I used knock off batteries in my 50D and XTi without incident. They all worked fine. Unfortunately, the limitations of 3rd party batteries for use in the 7D caused me to buy 2 Canon batteries. However, it was a very tough purchase to make.
I used knock off batteries in my 50D and XTi without incident. They all worked fine. Unfortunately, the limitations of 3rd party batteries for use in the 7D caused me to buy 2 Canon batteries. However, it was a very tough purchase to make.
I used to have 2 ebay batteries for my rebel xt. In nice weather, they could hold their own.....probably giving me about 6 hours of use. That might not sound like a lot, but for those little batteries that was about normal for Canon's standard battery. The problem for me was cold weather. Sometimes I would charge up my battery and walk over to the event (maybe a 5 minute walk). By the time I got over there, they would be say they are dead. Once you took them out and warmed them up in my hand, they said that they worked again. IMO the ebay batteries are good ina pinch, but I would never have JUST those batteries. I had never heard of the cheap batteries leaking and overheating, but that makes me very thankful that mine never did!
I have used flashpoint batteries (from Adorama) without any issues in my 40D (that old thing [:P] ) but did have issues with another ebay stores batteries.
There must have been some sort of inconsistency in the voltage/ current because if I used 2 or the ebay batteries with the battery grip I would get about 2 shots away and it would shut down. Thankfullly the grip wouldtrip out seperately to the camera so there was no damage done - fail safes make me happy.
If I used 1 canon battery and 1 ebay it would be fine. If I used 1 ebay battery alone it was also fine. It was only when using 2 ebay batteries at once.
After doing a few tests and confirming the batteries were the issue and not the camera/ grip the ebay batterieswere in the bin within about 2.6785 nanoseconds. I now only buy Canon batteries for the peace of mind.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ben_taylor_au/ www.methodicallymuddled.wordpress.com
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 5D Mark II | Samyang 14mm f/2.8 | Canon 35mm f/1.4L USM | Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM |Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II |Canon 2 x Teleconverter III | Canon 580 EX II Speedlite | Really Right Stuff TVC 34L | Really Right Stuff BH55 LR | Gorillapod Focus | Really Right Stuff BH 30
Originally Posted by btaylor
I concur. A third-party remote shutter, fine - if it is problematic, it won't hurt the camera. Athird-party battery or grip, something that powers my expensive camera and can potentially ruin it if it turns out to beproblematic - no thanks.
Expensive technology is not immune to breakage, whether it's Canon or otherwise. My expensive 5D2 broke and had to be fixed. So, expensive doesn't guarantee trouble-free, and Canon has 3 repair facilities as a testimony to that fact.
The knock-off batteries work fine. No, they don't communicate with the camera, so that's a limitation. Some, not all, may not give the performance in every situation, but for the price, they're unbeatable.
There is a whole industry built around non-OEM technology (autos, for example) and they perform excellently at much reduced cost.
Same is true for batteries......
What's OEM in this case - does Canon make their own batteries? I don't know, but I'd guess no. I know that Apple doesn't make their own batteries, and they've had several recalls of their Li-ion batteries (in iPods, and a notable one a couple of years ago for laptop batteries made by Sony, which affected many laptop manufacturers, in some cases resulting in small fires). So, no, a 'name brand' battery isn't necessarily problem-free. My main concern is what happens in the unlikely event that one fails, especially catastrophically. With that large laptop battery issue, the affected manufacturers, (Apple, Dell, Toshiba, etc.) stood behind their products - I know Apple extended coverage to systems that were long out of the original warranty period. If my Canon Li-ion battery fails, there's a reasonable chance that Canon will stand behind it. If a cheap eBay battery spills caustic juice in your camera, who you gonna call?
Just my 2¢...
--John
Originally Posted by neuroanatomist
If Canon slaps their name on it, then it's OEM, even if they have it made elsewhere (it starts in Japan, and is "further processed" in China, which is exactly where the non-OEMs come from).
Who will I call if the battery spills juice in my camera? Canon, of course. And, if it's out of warranty, I'll still have to pay, just like I did with the previous repair of my 5D2, which was a Canon induced technology breakdown.
But, even under warranty, Canon doesn't cover battery leakage!
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&keycode=21 13&fcategoryid=215&modelid=17662
Hmmm...interesting, and unfortunate!
One thing I noticed on the page you linked to was this other link, a safety notice from Canon about some 3rd party batteries lacking protective circuitry.
A "counterfeit Canon battery....
Imagine that. A Chinese-made, counterfeit battery! Clever, those fellows!
And, the last statement says that they're not liable for any malfunctions, damages or injuries when using non-Canon Li-Ion batteries.
Nor, will they be with their OWN batteries, apparently!
I guess we're on the same page with batteries. Be cautious, be vigilant, be aware of the limitations.
'Cause if you don't, you're on your own, no matter what!
A lot of sony laptop batteries on ebay are expensive.Why not buy a sony vgp-bps2a Laptop Battery on ESPOW? I tried one time, and used it till now on with zero wrong for two years.