DSTE Pro Battery Grip (Battery Grip D5100+) for Nikon D5100, D5200, & D5300 Review

I purchased the DSTE Pro Battery Grip for the Nikon D5100 DSLR camera a few months after purchasing my Nikon D5300 even though I had a Meike Battery Grip (which I had purchased for my Nikon D5100 but works fine in my new Nikon D5300).

One of the reasons I purchased this new DSTE Pro Battery Grip (also called the Battery Grip D5100+) is that it supposedly supported using AA batteries in addition to using EN-EN14 batteries. Because the Nikon D5100 and the Nikon D5300 will reject generic/no-name EN-EL14 batteries that don't have a chip on them, I was skeptical that using AA batteries would work in my Nikon D5300 with the DSTE Pro Battery Grip.

When I received my DSTE Pro Battery Grip, I tried it on my Nikon D5300 and found that it worked without any issues. Since the Nikon D5300 is not exactly the same size as the Nikon D5100 which this battery grip is advertised for, the fit is not 100% on my Nikon D5300 (but I would say that it was very close). Still, I find that this battery grip fit my Nikon D5300 very well and the extra spacing is minimal.

The battery grip comes with 2 battery trays which fit through the side of the battery grip. One battery tray supports two (2) EN-EL14 batteries and the other battery tray supports/uses six (6) AA batteries.

I tested using six NiMH rechargeable batteries and I took over 600 photos during a photo session where I used my Nikon SB-910 external flash/speedlight with my Nikon D5300 so the AA batteries weren't powering the camera's flash. I don't know the exact limit of the number of pictures that I could have taken with the six AA NiMH rechargeable batteries since the photo session ended.

Unlike with the Meike Battery Grip where the EN-EL14 fits into the battery grip directly, with the DSTE Pro Battery Grip, the two EN-EL14 drops/fits into a battery tray and this tray is inserted into the side of the battery grip. The Nikon D5300 camera powers up and behaved normally with either the two EN-EL14 tray inserted or the six AA tray inserted (with batteries in the respective trays of course).

The box/unit also came with a remote control but since the Nikon D5300 supports WiFi and I can take pictures using my Android smartphone/tablet, I have never used the remote control that came with it.

Just like the Meike Battery Grip, in order to use the button on the battery grip to shoot pictures, you will need to use the included cable to connect the battery grip to the side of the camera.

Although this battery grip is a bit more expensive than the Meike Battery Grip, for the additional functionality of using AA batteries, I find that it is well worth the higher price and I really recommend them. Since AA batteries are very easy to find/buy, having the ability to use AA batteries is great just in case you think that your EN-EL14 batteries are fully charged and they are not or the EN-EL14 batteries you have no longer maintain their charge.

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Meike battery grip for Nikon D5100 D-SLR camera review

I purchased a Meike battery grip for my Nikon D5100 D-SLR camera a few weeks ago and received it recently so I thought that I would write a review on the product.

Since the Nikon D5100 D-SLR is considered to be a mid-level entry camera, Nikon hasn't released a battery grip for this camera and probably won't so some companies have decided to fill in the void by creating their own battery grip for the Nikon D5100 camera.

I purchased my battery grip mainly because I heard/read that the battery grip will allow photographers to use non-Nikon OEM EN-EL14 batteries for their Nikon D5100 camera. As mentioned in my mini-review on the Nikon D5100 D-SLR camera, the D5100 detects a computer chip on authentic Nikon EN-EL14 batteries and will give an error message as well as not work when non-Nikon batteries are used. Even though I have 2 authentic Nikon batteries and I always like to carry 2 sets of batteries whenever I take pictures, I felt that because of the high price of the authentic Nikon EN-EL14 battery compared to the OEM EN-EL14 battery, one day I might decide to get OEM batteries and having the battery grip would be useful.

The first thing about the battery grip is that the colour matches the camera relatively well. You would have to look very closely to notice the difference in colour between the D5100 body and the battery grip. That being said, the battery grip is light and the plastic feels cheap when compared to the plastic on the D5100 camera body itself. The fit of the battery grip and the D5100 body is almost perfect. There is very little empty space between the camera body and the battery grip once the battery grip is secured in place using the screw that fits into the tripod hole on the bottom of the camera. The battery cover clip/lever on the battery grip is flimsy but it gets the job done by locking the battery grip's battery cover in place one the EN-EL batteries are inserted.

