Camera Labs

Hi all. I have a write up for this battery grip on my blog. Please give it a look @ http://id510.wordpress.com/


Here is some of the text from the review:

"Now there’s the Pro-E30 LvR. When it first arrived I took it out of the box and got a chance to feel the material. Unlike the E51R’s smooth surface finish, the E-30 LvR has a textured body with a rubberized grip. After attaching it to the E-30 I noticed that the grip felt and looked like it truly was designed for the E-30. If you were to look at it from a couple of feet away you would think that there was no battery grip attached, just a larger camera. It blends in with the camera body almost perfect. Also, there is NO need to plug the grip into the USB port of the camera, which is a plus. The grip design has 2 shutter release buttons, a switch on the back that allows access to the focusing modes/points and Fn mode, buttons that allow control of the aperture and shutter speed from the grip (major bonus), on/off/IR mode switch (IR mode is for the included wireless remote), and a port for a wired remote (included).

First turning the grip on, I found that the grip is very responsive and comfortable to hold. It also feels lighter than the HLD-4. The shutter release buttons work properly and the aperture/shutter speed control buttons work flawlessly, though they will take a small amount of getting used to if you’re use to using the dials to control these things. The switch to get into the focusing modes/points screen works a little different in the sense that you move the switch to the left and use the aperture/shutter speed buttons to switch the mode (11 point, diamond pattern, single focusing point). After you select the mode, move the switch to the middle to control which focusing point you want to use (If you are using diamond pattern or single focusing point). I would say that is the only confusing part of the grip, though I believe most users will adjust to this after practicing a couple of times.

Now we have the remotes. The IR remote of works just fine as it did with the E51R. There is a slight delay in the time you press the button on the wired remote and the time the IR sensor of the grip receives the command. This is not an issue if you are doing macro work or posed portraits, though for sports or natural portraits I would say it would be too slow. This is where the wired remote comes into play! The wired remote plugs right into the left side of the grip. Once plugged in, turn the grip to the On position and you can control aperture, shutter speed and the shutter release all through the remote. The responsiveness of the remote is top-notch and has my praises! Doing some testing with it I can say that I will definitely be using this remote when my camera is on a tripod. I would use this remote every time my camera is on a tripod. My one complaint about using the wired remote is that the plastic cover that came with the grip (for when I’m not using the remote) doesn’t stay in place inside that port. Whenever I hold the camera vertically (right side up) the piece of plastic slides out. I would prefer that it stayed in place but I have no issues with simply leaving it out as I suspect I’ll be doing a lot more tripod shooting."

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www.iandavisphoto.com
aim s/n: idotddot

I completely agree with idavis and his review. I own the Ownuser Pro-E30R (the version without the cable remote) and so far I'm very pleased with it's performance.

It should be noted, however, that I had to return the first grip because it didn't work. The second one I currently use shows sign of poor workmanship, like the synthetic leather being glued not correctly or the protection of the cable remote access constantly falling off (this looks like a general problem with the grip, the first one had this too). But the grip itself is really a pleasure to hold and use and the buttons are all at the right places and you can use the grip even if you are left handed.

I can't compare it to the olympus one but i would assume that the build quality should be better, but it costs an additional 100 Euro here in germany, so if you don't have the need for a weatherproof grip and can live with little annoyances, this is the grip for you.

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Olympus E-30, ZD 9-18mm 4.0-5.6, ZD 50mm Makro 2.0, ZD 14-54mm 2.8-3.5, ZD 70-300 4.0-5.6

Light travel equipment:
Olympus EP-2, µZD 14-42mm , Panasonic 20mm 1.7 pancake.

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