MB-D10 (l) and BP-D300 (r)
In a word, yes.
Phottix BP-D300 Battery Pack (MB-D10 Replacement) on eBay
I’ve used a BP-D300 on my second D300 body alongside a D300 equipped with the MB-D10 for several weeks now, and I’ve found no performance differences whatsoever. While differences exist in fit and finish, and one very minor control difference, the BP-D300 works great.
Viewed from the front (above), the BP-D300 is readily distinguishable from the MB-D10 by virtue of the hand grip - three “finger grooves” versus soft rubber on the Nikon. Functionally controls are identical, although the Nikon’s superior construction is evident in two areas. First, the the thumbwheel screw on the Nikon provides a more precise, snug fit to the camera body; the BP-D300 can wobble slightly from front to back. In use, this has been unnoticeable, however, even handholding the grip with a good-sized lens like the 80-200/f2.8 AF-S attached. The battery drawer on the BP-D300–whether one of the included for AA batteries or a single EN-EL3e, or a Nikon counterpart–sometimes needs a little bit of a jiggle to seat properly.
MB-D10 (l) and BP-D300 (r)
Turning to the back of the grip, we see the one functional difference: a sliding switch to lock/unlock the vertical shutter release button, in contrast to the circular switch surrounding the button on the MB-D10. (Nikon’s switch placement is slightly more convenient.) The remaining controls are largely the same; significantly, the 5-way directional button on the BP-D300 provides good feedback and control.
The BP-D300 comes with battery drawers for an EN-EL3e battery, or 8 AAs; a Phottix-branded EN-EL3e equivalent battery; and a car charger that can be used to recharge an EN-EL3e battery in the included drawer. (This is a feature not shared by Nikon’s MS-D10EN drawer.)
If you’re looking for 8 fps performance and don’t want to resort to secret tricks, I would recommend a look at the BP-D300.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Owen Heuston // Oct 28, 2008 at 2:22 pm
So how is the phottix grip on a tripod. Can it handle having say a Sigma 50-500 on it even though it is plastic? Are you getting 8fps easily?
2 The Sports Photo Guy // Oct 28, 2008 at 4:34 pm
8 fps performance is reliable. I would not use the tripod mount on on the grip to support a heavy lens like the 50-500, though.
3 Dave Rodvold // Nov 14, 2008 at 10:15 pm
To get 8 FPS with the Phottix, do you have to use the 8 AA’s? Any comment on how rechargeable AA’s hold up to 8 FPS? I sometimes cover 5 high school basketball games in an afternoon, and wonder how many sets of batteries I should carry…
4 The Sports Photo Guy // Nov 15, 2008 at 7:34 am
8 AA’s, a Nikon EN-EL4/EN-EL-4a, or one of Phottix’s new EN-EL4a replacements. A set of AA’s is generally good for one entire game, assuming you use good batteries (Maha or Energizer 2300mah or higher), but that’s not to say they might not stretch a little farther; I only use AA’s as backup for my EN-EL4’s, so I’m not the best judge.
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