People should be aware that some people have modified the Meike battery grip for Nikon D3100 cameras by cutting/sanding one side of the battery grip. The side of the battery grip is the only difference between the Meike battery grip for Nikon D3100 cameras and the Meike battery grip for Nikon D5100 cameras. Personally the box that I purchased indicated that the battery grip was specifically for the Nikon D5100 camera.

In order to use the battery grip, you must first remove the battery cover from the D5100 body. To do this, you just angle the battery cover at roughly 45 degrees and pull firmly and the battery cover will pop off the bottom of the D5100. There is a holder space for the battery cover on the Meike battery grip so that people don't misplace/lose it.

Once the battery grip is attached to the D5100 body, it gives the camera a "better" look (in my opinion). For me, I find that the added weight makes it a little easier for me to take pictures.

The battery grip has a shutter release button (to take pictures). This makes it easier to take pictures while holding the battery grip (holding camera vertically). However in order to use the battery grip's shutter release button, you must use the included cable which connects the battery grip to the camera via the port on the left side of the camera.

I was going to test OEM EN-EL14 batteries in my Meike battery grip but I was pleasantly surprised that the OEM generic/non-Nikon EN-EL14 batteries that I purchased actually worked in my Nikon D5100 camera.

Based on some of the other reviews that I've seen, in order to use generic/non-Nikon EN-EL14 batteries in the battery grip, you first have to insert the authentic Nikon EN-EL14 battery into the battery grip (on the right side). After the authentic Nikon battery is inserted on the right side of the battery grip, you would then power up the Nikon D5100 camera and it will power on. After doing this, you turn off the Nikon D5100 camera and insert the OEM EN-EL14 on the left side of the battery grip. With this configuration/set-up, the D5100 will still power-up. After doing this, you can replace the authentic Nikon EN-EL14 battery on the right side with an OEM EN-EL14 battery so that there are two OEM EN-EL14 batteries in the battery grip and the Nikon D5100 will still power-up. Once this is done, as long as there is always 1 battery in the battery grip, you can swap out the other battery without any issues and the camera will still work. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your viewpoint), I wasn't able to test this (but I've seen videos showing this) since my OEM EN-EL14 batteries actually work in my D5100 camera.

I think that this battery grip is a useful accessory but since it is very easy to swap batteries in the Nikon D5100, I don't really see a point to the longer shooting time offered by the battery grip except if the person takes a lot of videos (or takes very long videos). In terms of whether I recommend the product or not, I think that it depends on whether the person plans on purchasing OEM EN-EL14 batteries in the future which may or may not work directly with the Nikon D5100 camera. For me, the OEM EN-EL14 batteries that I purchased surprisingly worked directly with my Nikon D5100 camera.

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Belkin Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging Station Review

I've been using my Belkin Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging Station for a few months now and I thought that now was the perfect time to write my review about it.

The major selling points for the product is that it allows for the charging of up to 4 devices at a time (USB charging) and it automatically shuts down to prevent overcharging and eliminates standby charging.

I've used the device to charge my GPS unit (TomTom Go 930), my iPhone 3GS, my Blackberry Bold 9700, and my Samsung Nexus-S at the same time using the device. According to the documentation, if the electronic device requires too much power to charge, the Belkin Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging station won't be able to charge as many devices at the same time. I have not used my Belkin charging station to charge my HP TouchPad nor did I use it to charge the Blackberry Playbook that I had evaluated when it first came out since I am sure that the Belkin station wouldn't be able to charge either of these tablets because of the amount of power they require in order to charge.

The only device that I've had problems charging from my devices listed above is my Blackberry Bold 9700. For some reason, it will only charge from one of the USB ports and using the shortest (included) USB cable. Moving/Using the exact same cable in a different USB port on the Belkin USB charging station produces an error message on my Blackberry informing me that the device is incapable of being charged from the unit.

