A ‘handy’ accessory.

The Nikon MB-D10 mounted on the D700. Vertical shutter release and switch are at lower left.

My delight in discovering the superior handling of the Nikon D2X pro body with its built-in vertical handgrip and shutter release led me to track down the detachable handgrip for my D700, the MB-D10. It fits the D300, D300S and the D700 and is quite exceptionally well made. I found mine on the Fred Miranda Buy/Sell forum and some care is called for in this case. It seems there are many aftermarket knockoffs out there of varying quality and performance so it’s important to pre-clear the one of your choice as the genuine article before paying up. Mine arrived in mint condition and cost $125, half the price of a new one, and included both the Nikon and 8 x AA battery holders.

The battery versatility is exceptional. You can have the following combinations:

• Nikon EN-EL3e in the D700, nothing in the grip
• Nikon EN-EL3e in the D700, a second EN-EL3e in the grip
• Nikon EN-EL3e in the D700, 8 AAs in the grip
• Nikon EN-EL3e in the D700, Nikon EN-EL4 or EN-EL4a in the grip with the appropriate end piece
• Nothing in the D700, Nikon EN-EL3e in the grip
• Nothing in the D700, Nikon EN-EL4 or EN-EL4a in the grip with the appropriate end piece
• Nothing in the D700, 8 x AA in the grip

The EN-EL3e is the standard D700 battery, the EN-EL4 (or the higher capacity 4a) is the standard battery used in the D2X/D3/D4 pro bodies.

It gets better. If you have batteries in both the D700 and the grip, you can tell the D700 to use the in-camera batteries first or the in-grip ones first. This is in the Custom Setting Menu->d->d11->Battery order. When the camera is using the grip batteries or if only grip batteries are fitted, then the battery indicator on the top plate of the D700 is preceded by a small icon stating ‘BP’. Further, if you use AA batteries in the grip, you can tell the D700 whether these are AA alkaline, AA Ni-MH, AA lithium or AA Ni-Mn. This is in the Custom Setting Menu->d->d10->MB-D10 battery type. Best of all, if you use two sets of batteries the D700 will report on the remaining battery life and battery condition for both the in-camera and in-grip batteries. This is in the Setup menu. Phew! Nikon simply will not allow battery drain and charge reporting to go unnoticed. Extraordinary.

After sifting through all the possibilities, I discarded the idea of 8 AA cells in the MB-D10. Too heavy and prone to leaking if heavily discharged. I don’t need the vast shooting capacity which comes with using batteries in both the body and the grip so I decided on one Nikon EN-EL3e only. Finally, because the MB-D10 has to be removed to access the in-camera battery, I decided on using the EN-EL3e in the MB-D10 only, where removal and replacement are simple.

To fit the MB-D10 to the D700 a rubber contact cover on the base of the D700 is removed and the MB-D10 simply screwed to the body with a large, well serrated dial screw. Thereafter you have all the functionality of the integrated vertical grip on the D2X/D3/D4. The MB-D10 adds a vertical shutter release which can be turned off to prevent accidental use, and both front and rear control dials. The vertical grip is well contoured for the right hand and adds materially to the ease of hand-holding the camera in portrait orientation. The CF card can be accessed in the usual way through the side cover and the MB-D10 can remain in place while this is done.

The base of the MB-D10 replicates the centrally placed tripod socket of the D700 body. While the MB-D10 adds heft and bulk, it actually makes for a much better balanced camera which really comes into its own with lenses like the 180, 200 or 300mm Nikkors.

To add icing to the cake, the battery grip increases the maximum shooting rate from 5 fps to 8 fps, if that’s your thing.

Highly recommended, but don’t waste money on new retail ones or on cheap knockoffs, some of which fail to even work properly. There are many of these, the genuine Nikon versions, lightly used on the secondhand market. Just make sure you get the real thing which is distinguished by an embossed ‘Nikon’ logo on the rubber base and says ‘Nikon’ on the box. Also, if you contemplate using AA cells, make sure that the MB-D10 you buy comes with the separate AA cell holder, or be prepared to pay some $40 for the accessory.

If you are a Nikon D800/D800E user, prepare to be upset. Nikon wants $400 for a like accessory and designing the D800 body to use a different battery grip must qualify as the height of cynicism. Not good, Nikon. And most certainly not British.