Nikon MB-D10 / D300 grip

Nikon MB-D10 grip

When Nikon announced the D300, it looked very similar to the D200 it was slotting in above. In fact, if it wasn’t for the name on the front, there aren’t all that many tell tale signs that they are different from a casual look. Nikon though, clearly wanted to beef up its grip for the new D300 as we were given a total redesign, in fact the MB-D10 grip surprisingly shares very little with the MB-D200 apart from the fact that they are both, well, grips.

The first thing you’ll notice about the MB-D10 is that its lost its stalk that went up into the camera’s battery compartment. In fact, you can leave a battery in the camera body with this new grip which has some pluses and minuses. The next thing you’ll notice as soon as you pick it up is that it feels more substantial. It feels better built, which is a very good thing as it more closely matches the build quality of the camera body now.

With the old grip, we always had the option to add AA batteries instead of two of the normal EN-EL3e batteries that came with the camera. It was a great option as it helped a great deal in a pinch as AA batteries are so easy to get a hold of. Well, Nikon has done one better with this new MB-D10 grip. We can still use two EN-EL3e batteries, one in the camera and one in the grip, and the AA battery option is still there. We now have the new option of using the EN-EL4a batteries which are from the D2Xs and D3 cameras. This is beneficial as they hold a lot more power, 2500mAh for the EN-EL4a compared to 1500mAh for the EN-EL3e which is clearly a huge difference and will help you keep shooting a lot longer.

The other benefit of course is the increased shooting rate. With the D300, Nikon already increased the frames per second to 6, but if you use either high power rechargeable AA’s or the EN-EL4a batteries, you can now shoot at 8fps. While this is not something I personally need, it is nonetheless remarkable. If you wanted this rate before, you were looking at the very top of a manufacturers line-up. It just goes to show how seriously Nikon wanted to position the D300 as a professional level camera.

As always with a grip, they can be a real help when you have a large lens attached to the camera body as it makes it more sturdy. In addition, if you shoot in the portrait orientation often, you’ll obviously find the extra shutter release a big help.

Now the bad news, because of the increased functionality, the price has gone up for this grip. If you want to shoot with the EN-EL4a batteries, there is a whole host of extra gear you need to buy in order to use it and none of it cheap. Even taking that into consideration, regardless of whether you want the extra fps, I still think a grip is a great option to have if you’ve bought the D300. There are times you are going to want the extra stability with some of your lenses, and if you’re shooting for hours upon hours during the course of a day, you will really appreciate the extra power it gives you.