Are third-party battery grips worth it for Sony A7R series?

Tbh I felt the exact same way when I got my A7R IV. Sony charges way too much for plastic and a few contacts, and that 300 dollar plus price tag is basically just paying for the name. I ended up grabbing the Meike MK-A7R4 Pro Battery Grip with 2.4G Remote Control and honestly, it has been solid for about 80% of what I do. The build quality is decent enough for regular use. Is it as sturdy as the Sony VG-C4EM Vertical Grip? Probably not, but for a fraction of the price, I dont really care if it gets a little wear and tear. The buttons feel a bit more mushy than the ones on the camera body, but they have been reliable and havent cut out on me once during a shoot. My favorite part is actually the wireless remote it comes with, which is super handy for long exposures or when the cameras on a tripod. The only real catch is weather sealing. I wouldnt trust the Neewer or Meike seals as much as the official one. If you are out in a literal monsoon, you might want to be careful or just take it off. But for typical landscape drizzle or long portrait sessions? Its totally fine. Use the extra 250 bucks you save to put toward a better lens or some lighting gear. In my experience, the third-party route is the way to go unless you have a massive professional budget to burn.

Jumping in here because I'm always super cautious about my gear. I actually had a cheap grip short out on me once, so I'm wary of the budget stuff. Since you do landscape work, weather sealing is the real kicker. I eventually stuck with the Sony VG-C4EM Vertical Grip for total peace of mind, but the Neewer Vertical Battery Grip for Sony A7R IV is a decent middle ground if you're just looking for ergonomics.

I'm gonna be the outlier here and say grips actually make handling worse because of the weight. I used one on my Sony A7R IV and it felt like lugging a brick. It reminds me of this hiking trip where I brought way too much gear and ended up just taking photos on my phone because my back hurt. The trails were so crowded that day. Anyway lol sorry for the tangent.

Saw this today and it reminds me of my buddy who used a grip at a beach shoot once. Sand got inside the dial and it made this horrible grinding sound for like three weeks until he finally took it apart. It was a whole mess. I usually check those teardown threads on DPReview for internal build specs, but man, cleaning sand out of those tiny buttons was a total ordeal lol.

Commenting to find later

bump