey – maybe paying more for it is your thing. The Zeikos is not only the cheapest I’ve seen lately, it is also a great product. Now that’s something you don’t find very many places anymore – VALUE.

NOTE: I’ve also seen Adorama advertise a grip that pops up with the search term “ZE-CBG50″. I’m pretty sure it’s a different grip – probably akin to the Opteka I had break, so get the Zeikos.

You can pick yours up at Amazon, but if you find a better deal on it somewhere else let me know so I can update the links. This grip is going fast and is often out of stock, but trust me, it’s worth the wait and Zeikos told me directly that they’re filling orders everyday and are working to increase production without sacrificing quality or pricing.

NOTE:

I’ve noticed over the last couple of weeks the price for Zeikos’ products is rising slightly. I wouldn’t wait on this stuff, as it’s only a matter of time before they start out-selling their competitors and prices remain a little higher. After all, you USUALLY get what you pay for. If the couple of things I’ve picked up Zeikos are any indication, they’re certainly an exeption to the rule.

RELATED POSTS:

Zeikos 72″ Tripod Review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joshua Camp is the owner of Caffeine and Cream, ATL Photographers and Bella Sorrisa Photography in Atlanta and specializes in a range of wedding, assignment, destination and abstract photography. His team is available for shoots at very reasonable prices andcan be contacted for quotes by visiting The Website of Bella Sorrisa Photography and filling out the Contact Us Form.