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I have seen umpteen such videos like a truck loaded with cement bags being pulled using neck strap of Canon holding body in hands or that Nikon vs Canon comparison video.

Why exactly one needs a battery grip that can be hammered ? May be there are small 2% of photo journos covering war , tsunami or bomb blasts but for other ordinary folks is it necessary to buy super duper quality which can stand sledge hammers ?

AFAIK all DSLR's come with 30sec exposure at max and bulb mode equals to whatever time one keeps shutter depressed.

Please refer to page 86 of D90 User Manual. "The shutter automatically closes after 30 minutes in BULB mode."

Same in D7000 when using the "Remote Wireless remote".
With a wired remote, it will keep on as long as shutter is depressed.
So if you set bulb mode, and press shutter and release it after 1/2 second, you will get a 1/2 second exposure.
If you release if after 40 minutes, you will get 40 minutes exposure.
If you use a wireless remote to trigger shutter, it will take exposure upto a max for 30 minutes.
You can again trigger the shutter within 30 minutes to get a shorter exposure.

Amit dear, its not about the super duper quality, but the basic reliable functioning one is worried about. I want one for better grip and the vertical buttons, not really bothered about the other advantages (longer power back up, faster fps, IR functioning etc.). That video shows you a product that stopped working on every camera firmware upgrade. I might have taken the hammer myself :)

Mr.Bull, if you have the camera, use it yourself to know what is a bulb mode rather than reading the manual. Lot of things are easily understood playing with the camera buttons than going through the theoretical part. I dont have the manual but what I understand is the maximum allowed bulb mode time by D90 is 30 mts, which is heard to be a safety feature not to fry your sensor due to heating. That 30 mts is while you press and hold your release button, sorry your camera's release button :D

Tanveer, wireless IR remote (ML-L3) does not function as 'press and hold' on bulb mode with D90, I have tried and failed.

On D7000, with wireless remote, I press it once, shutter opens, I press it again, and shutter closes. So I can use it for long exposure in bulb mode, upto 30 minutes.
Beyond 30 minutes, I need wired release.

Well Shaju I just quickly moved the slider to check the video and did not go in detail. Anyway I could not quite understand how exactly a dumb device like battery grip can result in any failure due to firmware update or even responsible for Longer power backup , faster FPS yada yada..

If you peep inside the battery compartment there are N number of contact points few of them are of battery and rest for the vertical buttons.
All the battery grip does is to provide a simple electrical connection and there is no software controlled portion in the grip ( atleast that is the case with Canons)

So if a grip works before firmware update it must work afterwords as well.

Is this just a propaganda to push consumers in to buying official overpriced grips and remote releases ?

Being from mobile industry I can tell an insider fact that cabels and accessories pack for some 19-20 $ used to be a major source of revenue and that is why the connector used to change with every model until EU put the plug and mandated USB chargers for all phones to protect environment I think same is the case with Camera Industry.

I envy that function and really wish if it was the same with D700 too, but sadly Nikon does not even have an affordable IR remote for D700.

Technically speaking, I have no clue buddy, me being an average end-user :). Longer power is due to the extra battery inside and again extra FPS is still a mystery. D700 default 5 fps becomes 8 fps with the battery pack. Both batteries are never used simultaneously as dying one is shifted to the full power one through internal auto setting. Or do they suck from both batteries when 'burst'/CSh (continuous shooting high) is used ?

Beyond 30 min?? I heard the Bulb mode in DSLR is set to a max of 30min(I never tried that on mine though!!).

I have never tried beyond 30 minutes too.
However, the manual suggests, that 30 minute limit of for wireless remote, not for wired remote.
anyways, I rarely take exposures longer than 1500 seconds, so 30 minute limit does not affect me.

Well I understand the point that an extra battery in the grip can provide longer cycle time and ma be more current but then if a battery grip works It means electrical contacts are prim and proper and I see no reason it should stop working after firmware upgrade until Nikon puts in some sort of chip (like printer cartridges) to identify if it is 3ed party or not.

Mr shaju

How did you ever come to know abt bulb mode? Without reading? You may have capabilities to know everything but many of us don't. The manual is to for reading and to be read. You can leave yours with dealer if you like.

Leaving the shutter won't fry anything, don't worry. It will reduce the life of sensor obviously. You can try all your night pics and star moving pics reasonably well during this time.

If nikon thought otherwise then they would have kept it much lesser, possibly 30 secs as you mentioned before.

You may interpret this as a safety feature and use accordingly. Let me use mine as per the manual.

I wish I had that capability and my frequency here asking questions make it very clear to everyone else too ! I am not here to tell everyone what to do with their cameras and what not to do, I wish I have that kind of knowledge in the next 10 years to come. Btw, bulb mode is known to me through my friends, not through the manual. I dont understand half the manual terminologies.

Let me tell you unless you dont read and be thorough with the manual you can not explore your piece to max. Not only camera but any item with a manual.

Hearsay can be very dangerous. If I read here and keep thinking that I can capture BULB mode only for 30secs then I am doomed. The functioning of each button, what and how it does must be clear to utilize the equipment to max.

BTW, I had just replied to a statistical question someone did not know correctly. I just referred to manual and quoted the page number so that all doubts are killed once and for all. That does not mean that I restrict myself to manuals and dont explore my equipment. But I explore it with manual first, rather than hit and trial method which may teach some one how to click a photograph but wont teach photography.

Just my opinion. Not to hurt anyone.

If thats the information you got from reading this thread, then you did not read the whole thing or your attention got caught only to the word "30 secs". Thats why I suggested, play with your camera, try atleast a 1 minute bulb mode on your D90 and see how it functions, probably you will also realize what was all this discussion about. Just to give you a clue: Its all about 'press and leave' vs 'press and hold'.