Vertical Battery Grip for Sony Alpha A200 - Travor S350Pro

As a budget conscious photos taker/ photographer, value for money is always my first priority when shopping for add on camera products to compliment my current Sony A200.

I always wanted a vertical battery grip as means to improves my portraits shots and also to go easy on my wrist/arm, all this turning the cam around is not wrist/arm friendly at all.

It does not take me long to realised that a vertical grip is one of the must have tool for a serious photographer and i started shopping for one. I found a few vertical battery grip that is within my budget and after thorough research via internet, I made up my mind to go with this unit.

Travor S350Pro - Vertical Battery Grip for Sony Alpha A200 with the command dial and shutter release button.

7.2V compatible with A200, A300 and A350 Made in China of course!

Battery contact points of Travor S350pro up close

Perspective view of Travor S350 Pro

The buttons which consists of AE lock, Exposure button and on off switch.

Battery compartment of the Travor S350 Pro

Battery Magazine slot.

Battery magazine which can accommodates 2 battery packs.

The contact points behind of the Battery Magazine.

Battery selection switch.

Camera battery cover slot.

My Sony A200 with attached Travor S350 Pro Vertical Battery Grip

At Rm300.00 (approximately USD90.00) i think this vertical grip is really a bargain, not only that ... when you purchase this Travor S350Pro Vertical grip it also comes with a free compatible battery. Hows that for value huh?

I been having this grip for almost 2 months now and i can fairly say that at this given time I have thoroughly tested this vertical grip and any judgement i made were not solely based on a few days of usage.

Overall i am quite pleased with the performance of this Travor s350Pro Vertical Grip for Sony A200, mainly because at this price the value derived from this products is hard to beat, but of course due to its price also this product is not without flaws.

Pros :

1. Value for money, especially with the free battery (worth RM90) thrown in. Best deal in town!
   
2. All buttons is functional.
3. Can accommodate 2 battery packs, double your battery power and prolong your mobile hours.
   
4. Good ergonomics, the overall "feel" of holding the grip is kinda good n comfy ... no slips encountered.
5. Compatible battery power reading in the status display LCD.
   
6. Easy on your wrist and arm when doing portraits shots.
   
7. Fits nicely and easily to A200 dslr body. Very precise piece of vertical battery grip.
8. Lightweight.
9. Did i mentioned about the free battery thrown in?!!!
10. 1 Year warranty on both battery grip and compatible battery.
    

Cons :

1. Not very responsive shutter button, its not as sensitive as the original button on the camera.
2. Over sensitive command dial, you tend to overshoot your settings when you are adjusting them though the vertical grip.
3. The On-Off switch is abit too tight for frequent operation but you dont really need to switch it on and off all the time.
4. Have to manually choose which battery pack to use by flipping the switch shown in this photo .
5. Poor printing quality, this can be seen in this photo where you could clearly see the printing is actually peeling off already.
   

In a nutshell

It really depends on what kinda budget you have, for the same price i dont think there is any other grip that could have the same value for money the Travor S350 Pro can offer.

If the cons is not a problem for you then by all mean go and get this vertical battery grip or you could spend more and get a better performance vertical battery grip and do not have to put up with all the cons of this unit.

While researching through the internet, I do found that most of Alpha DSLR users main concern were "Will this Vertical battery grip damage my camera's electronics?" I would seriously doubt that ... i been using it quite frequently for the last 2 months and not once i encountered any funky/funny incidents with my camera.

Then again ... the choice is entirely yours.