mcoplusMCO-G80/85 Vertical Battery Grip as DMW-BGG1 Replacement Fit Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 DMC-G85 G80 G85 Camera

These are my initial impressions, as I've only had the grip for a few days; I will update this review if those impressions change. So far, I'm quite impressed. I haven't used the official Panasonic battery grip, so I can't make a direct comparison, but I do know that the Panasonic version is weather and dust resistant (like the camera itself), and I doubt the Mcoplus version is. In terms of layout and general functionality, they appear identical.The construction here is plastic with a rubberized grip and it feels solid in the hand. The rubber material isn't exactly the same as the camera's, but you'd have to look pretty close to tell the difference. It attaches firmly to the camera, although there is some slight play in the locking wheel after it is attached; that's fairly common for battery grips and it doesn't bother me. Unlike the official version, an additional battery is not included.The grip adds some noticeable weight and size to the camera, as expected. It feels good in the hand, especially when paired with a larger lens, and the bottom grip makes portrait shooting easier. The mirrored camera controls work well also; there are the twin dials, shutter release, AF/AE lock button, and two function buttons. These controls can be switched on and off on the grip, but the battery remains active either way, which is a nice touch. The buttons are more "clicky" than the ones on the camera itself and the dials are louder and not quite as firm, but they look identical and feel just fine.All in all, it seems to be a perfectly functional clone of the official grip. When attached, the battery meter reads "BG" and you are able to switch between the battery in the body and the battery in the grip using the menu. If the official grip were priced in the $100 to $150 range, I'd recommend it for the weather sealing, build quality, and additional battery. With the official grip still priced at $350, however, I'd recommend this one in a heartbeat. Even factoring in the cost of a second battery, it's an excellent deal – the build quality is totally adequate and everything functions exactly as you'd expect.My only real quibbles are very minor and they are present on the official grip as well. First, the grip only holds one battery, although it looks large enough for two; the second battery stays in the camera. Especially on the $350 official grip, it would have been nice to get a second battery into the grip, for a total of three; but I'm sure that becomes an entirely new engineering challenge and I don't really mind this setup. Second, one of my only complaints about the G85 is the location of the tripod mount on the camera; it's centered on the lens, but weirdly close to the mount, which makes some tripod plates fit strangely. Adding the battery grip addresses this issue by moving the tripod mount back to the middle of the grip, but it also pushes it off-center from the lens. I can understand why – it needs to be off-center to clear the battery in the grip – but I do wish the grip were originally designed a bit differently.As I said, though, these are very minor issues. For $60 plus the cost of a battery, I think this grip is worth it for the increased battery life alone; the additional controls are a nice bonus. I haven't had the grip long enough to be sure of its long term reliability and durability, but it makes a good first impression for the price – especially compared to the much more expensive alternative.

Had to return first one as it had loose broken pieces tumbling around inside. Controls do not respond well. Overall not a very well built product.

This accessory grip is actually pretty nice. Installed in a couple minutes and functioned perfectly out of the box. Although not a perfect cosmetic match or exact form fit , it's well worth the money considering it's only a fraction of the cost of a Panasonic grip. Definitely adds "chunkiness" to the G9 body.

I've been using this battery grip for my G85 for the past month, and it has worked pretty much flawlessly in that time. I do not have the official OEM grip to compare it to, but I like that this grip works as expected for ALOT less money. The dials on this grip are a little "loose", but, you get used to it. The shutter button has worked fine for my shooting in portrait mode (half press and full press, feel a bit different from the G85 shutter button, but its not a bad kind of different). The battery door hinge felt tighter when i first received it, and after a month of use, it does seem a little loose, but it's still working fine.All in all, for the month i've had it glued to my camera, i am impressed, and i am hopeful that this grip will last.

Does what it needs to.