Home > Consumer Reviews > Zeikos ZE-CBGXSI Battery Power Grip for Canon EOS Rebel XS & Xsi

Considering the comparatively lower price to the OEM grip and the fact that the only noticeable difference is a slight difference in shutter button feel this is an outstanding purchase. The extra funds you save vs. the OEM grip cost can be used towards extra battery packs or help soften the blow on the next lens you buy!

I purchased this after thorough reviews of the Canon OEM battery grip, the Opteka Battery Grip, and of course this product, the Zeikos.

The grip appears to be made from the same type of material as the EOS XSi body, uses OEM markings, and appears to be a solid build with aesthetic OEM matching. The battery grip padding/grip material appears to be slightly different from the camera body grip on close inspection but retains a more supple rubber feel. I read that this unit (as well as the Opteka) was cast from the same mold as the OEM unit - which is certainly plausible now that I have used the Zeikos.

The unit fits firmly to the XSi body by means of screwing into the tripod receptacle & installs easily (another receptacle is on the bottom of the grip for a tripod). This unit does *not* come with the extra battery packs which can be purchased separately. I understand the non-OEM Opteka packs perform very well in contrast to the Canon battery pack units if it matters to you.

The unit also accepts AA batteries but requires a quick swap of "battery cage" that slides into the grip.

However, I primarily purchased this unit to extend the size of the camera for ergonomics especially when shooting vertically. The unit satisfies these needs perfectly.

The only con to this unit: As some have stated the battery grip shutter button is somewhat softer than the shutter button on the XSi body. I had absolutely no issues with this but some users may not like it. This can potentially make it difficult for some users to tell when the autofocus on the two-stage shutter button engages if they rely solely on feel. This is irrelevant if you use manual focus, the viewfinder to determine focus lock, or simply listen for the beep.

Why this over the Opteka? Amazon sells the Zeikos directly so that means fast SS shippping & an easy return. I believe the Opteka is only offered through other vendors.

Update 10-15-2009

The battery "cage" door appears a bit loose even when the unit is fully latched. The movement is forward-to-back rather than horizontal - apparently not an issue with the latching mechanism. The battery cage *is* secure it just seems to shift a bit when my hand or arm bumps the lower-left hand corner of the grip. I did not notice the movement before and inserted the AA battery "cage" and it also moves. This movement appears to be the result of a manufacturing tolerance rather than a defect. The movement doesn't affect the unit operation at all - this movement in the grip is not an area you would hold. The movement is a little disconcerting when you first notice it, however. I would dock the unit a .5 star for this if I could but I'm still very satisfied with it.

I will point out that if you use the vertical shutter and it doesn't work, the grip has an on/off button for the controls. I've accidentally bumped this switch to off (the OEM unit has this switch too) and it makes you wonder for a moment until you figure it out. 3 months of use and it still works like a charm, though.

I was a little hesitant to purchase because of the quantity of reviews for the item was lacking, including one person who got a bum unit. Well it arrived yesterday and I can defiantly say that it's just what I would have expected from a 3rd party grip.

Looks:

The black perfectly matches the body of my Rebel XSi. The grip is slightly more matte than the ones on the body. I would expect that, barring the label, someone would be hard pressed to differentiate this unit from Canon BG-E5 by sight.

Feel:

Buttons and dials worked as expected. The shutter has both focus and actuate, just like the one on the body; as others have noted it's a slightly lighter touch to activate but well withing the realm of comfortable for me. The textured grip is slightly more fine and feels just slightly more "grippy" than the texture on my XSi. If I squeeze the grip hard I can tell that it's flexing oh, so slightly with a little creaking.

Operation:

Popped 6 AA's in the tray, slid it in, and attached it to the camera. The first time I attached it the scroll wheel did not work, but I have been unable to reproduce that error, so I think it's probably just me. I did not try the other tray at this time. Both trays seemed to have a good locking mechanism and seemed sturdy enough.

After 1 day I would say it was an excellent buy. I will try and append this review after a few weeks of shooting to get some field experience with it.

UPDATE:

After 2 weeks and one weekend shooting over 1000 photos I have this to add. For the most part the unit worked as expected but I did have some issues. Once again I trouble with the dial, this time it was the dial on the camera body that stopped responding when the battery grip was attached and the grip dial worked fine. A reseating and power cycle of the camera and grip restored the functionality of both dials. The other thing of note is that the + - signs on the AA holder are hard to read and I did insert one battery backwards because of the confusion.

Overall, It's still a good deal at nearly 1/2 the cost of the OEM grip, but for those that need something reliable they should stick to the Canon branded unit for guaranteed compatibility.

This battery grip is fantastic. It connects quickly and easily onto the bottom of my XSi and feels great in my hands. As someone with relatively large hands this grip is perfect in that it adds a bit of much needed weight to the camera and conforms to fit my hands in a very natural way. This grip also includes many of the same features found on the much more expensive canon brand battery grip but at more than $100 less. In fact with the money you save you could buy another grip for a back up camera and quite a few extra batteries. I absolutely recommend this product.

Worked out of the box with Canon XS. Have taken 5,000+ shots with no issues. Dual battery capacity doubles shooting time and included AA battery adapter adds versatility for power. Feels great (actually better than the Canon). Controls and shutter release reduces fatigue and adds stability to portrait shots.

This is a fantastic product! I have compared it head to head with Canon's part (4x the price) and there is VERY LITTLE to nitpick... but i'm a nitpicker, so here goes:

*shutter button is somewhat soft compared to the Canon grip. not bad, just softer
*The control wheel is not the exact same appearance as the one on the camera. very slight difference, and no one who is not neurotic would ever notice
*rubber grip feels like it could be, if tried hard enough, peeled from the plastic body
*battery door release handle is a little flimsy compared to Canons, but not bad. will not slide open without you unlocking it.

Very happy overall. The rubber grip is softer and more pliable than Canon's and it feels nice. Buy one.