A few weeks back, Michael Blum posted a comment link to a Taiwan outfit called Ownuser. Sort of a strange name, but they have an extensive online catalog of custom made photo equipment, including a vertical battery grip for the Minolta 5D and the Sony A100.
This appears to be a completely different manufacturer than the Korean DiCain aftermarket grip that I wrote about a few month back. The specs for the new grip look excellent. The wiring harness is external, because there are no grip connectors on the Alpha or the 5D. But I can live with that.
There is just one problem. There is no US distributor as yet. In fact, there seems to be only a smattering of users who actually have got their hands on the grip anywhere in the world.
Is it a real product … or just a fantasy?
Of course, most photographers understand that specialty items from a small company might take a while to produce. To design, test and mass-produce a product such as this is no small feat. The Alpha 100 was only officially announced in June. It didn’t start shipping in any quantity until August.
So it is understandable that Ownuser might need more time to bring the grip to market.
Unfortunately, the Ownuser story predates the Alpha 100 introduction by a very long time. Long before the Alpha started shipping. Ownuser was promising a vertical grip for the Minolta 5D, as well as various Nikon and Pentax dSLRs. These products, as far as I can tell, are scarce to non-existent in the Orient and completely unavailable in North America. Some US users apparently have been quoted a price of $100 for the grip — a bargain it it is well made and works as advertised. However, I haven’t heard of any North American photographer who actually ordered one or who even was able to learn what the shipping would be.
Obviously, Ownuser has not yet ramped up for major production. It is the old chicken and the egg syndrome — the company needs orders to produce in quantity, but few people will order the unit until it becomes widely available.
Will the Ownuser grip ever be available in the US?
This isn’t the first company to offer a product that they haven’t yet produced. The software industry is famous for promoting “vaporware”, which is software that is promised but never actually gets produced. The photographic industry isn’t immune to this either — anyone still waiting for the widely promoted Silicon Film digital adapter for 35mm cameras? Their website first appeared in the late ’90s. Last year I ran across their website — still promising they would be shipping product soon.
Still, there is reason to hope. An aftermarket vertical grip is, after all, a reasonable product. Silicon Film was attempting to produce something that had never been made before. There ware all manner of technical hurdles to overcome. In the end, the company couldn’t overcome those hurdles and produce a product for an affordable price.
But a vertical grip is a different animal. While there are undoubtedly some engineering challenges that must be overcome to make a grip that will fit a particular camera, it isn’t exactly rocket science. There are numerous vertical grips in existence for Nikon and Canon. Even the Minolta 7D has an excellent, but expensive grip available. How hard could it be to study the available grips and then create an aftermarket grip to fit the Alpha 100 or the Minolta 5D? I’m not saying there wouldn’t be snags, but with existing grips to model your product after it doesn’t seem like it would be that difficult.
Grips appearing Asian markets?
There may yet be hope for an afteramarket grip for the A100. While Ownuser products continue to be unavailable in the US, there are reports of some users acquiring grips in the Pacific Rim. Over on the Steve’s Digicams forums, someone from the Philippines posted several pictures of an Ownuser grip they recently acquired for their 5D.
So if the grip is available in the Philippines, how long before some enterprising importer brings it to the states? The demand is string, so I would guess that the grip would sell very well at a street price of $100. If you absolutely have to have a vertical grip, however, I wouldn’t count on the Ownuser or DiCain grips until you actually see them offered for sale by major photo outlets. I’ll probably order one — as soon as I get my Silicon Film adapter that will allow me to shoot digitally with by old Minolta XK Motor.
Until next time, stay focused!
Update July 2007: I’ve added a new post with a link to a website selling aftermarket grips: Aftermarket battery grips for Sony and Minolta
15 Comments
I think that, eventually, a thrid party vertical grip may become available but by then, the Alpha 100 is likely to have been superceded by a more advanced model for which Sony will offer a grip. I have sold two of my eight Sigma lenses for Minolta mount via Ebay and I am planning to sell another two this month. I was testing a number of second hand lenses I had bought such as the 3.5 180mm macro versus the 2.8 70-200mm and I am hoping to sell them breaking even or even making a small profit because demand for secondhand Minolta mount lenses appears to have picked up with the introduction of the Alpha 100. If Sony should fail to introduce an improved DSLR in 2007, I will sell off the whole system and buy a Nikon D80 or a Pentax 10D. The Pentax would match the Sony in-camera IS feature, which in my experience is of little use if you use long telephotos such as an 2.8 300mm or a 2.8 70-200 with 1.4x converter. The Nikon will allow access to the complete range of Sigma lenses including HSM models. I think Sony currently looks nothing like a strong contender in the DSLR market even though sales of the Alpha 100 currently appear to be quite strong. This could change, however, if rumours of an advanced, Fuji- or even Foveon-like Sony chip should become reality. I give them until after the 2007 CES to come up with something better than the Alpha 100.
