# Battery grip/weather sealing qyestion



## stilscream (Feb 7, 2012)

I read somewhere that a Canon 7d isn't weather sealed without a Canon battery grip. Is it ONLY a Canon battery grip that is weather sealed or are there off brands with the weather sealing. I don't really think I need the extra battery power, but it might be worth the money to help protect my investment if it's the difference between a working and non working camera. I mostly shoot wildlife btw, and spent the extra money for the weather sealed 70-200 IS ii USM. I also have a hoya 77mm Cir Pul filter for the same reason.


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## neuroanatomist (Feb 7, 2012)

Sorry, you read wrong. The grip isn't required for sealing. In fact, the opposite - the body has reasonable sealing, the grip itself has some sealing, but there is no sealing where the grip attaches to the body (only gravity keeps water from from flowing up into the battery compartment.


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## D_Rochat (Feb 7, 2012)

What neuro said is true, but if you think you may want one anyways, go to a local camera shop and try one on your 7D first. Some people love to have extra surface area to grab onto and some people hate it. Best to find out before you buy.


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## unfocused (Feb 7, 2012)

Neuro is correct, but I think there can still be some advantage to the battery grip in terms of weather sealing. 

I recall a post from a photographer showing a gripped 7D sitting directly on some snow in Antarctica. His attitude, which made sense to me, was that if you need to shoot very low (like setting the camera on the ground) the battery grip does offer a bit of a cushion against snow or dirt (within reason). 

Plus, it is cheaper to replace the battery grip than the camera. However, I think that if I were going to be shooting under such conditions, I'd probably try to seal the grip to the camera with something like gaffer's or duct tape in hopes of keeping moisture out of the camera's battery compartment. 

I have learned from personal experience that if you trip and fall, you'd rather have the camera land on the battery grip than in any other position. (I had to send the grip in for repair, but camera and lens were undamaged.)


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## stilscream (Feb 8, 2012)

Thanks for the info! I go a week or more on one battery, so battery grip is just frivilous.


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## CanonGuy (Feb 13, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Sorry, you read wrong. The grip isn't required for sealing. In fact, the opposite - the body has reasonable sealing, the grip itself has some sealing, but there is no sealing where the grip attaches to the body (only gravity keeps water from from flowing up into the battery compartment.


 Well it's pretty much 95% sealed battery case and in this case I'm talking about Canon BG-E7 not aftermarket battery grips.
Only part what isn't sealed is plug.


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## DavidRiesenberg (Feb 13, 2012)

Never tried it myself but I see no reason why one won't be able to add a little bit of homemade sealing by gluing a thin sheet of rubber or EVA to the top surface of the grip.


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## awinphoto (Feb 13, 2012)

DavidRiesenberg said:


> Never tried it myself but I see no reason why one won't be able to add a little bit of homemade sealing by gluing a thin sheet of rubber or EVA to the top surface of the grip.



I always have been curious with that in the past.. if you want to give that a try and report on your findings, we'd be very appreciative. 8)


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## Picsfor (Feb 13, 2012)

The other point of note is - of the cameras on offer from Canon, the battery grip for the 7D offers the best weather sealing. The BG for the 5D2 is considered to be no where near as robust, though having had one in one of my 5D2's for 2 years, i've never had an issue.


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## neuroanatomist (Feb 14, 2012)

CanonGuy said:


> neuroanatomist said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry, you read wrong. The grip isn't required for sealing. In fact, the opposite - the body has reasonable sealing, the grip itself has some sealing, but there is no sealing where the grip attaches to the body (only gravity keeps water from from flowing up into the battery compartment.
> ...



Really? So...you'd be perfectly happy if the roof of your house was 'pretty much 95% sealed' because if 5% of it leaks, that's ok? The only unsealed part is the plug? Whew, that's a relief, because there's probably no need for sealing of an electrical contact that provides power to the camera, sure, seal everything else, but let water and electricity mix, they play so nicely together. That's like saying it's best if the hole in your roof is right over your fuse box. :

Seriously, though, I think this is a design flaw on Canon's part. When I remove the grip (yes, the Canon BG-E7) where the battery compartment opening connects to the grip is just plastic on plastic. The battery compartment does have sealing, but the foam-rubber seal is on the battery door itself, and of course that's removed and stored in the slot on the grip when the grip is installed, meaning no effective sealing. Canon could have replicated the foam-rubber seal on the grip, but they didn't. 

FWIW, when I go out in the rain with the 7D, I remove the grip. That's especailly important if the camera is being carried upside down (e.g. from a Blackrapid strap), since water would flow down the camera and in between the grip and body, then flow down into the battery compartment when the camera was turned over.


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## Dianoda (Feb 14, 2012)

D_Rochat said:


> What neuro said is true, but if you think you may want one anyways, go to a local camera shop and try one on your 7D first. Some people love to have extra surface area to grab onto and some people hate it. Best to find out before you buy.



I love the extra grip area when using a large lens like the 70-200 f/2.8L. It makes all the difference in the world (er, well, all the difference between a sore hand and a not so sore hand at the end of a 6 hour event shoot). The extra battery life comes in handy, too - one less thing to worry about.


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## Ryusui (Feb 14, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Really? So...you'd be perfectly happy if the roof of your house was 'pretty much 95% sealed' because if 5% of it leaks, that's ok? The only unsealed part is the plug? Whew, that's a relief, because there's probably no need for sealing of an electrical contact that provides power to the camera, sure, seal everything else, but let water and electricity mix, they play so nicely together. That's like saying it's best if the hole in your roof is right over your fuse box. :
> 
> Seriously, though, I think this is a design flaw on Canon's part. When I remove the grip (yes, the Canon BG-E7) where the battery compartment opening connects to the grip is just plastic on plastic. The battery compartment does have sealing, but the foam-rubber seal is on the battery door itself, and of course that's removed and stored in the slot on the grip when the grip is installed, meaning no effective sealing. Canon could have replicated the foam-rubber seal on the grip, but they didn't.
> 
> FWIW, when I go out in the rain with the 7D, I remove the grip. That's especailly important if the camera is being carried upside down (e.g. from a Blackrapid strap), since water would flow down the camera and in between the grip and body, then flow down into the battery compartment when the camera was turned over.


Are you kidding me?!?

Just put some of this stuff around the base where the camera and grip connect and you're all set!
Flex Seal Reviews | Buy One Get One Free Today


;D


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