15/03/2026 11:50 am
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so i just got this panasonic lumix g85 off ebay and i love it but man the battery is just tiny. it dies in like 40 minutes when im trying to record video. i keep seeing people with these big chunky handles on the bottom of their cameras and i think they are called battery grips?? but i have no idea how they work or if they actually make the battery last longer or if its just for holding it better.
my logic was that if i buy one it might let me put two batteries in at once so i dont have to stop filming every time to swap them out which is a huge pain when im at my brothers wedding next month in chicago. i really dont want to miss the vows because i was fumbling with a battery door. i looked on amazon and saw some third party ones by neewer and then the official panasonic one is way more expensive like triple the price.
is there a huge difference? like will the cheap one fry my camera? im really worried about breaking it since im new to this. my budget is maybe 100 bucks tops but if i can get away with spending 50 that would be even better. sorry if this is a really basic thing to ask i just dont want to buy the wrong thing and waste my money...
4 Answers
10
15/03/2026 12:05 pm
Re: "so i went through the same thing with..."
- A grip is amazing for weddings!
- Vello BG-P15 Battery Grip for Panasonic G85
- Panasonic DMW-BGG1 Battery Grip Extra power is fantastic!
10
15/03/2026 12:15 pm
To add to the point above: everyone mentioned the runtime boost, but unfortunately, many third-party grips have terrible voltage drop issues when the batteries get low. I had issues with my G85 shutting down early with the DSTE DMW-BGG1 Vertical Grip... it basically lacks proper shielding. Quick tip: use a Watson DMW-BLC12 Li-Ion Pack with its 1200mAh capacity for better consistency. Just dont rely on the weather sealing if it rains in Chicago tho!
5
15/03/2026 11:51 am
so i went through the same thing with my g85 a couple years back. the battery life is honestly pretty bad for video work. a grip basically gives you double the runtime because you have one battery in the camera body and another inside the grip. the camera usually drains the grip one first then switches to the internal one without stopping the recording.
- i used the Neewer Vertical Battery Grip for Lumix G85 for about a year and it never fried my camera. it feels a bit more plasticky than the official one but it gets the job done for like 50 bucks.
- the official Panasonic DMW-BGG1 Battery Grip is definitely built better and has better weather sealing but its usually way over 100 dollars.
- make sure you buy extra batteries too like the Wasabi Power Battery 2-Pack for Panasonic DMW-BLC12 since the grip just gives you the slot, not the actual power. its totally worth it for a wedding so you arent stressing about the juice mid-vows. just practice swapping the grip battery once before the big day so you know the flow.
5
29/03/2026 1:50 am
Honestly, for a wedding you gotta be super careful with those dirt-cheap off-brands. Ive seen them lose connection if you bump the camera too hard and that would totally suck during the vows. If youre looking for something reliable but cheaper than the official one, I would suggest the Mcoplus DMW-BGG1 Replacement Battery Grip. Its usually around 50 bucks and the build quality is actually pretty solid for the price. Just a warning tho, make sure the gold pins on the bottom of your camera are perfectly clean before you mount it. If you get even a tiny bit of oil or dust in there, it might cause the camera to reboot randomly. Since you're heading to Chicago, keep in mind these third party grips arent weather sealed like the G85 body is. If it starts drizzling during outdoor shots, take the grip off immediately or cover it. I also recommend grabing the Powerextra DMW-BLC12 2-Pack Batteries and LCD Charger to fill it up so you have plenty of juice for the reception. Just dont trust the battery level indicator 100% on the screen, they usually drop off a cliff once they hit the last bar.
