I’m NOT a brand snob. I’ve owned both Sigma and Tamron lenses, and typically pick the product with the best performance/price ratio. As an advanced amateur, I use my equipment a good bit. But if a photo component fails, my family is not going starve.
So when I decided to buy a grip for my new D300, I started by looking at the Nikon MB-D10 plus any major contenders; mainly, the Phottix BP-D300. That didn’t last long… most folks agree it is a significant step down from the Nikon, so I quickly ruled it out.
I thought my search was over, so I started price shopping for the MB-D10. As usual, Amazon seemed to have the best deal. In fact, at one point, their price was $233 with free shipping (at time of writing, it has increased to $249). My finger was on the buy button… then I decided to look around the web just one more time.
During my final trip to the forums I found a rather lengthy thread on the Nikon form at dpreview.com.
That got me interested in the Chinese knockoffs sold by LINK delight. The price was a lot lower. Depending on the package, as low as $67 + $20 for international shipping. The reviews are good and I thought I found a winner.
THEN, on page 245 (ok, it just seemed that way… more like page 5), someone mentioned that Adorama sold the same thing for $79 with FREE shipping. The transit time would be a lot less and I liked the idea of buying from a US company in case of returns, so I bought it. Turns out, it’s the same exact product. On the box, the brand is “Meike.” Part numbers MK-D300 & ZE-NBG300. Adorama calls it “Flashpoint Professional Battery Grip for the Nikon D300/D700.”
I’ve only had it a couple of days, but so far it’s great! All the buttons work as expected and the fit is nice. It is all plastic, so it’s not as durable or “solid” as the Nikon, but at 1/3rd the price, what do you expect?
I’ll update this post if I have any problems. But so far, I highly recommend it.
Update 1: I’ve been UNABLE to get my camera to shoot at 8FPS using rechargeable NiMH batteries.
Update 2: I guess the batteries were not 100% fully charged. I had charged them a day or two prior to testing. After doing a full charge and testing right away, the Info screen shows 8fps.
You can buy this from:
- Adorama – $79 w/Free Shipping
- LINK delight’s eBay Store– $67 and up + Shipping
Comes with two trays. Obviously, the battery is not included.
This is everything in the box (plus a “manual”).
I bought this same grip in 2008 and i’m still using it with 100% satisfaction.
I tried it and haven’t taken it off the cam since! Traveled all over the world and it survived bumping and some less careful handling at times.
Now 5 years / 65000 clicks later. No problems at all. Best value for money among my Nikon gear.
Awesome! It is a simple, affordable device offering the same benefits as its competitors, for much less money.
Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Many thanks for providing this info.
Nev, that may be, but you can replace the Meike three times and still have paid less than for the Nikon grip. ^_^
I just bought the real thing (2nd hand) and it’s worth paying more for the magnesium body. If you do action photography a lot then the MB-D10 is a must because a cheap plastic body can never withstand all that scratching or banging in the real world.
@Bees, I think I would trust it with a light load, but NOT with a 70-200, etc. The threaded receiver goes through about 1/8″ of layered plastic and uses an interior flange about 1/2″ in diameter. It feels fairly sturdy… but not “indestructible.”
Would you use this grip with the Rapid R-strap using pro lenses ?
FYI, Rapid R-strap attach it self to the tripod hole.
Wow. I see the pic, but I’m confused. I’ve taken a pen knife to an mb-d10 and scratched the inside top and bottom…was plastic. Even flexed when pressure was applied.
Is is possible that this was the design, but the real thing isn’t built like this?
I’d love to see some pics of cameras “in the wild” with worn off paint on the mb-d10 if possible.
I’d buy the real deal in an instant if it was true. I’d also buy metal battery doors if they made them. With weather sealing too. (I’ve used window glazing to weatherize them in the past–the d3 almost has a weather seal on the battery door)
I’ve got the same grip for my D700 and it has worked great for 3 months / 10,000+ exposures.
But recently, it stopped giving my 8fps, and in the past day, the focus point selector won’t work anymore and no battery strength appears on the info screen (even though I’ve tried both fully charged powerex/maha’s and eneloops). The shutter release on the grip still works great though…. weird…
The MB-D10 is indeed magnesium. See the photo on the last half of this page:
http://www.digitalreview.ca/content/Nikon-D300-Digital-SLR-Camera-Pg2.shtml
“I had read that the real Nikon article was made of magnesium, just like the body. After going into several stores and looking at them I realized that, as usual, people didn’t know what the hell they were talking about–the Nikon is plastic too! ”
I think I remember seeing the magnesium structure of the Nikon grip on some images, at the time the D700 was announced.
Can somebody remember that image?
The grip allows you to use two EN-EL3e batteries, since one can stay in the body. I haven’t seen one that holds two in the grip, except the older ones for the d200 or d80.
I have this same grip and I love it! I had read that the real Nikon article was made of magnesium, just like the body. After going into several stores and looking at them I realized that, as usual, people didn’t know what the hell they were talking about–the Nikon is plastic too! It has small metal plates in the top and bottom, just like this knockoff.
My only gripe is with Nikon–I already had an extra en-el4a that I’d kept from my d2x, and the charger was $100. No way around it. Very cheap, flimsy plastic piece of crap for $100. That and it took some lid part swapping to get the BL-3 to fit the Meike grip.
Mine holds either 8 AA or 1 EN-EL3e. Perhaps there is a newer model that holds 2?
Hello,
I’m writing to inquire about the adorama flashpoint meike grip for the d300… am i correct in assuming the grip holds 2 batteries and the camera holds 1, making it a total of 3 batteries available while shooting? I’ve seen some reviews which state the grip only holds one addition battery, while others say two.
If you are getting the grip just to get the 8 fps shooting speed, there is a free alternative. Do a search on YouTube for “Nikon D300 8 FPS”, somebody posted detailed instructions how to do it. It is all with stock firmware.
I was wondering if anyone could tell me where to get a replacement attachment wheel for my battery grip? I have the meike also and it was great until I tried to over tighten it! /-(. I think the nikon set will be exactly the same so I could use a link or phone number to an authorized repair facility. Thanks
jerry
aka BLAYZE!
I’ve not experienced any problems after two months of use. Still finding it very useful. It stays on my D300 99% of the time.
any problem yet??
Check this deal out… I just purchased this and I am happy with the way it looks feels and works. It comes with a cleaning kit, 8 AA batteries and a battery charger. It looks exactly like the one you have pictured. Around $120.00.
http://bit.ly/EHxuH