Pixel Vertical Battery Grip Pack for Nikon D800, replaces Nikon MB-D12

This is a great alternative unit for the Nikon MD-D12.Physical: The look and feel is just as nice as the Nikon MB-D200 (D200's grip). I cannot say if the interior is made of magnesium alloy, but it is very light. The rubber grips are all snug and feel solid. The EN-EL15 battery tray and the "eight AA" battery tray are both made of high quality solid plastic. They certainly do not feel flimsy. The EN-EL15 battery fits snug into the tray. The tray has a hard locking mechanism that prevents the battery from coming loose. The grip has a slot to put the rubber port cover from the bottom of the D800 so that one would not misplace it. The grip fits easily and snug to the D800 - just as one would expect. It really looks/feels like something Nikon would make.Functionality: The multifunction selector works as one would expect. The AF/AE button worked perfectly. The shutter lock switch worked as one would expect. The Sub and Command dials work as one would expect. Since this is really for portraits ("tall" pics), it does not have any of the buttons dedicated for video... lol. However, it'd be nice to have a "Live View" button for portraits!--- Updated July 23, 2012 ---Received the replacement unit today and as expected, all is well. The shutter AF/AE works as expected. The shutter release also as expected. Shutter release CL and CH (five and six fps) works as expected. Posted more pics too.--------------------------------------After being a strict "Nikonian" for seven years, this is my first non-Nikon piece of equipment. I decided to go with this unit because the Nikon's unit was a bit too expensive. My D200's grip was reasonably priced - even seven years ago brand new. Anyway, I've read an awesome review of this unit from a link from a forum on dpreview.com.HTH

Initially, I really liked this grip and wanted to give it a good review. For a 3rd party accessory, it is well built. The texture and the color of the rubber material closely matches that of the camera body. One of the two guiding pins is made of metal, unlike the 3rd party grips from Meike or Phottix. The battery chamber is double walled for added rigidity. All the seams look and feel well integrated with tight gaps. The tripod mount is reinforced with a metal bar inside the battery chamber. Only thing that feels less than smooth is the feel of the buttons in general, not quite smooth as the way the buttons feel on the camera itself.The problem with my copy was that after I mounted the grip on the body, it would stop recognizing the battery as being present after several hours. Like the Nikon grip, this unit also comes with 2 tray adapters that allows for the use of either EN-EL15 or 8 AA batteries. The problem with camera not recognizing the battery occured whether I used AAs or EN-EL15 batteries in the grip. To re-set it, I had to take the grip off and re-mount it. It was a major hassle to keep taking it on and off and I worried that it might wear out and eventually damage the delicate contacts on the camera. To make sure it wasn't the problem with camera itself, I borrowed a Nikon grip and tried it; it worked perfectly. I'm mad at Nikon for pricing MB-D12 so ridiculously high. Undecided whether to try another 3rd party grip ...

I bought this at the end of July and was skeptical that it would work. To my delight it worked amazingly well and I was very happy with my purchase. BUT, almost 3 months later the grip went useless on me. It is really weird, the shutter on the grip still works but everything else seems like it is not receiving power or something. The camera doesn't recognize that a grip is attached anymore which means I don't get the extended batterly life that I count on. What makes it totally unusable for me now is that I can't move the directional stick to change my autofocus points since it has decided to stop working. I emailed the seller and am hopeful that they will stand behind their product as $100 is far to much for a product that lasts less than 3 months (that makes Nikon's ridiculously priced MBD12 look like a bargain). I'll post back if the company comes through and does the right thing.

Update: I still have had not issues with this battery grip and have had it almost 3 years. I have probably fired over 50,000 shots with the grip with no issues what so ever.I have had the Pixel Perfect Battery Grip for over a year. It was one of the first after market grips to come out for the D800. It works fine with no major issues. The only issue which I do have is the green light that shows when the grip is connected tends to come on and off when I move the camera around. It does not appear to effect the battery life and I don't consider it a major issue. I have no misfires with the grip so I know the connection is fine. It is a great alternative to the price of the Nikon brand.

Stopped working on my camera and actually caused the D810 to malfunction until I removed the grip. I thought I was in for a costly repair but it was only this cheap grip causing my issues. Don't buy it.

I have nothing but the highest praise for this Pixel Battery Grip. I had just spent $3200 on a D800 and couldn't justify spending another $400 for a simple battery grip from Nikon. I took a gamble with this 3rd party product and I'm so happy that I did. The build quality is high-grade plastic and feels very solid once attached to the D800. In terms of fit, the grip plugs in seamlessly with the camera and I would have zero problem placing the camera grip-side down on a tripod.The only gripe (and a minor one at that) is that the buttons are not quite as dampened as those on the Nikon body. However, this minor detail is not enough for me to recommend that anyone (regardless of their economic means) buy Nikon's product over Pixel's