Camera Armor

I purchased Camera Armor for my new (to me) Canon 5D body.  I’d been interested in it for a while and the previous owner of the body recommended it.  The first thing I noted was that despite being compatible with “most accessories” it did not fit well when used with Canon’s BG-E4 Battery Grip.  The bottom of the Camera Armor skin interferes with the grip’s fit against the bottom of the camera.  I could get it attached, but the skin no longer fit flush against the camera body making it awkward in the hand.  It also interferes with large quick release plates for tripod heads, though I imagine smaller plates would work fine.

The grip is a heavy addition to the camera body, so I decided to try using the armor anyways and leave the grip at home.  This worked, but I soon found that the fit of the Camera Armor skin interfered in subtle ways with the operation of the camera controls.  Control buttons were accessible, but the feel was off, especially with the shutter release where it was difficult to do a proper half-press for autofocusing and it felt as if I had to really push down hard to get the shutter to trip.  If you use the half press to autofocus on the subject, then recompose strategy as I do then this loss of feel on the shutter release is a huge irritation.

Lastly, and most importantly, no matter how much ‘chimping’ I did to adjust the fit, the Camera Armor skin always seemed to interfere with lens changes.  I always had to pull it away from the lens mount to get a new lens on.  All the while the camera was open to dust getting in, which I’ve found to be a big problem in general.

As a result, I’ve pretty much given up on the Camera Armor.  It’ll stay in my gear collection in case I go into a harsh environment, though in that case I’ll have to plan on minimizing lens changes.

I did give the Camera Armor another try on a recent trip.  I figured that since the trip was primarily business and I wouldn’t be shooting a lot, I wanted maximum protection for the camera during travel.  As added incentive, I was taking only two lenses and did not expect to change them much.  Only a little shooting on that trip, but it reinforced my opinion of the Camera Armor:  possibly useful under some circumstances, but I’d hate to shoot with this thing living on my camera full time.

Canon Battery Grip (BG-E4 or BG-ED3) and Canon Hand Strap (E-1)

I’ve acquired the relevant battery grips for each of my Canon DSLRs.  The BG-ED3 for the 10D and the BG-E4 for the 5D.  Functionally they are nearly the same so I just want to give my impressions of working with them without going over the details where they differ.  In general I like the battery grips.  They add a second battery to your camera which allows for even longer shooting.  I’m not a pro and so don’t shoot that many frames per day, but when I go out with the battery grip on and two fresh batteries in it, I’m confident I won’t need additional capacity that day.

The second advantage is that it gives you a vertical grip to more easily take vertical shots.  The grip has the basic controls, most importantly the shutter release so that vertical shots are much less of a contortion than without it.  I find that this enhances stability for handheld vertical shots.

To me, the biggest advantage of the battery grips is that they enable you to use the Canon Hand Strap (E-1).  I much prefer this to working with a neck strap.  The hand strap gives me a firm grip on the camera which is secure, both because I can get all five fingers on the grip and because the strap keeps the camera from coming loose easily.  I find that when walking around, I can keep a very loose grip on the camera and yet the strap keeps it securely in my hand.  Also, when transferred to a tripod, the hand strap doesn’t flap around in the wind and get tangled in the tripod legs as a neck strap can.

The downside, of course, is weight and size.  The camera is much bigger with the battery grip which makes it harder to fit in to smaller camera bags.  It also adds a lot of weight if you’re going to be carrying it around all day.  If I’m aiming for a lightweight kit, then the battery grip comes off, but most days I keep it on.  My logic is that yes, the grip adds weight, but so does a good lens relative to a cheap one and I easily justify carrying that.  The grip enhances my shooting workflow and so is worth the weight.

All images © Josh Walawender unless otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.