Meike Battery Grip for Sony A6400

[rpcrowe]

Sony doesn't have a battery grip for the APSC line of cameras. I guess that they don't think any of their APSC users are sophisticated enough to use a battery grip. However, the Meike MK-A6300 Pro, battery grip for the A6300, will also fit and function quite nicely on the A6400. It is not particularly expensive at $59.90 at Amazon.com https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I suspect that there are less expensive battery grips sold on eBay which are actually the same grips as the Meike that have been re-branded...
There are things which I really like about this grip and some things that I do not like:
LIKE:
1. It gives me a better hand grip on the very small A6400 camera - especially when using a large lens like the 70-200mm f/4 G OSS...
2. The grip itself and the extra battery that it uses is relatively lightweight; far lighter than a Canon Battery Grip for my crop format 7D Mark-ii. I get the increased size at very little increase in weight...
3. The vertical shutter button is very handy when shooting portraits...
4. The two battery grip extends the battery life by somewhere near two times (I have not tested this) and will switch from the exhausted battery to the fresh battery seamlessly...
5. The grip fits the A6400 very well...
DISLIKE (I can work around these parameters)
1. I have to remove the battery grip to change memory cards...
2. In order for the vertical shutter button to function, an exterior corded connection between the camera and the grip is needed. It is very possible to jar this connection loose. However, if you are shooting video and don't need the vertical shutter button, the exterior connection is not needed...
3. The battery life left is only shown for the battery that is operating the camera. Total battery life for the two batteries is not shown...
4. I need to turn off the Battery Grip after using it or it will drain the batteries.
WOULD I BUY THIS GRIP AGAIN
Yes I would. This is the only game in town and if I want a grip, it has to be this one... I especially like it for shooting portraits in vertical composition and for using with a long lens. I tend to support the lens from beneath with my left hand when I am shooting with heavy glass. I don't just hold the camera. I also tend to take the tripod ring off the lens when I know that I will be using the camera/lens hand-held...

However, if you just need an extra half inch of so of depth for your shooting hand grip and don't need the extra juice of the dual batteries or the vertical shutter release button, an Arca Compatible L-bracket might do the trick if your tripod/monopod clamps are Arca Compatible. I use an eBay Fugasun (no kidding that's the name) bracket which only cost about twelve U.S. Dollars. It is very well made and it fits the A6400 exactly. In fact, I plan to leave this L-bracket on the camera all the time. The extra weight of the bracket is negligible.

[bambleweeney]

I got the Meike grip for my Nikon D750. I'm currently using it as a paperweight.
Dislikes :-
Adds to much bulk to the body and with a long lens I use the tripod collar for stability.
I don't need the extra battery life and I don't need the extra weight
It's a bit plastiky and flexes on the camera

Likes :-
It's light
It's significantly cheaper than the Nikon alternative

The L bracket is the way to go for me too, mine's from 3 Legged Thing, it's orange and looks really neat plus its really useful both on a tripod and for carrying the camera

[Manfred M]

I got the Meike grip for my Nikon D750. I'm currently using it as a paperweight.
Dislikes :-
Adds to much bulk to the body and with a long lens I use the tripod collar for stability.
I don't need the extra battery life and I don't need the extra weight
It's a bit plastiky and flexes on the camera

Likes :-
It's light
It's significantly cheaper than the Nikon alternative

The L bracket is the way to go for me too, mine's from 3 Legged Thing, it's orange and looks really neat plus its really useful both on a tripod and for carrying the camera

I think it may depend on your shooting style / subject matter. I rarely remove my grip from my D810, but then I do a lot of portraiture with the camera in Portrait / Vertical orientation and the grip definitely makes for much more comfortable holding and stable shooting. I often have the L-bracket attached to the camera with the grip at the same time and switch between the tripod and hand-held.

I rarely run out of battery when shooting and use the grip solely for ease of shooting and comfort, I find long shooting sessions with the camera in Portrait / vertical orientation a bit challenging unless I use my grip.

[Hanginon]

Both my 5D's (original 5D) have them permanently mounted. A little more juice, since they both have WiFi cards in them, but the real reason is this -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDsx3-FWfwk

Joe McNally's "Da Grip". I'm sure there are other names for it.

For me, this made a huge a huge improvement when using lenses that do not have IS, to the degree that even though I'm right eye dominant, I use my left eye and and hold exactly as in the video.

The extra height added to the camera's bottom brings the eyepiece right to eye level when doing this.

[russellsnr]

Used one on my 600D,70D and 6D never had a problem.

[DanK]

Joe McNally's "Da Grip".

Is that the link you intended? Unless I missed it, McNally doesn't discuss using a battery grip in this video. Leaving that aside, I am right-eyed, so the technique he shows--bracing the camera body against the left shoulder--isn't all that practical for me.

