Review on 📷 Canon 3086C002 BG-E22 Battery Grip - Black, Full-Size: A Powerful Accessory for Enhanced Camera Performance by Brent Henderson

This is my second SLR battery grip. The previous one was made by a third party for the T4i. When I bought this grip there were no 3rd party options for the EOS-R. I have to say that in the years I have used a third party grip on my T4i I have never had an issue that would have made me buy a Canon. That being said, I wasn't particularly upset at having to pay a much higher price for a Canon-branded grip. However, what really annoyed me was that I lost a HUGE feature with this crank that I had on the much cheaper T4i. Possibility to use battery slides with AA batteries. Since rechargeable batteries lose their charge after about a month of rest, and I have a habit of only taking out my SLR about once a month (big family events, etc.), I have had too many situations where I wanted to take my camera and found that all four batteries were empty. Okay, yes, I could just manage my batteries better. Though not. It was great knowing I could drop them on the charger, grab a AA insert with fresh AA batteries, and start shooting right away. I can't do that anymore with this grip. Now I have to be much more vigilant to keep the batteries charged even if the camera hasn't been used for a while. However, as the batteries age and their capacity decreases, I will eventually need a backup for long shoots. Instead of carrying a couple of AA's on my back for backup, I will now be forced to buy more expensive new rechargeable batteries. It may not matter at all to some, but I'm sure it matters to some of you out there. I'm hoping that either Canon will release an optional AA tray or a third party grip manufacturer will release a version that supports AA. Aside from my rather specific grip above, the grip works great, as expected. The buttons on the grip match well with the buttons on the camera body. Strap attachment points are the same as any other accessory handle. I like the USB port for charging, but I don't like that it is recommended to ONLY use it with Canon batteries. I have two Canon batteries and two third-party batteries. I usually like to skid a Canon and a third party at the same time. If I use the USB port for charging, I should only replace the batteries with Canon batteries, otherwise there is a warning that there is a risk of damage. With all the battery issues, I don't want their system to start a fire in the camera. I'd rather have it happen on a wart wall charger if that was the case. Overall the grip is good but I don't like that it's missing a feature that is crucial for me. Not being able to use AA as a backup is huge for me. But since it doesn't matter to many, I'm only deducting one star for that.