Zeikos ZE-CBG7DII Professional Battery Grip for Canon EOS 7D mark II Camera (BG-E16 Replacement)

I recently purchased a T3i as my first DSLR. I really like it.I have found myself doing a lot of continuous shooting while trying to get shots of wakeboarders at the lake. I have read that a battery grip can help up the frames per second in continuous mode, but I have also read that it won't do that at all. In my research, what I found was that they offer some other features that I found interesting.The controls for portrait mode work great. Flip the camera on it's side, slide the switch to the on position, and you've got the same functions as you have on the T3i in it's normal landscape mode, and they work really well. I've read a few reviews where they mention that the buttons on the battery grip seem a bit more touchy, but I didn't find that to be the case. I found them to have a very quality feel that I think is very similar to the buttons on the camera itself.When I first got the camera, I thought it fit my hand pretty well. I didn't realize how much BETTER it could fit until I added the battery grip. I now feel like I can get a much more secure grip on the camera, and both of my hands can get a hold of it to keep it nice and steady. I didn't really think that the grip would make such a difference in this aspect of the camera, but it certainly does. My right hand now can entirely hold the camera, and I use my left hand to grab the bottom of the battery grip and the whole unit feels more secure and stable when I'm shooting now.The battery grip does increase the weight of the camera, but I actually found something odd about that as well. Although the camera is heavier, the way that the weight is distributed with a lens on now feels more balanced, and as such with my 18-55 kit lens or my 55-250 IS lens the entire thing actually FEELS lighter. I think this is because the camera doesn't seem "lens heavy" anymore, and instead just feels more centered. I think this is the single most impressive thing about this grip to me. The fact that it adds weight but makes the whole thing FEEL lighter to me is simply amazing.The overall build of the product seems very nice. It's made of what appears to be the exact same plastic as the camera, so it matches the finish and seems like it's part of the camera. Mine has rubber on both the front and back of the grip, and it seems to be a good quality rubber. The pack has the ability to use two Canon batteries (that's what I've got in it) or six AA batteries, which is a nice touch for emergency situations. I also like that there is a spot to store the normal battery compartment cover. See, that cover has to be removed for this battery grip to be installed, but the grip has a spot on it to store that cover so that you don't have to worry about losing it.Finally, it just looks cool. I know that's not really important, but when I put the hot shoe flash, T3i, and the battery grip all together?? It just makes it look like a really high end package...even more so than it actually is.Overall, I'm really happy with the grip and I would recommend it to anyone. In fact, I have a friend that shoots a Canon 60D, and she is ordering the battery grip for her 60D this weekend.As for my original reason for looking into it for more continuous shooting?? Well, I like to think that it's giving me a bit more, but I don't think that it really is. If it is, it's not very much at all. There are reasons for this that I understand (burst rates from batteries, I learned all about this type of stuff as an avid RC vehicle fan) but I don't think that they are truly making too much of a difference.That, however, is not really important anymore, because all of the other advantages that I've found that the grip gives me makes it well worth the investment.Highly recommended.

UPDATED: 3/10/2010:I used this Battery grip on my Nikon D700 and used it all day with the AA batteries to shoot some dog sled racing championships in Northern Maine on the Canadian Border. As expected it worked flawlessy! The AA's lasted all day long but were exhausted at the end. I shot over 1300 frames of the dog sleds, plus LOTS of landscapes. Once the AA's died, the camera (D700) switched over to the ENEL3A battery automatically.What a great product!!! Get it. You won't be disappointed. The extra 3FPS you will pick up are well worth it!I've had mine for about a month now and I waited until I returned from a weekend of motor sports shooting to post. That was going to be the true test of this product. I used the battery grip during my trip in mid-August on a family vacation but that was mostly beach and summer fun family shooting opportunities. I LOVE the vertical shooting button. Extremely convenient. The only downside of using the vertical grip is the that the whatchamacallit on the Zeikos -- used to move the focus points around, is a bit small for my large fingers, and kinda mushy for my tastes. That is my only complaint and I must say if this thing breaks, I'm gonna cry first, then re-order another one before my tears are dry :) I'm sure the "real" one from Nikon is sturdier, but for the price I paid I could buy about four for the price of one Nikon unit.Anyway, I shot with the grip, and the eight AA batteries installed in order to get the maximum frame per second rate. WOW. Not only did it had some serious heft to the the camera with the batteries, but the speed was unbelievable! It actually worked as specified. Again: Wow. It really made my D300 much sturdier. I shot in the paddocks during the early morning hours before the crowds; It was slightly overcast and many of the automobiles where under tents in even more shade. This battery grip, with the 8 AA's, + the D300 battery in the camera, and my hefty 17-55 F2.8 lens made for one heavy, yet sturdy package. Many images where shot around 1/10th, 1/15th second handheld with NO problems at all. As the weather cleared up and the cars hit the track I did not miss a single moment of the action! I switched from the 17-55 to the 18-200VR and went on a shooting spree! I came home with 2004 images. Of which I weeded them down to just over 200. I went trigger happy as I was so amazed at the shooting speed. Again: Wow. I love this thing!I can't state it often enough: If you were planning on getting one, don't hesitate. Get one! I will be upgrading soon to a D700 and this grip will work on it but most likely I'll order another one so I can keep this on on the D300.An outstanding product. You won't be disappointed. [...]UPDATED 2/23/2009: This product is freakin' amazing. I just received word from Amazon that my new D700 is being delivered this morning. As soon as I get home, the Zeikos is being moved from my D300 body where it has NOT COME OFF to the D700. I am then re-ordering another one for the D300.I LOVE this thing! It makes holding the camera for long periods of time so much more comfortable, and the speed increase if fabulous.