One of the accessories I have wanted for my Canon XSi has been the battery grip. Though some of you out there might ask why a battery grip and why not put that money towards a lens? Well I thought about it and I find that sometimes I can drain the lithium battery in my Canon EOS 450D pretty quick (with the amount of photos I take). I also thought it would be nice to be able to hold the camera properly when taking a portrait type shot. Though there is also the thought that people might look at me and think ‘that guy looks pro!’ as I walk around with this big, expensive looking camera.

Canon BG-E5 Battery Grip

When the Canon XSi came out they change the body of the camera a little bit and that means you could not get away with using the Canon battery grip from an XT or XTi camera. Canon developed the BG-E5 to fit with the Canon XSi (or EOS 450D) which also allows you to hold the camera in portrait orientation without your hand being awkwardly held above your head.

The BG-E5 comes with 2 battery caddies which allow you to either hold two LP-E5 battery packs or 6x AA batteries. I also found that you can still use the battery grip (and your camera) with only one LP-E5 in case you do not have the second or are charging it. The 6x AA caddy allows for those moments where you’ve forgotten to charge your batteries and need some extra shooting time. Just pop over to a local convenience store, purchase 6x AA batteries and continue shooting!

The rear side of the BG-E5 has the buttons to allow you to change you Av (aperture setting), adjust your focus point as well as cycle though images in preview mode. You can also turn off the controls on the battery grip in case you are prone to accidentally touching them.

The top (front) of the battery grip has your shutter button and dial for changing your shutter speed (aperture when the Av is held down). It fits as comfortably in your hand (if not more) than the regular grip the camera has. You can also see the tripod mount at the bottom of the grip. The grip is attached to the camera body’s tripod mount and connects via the battery compartment of the Canon XSi.

Last Thoughts

I have used the battery grip for a few weeks now and I have enjoyed having it attached to my camera. The BG-E5 adds little bit of weight to the camera but I believe it allows for better balance and more comfortable hold.

I have not tested the life of the two LP-E5 batteries I have but I have yet to need to charge them either. I also found it handy to be able to use the camera with 1 battery in the caddy while the second battery was charging. Then that second was done, I put in the first battery to charge so they were both fully charged when I set out.

It took a few times to get used to shooting with it in portrait mode but I find it a lot more comfortable than having my hand over my head to take the shot. With the controls in the same places I don’t have to hunt around for them when I need to take a shot either.

Optional Battery Grip

I was also told about a company called Ansmann who manufactures third-party battery grips for Canon (such as C-450 Pro) and Nikon cameras. They offer all the same features as the Canon battery grip does except they have a built-in rechargeable lithium battery. You just plug the AC adapter into it and charge the whole grip. No need to swap batteries to charge which can be pretty handy, especially if you only have 1 battery pack charger like I do for the Canon LP-E5s.