Is OEM or Genuine the same?

[raptor117]

Hi guys.. plans to buy backup batteries for my xsi. There's available online selling OEM batteries. Actually it's 6x cheaper than Original Canon batteries here in our local shop. Are they the same as Genuine Canon? They have the same packaging as stated in their post.. Thanks guys Hope you can help me find a reputable seller in the net.

[Colin500]

Let's start with the easy part: "Genuine Canon" should mean a real Canon-branded product, otherwise I'd call it an obvious fraud.


OEM is bit more difficult to gauge, because there are several different (ab)uses of the term, and it's not quite clear which one is intended here. The best fitting and best possible interpretation is that these batteries are made by the same company that makes the batteries for Canon, and are therefore identical to the Canon-branded ones, however it's a bit strange for them to show up at 1/6th of the price, I'd naively expect perhaps a 2-3x drop in price for the identical battery without the Canon name etc.


Perhaps they just slapped the OEM label on the battery to make it seem more credible. Then again, in the "computer bits" area, OEM usually refers to a product that is exclusively sold to system integrators and may not be sold to end-users (although many shops do just that, and the user needs to hope that the part never fails).


...


Regards, Colin

[neuroanatomist]

The vendor-brand vs. 3rd party battery debate has been around for a long, long time. In this case, OEM might mean made by the same manufacturer to which Canon subcontracts battery production, as Colin suggests. At 1/6 the cost, I rather doubt it. If they 'have the same packaging' (i.e. they are in a Canon box), then that would seem to indicate they are counterfeit batteries.


Canon has issuedwarnings aboutcounterfeitbattery packs(awarningshowing battery images,and asafety notice showing packaging hologram)and also shows some examples of counterfeit battery failure.


3rd party products serve a need in the marketplace - lower cost for an accessory while maintaining compatibility with the OEM system. There are several factors that enable 3rd party manufacturers to charge lower prices, including not marking a product up as much (no 'brand-name inflation'), not having to defray the same R&D costs (reverse engineering), and cheaper production methods - cheaper materials, and less QA/QC (Sigma lenses, for example, are rather notorious for bad copies due to poor factory QC). With a battery that powers my camera and has the potential to damage it if defective, I'm personally more comfortable with 'Genuine Canon' batteries, despite the higher cost.

[MrGreenBug]

... With a battery that powers my camera and has the potential to damage it if defective, I'm personally more comfortable with 'Genuine Canon' batteries, despite the higher cost.
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I have to agree with this. When it comes to "power", it would be nice to stick with the genuine products.

[Najib]

I have used a compatible battery for more than a year now with my 50D and had no problem at all. It came with it's own packaging and did not fake the fact that it was not the original.

[Sheiky]

I have used a compatible battery for more than a year now with my 50D and had no problem at all. It came with it's own packaging and did not fake the fact that it was not the original.

Me too. No problems whatsoever. I doubt that there will be major difference and fail-rates between canon and 3rd party batteries. I use 3rd party normal AA batteries for my products all the time, and I guess I'm not the only one. In fact at the moment there are philips batteries in my logitech mouse[:P]


If you'll only use it as a backup battery, just go for it.


But if you're not sure, go with the Canons. Everybody knows the horrorstories of exploding 3rd party batteries in Iphones etc [A]


Jan

[scalesusa]

OEM means "Original Equipment manufacturer". For a Canon battery, that would be Canon. Canon may have someone else assemble the battery, but they are the manufacturer.


I import products from China, and find Its common for Chinese companies to claim that the product they are selling is the same as the brand name version, and that it comes out of the same factory. This claim is seldom, if ever true, but then, what do you expect when companies will poison babies milk with chemicals and think nothing of it.I am forever having to find a new supplier when I get shoddy goods.


Buy a Canon battery, you have a lot invested in a camera body and lenses, and need a reliable battery.