Canon Batteries - Brand name or Generic?

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

03/07/2010 03:35:32 PM · #1

So, I'm thinking of buying some spare batteries, and I would like a bit of first-hand feed-back on the use of the non-Canon brand batteries.

Obviously owners of the EOS xxD series are of the most interest, but all experiences would be welcome!

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

03/07/2010 03:40:34 PM · #2

Originally posted by coryboehne:

For all the cameras I have owned, Canon, Pentax and Nikon, I have always used generic batteries and they have been fine. I did have a slight problem with one pair I bought for my Canon 30D, they were used in the battery grip and one was a real pig to get out. It turned out that the label was slighthly over the edge and catching inside the grip. I normally try to upgrade them to max usable for the camera. You can upgrade quite cheaply.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

03/07/2010 03:55:30 PM · #3

Originally posted by SteveJ:

I normally try to upgrade them to max usable for the camera.

Hmm? Different capacities you say?

So, where do I find what capacities are available, and what would you suggest for my 20D and 50D?

-Cory

jeger

Canon EOS-5D

03/07/2010 04:02:11 PM · #4

I have been using both named brand and generic for my 5D for the last 4 years and can't tell the difference. Just make sure you get the right battery model number and you will be fine.

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

03/07/2010 04:04:29 PM · #5

Yours are BP-511A? These are 1300mAh, you can buy upto 2000mAh on eBay for about £10?

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

03/07/2010 04:11:30 PM · #6

Originally posted by SteveJ:

Yours are BP-511A? These are 1300mAh, you can buy upto 2000mAh on eBay for about £10?

Cool, thanks>.

Yo_Spiff

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

03/07/2010 04:16:43 PM · #7

I bought some Ultralast brand batteries on Amazon for about $17 each. Slightly lesser capacity than the OEM battery, but they've been holding up just fine. If they don't last as long, it's not enough of a difference for me to notice.

LindaLee

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

03/07/2010 04:53:55 PM · #8

Originally posted by jeger:

I have been using both named brand and generic for my 5D for the last 4 years and can't tell the difference. Just make sure you get the right battery model number and you will be fine.

Ditto this for our 10D, 20D, 30Ds, 40D with no problems. The last batteries we got were from Duracelldirect and they have been great.

RayEthier

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

03/07/2010 06:16:30 PM · #9

Generic batteries have worked just fine for me in the 20d and 40d and I have found that I prefer the higher mAh versions such as the 1800mAh and 2000mAh.

You will find that turning off your camera when not in use and using your zoom lens sparingly will also extend battery life.

Ray

Niten

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

03/07/2010 06:33:26 PM · #10

Im suprised with the good luck people have had with the cheaper ones. I have had two that died early deaths and canon ones keep going.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

03/07/2010 06:48:27 PM · #11

Originally posted by RayEthier:

You will find that turning off your camera when not in use and using your zoom lens sparingly will also extend battery life.

I usually don't turn off the camera (still get great battery life though...), but what's this about not zooming?? I could see maybe turning off the IS or turning off auto-preview, but not zooming??

RayEthier

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

03/07/2010 07:59:47 PM · #12

Originally posted by coryboehne:

Originally posted by RayEthier:

You will find that turning off your camera when not in use and using your zoom lens sparingly will also extend battery life.

I usually don't turn off the camera (still get great battery life though...), but what's this about not zooming?? I could see maybe turning off the IS or turning off auto-preview, but not zooming??

Seems I either misspoke or was working off of something I may or may not have heard.

There do exist however a bevy of things that a lot of us do or have done that really chew up battery life... many of which are dealt with Here

I hope this helps a bit.

Ray

03/16/2010 02:45:22 PM · #13

Ok, so I decided to order in 2 generic 2000mAh batteries..

They arrived on 3/9 and I've been using the crap out of them for about a week now.

I'm happy to report that they are quite good, and I'm very happy with the performance, so thanks for the advice everyone!

- Also, if you happen to own a xxD Canon and want a good BP511 battery, I bought mine from Sterling Tek, where I got a two pack for $24($34 with overnight shipping).

Cheers,
-Cory