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I need a backup battery for my 50D. I was wondering how everyone felt about 3rd party batteries. Should I just pony up and get the Canon?
Adorama Lithium-Ion Camcorder Battery, Replacement for the Canon BP-511A : $19.95
Canon BP-511A Li-on Rechargeable Battery : $49.95
I'm fine with 3rd party. Some drain faster than others though. Radio Scrap has a canon compatible battery for around 14 I believe.
<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: Verdana;"]Bought my batteries for a Canon 40D on eBay, never had problems. For the money you save it's definitely worth it.<o:p></o:p>
Bought mine on ebay too, a pair for $8, never had any problem. If you want a peace of mind, www.sterlingtek.com is a good place, their batteries are a bit more expensive though, I think $20 for a pop...still much cheaper than the genuine one.
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Originally Posted by Sinh Nhut Nguyen
I got three batteries from SterlingTek (2 for the my 40D, 1 for my XTi) last August. All three batteries + S&H were the same price as one from Canon; so it was a no-brainer. One of the 40D ones died about three months later, but they other two are still fine. They did offer to replace the one that died, but I neglected to follow up... I actually ordered a few more yesterday. IIRC, the ones for the 40D were around $12-$13 each, so around 1/3 to 1/4 the Canon price.
Tony
I have two 3rd-party batteries for my XTi and they seem to work just fine. Maybe a little less life. I heard a lecture from a forensics engineer once and he touched on 3rd party batteries and said that the main difference is that sometimes they don't have the safety features that "real" batteries do, such as pressure-relief ports to keep the battery from exploding if pressure builds up inside.
I assume some 3rd party are better than others. Does anyone know a particular kind to stay away from?
I am using 3rd party batteries and chargers from DiamondBack on my 40D. I first heard about DiamondBack over in the Digital Photography Review forums and they were recommended by many Canon users. I have been using 3rd party batteries without any problems for many years across several Cameras and Camcorders. I would buy from reputable 3rd party providers such as have been shared within this discussion and you won't go wrong. Heck even many of the "big boys" Dealers also carry 3rd party batteries, so don't be afraid to use them and save some significant coin.
DiamondBack Batteries
Rick
PS: I have not noticed any difference in the life of the 3rd party batteries I got from DiamondBack vs the Canon battery and I rotate them frequently. Their price on the BP-511A is $11.99 and I like that they do not overstate the batteries capacity as some dealers choose to do.
I've saved thousands of dollars buying all types of no-name accessories from china, including batteries for all my cameras. Sometimes I get something that's marginal (like a battery grip that doesn't work very well in portrait orientation), but the majority (including all the batteries I've ever bought) work as good or better than OEM.
I'm very interested to see if Bryan is going to join this thread, as in the past he's been vocal against non-Canon batteries...
Tony
I'm still a little irked I had to buy a Canon spare 5Dmk2 battery for $90 because they were no 3rd parties available yet. I guess at the time I was lucky to get the Canon version.
I bought a spare from Duracell Direct for my 40D once it seemed fine except it didn't come with a cover. It probably doesn't lastquiteas long as the Canon but for what I paid, I don't care.
Thanks everyone. Itappears to beunanimous [:)]
I purchased2 batteries for my Digital Rebel (300D) on ebay for $10. I was worried at first as I have read some negative things about third party, but they have been every bit as good as the Canon for the past year. I guess there is more risk involved, but it worked out for me.
Stupid question, but I am going to ask it anyway...
Do you use the battery charger that came with your camera and battery to charge the 3rd party ones or do you need to purchase a new charger too? Sorry for the question but I needed to ask it before I buy a 3rd party battery. Thanks.
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Originally Posted by Jayson
Withdrawn. I should know better.
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Originally Posted by Jayson
Usually: yes. But sometimes not. For example, the knock-off batteries for my 5D2 wont charge in the Canon charger so they are sold with their own charger. (The reason Canon's charger wont charge them is probably because Canon checks for authentic ID chips in the batteries and the Chinese haven't reverse-engineered them yet... usually takes about six months to crack that stuff.)
I picked up 2 batteries, with a charger, from eBay, for my 5D Mk 2. $36. They work great.
The Canon battery is going up in price. I saw it for $100 at Adorama. It used to be $80, which is still ridiculously high.
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Originally Posted by Keith B
I know...
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Originally Posted by Tony Printezis
Tony - Maybe I'm just too paranoid, but I haven't trusted any 3rd party batteries in my DSLRs yet. I've heard reports of some not lasting very long, but I suspect there are also some decent ones available.
If I had to buy a spare 5D II battery today, I might rethink this. :)
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Originally Posted by Bryan Carnathan
I thought $100 was sky high, until I saw your latest news on the 5D Mk 2 battery from OneCall. $150!!!!! Yikes!!
The only Canon battery I have doesn't hold a charge for more than 5 minutes. :-(
The rest of my batteries are made by Synergy Digital.
--Johan
The only Canon battery I have doesn't hold a charge for more than 5 minutes. :-(
The rest of my batteries are made by Synergy Digital.
--Johan
I use almost nothing but third-party batteries in my 30D, G9, and Optura 50 camcorder. Canon batteries are horrendously expensive. I've had great results with third-party BP-511/511A batteries from B&H, eBay seller eforcity (a major outlet that also sells on Amazon), eBay seller everydaysource (which I think is the same as another seller), and others.
A suggestion: if you use BP-511/511A/512 (20D, 30D, 40D, early PowerShot G cameras) or NB-2L (G9, many Rebels)--or the larger "sisters" like the BP-2L12/2L14 (some Canon camcorders), you might find this tester useful. (There are others for some other Li-ion batteries.) My 30D doesn't show a change in the battery status indicator until it's quite low, so the tester really helps. The only other way I can check the BP-511 batteries is to put one on the Canon charger and watch the LED blinking (1, 2, 3 quick flashes as the battery gets more charged, then solid when it's essentially fully charged). I found that tester on a site in Singapore and pestered B&H about it.