A100 vertical grip
made in korea product
site : http://itempage.auction.co.kr/DetailView.aspx?ItemNo=A074612761&frm2=through
Although it looked promissing on the Ownuser web site and in the catalogue I had the possiblity to look into, I was a little disappointed about the Alpha grip when I handled it in the store in Taipei. It’s too heavy, too large (even for my European hands) and has 12 AA batteries as power source. For me it was difficult to attache to my Alpha body. I didn’t buy it … Price was around 100 US$. They tried to make one grip for a whole range of digcams, by keeping the base and using an adaptor to fit to different bodies.
I haven’t had my hands on a Dicain grip yet but it looks better designed, thought through … it seems smaller and is probably better to handle, it uses the same Sony battery …
I have ordered the dicain unit for the Sony Alpha.
I bought it via ebay in Korea ….verry nice person who is selling the Grip’s
I payed 135€ aprox 145us$ for the grip incl shipment . It took four days to deliver at my place in Belgium….There was also a litle extra in the box , a dicain polycarbonate screenprotector for my litle baby
I must say it fits my Alpha like a cherry on a pie….
Here is the link for his ebay space [url]
http://feedback.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=imsinbad/url
Kind regards
Xenomorph69
Is there anyway?You can send me the product by c.o.d.,because can get no-where on ebay……or here is my address;;;;3400 OCEE ST. #2707
HOUSTON TX,77063
PHONE#713-334-9253
CELL#713-376-3370
Judging by the sheer number of posts on the net about third party vertical grips/battery-packs for the Sony Alpha 100 i think it is fair to assume that the demand for it is quit big.
During some Quick research i already found three (!) third party battery-grips: the “BG-Alpha” from Opteka , the “VG-1″ from Dicain and the “DX-FBH” from Ownuser.
All of them are heavily discussed and heavily sought after products.
They say that Sony is a company that really has a good listening ear as to what the customers are looking for..and therefore might even be reading fora like this one. A very intelligent way to “work a market” if you ask me.
If that is really how Sony works…i would like to give the following valuable tips to them:
1. Please please please produce a solid Vertical Grip/Battery-pack for the Alpha 100.
2. Even more important: Please please please enable the use of standard (rechargeable) AA-batteries for it.
I am really considering to switch to another brand of DSLR although i have a Minolta 9Xi, several expensive Minolta lenses and an expensive HS5400 flash unit…solely because i DONT want to be paying big bucks for Sony “Stamina” or Info-Lithium battery-replacements while i could be using affordable standard “penlite†AA-cells.
I can purchase AA-batteries at a MUCH better capacity/price-ratio..and they can be found virtually everywhere (even in the most remote places in third world countries)
I am also about to get rid of my Sony V1 compact camera because of this battery-annoyance. I bought TWO very expensive Info Lithium C NP-FC11 batteries together with the camera..and now i have to pay the EXACT same (very high) price (59 euro each) to replace them BOTH..while in the meantime the capacity of all standard rechargeable batteries (including AA) have more than DOUBLED…for even less money.
That really doesnt do much for my brand-loyalty at all.
Charging me 59 euro for ONE Sony battery at a pittyful 780 mAh (!) while I can get 4 rechargeable AA batteries at only 10 euro at 3200 mAh each!!!…that’s just painfully rediculous!!!!! Don’t you agree?
Forcing the customer to buy only your own brand gives the customer the exact same feeling as the Microsoft Corporation has acheaved on so many occasions….and that just can NOT be the objective of a company that really listens to its customers like Sony does…….right ??
There is a vendor on eBay UK for the Ownuser grip. Check out item: 270135490969. Worldwide shipping too.
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article y A100 vertical grip saga continues | Alphatracks, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
Hey Daniel:
What parts of the article were difficult to understand? I would be happy to break it down further if I knew what you had trouble understanding.
Please let me know.
– Tom
The battery grip can be found here http://cgi.ebay.ie/Vertical-hand-Battery-Grip-for-Sony-Alpha-DSLR-A100-B1I_W0QQitemZ190197264272QQihZ009QQcategoryZ64323QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
Hi,this is Hollis Kubicek,just discovered your Post on google and i must say this blog is great.may I share some of the article found in your website to my local people?i am not sure and what you think?anyhow,Thanks!
Great read thanks will defently digg this page and share it around!
lithium batteries are nice to use because they are very light and have high power density ;;
i liked Malik Cubillo comment
I just could not depart your site prior to suggesting that I actually enjoyed the standard info a person provide for your visitors? Is gonna be back often to check up on new posts
2 Trackbacks
[...] The Sony A100 vertical grip saga continues [...]
[...] http://alphatracks.com/archives/44 REALLY WANT THAT!! # [...]