| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2010 Location: Hong Kong / Irvine, CA Posts: 636 | | Review Date: January 18, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very well build and feels | | Cons: | pricy | |
I got it used.
what you paid is what you got.
I used the 3rd part one.
This one feels much better and looks much better, with WR.
If you use the grip all the time, definitely worth it to invest the money on this genuine one.
It would be better if they can put a slot to fit the remote like the BG2
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2010 Location: Manila Posts: 2,185 | | Review Date: January 4, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $182.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | WR, ergonomic controls, light, sturdy | | Cons: | tripod mount | |
The Pentax DBG-4 is one of the greatest innovations from Pentax, I think.
Build and construction:
It's weather-sealed to complement the K-7 and K-5, adding more security. What I like about it is that it fits to the body without ever having to take off the battery compartment door as opposed to some Canon/Nikon models, making it easier to carry off the body too. The grip also sports nice rubber areas for easier handling, designed as well with the depressed portion like the grip in the body for the middle finger to settle in. Although it's not made of magnesium alloy as the body, it still feels tough and dependable, with all points looking secure, even the top screws.
The battery cradles require a little pushing when being inserted into the grip, but all in all it only provides a better sense of security. Two guide pins ensure the grip is installed properly on the body, and also eliminate chances of the grip moving due to accidental bumps.
The additional SD card storage space in the D-LI90 cradle provides an excellent spot for hiding a backup card in case another is immediately needed, but it would've been better if it was an actual SD card slot.
Controls:
It adds 7 control points aside the power switch, namely 2 e-dials, the Optical preview switch, EV compensation, ISO, AF and green button, making control as easy as it is when held in vertical position. This is very handy as my hand can get to the basic controls I want without having to look. It would've been nice if it had the top screen too... but that would be stupid also, lol.
Operation:
Everything operates as it would on the body. So far no leaks or any malfunction with my K-5 IIs. I find it a bit awkward when I put it on my tripod though... the weight shifts to the other side so I have to make some adjustments.
| | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2012 Location: Hamburg Posts: 2 | | Review Date: July 19, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $270.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | weather-sealing, AA battery support, vertical grip | | Cons: | tripod mount not in optical axis, price tag | |
Since I'm that used to have a vertical grip, I needed to buy one for my K-5 right away. Though there are 3rd-Party alternatives, I never really considered buying these, it's just the wrong place for saving a few bucks. I would not bump a low-cost alternative to a camera that cost me about 900€, so I think the original grip for around 220€ is simply worth it.
Pro:
- fits very well, no bouncing or dangling
- K-5 looks finally complete with it
- K-5 horizontal grip is extended a bit, makes it better to hold this way round as well
- weather-sealed like the K-5 body
- AA battery support (usually running Eneloop rechargeable batteries in it)
Cons:
- tripod mount is not in optical axis anymore (though I seldom use a tripod anyway)
- price might be a bit on the high side compared to 3rd party alternatives, but it's equal to other brands (Canon/Nikon)
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2010 Location: New York Posts: 1,071 | | Review Date: April 27, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Makes camera easier to hold, duplicates controls for vertical shooting, allows extra battery or AAs to be used | | Cons: | None | |
Used on Pentax K-5. This makes the camera considerably easier to hold, since it extends the normal grip downward, and it makes vertical shooting easier because of the duplicated controls. It also enables an extra rechargeable battery to be used, or AA batteries should both rechargeable batteries run out (very unlikely). Highly recommended.
| | | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Posts: 23,920 | | Review Date: April 19, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Well built, excellent ergonomics | | Cons: | No direct contacts to the SD card | |
This is an indispensible accessory. I wouldn't be without it.
It is worth the investment to make shooting portraits and vertically oriented images a comfortable experience.
Although battery life on the K-7/K-5 is excellent, having an additional battery decreases the need further to have to stop during a big shoot such as a wedding or glamour photo session and change batteries.
The ergonomics are excellent. I did like the firm feel of the D-BG2, but I quickly got used to this one all the same.
The excellent build quality matches that of the K-7/K-5 and ensures a lifetime of service.
The camera contacts can be fragile, so it is best not to tamper with or have to remove the grip from the camera very often. Though I can't see a problem with removing and reapplying the grip frequently if done carefully.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Australia Posts: 64 | | Review Date: March 17, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Weather Sealed, Easy Use, fits on K-7 and K-5. | | Cons: | Tripod Mount Location | |
K-7 & K-5 shares the same accessories which is a bonus, hope the replacement of the K-5 follows.
I enjoy having the battery grip.
Carrying the camera around strapless with the battery grip makes it easy, though the location of the tripod mount on the battery grip + a black rapid strap. It feels awkward to hold during portrait, its a matter of getting use to it. But most of the time I have the K-7 strapless.
