Generic BP-511 batteries

Has anyone had a good experience with generic BP-511 batteries. Right now at Adorama, the Canon

original is $50 and there is a generic for $20. I'm wondering if it's worth saving the money, or will the

battery quickly lose power and not hold a charge.

I have a Canon and a generic BP-511 and they are no difference in performance that I can tell.

Go to stirlingtek.com and buy your generic BP-511s there. They work well and are ~1/4 canon's price. I have 4 and two of their chargers. All work well, all are quality goods.

 

<Chas>

no connection, just a satisfied customer YMMV

I have several generic BP-511 batteries which, so far, have worked just fine.

I agree, the generics are just as good. I get mine at SterlingTek also. Right now they are

$12.00 there.

 

http://sterlingtek.com/ln03-canon-bp-511-dlc511.html

 

Peter

Apparently not just any old generic, however. I had several Power 2000 generics that weren't as good. They lost their zip pretty quick.

I have had three of them, all worked as well as the canon batteries as far as I could tell. Did not put them head to head so to speak. The one I am surrently use in a 30D is by Digipower, who ever that is. Got it at Best Buy. Works great!

 

What you have to look out for are the fake Canon branded batts going around. Saw one in Pop Photography Mag that cought on fire during chargeing. If it has the Canon name onit expect to pay the Canon price.

 

Jason

My Sterlingtek batteries outperform the Canon battery that came with my camera.

I use BP-511 batteries from Delkin for my 20d. They charge in the Canon charger and last longer than the canon battery so far.

I've had some bad experiences with some generics, but the stirlingtek ones have performed well - better than the Canon ones.

The generics work fine. I've used them for years in everything from a d30 on up and, in my

usage, last about a year, which is how long the Canon brand lasted.

Hi,

 

I bought some no-name generics off eBay: four for $24, including shipping. Quite a savings from the Canon (~$45 ea.)

 

I was surprised when I rec'd the generics to see they are rated 1500 mAh, while the Canon 511As are 1350 and the 511s are 1100.

 

For several months now I've been using the generics extensively right alongside four Canon BP511s and two Canon BP511A and don't see any real difference in performance, aside from the higher capacity batts lasting a bit longer between charges. They have all been used hard in 10D and 30D, sometimes with I.S. lenses that can drain batts pretty quickly. The 30D is a kinder to batteries than the 10D, too.

 

With it's grip installed (two batteries), the 10D gets about 600 shots to a charge.

 

Also with a grip and two batts, the 30D gets more like 1000+ shots.

 

Note: I never use internal flash, and usually don't have time to do a lot of heavy reviewing on the LCD, just a quick exposure check now and then, and maybe an occasional image peep.

I've found the made in Japan generics to be just as good as the Canon's, but generics made in China tend to die after a relatively short while.

My China-made, $2.99 E-Bay batteries of this type work better than any of my Canon ones ever did. They charge faster, the charge holds a whole lot longer, and they have had a longer life without as much loss of performance as the Canon ones. Don't ask me why; it's odd but true. I got four of them delivered for $28. Check the fine print re: shipping before you buy.

 

keith

A word of caution about the Sterlingtek batteries: I ordered several, and the first one I put in my 5D jammed halfway in. Fortunately, I hadn't used too much force, and I was able to pry out the battery without damaging the camera. I carefully checked the other three batteries I had ordered from them, and all three were bigger than the standard BP-511 size and wouldn't fit. I've heard others report the same thing on this forum.

 

My overall experience with generic batteries has been quite good. Other than the negative experience Sterlingtek, generics have worked as well as the Canon battery that came with the camera.

I got a pair of 1800 MaH BP 511 replacements of ebay some time back. They were putting out around 8.1 volts and caused my camera to heat up and act strange. I got them out of the camera and into the recycling quickly.

My Sterlingtek battery also gets jammed inside my 30D because it is a bit out of tolerance. I have to pry it out each time. They have offered to replace it but I've been too lazy to follow up. Other than the jamming problem it seems to work well.

Another plug for Sterlingtek, I've got two 2000mah "Powwer" generic BP511s made in China and they work great. I put them into a BG-E2 grip over a 4-day weekend of shooting at an airshow with a 30D and 100-400L and 17-85, both with IS on and average use of playback, I got 3900 shots before I changed them out for freshly charged batteries, just because I didn't want to take the chance of missing anything. They likely would have lasted another few hundred shots.

 

Canon branded batteries are right up there with $50 lens hoods as far as "worst bang for the buck" goes in my opinion.

Forgot to add, neither of the two above batteries has any jamming problems, either in the grip or the camera itself.