Photography is expensive. In real terms, it has probably become more affordable. My first SLR - a Minolta XGM back in the early 1980s cost roughly 100 hours of my gross pay stacking supermarket shelves. In today's world that would be something like £700. That money would buy you a camera of easily far superior spec than my old XGM - an aperture priority semi-automatic camera that did have some ground-breaking features - an electro-magnetic shutter release and an LED shutter speed readout in the viewfinder. 

Spend £700 these days and you'll get several more bells and whistles than that. 

I recently decided to set up for serious freelance photography work and was faced with the problem of how to get the most 'bang for my buck' - or value for money if you're that way inclined. Once the (expensive) basics have been sorted - camera and lens(es) - there was very limited  money for accessories that you can find very useful when touting for trade in a busy market. Where could I cut financial corners without suffering loss of quality?

"A battery grip was about the best thing I ever bought for my entry level EOS 450D"

First of all, battery grip. A battery grip was about the best thing I ever bought for my entry level EOS 450D. If you've never used one, they are a revelation - portrait shooting becomes more stable and with the main controls reproduced on the vertical grip, it was a breeze. With the 450D it also made the fairly slight, lightweight body chunkier and more substantial. Add to that doubled battery capacity and an AA cartridge for those dire days when everything else has gone wrong, and you're on to a winner. My camera was almost never separated from the grip. 

"Would it be £50 down the proverbial?"
But. Buy a Canon grip for the 5D, and you're looking at the best part of £250. Ouch. As with my previous grip, I turned to ebay, and was rewarded with grip, AA cassette and IR and wired remote for £50 including delivery to Europe. Not bad. Would it be £50 down the proverbial?

Nothing of the kind. It's apparently identical, with the shutter, custom function, control wheel and multiple joystick that comes on the real one. It has a textured rubber coating for good grip, and strap location points for a handgrip. The location for the battery hatch from the camera body is nice and secure and it does the business. The catch to open the battery drawer is perhaps the flimsiest part, but I could buy another 3 of these and still be in pocket. 

One unanticipated consequence - this turns the 5D into a beast. It looks like a 1D, and the combined weight takes some getting used to. Unlike the 450D, I do find myself not always having the grip attached. However, so far so good. It's solid, reliable and gives you a whole day's shooting with the reassurance of an alkaline backup. The remote works just fine, and again the Canon version costs as much as the eBay grip.