EOS R7 Battery Grip

[ScottDean]

Will there be a battery grip for the EOS R7?

[Tronhard]

No, Canon does not make one - which is a real disappointment.

[shadowsports]

@ScottDean,

Will also add to Trevor's reply.  Canon normally releases BG's with a new body on the body's release date.  If a body gets released and no BG is announced (at the same time), you won't get a BG for that particular body.  Its unfortunate (for the R7) as Trevor pointed out.  

[ebiggs1]

" If a body gets released and no BG is announced (at the same time), you won't get a BG for that particular body."

It would be a rare deed in fact if they did come out with one after release but that may not limit third party makers form contrapting one. And, if they do, it is one I would not attempt to use on my new R7 body.

[NateInMaine]

The battery grip is critical for my success with the Canon cameras. I have five cameras for school portraits, and two cameras for weddings/high-end portraiture. Every camera MUST have a battery grip to ensure I don't run short on battery power.

This is based on more than 45 years as a newspaper shooter and volume-portrait photographer.

There is nothing worse than running out of battery power in the middle of an event. Yes, you can drop everything and switch batteries . . . BUT . . . I actually use off-camera flash for all photographs, with the camera mounted to a flash bracket. I have to set everything down to swap batteries. The battery grip negates that hassle.

However, I now have a battery grip for my R7. I purchased a used BG-E2 grip, removed the insert that fits up into the camera battery compartment, and fitted to the R7 with thin rubber to keep the grip from rotating. I was able to modify the BG-E2 battery holder area to fit the current battery for the R7. Granted, the battery in the grip is not connected to the camera body, but I at least have a battery in hand when needed.

AND I have a camera that I can actually hold in my hand when photographing sports. 

I'm disappointed at this odd decision on the part of Canon.

[Waddizzle]

There is more to it than just making an electrical connection.  

Camera bodies use a battery grip by alternating between using one battery and then the other battery.  This causes the two batteries to drain at roughy the same rate.  

The switching between one battery is performed by the camera firmware.  Since the R7 was released without a battery grip, then I doubt if the firmware has the smarts to know how to use a battery grip.

Be careful that you do not damage your new camera.  It may not be covered by warranty.

[NateInMaine]

Thank you for this reminder! Thankfully, this "battery grip" just amounts to an extension of the body. The battery still is inserted directly into the camera itself. The second battery is carried in the add-on grip. To swap batteries, I loosed the grip, swivel it off the battery cover, and exchange batteries.

[Tronhard]

If one looks at the overall specs of the R7, I would argue that it is not a pro-level APS-C camera, as the 7D series was. Included in the that is the fact the camera is not weather sealed, nor does it have a native battery grip.  There are 3rd party grips available, and you use them at your own risk.  Still, if you have jury rigged something, I hope it works for you.

[TedVitale]

That makes no sense as an argument not to have a battery grip. Canon makes a battery grip for the T8i which is very much not a professional camera. I’m so frustrated with the fact that this camera has no grip. The battery life is terrible and it’s small so it’s hard to hold. I don’t need an R6 because I don’t shoot professionally but I still know what I’m doing and a grip gives me way more flexibility i how I hold a camera and the added battery life I want. 

seems short sighted and absurd they didn’t make a grip for this camera. I’m selling it and buying a used 5D iv. 

[Tronhard]

"Canon makes a battery grip for the T8i which is very much not a professional camera"   I would agree - they made battery grips for almost every DSLR out there in the  range XD, XXD and XXXD models from the D30 in 2000 to the 400D (XTi).  Those grips were specific to almost every model, and that was expensive for both manufacture and to purchase, so likely that limited the market.   In the R-series bodies, those cameras that do have a grip all use the same model, which has benefits all round.   

There are two clues regarding Canon's intent here.
1.  There are no electrical contacts for a battery grip unless, as third party grip makers do, they use an external cable to the port on the left side of the camera.  Canon have never done that if they intend to have a grip - the contacts are all within the body.

2. The rear control wheel is used for various important settings, from exposure compensation settings in Av or Tv mode, to setting one of the manual settings for aperture or shutter speed in M mode.  By moving the control wheel to the very top end of the camera, this makes using the control wheel with a battery grip attached an ergonomically challenging exercise. 

Canon have not been alone in this.  Fuji's latest iteration of the X-T5 has, for the first time, dropped their grip - there are not even any contacts on the outside of the body either.

It would seem, at this stage, that Canon have decided to build their APS-C cameras to a price, and have been selective in what features will sell.  It's almost as if they have decided that APS-C a significant proportion of users are not in need of extended battery life or availability of portrait mode controls.   While I have had battery grips for all of my cameras, it is very likely that this is not a not all that common, so it got bypassed to keep the price down.

If you go to go for the 5DIV you are certainly getting a good FF DSLR and since you appear to have a significant investment in DSLR gear, I can see your logic.

I shot with several APS-C cameras, all with grips, including both versions of the 7D, which were really a prosumer level camera, with superior build, weather sealing, stronger shutter, and especially in the case of the 7DII, best tracking.   I was looking forward to the R7 until I saw the specs and realized it had been dumbed down significantly, and IMHO was not worthy of the marque - it would have been better suited to a R70 or R700 designation to keep it in line with their (non-North American) branding.

For many reasons, the R-series bodies are big improvements in ISO, metering and focus - particularly in terms of eye and face tracking: something that is very handy for events.   If you want to avail yourself of those, I can say that the R6 and R6II are great cameras, and do have battery grips for LP-E6NH batteries.