I had the D70 and D200 without grip and never missed the battery grip. When I got my D700 new, I took it with grip, because it was cheaper than without. I think, I tried it two times and dismissed it as too bulky and too heavy. So the grip is collecting dust for the last nine years. Should have sold it.

I guess I am a (somewhat) lone wolf.  The weight is in the body, the grip is hollow so the weight of the camera actually becomes more imbalanced for me with the grip.  I find them very uncomfortable, and sometimes painful, to use as a result.  Shooting all day without them is just so much easier for me, even with my older 80-200 f2.8.

I've only bought grips if I've found the body too small. I remember the D5100 drove me nuts until I bought a grip. I find the bodies of the D8xx series to be the perfect for me and I run them with without any grip.I'll never understand the mirrorless drive for small bodies. Less weight would be fine. I have the Nikon 1 V2 and it's a fun little camera but the small body drives me nuts. I'm all the time hitting the wrong buttons.

I am now grip-less on my D850. I miss the shutter and AF-ON buttons while shooting portrait orientation, but that's all. I don't need the extra FPS and live with the battery life I have.My last FX body was the D3, so built-in grip there. That was the heaviest body I've ever owned and it hurt the back carrying it around, so I'm not missing the weight.Chris

Normally, I do not use add-on battery grips. I have them, for two older camera models, so that I have the option to use AA cells. In the case of the Nikon F6, the camera’s battery compartment uses expensive CR 123 cells, which are less-available than AA cells.I have D5, D3s, and Canon 1D II N cameras, with integral vertical grips.My hands are not wide, so have no physical need for the extended gripping area, and do not generally feel a need to “balance” a longer lens with a larger body.

Carl Maiorino wrote:With every Nikon DSLR I have ever bought, starting with my D100, I also bought the grips. Generally, within a few months, I ditch the grip as I find them to be uncomfortable and they add bulk to the camera. I pulled the grip off my D800e before the last round of shooting and the camera just feels so much more comfortable in my hand. I probably will not purchase any more battery grips moving forward.Am I a "lone wolf" or do others feel the same? How many here use the grips and consider them essential?I've become a convert to using grips when available for 1 simple reason; the handstrap I like hugs my palm and hand better with than without. Discovered this when I bought a D4s used, and when a D810 dropped into my lap with a grip, it (obviously) had a similar feel.

Carl Maiorino wrote:With every Nikon DSLR I have ever bought, starting with my D100, I also bought the grips. Generally, within a few months, I ditch the grip as I find them to be uncomfortable and they add bulk to the camera. I pulled the grip off my D800e before the last round of shooting and the camera just feels so much more comfortable in my hand. I probably will not purchase any more battery grips moving forward.Am I a "lone wolf" or do others feel the same? How many here use the grips and consider them essential?The main reason for the Battery grip for me -is that I am able to get 9FPS with the D850. I normally do not like them.....In addition with the D850 it adds an extra mass to help stabilized the body specially with longer lenses....I am finding that the body movement does contribute a great deal on the image sharpness where VR can not due to higher shutter speed...here are a sequence of sample shots....

I had both N90s and N8008s at the same time, both gripped. (And both somewhere up in the attic now).   Intervalometer option as well.

I used to keep a vertical grip on my primary body most of the time.  But with the grip plus an 'L' bracket, the whole rig starts to get pretty bulky, and doesn't fit well in camera bags.I've sort of settled on shooting hand-held with the grip (since most of my hand-held shooting is vertical headshot portraits).  Then when I'm shooting landscapes, nature, or anything else with a tripod, I typically remove the grip in favor of a custom Arca-Swiss compatible quick release plate.This approach is working well for me know.  But it is sometimes a pain swapping the hardware on and off.Finally, the price Nikon charges for vertical grips is nigh on extortion.  Up until about 5 years ago, the pricing was high but tolerable.  Now it is just ridiculous.  I use a Pixel grip on my D800e, and it works great.  If Nikon ever puts the D850 on sale with a vertical grip I may bite the bullet.

Always on all bodies.  That's my shooting style and, beyond the added functionality, cameras just feel so much more comfortable to me that way.  Big lens, little lens, tripod or not...doesn't matter.  I use a grip.

jbear wrote:Always on all bodies. That's my shooting style and, beyond the added functionality, cameras just feel so much more comfortable to me that way. Big lens, little lens, tripod or not...doesn't matter. I use a grip.What about when on a tripod? I'm told that using camera that does not come with a unified grip is a bad thing on a tripod?

Arthritis has been having its way with my hands for decades now, and fumbling with small objects usually gets bad results for me. So I put a grip on each body, and it makes all the difference in the world for me.I don't use the grip for extra battery capacity, so I don't even put a second battery in the grip. It's just for hand-holdability (to coin a phrase). The only time I remove the grip is to mount the camera+long lens on a gimbal head.Using or not using a grip is a personal decision - it's all about how the camera feels in your hands. Whichever configuration seems to fit your hands is the one to use. How the rig feels in your hands influences how you shoot, and seems to me has an impact on how successful you can be at getting the shots you want. So even the extra battery capacity feature may not be enough to get one to use a grip if using it hampers your shooting.

Interesting!I had the multi-function back/intervalometer for mine, but even a current Google search didn't turn up a grip option.Did Nikon make it? I could never find one but really wanted one.(It's all academic now, of course - I'm certainly not going to run out and buy one.)

Nice! Still using it after all these years, that's great.I still remember the glossy promo Nikon put out mounting the N6006 on a cyclist's bike and shooting night time, rear curtain sync portraits using the popup flash.As a teenager, I couldn't get enough of the Nikon's promo or college photography texts. I inhaled them -  many times over.

... even with the D3S I couldn't get the hang of using a different shutter button for vertical shots. Dislike the bulk too, and never needed that much battery power or increased frame rate with any of my Nikon DSLR's.

Due to the size of my palms I use grips almost 100% of the time. I prefer cameras that do not get lost in my hands.The only cameras I did not use grips with were my F4, D3 and D4..........Best to all, AIK

Carl Maiorino wrote:I guess I am a (somewhat) lone wolf. The weight is in the body, the grip is hollow so the weight of the camera actually becomes more imbalanced for me with the grip. I find them very uncomfortable, and sometimes painful, to use as a result. Shooting all day without them is just so much easier for me, even with my older 80-200 f2.8.Just a thought........Why do not you try to put batteries into the grip? That would make it heavier to balance better with the camera...........Man, I think I have invented the octagonal wheel..........Best, AIK

CarlI use heavy lenses and all my cameras have the grips attached

Carl Maiorino wrote:With every Nikon DSLR I have ever bought, starting with my D100, I also bought the grips. Generally, within a few months, I ditch the grip as I find them to be uncomfortable and they add bulk to the camera. I pulled the grip off my D800e before the last round of shooting and the camera just feels so much more comfortable in my hand. I probably will not purchase any more battery grips moving forward.Am I a "lone wolf" or do others feel the same? How many here use the grips and consider them essential?I guess it depends on your preference and style. I use the Nikon grip on my D850. It stays on fifty percent of the time, it just depends. I understand those who want to save money, but I've never been willing to attach just anything to my camera's sensitive electronics. With the D5 battery installed, I won't install the battery in the camera body. It will still last longer than you. The beauty of it is, when you don't want the added bulk, it comes off just as easy as it went on. But when you need the speed...

For me, the extra weight is a deal-breaker.  I can easily handle my D800e with my 80-200 f2.8 without the grip and still find it more comfortable.