Another thing that I noticed when my Blackberry Bold 9700 is plugged into the Belkin Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging station is that even though all my devices plugged into the unit are fully charged, the charging station would continually charge them for up to a few hours before turning off. However, when my Blackberry Bold 9700 is not plugged into the Belkin charging station but my other devices (iPhone 3GS and/or Samsung Nexus-S) is plugged into the unit, the Belkin charging station powers off within a reasonable amount of time after the devices are fully charged.

Because the Belkin Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging station powers off once it detects that all devices connected to it are charged, this can present problems. For example, if you decide to charge your smartphone too early (prior to you taking it), it might no longer be fully charged when you remove it from the charging unit such as if you decide to charge it when you come home after work and then you forget to "recharge it" before you go to bed, by the time you wake up the following day, your smartphone will no longer be fully charged and might not even have enough power to last the entire day.

Other than the shortcomings that I've already mentioned above, there isn't much that I don't like about the Belkin Conserve Valet Smart USB Charging Station and I have no problems recommending this unit.

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APC Back-UPS ES 750 Review

I've been using the APC Back-UPS ES 750 for a few months now so I thought that I would write a review on it. UPS for those of you who are unaware is an acronym for uninterrupted power supply. It is basically a backup power supply in case there isn't any electricy.

The unit comes with 10 outlets (5 having surge protection and 5 having battery backup capabilities).  The output power capability is 450 Watts / 750 VA. The company's manufacturer's code is BE750G-CN (which is the Canadian version of the Back-UPS ES 750). Included with the UPS is the user replaceable battery, a USB cable, manual, and CD software.

When I got my UPS, the battery was inside it but the battery terminals weren't connected to the cables. I didn't notice this even though the instructions mentioned this fact (I'm not the type of person who generally reads the manual before using electronic equipment). Once I attached the battery terminals to the cables, everything was working properly.

After plugging the UPS into the AC outlet and plugging my computer and its accessories to the proper outlet on the UPS depending on whether I just wanted surge protection (printer, speakers, desk lamp, etc.) or whether I wanted battery backup (computer, monitor, router, cable modem, etc.).

Three of the surge protection outlets are controlled by one of the battery backup outlets. By this, I mean that if the UPS detects that the item connected to the battery backup outlet is drawing power, these 3 surge protection outlets will have power. I decided to connect my monitor to this special "master" battery backup outlet and connect my speakers and printer to two of the surge protection outlets which were being controlled by the master. This way, when I turned off my monitor (but left my computer running), my speakers would automatically power off (likewise with my printer). When my monitor went into power save mode, these items would also power off.

I connected the USB cable from the UPS to one of the USB ports on my computer and installed the PowerChute Personal Edition software. Even though the UPS came with the software on CD, I decided to download it from the company's website since the version on company's websites are usually more recent than the version shipped with the actual product.

The main purpose of the software is that in the event of a power failure, it allows your computer to automatically shut itself down. However, this isn't really accurate. The software actually doesn't shut down but it provides unattended hibernation. The difference between hibernation and shut down is that with hibernation, the computer is suppose to return to the same state when power is restored. This means that any programs that are running or any documents which are open will remain open and you won't lose your work. With shut down, the computer exits all programs and shuts down the computer so that the next time the computer is powered on, it has to go through the entire booting sequence again. In most cases, hibernation is preferable for UPS systems but personally because hibernation doesn't seem to work properly on my PC when I have a VMware session running, I prefer that the system shut down when there is a power failure. The APC Back-UPS ES 750 only allows for hibernation.

The software has a variety of settings and self tests. It will approximate the run-time of the equipment on battery power based on the battery charge. For example, currently the software estimates that because the UPS is supplying 157 Watts of power (it gets this information via the USB cable), in the event of a power failure, the battery will last approximately 10 minutes. The UPS also has an audible alarm that sounds if the UPS is on battery power. This is user configurable so that in the event of a power failure, if you (like me), don't want the alarm to beep between 22:00 and 9:00, you can configure the UPS via the software so that it doesn't beep during those times.

Even though the battery is replaceable, because of the cost of a new battery (compared with the cost of a new UPS) as well as trying to find a reliable Canadian retailer who sells the battery, I'm not sure if many people living outside the US would replace the battery in 3-5 years when the battery probably needs replacing.

If you have any questions/comments regarding this blog entry, please don't hesitate to leave a comment in the comments section.