Now got a battery grip.

OK - let's get this out of the way from the outset. I've not bought a genuine Pentax battery grip but it's a generic exact copy bought on eBay. I can't therefore comment on the genuine Pentax one and say if it's more rugged or better built than the one I got for much cheaper. I'm also using generic spare batteries. Only time will tell if I genuinely saved money. To all intents and purposes, though, its exactly the same to use

Anyway, on to first impressions. Fitting the battery grip is as simple as fitting a tripod mount. All you have to do is peel out the rubber cap from the electrical contacts on the bottom of the camera body and take off the protective corresponding cap from the grip. There's a handy place to stow them in the grip so you don't lose them in the meantime. You then just line it all up and screw the thread into the tripod mount. It's really not complicated.

Once you've got the grip fitted the camera is obviously more bulky. You don't gain any width but the camera is taller. What's immediately apparent is that holding the camera in portrait (vertical) aspect is so much easier. The grip feels exactly the same as using it horizontally; the only difference is where you put your eye. You have all the same buttons and wheels in the same places as if using the camera horizontally so the same ergonomics are there for you. The only thing not under the thumb is your AF mode selector switch that surrounds the AF button.

Using it in landscape aspect the camera immediately feels chunkier and the heel of your hand has something to nestle against. There's a lower centre of gravity also. There is a drawback, and that is that the heel of your hand is on the shutter release button for the grip so it's a good idea to get into the habit of switching off the grip if you're not using it vertically to avoid accidental releases. This has the potential to become annoying, but may be an inevitable consequence and a problem on every camera. Time will tell.

When taking the grip back off to compare the feel without it the camera felt tiny but comfortable and I quickly regained its former feel. It's impossible at this stage to say which I'll prefer but I'm anticipating liking it more with the grip attached.

For now the initial impression is that I like the feel of the camera with the grip attached. My only misgiving is that the grip I purchased feels a tad flimsy next to the solid feel of the camera as it is all plastic in construction. Whether this is an issue for the genuine Pentax grip is something I can't comment on. Looks-wise, I guess it's something down to your own individual aesthetic. I suppose it looks more professional as a lot of jobbing photographers use grips so if you bought your camera to pose with you might like it in that respect. I'm just looking forward to permanently having two batteries to go at in my camera and a spare card tucked away for emergencies.