When the Nikon D800 came out, the MB-D12 Battery Grip was released at a staggering price of $600. It was definitely a sticker shock, especially since other Nikon battery grips cost less than $300.
After several months of being out in the market, the price of the MB-D12 Battery Grip has settled down to $400. But now there are also some third-party grips available in the market, including the $101 Pixel Vertax Battery Grip and the $68 Meike Battery Grip.
Lee Morris from Fstoppers.com just reviewed the Pixel Vertax and it looks like that the 3rd party grip can be a decent and certainly cheaper alternative to the genuine Nikon MB-D12. There are some build quality shortcomings, like the dials not feeling as nice as the original, but Lee says that the grip overall is still sturdy. All in all, I think that it’s good to have options, especially given the $300 price difference.
Oh, and before anyone complains about how the “knock-offs” are made in China and are therefore inferior, the Nikon original is also made in China =)
So readers, would you buy or have you bought a 3rd party or knock-off battery grip for you dSLR? What has been your experience with it?
