So Ive been shooting with my 5D Mark IV for about two years now and honestly I love it but the battery life is starting to drive me crazy during long shoots. Ive got three weddings coming up in Chicago next month and the last one I did was a nightmare because I was constantly swapping batteries in the middle of the ceremony. Plus my hands are huge and shooting portraits vertically for hours gets really uncomfortable without that extra grip space. Ive been looking at options and Im kinda stuck. I checked out the official Canon BG-E20 but it is so expensive for what it is. I saw some stuff about the Vello and Neewer grips online and while they are way cheaper I keep reading these horror stories about them draining batteries overnight or the shutter button feeling laggy. I dont want to risk my gear failing during a paid gig but spending $300 on a piece of plastic feels wrong too. Does anyone actually use the third-party ones for professional work or is it one of those things where you really just have to bite the bullet and buy the Canon brand to be safe? What do you guys think is the best balance of quality and price for the 5D Mark IV specifically?
Building on the earlier suggestion, I've used these:
Man I wish I found this thread sooner. Would have saved me so much hassle.
Adding my two cents... @Reply #1 - good point! Magnesium vs plastic is a big deal for rigidity. If the Canon price is a dealbreaker, check out the Phottix Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark IV. In my experience, its PCB is better shielded than the ultra-cheap stuff. You wont get that nasty parasitic battery drain common in Neewer grips. Cheap clones often use sub-par capacitors that leak charge even when the cameras off... definitely a nightmare for weddings.