3rd Party Batteries

[Mark Elberson]

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

[Ehcalum]

I'm fine with 3rd party. Some drain faster than others though. Radio Scrap has a canon compatible battery for around 14 I believe.

[Itheone]

<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></o>

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

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.

[Tony Printezis]

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.

I got three batteries from SterlingTek (2 for the my 40D, 1 for my XTi) last August. All three batteries + S&amp;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

[Stephen Probert]

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?

[40Doodle]

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.

[Daniel Browning]

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.

[Tony Printezis]

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

[Keith B]

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.