I'm the odd one out here. I have never used a battery grip. I rarely need more than a single battery but carry a fully charged spare just in case. I don't find portrait mode uncomfortable without it, and I would rather not have the extra weight. On the other hand, a portrait shot without it entails moving one's arm out, and that is less stable than the position one can take with a grip.

[Manfred M]

IOn the other hand, a portrait shot without it entails moving one's arm out, and that is less stable than the position one can take with a grip.

That is the primary reason I use the grip. Add a relatively heavy f/2.8 70-200mm lens to the camera and it is a lot more stable and less awkward to shoot in portrait orientation.

[Hanginon]

Is that the link you intended? Unless I missed it, McNally doesn't discuss using a battery grip in this video. Leaving that aside, I am right-eyed, so the technique he shows--bracing the camera body against the left shoulder--isn't all that practical for me.

Link is correct - McNally refers to the bottom part of his Nikon D3 as the "motorized" part, a carry-over from film cameras, and an easy mistake to make back in 2008 when the vid was made.* It's actually a battery compartment, like a Canon 1D. That bottom section makes the camera sit higher when it rests on your shoulder - exactly the same thing a battery grip does.

As I stated in my original post on this, I'm also right-eye dominant, but I find it's no problem using my left eye. It costs you nothing to try it.

*In truth, the lens focusing motor might be in that bottom part, but that's really not what he is referring to.

[DanK]

Actually, I have experimented with using my left eye, but I am strongly right-eye-dominant, and I found it awkward. Using my right eye, there is no practical way to use my left shoulder as a brace. I'm guessing that's what McNally meant when it said at the beginning of the video that most of the video wouldn't help right-eyed shooters.

[Manfred M]

Actually, I have experimented with using my left eye, but I am strongly right-eye-dominant, and I found it awkward. Using my right eye, there is no practical way to use my left shoulder as a brace. I'm guessing that's what McNally meant when it said at the beginning of the video that most of the video wouldn't help right-eyed shooters.

When I look at most camera bodies, they are designed for right-handed and right-eye dominant shooters. My view is based on the positioning of the camera controls and the viewfinder. This suggests to be that McNally's video is rather irrelevant to us right handed, right eye dominant shooters.

Just brace your arms on your chest to get a strong, stable shooting position. No need for the awkward gyrations that McNally demonstrates; we don't need to.

[Hanginon]

When I look at most camera bodies, they are designed for right-handed and right-eye dominant shooters. My view is based on the positioning of the camera controls and the viewfinder. This suggests to be that McNally's video is rather irrelevant to us right handed, right eye dominant shooters.

Just brace your arms on your chest to get a strong, stable shooting position. No need for the awkward gyrations that McNally demonstrates; we don't need to.

One more vid on this. This one is by Nasim Mansurov of Photography Life. Jump to 2:45 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Zcy7-SitY

I realize CIC is a closed nit little group that I'm not part of. None the less, I am surprised at the push-back of considering trying something that takes no time, and doesn't even cost one cent. IMHO, life is just too short to deal with narrow minded people, and I have read too many Posts here like this, not just mine.

No further response is required on your part. Good luck to all of you, and Goodbye.

[xpatUSA]

One more vid on this. This one is by Nasim Mansurov of Photography Life. Jump to 2:45 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Zcy7-SitY

I realize CIC is a closed nit little group that I'm not part of. None the less, I am surprised at the push-back of considering trying something that takes no time, and doesn't even cost one cent. IMHO, life is just too short to deal with narrow minded people, and I have read too many Posts here like this, not just mine.

No further response is required on your part. Good luck to all of you, and Goodbye.

As a leftie, I sympathize.

For those who are interested, Nasim Mansurov is always worth reading on any photographic subject.

[Manfred M]

One more vid on this. This one is by Nasim Mansurov of Photography Life. Jump to 2:45 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Zcy7-SitY

I realize CIC is a closed nit little group that I'm not part of. None the less, I am surprised at the push-back of considering trying something that takes no time, and doesn't even cost one cent. IMHO, life is just too short to deal with narrow minded people, and I have read too many Posts here like this, not just mine.

No further response is required on your part. Good luck to all of you, and Goodbye.

Actually I use the technique that Nasim Mansurov demonstrates in the second link you posted. This is something I was taught by a commercial photographer when I was still in my teens and have been using it for almost 50 years. Being right handed and right eye dominant fits well with this technique.

When I saw the McNally video, I grabbed my camera (Nikon D810 with a battery grip) and tried our a few shots with his approach so as to understand it better. I'm a designer (a mechanical engineer) and have been on and lead design teams professionally for decades, so ergonomics / human factors are something that I understand very well. My observations on the McNally method are based on my knowledge of the mechanics of the human body and of the basic layout of many cameras.

If you would like to discuss my comments rationally, then I have absolutely no issues in explaining how I came to my conclusions. If one is left eye dominant like McNally, then I can understand why one would favour that method. Right eye dominant shooters will do better with the Mansurov demonstrated technique.