Vello BG-N19 Grip

Copy of Nikon MB-D18 for D850

Intro   Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Usage   Recommendations

Vello BG-N19

Vello BG-N19 grip (10.6 oz./301g with Watson EN-EL15 battery and tray, $100) bigger. I got mine at B&H. This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally-approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Get yours only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

Vello BG-N19

Nikon D850, 58mm f/1.2 Noct-NIKKOR and Vello MB-D18 (BG-N19) grip. bigger.

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May 2018   Nikon Reviews   Nikon Lenses   Nikon Flash   All Reviews

 

Introduction

Top   Intro   Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Usage   Recommendations

Adorama Pays Top Dollar for Used Gear

Amazon

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

Crutchfield

This is a Nikon MB-D18 grip made by Vello. Vello's model number is BG-N19. It's a copy of Nikon's grip that does the same thing for a fraction of the price.

 

Good

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com One-quarter the price of Nikon's MB-D18 grip.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com In-Stock, while Nikon's MB-D18 is unavailable.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Includes a holder for an EN-EL15 battery (same battery used by D850), and a second holder if you'd rather use 8-AA cells instead. In either case it works with or without another EN-EL15a in the D850.

 

Missing

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Only feels 75% as tough as Nikon's unavailable MB-D18, which isn't bad considering that this is only 25% of the price.

 

Compatibility

Top   Intro   Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Usage   Recommendations

This only works with the Nikon D850 camera.

It comes with a tray to use an EN-EL15a battery, and a second tray to use 8-AA cells. You can use either tray at a time, while the D850 keeps its EN-EL15a in its own grip.

This grip also works with Nikon's EN-EL18a battery from the D4, D4s and D5, but you'll also need to buy Nikon's BL-5 cover to fit the EN-EL18 into the grip.

 

Specifications

Top   Intro   Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Usage   Recommendations

 

Type

Direct replacement for Nikon's MB-D18 grip.

 

Weight

10.625 oz. (301.2g), actual measured weight with Watson EN-EL15 battery and tray.

 

Included

Grip and two battery trays:

Vello BG-N19

Vello BG-N19 grip, tray for EN-EL15 and tray for 8-AA cells. bigger.

 

Vello BG-N19

8-AA and EN-EL15 trays included with Vello MB-D18 grip. bigger.

 

Vello BG-N19

8-AA and EN-EL15 trays included with Vello MB-D18 grip. bigger.

 

Quality

Vello BG-N19

Vello BG-N19 grip. bigger.

Made in China.

 

Price, USA

$100, February ~ May 2018.

Vello BG-N19

Box, Vello BG-N19 grip. bigger.

 

Performance

Top   Intro   Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Usage   Recommendations

Overall  Function   Frame Rates  Mechanics

 

Overall

This grip is a little less tough, but does the same thing as the Nikon MB-D18 grip for a whole lot less money.

The reason you see so many third-party makers of batteries, lens caps, remote releases and grips is because camera makers overprice them, leaving lots of room for others to copy them to sell to us at a much lower price. You don't see copies of cameras because they are much more difficult to make and not sold at such high markups as are grips and accessories.

 

Function

Everything seems to work. The two dials, shutter button, rotating shutter lock, multiway controller, unmarked Fn and marked AF-ON buttons all seem to work as they should.

Better than every other third-party battery I've even bought for my pro Nikons (and I've been doing this since the first awful batteries for the Nikon D1 of 1999), this is the first grip where the battery trays actually slide-in and latch exactly as well as Nikon's own. No one knows why, but all the third-party pro slide-in batteries never slide-in or latch properly unless you use Nikon's own end-caps, while the two included slide-in battery trays work great with this Vello grip.

 

Frame Rates

You'll get up to 7FPS.

If you want to go to 9 FPS, just as with Nikon's MB-D18, you'll have to get a separate EN-EL18a battery and BL-5 cover.

 

Mechanical Quality

It's all plastic and made in China. It feels fine for normal use.

I'm less confidant shooting vertically with only one right hand holding the grip and my D850 and lens dangling from that grip otherwise unsupported. It's fine with a second hand holding the lens, but I'm used to my feels-like-a-rubber-covered-brick pro Nikons that I can grab and shoot with just one hand in either position and not worry about anything falling apart. Let's face it: if you really needed a rock-solid 9 FPS camera, you'd be shooting a D3, D4 or D5 and not be shopping for cheap grips for the consumer-level D850.

The front and rear control dials work the same as the camera's, with the same clicks as Nikon's, but they are made of bare plastic and aren't covered in rubber.

The grip's grip material is a little grippier than the D850's own covering.

The grip's shutter button actually has a nice little second click to fire the shutter. This is different from the camera's own shutter, which has one first mild click, but no click as you press it the rest of the way to fire the shutter.

The tripod screw, and the socket at the bottom of the grip, are both metal.

The grip bottom isn't that flat; it's a little wobbly if you set the whole camera, lens and grip down on a table.

 

Usage

Top   Intro   Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Usage   Recommendations

Pull the rubber connector cover off the bottom of your D850 and stick it in the recess on the top of the grip for safe keeping:

Vello BG-N19

Vello BG-N19 grip. bigger.

Program the action of the grip's controls in MENU > CUSTOM (pencil) > d10 Assign MB-D18 buttons.

 

 

Vello BG-N19

Vello MB-D18 (BG-N19) grip and Nikon D850. bigger.

 

Recommendations

Top   Intro   Compatibility   Specifications

Performance   Usage   Recommendations

Want a grip for your D850 to double your battery life or let you run from whatever AA cells you can barter for in the jungles of Borneo? Here you go; the Nikon grip isn't even available.

If you order one and hate it, no worries, B&H has a 100% cash-back return policy. Buy it, try it, and if it's not what you need, send it back. You never have to take a chance and guess if it's going to work for you or not before you order it.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally-approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Get yours only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

 

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

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02 May 2018