GEAR
MINI TESTS
We put a new-style gimbal, cine filters, two light tripods, a pair of Canon RF lenses, a Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 telezoom andmore through their paces
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
SPECIFICATIONS Fits: Sony A1, A7 IV, A7R IV, A9 II Batteries: 2600mAh Tripodmounting thread: 1/4in-20 female Dimensions (wxhxd): 128.8x108.9x67mm/5.1x4.3x2.6in Weight: 290g/0.64lb While Nikon and Canon have gone down the route of an integrated battery grip on their ever-larger flagship mirrorless cameras, Sony has stuck to the original concept of compactness. However, this is to the detriment of handling, as the larger bodies and grips give a better handhold, especially with long or heavy lenses. And with more space inside, you can cram in additional battery power – something the latest generation of mirrorless cameras need. Then there’s the elephant in the room: shooting vertical video. No pro would have done this until relatively recently. Now, clients often want 9:16 ratio upright video for social media. To solve all these issues, Sony offers the VG-C4EM battery grip to fit the A1, A7 IV, A7R IV and A9 II cameras. Unclip the battery door from the baseplate, store it in a handy holder inside the grip, then screw that to the bottomof the camera. SONY VG-C4EM BATTERY GRIP £399/$398 sony.com
Inside the grip is a pull-out battery tray that takes one or two of the standard NP-FZ100 lithiumbatteries. It doesn’t matter which slot you use, the grip and camera are smart enough to figure it out. If you have two batteries, an icon on the camera screen shows the power left in each battery. It exhausts one before seamlessly moving on to the other. And you’ve now got twice the power, although it does add weight. The larger gripmakes it more comfortable to handhold, especially when using big glass. Instead of your little finger going under the baseplate, there is something substantial to grip. However, this battery does add extra height, so it’s not usable with some rigs or gimbals. For that, it’s best to strip back to its standard form. That can’t be done with an integrated grip. But an integrated grip has no weather-sealing issues, while any bolt-on accessory can have problems with water ingress. We had no trouble with the Sony, even in rain. If shooting vertical photos or video, we encountered one huge benefit. There is an exact replica of all the main
control buttons and dials on the side of the camera – and also a lock button to disable them. For under £400 – plus the cost of an extra battery – this will give you a camera withmore power to shoot and better handholding. It’s a great accessory to have, especially if you prefer still photos and want to take upright shots. PROMOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 Boosts battery power and handling Pros: Ideal for vertical shooting Cons: No great internal build quality
GRIPPING STUFF The
grip makes the camera much deeper (top). Two batteries go in the holder
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PROMOVIEMAKER.NET
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