"Compatible" batteries vs. OEM?

MuGeN · 10 Apr 2010 at 14:15

Just wondering, are there any makes of "compatible" battery that are worth their salt?

I've just bought a Canon HF R16 video camera and the life with the included battery is only 1hr 25min with the supplied NB-2L5 battery, but it does take NB-2LH batteries (of which I already have 2 for my 350D and am very happy with them) with a better life of nearly 2 hours...

So, do I just get yet another real one or should I try maybe the Duracell offering or another make for a lot less $$$?

Amp34 · 10 Apr 2010 at 14:19

Look Kerso up on ebay, I've bought a couple of third party batteries from him for my 400D, I've used them for about 2 years now and no problems. The other advantage over cost is they have twice the power and I can take far more shots than the OEM battery (this is from actual observation not just the bumf about the battery).

Stupot_ · 10 Apr 2010 at 14:22

I picked up an NB 2LH for about 6-7 quid online. Works absolutely fine, easily enough for a few days shooting on my 350d.

p0ss3s3d · 10 Apr 2010 at 15:37

I use third party batteries in my Mark II. Perform identically but annoyingly the secondary release lock doesn't work as firmly as the secondary lock on the canon batteries. Luckily the primary locks are fine so it's no big deal. Also if I was in the rain, I'd make sure I was shooting the canon battery. I don't trust the third party sealing.

MuGeN · 10 Apr 2010 at 16:45

Kerso hasn't got any in his ebay shop at the mo unfortunately but I appreciate the comments that OEM might not be the be all and end all...

I've bought the Duracell version - as trusted a name as any in the world of batteries i'd have thought so we'll see

- £14.99 so a good 50% saving

The_Abyss · 10 Apr 2010 at 18:42

p0ss3s3d said:
I use third party batteries in my Mark II. Perform identically but annoyingly the secondary release lock doesn't work as firmly as the secondary lock on the canon batteries. Luckily the primary locks are fine so it's no big deal. Also if I was in the rain, I'd make sure I was shooting the canon battery. I don't trust the third party sealing.

Can I ask which ones you used for the Mark II?

p0ss3s3d · 10 Apr 2010 at 18:57

^
Yeah sure, one was a 'Lenmar' battery and the other a generic 'Battery Pack for Canon NP-E3 NiMH'. Then I have two canon packs.

They are both good. The Lenmar is the newest and out performs the rest, but the two Canon ones are the ones I use the most. I use the thrid-party ones as spares, but whenever I've needed them they've all performed flawlessly.

The_Abyss · 10 Apr 2010 at 19:17

Excellent - thank you. I've generally found the Canon battery to be very good, but I do need a back up. I wasn't sure how accurately calibrated replacements would be, so that is very reassuring.

Thanks again.

Amp34 · 10 Apr 2010 at 19:23

MuGeN said:
Kerso hasn't got any in his ebay shop at the mo unfortunately but I appreciate the comments that OEM might not be the be all and end all...

I've bought the Duracell version - as trusted a name as any in the world of batteries i'd have thought so we'll see - £14.99 so a good 50% saving

Could always give him an email.

I always use the third party batteries now, with the fact I have two of them and they last at least twice as long it makes far more sense (even more so now I accidently put the Canon one through the wash...)

King4aDay · 10 Apr 2010 at 19:51

My 3rd party Nikon battery was absolutely fine for about 18 months, but then developed a tendency to empty of charge without any warning after only a few shots, so I ended up binning it.

Generally they're fine, just don't rely on them for important shoots.

FreeStream · 10 Apr 2010 at 22:18

After using some 3rd party ones on my 40D it's quite clear that the Sterlintek ones are good but not as good as the canon one. Also the ebay 3 for £10 are rubbish, two of them can barely out shoot a single canon :rolleyes:

Oh well

MuGeN · 10 Apr 2010 at 22:24

I'll report back on the Duracell ones I've bought

Rojin · 10 Apr 2010 at 23:02

For my 500d I bought 2 for £22 from Ebay. Performed perfectly fine, I used them in the grip and didn't have any problems at all. They outperformed the Canon but this was only based on use for a couple of months as I then changed cameras. For my 7D I have got a second Canon battery, well I got it for my leaving present at work

IamMed · 11 Apr 2010 at 01:54

MuGeN said:
I'll report back on the Duracell ones I've bought

Bought a Duracell compatible for my FZ38, lasts just as long as the original, no issues at all

Pooh · 11 Apr 2010 at 08:23

I ran with compatibles in my D300 for a couple of years with no probs.

Like wise with my older panasonic video camera.

Need to watch out with some of the newer gear though as I bought a Panasonic HS300 HD video camera and the OEM batteries have some extra circuitry built in that makes it a lot more fiddlier (sp?) to run with non OEM batteries . I ended up paying the through the nose price for the oem battery as I didn't want the agg of lugging around 2 chargers and not getting accurate power remaining data.

john_s · 11 Apr 2010 at 16:59

I've used several of the Canon BP511A compatible batteries from 7dayshop.com for years. I had one fail after a while when it stopped taking charge. For the sake of ~£5 each, I just threw it and ordered 2 more.

bigredshark · 11 Apr 2010 at 18:03

To be honest I've never seen the point in 'compatible' ones myself, you don't know how good they'll be at the end of the day and saving a few quid on batteries for a £1000 body seems like the height of stinginess.

Amp34 · 11 Apr 2010 at 19:01

bigredshark said:
To be honest I've never seen the point in 'compatible' ones myself, you don't know how good they'll be at the end of the day and saving a few quid on batteries for a £1000 body seems like the height of stinginess.

That's why I bought one compatible first, once i'd tested it out for a few months I bought another one. I'm contemplating getting a couple more if I can as it means I can shoot for a week without needing a plug.

You get what you pay for however so the compatibles I use are about £15 each and from a reliable source, I wouldn't buy a load of £5 tbh as they probably are rubbish. Overall that's going to save me £100+ which is a reasonable amount when you don't have thousands to spend (especially when you're a student).

mrgubby · 12 Apr 2010 at 08:58

bigredshark said:
To be honest I've never seen the point in 'compatible' ones myself, you don't know how good they'll be at the end of the day and saving a few quid on batteries for a £1000 body seems like the height of stinginess.

I've got several reputable 3rd party batteries for my 30D & 50D, my stinginess bought me a Sigma 10-20

Ps. they last longer than the genuine Canons as well ....

MuGeN · 12 Apr 2010 at 09:18

bigredshark said:
To be honest I've never seen the point in 'compatible' ones myself, you don't know how good they'll be at the end of the day and saving a few quid on batteries for a £1000 body seems like the height of stinginess.

I agree to an extent... but I'm willing to put my faith in Duracell to see how they perform, i'm sure theres good and bad third party ones but in the grand scheme you'd wager that Duracell know more about batteries than Canon don't you think?