Nikon MB-D200 Multi-Power Battery Pack for the D200 Digital Camera - Retail Packaging

After reading many of the other reviews (especially about build quality), I was a bit nervous about how well I was going to like this item. But once I received it, installed it on my camera and used it a bit - my fears went away. Yes - it's plastic and not alloy like the camera, but it is well made and sturdy (if it were alloy, think how much they'd charge for it!). I really like how the camera handles now - much easier to grip in all cases. It especially makes it nicer to take pictures with the camera in a vertical mode. Someone said that it's a problem that it only has a single attachment point (the tripod socket), but I found that once you tighten it up (which is easy to do with a large toothed wheel), it doesn't budge - feels like it and the camera are a single unit. Yeah, I wish the price were a bit lower - but all in all, I feel like it's a good value: the camera handles better (especially for vertical shots), you can take a LOT of photos without changing batteries, plus it gives you the option to use 6-AA batteries in case you find all your D200 batteries depleted (or if you just prefer to use AA's instead of the D200 batteries). It's not an "absolutely must have", but it's definitely a "really nice to have" sort of item.

If you wish to have longer battery life & want your camera to look more professional -this is the way to go. It's a convenitent way to carry two batteries. Super handy when shooting vertical shots.Only bad things.... it's a piece of plastic & is no way near in build of the D200. Still I like it a lot. My next camera (ordered the D300) will immediately, when available, have a grip - cause that grip is built much sturdier & will allow for 8 fps with stronger batteries. I really find myslef enjoying having a grip for my D200 & from now on will probably always get them.

There have been some concerns about Nikon using plastic on a prosumer product. But today's plastics can take abuse. Although I haven't dropped my camera yet, I am comfortable assuming that Nikon made it right. As people who have handled the incredible D200 know, it is not a lightweight camera (thankfully). I am thrilled that the Battery pack doesn't add a ton of weight. The balance of the camera is still great and the grip surface is the same as on the D200. I think you will find, as I have, that your people pictures will improve because the combined D200/MB200 unit looks so impressive that people know that you are serious about taking good pictures. And they put extra effort in looking good for your camera. Any down sides? It could be a little less expensive ;)

In general, I like having the extra power with me, and I like the grip and the extra shutter button for vertical shots. What I don't like is that the unit is entirely plastic. Ok, on the one hand it doesn't add a whole lot of weight to the overall unit, but the bottom piece should at least be rubberized and/or metal like the camera body. While it adds a nice ergonomic feel to the camera, I feel that the plastic-ness of the pack "cheapens" the overall look of the camera. And if you tap on it, it sounds hollow. I am a former F3 user with the MD-4 motordrive, so I guess I am used to the added heft, and the tank-like construction which the MB-D200 clearly lacks.

When I got my D100, I bought it used, and it came with this equivalent hand grip. When I upgraded to a D200, I initially thought I didn't need this handgrip... but wow did I miss it.First, if you take portrait-oriented photos at all, this is a hand grip with a control dial and shutter button exactly where you expect them. You can take portrait orientation without sticking your arm out like a chicken wing.Second, with the D200, even with the cool battery management capabilities, battery life seems shorter than the similar setup did on the D100... probably because of the bigger screen, faster sustained picture rate, etc. The ability to stick two batteries in this really extends battery life.Those two things combined make the investment in the D200 so much more useful.On the D100 version of this, the handset adds a small microphone so you can annotate individual photos. I used that feature exactly once, when I wanted to figure out how it worked. This handset does noe include that feature, and I'm thankful - this handset is *much* more inexpensive than the D100 handset, probably because of smart design decisions like this. The courage to cut a feature rather than add more useless stuff is refreshing - and what earned this the last start to push it into the '5 star' category.

I am an adventure photographer, and I liked the feel of the battery pack, but after just a few months of use in Europe, Vietnam and Cambodia, it failed. It now will only power the camera from the battery in the slot closest to the tall part that goes into the battery compartment of the D200. I've tried everything I can think of to make it work like it originally did, but nothing seems to help. I'm looking on eBay for one to replace it.

Its a perfect support to operate Nikon D200. I have been using this camera since last 18 yrs. At least if camera battery is not available, AA pencil cell can be used.

Livré sans adaptateur de piles, dommage, sinon, rien à dire, très bon état

Ich brauchte einen neuen Batteriegriff, weil mein alter defekt war. Der Verschluss ist abgebrochen und damit war auch der Deckel locker und ging nicht mehr fest. Denn selber Fehler wollte ich mit einer "Billigversion" nicht nochmal machen, also habe ich den Originalgriff von Nikon "MB D200" (gebraucht) geholt und bin sehr zufrieden. Bessere Verarbeitung und kein Wackeln, sitz also fest am Kamerabody. Kann ich nur empfehlen...

I was advised to buy this for my D200 by some friends who are also keen photographers. It speeds up the number of shots you can take per second from about 5 to 9 which is pretty good when doing action shots e.g. birds as I often do. Also, you gain the better part of another 500 shots before you need to charge batteries up so it's possible to get most of a fortnight's holiday without worrying about the batteries.So there's a bit of a downside. The camera does become bulkier and heavier. Frequently, I found myself using a monopod screwed into the base of the Battery Grip and this made it easier to get a stable camera for most shots. Also, I got a sling rather than the strap the camera comes with. There is a cute trick you can do where you keep the monopod in its shortest configuration, screwed into the base of the grip and tucked into my belt at the waistband. It is so stable that way; I was getting hand-held shots down to about a tenth of a second and still staying sharp. After a while, though, I ceased to notice the extra weight and just got on with it. The increased shutter speed was the biggest single bonus.

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