Battery grip as always, makes portrait shooting even more fun, easier and most of all, comfortable.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: June, 2011 Location: Westerville, OH Posts: 1,588 | | Review Date: February 4, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $199.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Improves ergonomics of K-5, adds stability, AA battery option | | Cons: | A little pricey, front dial location | |
When I originally acquired a K10D I thought it was designed to fit my hand, it was that comfortable. When I first held my K-5, my first thought was that this will take some getting use to. As it turns out, the BG-4 grip was the solution. So much so that I will now be looking to obtain a BG-2 for my K10D, mainly for better balancing with longer lenses.
When I first attached the grip, which by the way for me is a nice snug fit, it felt as though it and the camera body became one. It has a very nice feel and balance to it. It provides great stability when shooting with longer lenses. You can go from landscape to portrait mode seamlessly, with all buttons and dials right where they should be. Although I do have to say you need to remain cognizant of the front dial on the grip. It is easily bumped, but I don't know where else you would put it.
Being able to store the contact caps in the battery drawer is a great idea. The Li-On drawer also has a place for an extra memory card. And having an extra drawer for AA batteries is just a great option to have.
I would complain about the price, but that would be disingenuous since I received it as a Christmas gift. Had I not though, I would have purchased one any way, and would have thought it was well worth the price.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Posts: 12,285 | | Review Date: December 24, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $128.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Ergonomic, AAs, Weather Sealed, Grip is improved | | Cons: | Cost | |
I bought the K5 for many reasons, but high on that list was that its weather sealed. Every time I looked at the new price for this grip I went and looked at the knock-off grips for the K5. The reason that I did not get a knock-off grip is that they are not weather sealed. So, the search for a used D-BG4. The $128 cost listed is used. 
The Pros are pretty long:
- Adds AA battery support to the K5 increasing its versatility in the field
- Improves ergonomics for Portrait orientation dramatically
- Improves shooting time dramatically
- Comes with drawers for both Pentax and AA batteries
- Well constructed
- Slots for the pin covers built into the grip
- SD Card holder for the Pentax battery drawer
- Selectable source for battery (grip vs camera 1st)
- Wider base than camera base, thereby adding stability when put down
- Excellent replication of the camera body's button and wheel placement but in the vertical!
- Can turn off buttons on grip when shooting in standard orientation
The Cons is a fairly short list:
- Cost
- Off-set tripod attachment point
It got here just in time for Christmas with all the activities with the children, family get-togethers, driving from house to house, and loads of photos. Should make the entire process much easier without the need for battery changes or, perhaps, even recharging at all. The AAs also give me an added level of security as I only have two Pentax batteries for the K5. I'm a huge fan of AAs and Eneloops. This way I have some battery overlap with my K-x as well. In checking with other D-BG4 owners I find that pushing the AA drawer into the grip takes a wee bit more force than the Pentax Battery drawer. This appears to be common and not a fault of the grip. I find if I press a bit as I turn the locking lever it goes much easier and if I press a wee bit when I go to UNlock the lever it also helps. Glad its not just my copy.
UPDATE 1/8/12: Well, I've had it on the camera since just before Christmas. I've shot around 1200 photos and have not changed a battery and still have a full meter on the battery. Portrait orientation photos are SO much easier now. Wow.
UPDATE: 7/21/12: The shutter button failed while in use. Have sent it off to CRIS for repair and in the meantime have purchased a $39 Chinese Knockoff that is not too terrible.
UPDATE: 8/24/12: CRIS fixed the grip in record time, everything works as if new, and there were no hassles at all with CRIS. Very positive experience. The $39 Non-Pentax grip worked like a champ. Its a wee bit more plasticy feeling and is not WR but it functioned flawlessly.
| | | | | New Member Registered: October, 2011 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 6 | | Review Date: December 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Comfort for large hands, weather sealed, looks | | Cons: | Cost | |
Been wanting one of these since I got my K5 and finally bought the bullet. The main reason I went Pentax many years ago was in body VR and compact bodies with advanced features. However, the K5 is much heaver and I now have some heavier glass, and while I still love the compactness of the Pentax body (I honestly think it's the best body design on the market) when I have a larger lens on I found myself wanting more to hold onto. This grip is the perfect solution. Easy to attach and remove - it gives an extra comfortable grin when you need it - and the ability to ad AA's means you'll never have a dead camera while traveling. My only gripe is the cost. They want $289 here in a Canada - I ordered it from B&H through this site and saved some $$ as they sell it for $200. If you've got big man hands treat yourself to this item.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,249
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 24, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Fits well to the body, supports AA batteries | | Cons: | off-center tripod mount, no more place for the remote, expensive | |
Overall this is a good complement to the K-5/K-7. It fits very well in the hand and it doesn't ruin the style of the body like some other makes.
