The Nikon D40 is a very lightweight and easy-to-carry DSLR. When we are out shooting with it we always take along a few extra fully charged batteries. However, there were times when we wished we had some additional juice, especially when we couldn't afford to miss a shot. One way to give the D40 some backup power is to attach a battery grip.
Nikon makes an OEM battery grip, but there a a lot of aftermarket units available. These 3rd party units are typically at least 30-60% cheaper than the OEM version. We purchased ours from Phottix for $50 on EBay. It was shipped directly from Hong Kong and arrived in about 15 days.
The material is made of high impact plastic, the contacts are gold plated, and the unit came with containers for both the rechargeable and AA batteries. The unit also has a vertical shutter button and a cover storage slot.
Having a container for AA batteries is a great backup as those types of batteries are available all over the world. This could be a lifesaver when the charger dies or when recharging is not convenient.
In order to attach the grip, the D40's battery compartment cover must be removed. The removal directions are in the manual, but basically the cover will slide out at an angle. The Phottix grip has a convenient storage slot for the battery compartment cover.
The camera is quite a bit bigger with the battery grip mounted, but it is much easier to grip, both horizontally and vertically. It is likely we'll need to get a slightly larger camera bag to accommodate the camera and grip combo. Once we get that sorted out, we'll take it our in the field and give it a go. [Permalink]- Phottix D40 Grip
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