I was just wondering if anybody had any experiences with non-Canon LP-E6 batteries? I've found this one from Microglobe and it's half the cost of the Canon original. The only downside I can see is that it has it's own charger. I have used non-branded batteries in my other cameras with no problems at at, I just don't like parting with over £50 for a battery (unless it's for a good reason)!
With these minor typos
"Amps: 1500 Amph
100% Compatible with Original Battery
Manufactured with highest possible standard
Enhanced battery power.
High capacity"
You sure seem to be getting Enhanced battery power! Looks like the spelling checker had been given its head.
Sorry I can't answer your query. The real question is whether your camera body will be looking for a Canon hand-shake from the installed battery.
Malcolm Stewart
Jaguar Mk VII
I always advocate try before you buy, but this is one of the few things you can't very well. I did look at a discussion on DP about using such batteries and voiding any warranty too. May be for the sake of £30 it's better to forget principles and go with the Canon make
Must say I just bought the Canon ones - unusually for me.
No it doesn't.Sadly I think i'll be doing the same next month.
A quick battery related question (sort of) does the wifi grip (5d mkII) come with a battery?
Willie
Afraid not. You need to use a battery in the camera as normal and then put another one in the WFT. I believe this has always been the case with Canon WFTs.
A bit of a pain and a hidden cost I admit. Park Cameras were flogging them for £600 and cheaper by £79 than WEX and others. Amazon are selling Canon batteries for £54 which is the cheapest I could find.
It also means you need to take the WFT off and then change batteries and then put it back on again if your initial battery in camera runs out. I'm not sure how its performance compares with Nikon's wireless transmitter but with theirs you can use a battery grip and plug the transmitter in. The transmitter sits on your belt, which although a bit of an inelegant solution does away with the issues I mentioned above.
Willie
Still robbing ******s then!
I was thinking that instead of the normal battery grip the wifi one would be handy, though more expensive it does things that will interest me.
I would've prefered the 1D wifi solution, which connects to the side of the camera. Still it's not a major headache taking the thing off (based on my existing 5D battery grip)
Well I bought one last week and still trying to get used to connection. It's not simple to set up.
I wanted to use it in the first instance for taking remote shots of garden birds but with work, the weather and what not haven't actually had much success so far. It's probably the way I have set it up but files transfer very slowly and EOS utility keeps crashing. The manual isn't terribly clear either but I will persevere.
Willie
Depends if you want wireless or not I suppose.
It's certainly more expensive than the BG E6 so if you are really just after better handling and extended shooting time, that might be the best option for you.
I suppose you really need to want wireless for it to be worthwhile. If you do, the handling benefits are a bonus.
However, it does do what it should do and it's pretty clever stuff. I just need to spend some time with it to get it going properly. I don't regret buying it and as a nice extra, it improves the handling of the camera into the bargain allowing you to use portrait framing quite a lot more comfortably.
Willie
If you look for LP-E6 batteries on eBay you come up with a surprising collection and very cheap. Some are supplied from the UK. I have used Chinese batteries in the 40D and had no problems at all. The Canon originals may well be made in China for all I know!
Some Canon stuff is incredibly expensive for what it is. In my opinion all expensive lenses should be supplied with a lens hood but Canon wanted large sums for a hood for my 17-85 zoom. I recall having one delivered from HK for about £4 and it is perfectly good. It even has the Canon logo and number on it. A perfect copy of the original.
China will take over the world. In the meanwhile we should maybe take advantage of their offers! I will be tempted to at least try a cheap Chinese battery in my 7D. It is about time Canon stopped ripping off their customers.
My Flickr
Not too sure, it's one of those it's nice to have things. I've fancied doing some remote shots. And if I'm spending £250 for a battery grip then another £350 for the wifi grip seems to make sense.Depends if you want wireless or not I suppose.
Hopefully I'll have made up my mind in time for Focus 2010 (and assuming the 5D Mk will be cheaper there).
Muffin: I'm very happy to use 3rd party batteries, just not sure about 3rd party batteries sold on Ebay. Once the likes of 7Dayshop sell cheapies then I'll probably get some.
I have used 3rd party for the 5D mk1 and the 20D and my wife used them for her Nikon. Mostly they worked fine although I had problems with one of them.
The 5D mk 2 is the only camera I have had which gives you information re battery condition and charge life left. I'm not sure this feature is indispensable but it is quite nice and the main reason I bought a Canon battery for the WFT.
Was I ripped off by Canon? I don't know, but their pricing is not unusual. If you look at Nikon or Sony, their prices are pretty much the same.
Willie
Sadly all the decent camera manufacturers seem just to charge what the market will bear and what will net them the greatest profit! Fortunately the Chinese will copy anything.
My Flickr
Same here. It's what the shop had as I don't like mail order nor can I really be bothered shopping around or checking if it's sensible to be using third party batteries in a 7D.Must say I just bought the Canon ones - unusually for me.
Partly out of curiosity and partly because I'm a tight-wad at heart, I took receipt of the Inov8 battery yesterday. After about an hour charging I put it into camera and was greeted with the message "this isn't a Canon battery and you won't have all the functionality, do you still want to proceed?" so I pressed OK. So far so good, it works fine apart from not being able to tell how much charge is left. I will give it a few hundred shots and see how it goes and report back.
It's amazing that someone would pay the best part of 2 grand for a camera then buy a tenner's worth of decidedly dodgy battery for it...
I'd advise anyone who has done so not to put the battery on charge and leave it unattended...
The only non-genuine battery I'd consider would be Hahnel. It's just not worth the risk for the sake of a few quid.
The only battery to let me down in recent years (since digital) has been the Canon own-brand battery which came with the camera (it didn't damage the camera I hasten to add).
However, yes, I wouldn't buy any old unbranded battery (from ebay and the like). After reading reviews about Inov8 (and it's 2 year warranty and the company has been about a few (20) years) I thought it was quite safe.
In over 20 years of photography I've only known of one instance (my brother-in-law's OM-2 Duracell battery discharge in the battery compartment and corroded the contacts) of a battery damaging a camera. In this instance the camera was repaired like new and Duracell took care of everything.
But I do begrudge paying over the odds for anything, especially when cheaper and just as good quality (or better) exist.
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