Positive aspects:
- Support AA batteries through a special tray (supplied)
- Easy to attach to the camera
- Can fit a SD card (only with Li-On tray)
- Add balance for heavy lenses
- Can be turned off
Negative aspects:
- Very expensive for what it is, no wonder there are cheap 3rd party alternatives at a fraction of the price.
- Tripod mount is off-center (but I don't use it on tripod anyway)
- Add bulk to the camera (I most often use it without a battery to avoid that)
- Doesn't add any special feature (no GPS, no dual SD card or additional performance)
- The K10D grip had a place to put the wireless remote. No more.
- Wobbly attachment, the K10D grip felt more secure, it's no big deal but doesn't feel like the camera and grip are one
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Brisbane Posts: 3,561
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 2, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | improved ergononmics, extended battery life weather selaed | | Cons: | none | |
Before I bought my grip (a few months ago), I thought the K-5 ergonmics couldnt get any better, boy was I wrong....
This grip feels so good on the K-5, I simply cannot go back to shooting the K-5 gripless again!
Plus the extended battery life is great, plus the option to use 6 AA's is a bonus too.
It has many buttons and controls all in the right place too, and too top it off- its weather sealed  | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2010 Location: Sydney Posts: 59
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 1, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $227.50
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Ease of use and very ergonomic, all buttons right under your fingers and fits perfectly in my hand, AA batteries | | Cons: | Remove grip to access in camera battery | |
The grip fits perfectly in my hand whereas my hand used to hang over the bottom of my K-5. It now makes portrait shots alot easier to do and makes the camera feel alot more 'professional'.
The use of AA batteries was a must since I had a heap of eneloops from my K-x but now, the camera just keeps going and going! Definitely glad I purchased this for my K-5 and have only praise on the ergonomics and function of it.
A little gripe though is having to remove the grip for access to the in camera battery, but I use the grip batteries before I use the in camera one so it doesn't matter too much. It is also a little bit on the pricey side (thus reduces the rating to 9, but I am alot happier I purchased it off Amazon rather than locally for nearly 2x the price) but usability is greatly increased and I would buy this again if I lost this grip
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2009 Location: Varaždin, Croatia, Europe Posts: 295 | | Review Date: July 30, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | improved ergonomics, sealed, storage for both camera and grip contact caps | | Cons: | attachment disk moving, expensive | |
I had the BG2 grip on my K10D and although I thought I'd be fine without the grip on the K-7, I was wrong. The camera was too small to handle comfortably. It was OK when I was shooting with primes or 16-45, but the Tamron 70-200 was tearing my wrist off...
Chinese aftermarket grips were out of the question because I simply can't stand them, they feel too cheap. The first problem was that I wasn't going to give $300 cash for a new grip, these are really expensive! When I finally found a used one, I bought it.
The ergonomics are now great, the camera feels and handles excellent, much better than the K10 with the grip.
Besides the price, I found that the big plastic disk you use to attach the grip to the camera is kind of wobbly. Even when it's tightened, it goes up and down, but only by a milimeter or two. When shooting, I didn't manage to move it in nor does it bother me in any way, but it simply feels weird when it moves like that when you have a tightly build camera and grip.
I'd give it a ten if it were cheaper.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: February, 2011 Location: SK, Canada Posts: 83
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 14, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $199.99
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build/fit, great for verticle shooting, AA option | | Cons: | No hand strap connection | |
I bought the battery grip to make verticle shooting more comfortable, and it does a good job of that. I haven't used the AA battery tray, but I like that it's available if I need it.
I usually only use the battery in the grip, and don't put one in the camera body, so it doesn't bother me that you have to remove the grip to get at the camera battery.
I do wish they would have put a hand strap connection/mount on it though. My friend's 7D grip has one, and it works great with hand straps. One thing I like, compared to the 7D grip, is you don't have to remove the camera's battery compartment cover to attach the grip.
Another con is the price. Although I paid $199 for mine (which seems average for OEM grips), I had to buy it from a US retailer. If I bought it from a Canadian seller, the price was $279.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: December, 2010 Location: Kiev Posts: 59
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 14, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | improves handling, adds stability, weather protected, nice build | | Cons: | price, availability, weird screw placing (not in center) | |
Since Pentax is unavail in Ukraine, I ordered it via ebay. Item came in in perfect state, and when you`ll take it in hand, you can feel that Pentax is still capable of doing luxury photo accessories. It feels superbly build, fit on k-5 like a glove and dramatically improves handling (I`m dude with big hands). Only thing I can`t get - why it doesn`t power on/off camera via second switch? Main switch is still the only that can do that...
Anyway, with this grip my k-5 feels complete. I like it. Highly recommended!
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