Are you using 3rd party batteries or battery grips?

[mark_stephan2]

<p>I'd like to know if any of you are using 3rd party batteries such as the Wasabi or if you are using a 3rd party battery grip such as the Meike with your digital Canon bodies? I recently purchased a 70D but being retired I don't have alot of money for the oem equipment and thought I'd take a look at alternatives.</p>

[Member69643]

<p>I have used Wasabi batteries, they seem fine. Second-party grips are never of the same build quality as the OEM versions, but are a lot cheaper. Best bet - buy from Amazon b/c if defective, returns are hassle-free.</p>

[colin carron]

<p>I don't think I have ever bought a branded Canon battery as they are so expensive compared to cheaper lookalikes. My third party batteries have always worked reasonably well - maybe not lasted quite as long as the originals but still good value.</p>

[mike_earussi1]

<p>I've used 3rd party batteries in all my cameras (of various brands, both cameras and batteries) and most have worked fine initially. But they are <em>cheap</em> 3rd party after all, and you do tend to get what you pay for. They usually don't last quite as long as manufacture's ones and I've had some fail to take a full charge after only a few months. I even had one that had the cells installed backwards (which I fixed by dismantling it and reversing them). But as a whole they still offer a much bigger bang for the buck than the official batteries, which is why photographers still buy them.</p>

<p>My suggestion is to buy them but keep one eye on them and label each one (I label mine #1,2,3, etc. with a white paint pen) so if one does go bad it's easy to spot. </p>

[PuppyDigs]

<p>I've had the best luck with STK clones but they never hold a charge as long as the OEM batteries. They seem to be about 75% as long lasting as my OEM. My PowerMax batteries go dead after a week just sitting in the camera and doing nuttin...</p>

[peter_simpson1]

<p>Have used Wasabi batteries and chargers on 3 Canon P&S cameras with no problems. Lifetime seems about the same as the factory batteries.</p>

<p>+1 for marking them with date purchased -- makes it easier to tell when one goes that the others purchased around the same time will be going soon.</p>

[vrankin]

<p>Wasabi batteries are excellent, and a great value. I got two with a charger for under $13 U.S.</p>

[Marcus Ian]

<p>I've had good luck with a variety of 3rd party brands for batteries. IME, their failure rates are only marginally higher than OEMs, though I'm sure that varies. Since the 7D takes LP-E6 batteries, you'll want to make sure that the 3rd party batteries you do buy are 'smart' (aka 'chipped'), else your camera is going to bitch and complain everytime you turn it on (#annoyingashell). </p>

<p>As for BGs, I've equipped nearly every camera I've owned in the last decade with one. I think I've had ~ equal numbers of genuine Canon OEM units, and 3rd party units. I would say that IME there are 3 tiers in terms of quality and durability and functionality. 1) Canon BG-xxx. By far the best build, very rarely is their a failure, and routine use seems to have little to no impact on their functionality. I've only had one failure, and that resulted from a 3m fall. 2) Good quality 3rd party. Brands vary, but typically these are the more expensive of the 3rd party grips. They have <em>all</em> the same functions of OEM, and even though they are substantially cheaper build quality, they typically cost 1/3 or less than the OEM ones. The caveat is that even with routine use, especially if you frequently use heavy glass, they wear out and will fail structurally and functionally. Usually it's intermittent failure first, but whereas the Canon Bg-xxx will likely last the life of the camera, I would NOT expect even a good quality 3rd party BG to last as long - especially if you shoot a lot, hike your gear around, or treat it like the tool it is. If you baby your gear or shoot a few thousand exposures a year maybe it'd last the life of the camera. IDK, I'm hard on my stuff. 3) bottom barrel 3rd party BG. Usually these are 1/2 - 2/3 the cost of tier 2, but are even cheaper, don't have all or the same functions, and, frankly, aren't built well enough to justify the $25-40 cost.</p>

<p>You might keep your eye out for a used OEM 70D BG (BG-E14). I wouldn't buy a 3rd party BG used (no real point), but an OEM one used in decent shape is likely to outlast your desire to use that camera, and can probably be had for a bit more than a decent quality 3rd party unit.</p>

[PapaTango]

<p>I have had exceptionally good fortune with the Vivitar line of replacement batteries and grips--as sold by Digital Goja on Amazon and Fleabay. These have been used for years in both my Canon and now Nikon kits. The best "bang for the buck" is the combo packs of several batteries and a distinct charger unit. Check the review ratings for a bit of assurance on both the product and the vendor.</p>

<p>For the most part, if the original has a chip in it the Vivitar replacement will as well. His advertising is mostly quite clear on this--and every battery I have bought has been properly recognized by the camera in status reporting (battery age, charge, etcetera). Nor out of a half dozen for each brand have I experienced an issue with decreasing charge capacity.</p>

<p>Yes, this sounds rather like a testimonial, but if something works, it works. I am sure that other makes are available. Quite a few are produced by the same factory--just re-branded to a particular vendor's specs.</p>

[pjmeade]

<p>I've used Duracell batteries for my older models, 5D, 20D etc. and they seem perfectly adequate. I think my 7D2 came with an additional 3rd party battery that works perfectly well too.<br>

My 2p.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Nearly all my photography is done while travelling. I carry two Canon chargers since replacing a failed charger might not be easy on a trip. Which means that if I'm not careful about my choice of batteries, I could end up carrying 4 chargers. I use a mix of Canon and third party batteries which fit my chargers and facilitate the same battery data as the Canon version. The off brands run down faster but not so fast they're a waste of time. Just a pity Canon are so greedy, and question whether the large gap between OEM and 3rd party prices is even in their interest.</p>

[dcstep]

<p>I've used a Duracell with good results. I bought it when I couldn't buy OEM near the location that I was shooting.</p>

<p>That said, be careful with some of the lesser-known brands. You can burn your house down with inferior battery products, including chargers without adequate heat protection. This is one product where I think that the risk/reward is too high for non "brand name" batteries. </p>

<p>I'm still using Canon batteries from 2008. </p>

[Trigger_Happy]

<p>I have two Tera batteries. They have a bigger capacity than the Canon ones and it is a noticeable difference. I have three batteries and my 70D is not even a year old so the number of charges are still quite low on them. But so far so good. <br>

The battery grip is Canon though. I'd hesitate getting a third party grip, without having any rational behind that.</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>A warning on battery capacity. Many 3rd party batteries (of all types, not just camera batteries) are marked with a capacity that's simply a lie. No other way to say it. I've seen some Li-ion cells marked with 3x the capacity of the best Japanese OEM cells (and selling for 10% of the price!) and when tested they were closer to 0.5x the capacity of the Japanese OEM cells.</p>

<p>I've used several 3rd part batteries in EOS bodies with no ill effects and they were much cheaper than Canon cells. However I wouldn't believe what's written on them in terms of capacity unless I actually tested them myself of they were tested by someone I trusted.</p>

<p>See, for example:</p>

<p>http://radcomms.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=9<br /> http://howiem.com/wordpress/index.php/2013/11/01/chinese-12v-6800mah-li-po-battery-mini-review/<br /> http://owenduffy.net/blog/?p=7094</p>

[vrankin]

<p>I shot over 400 files and five minutes of video with a Wasabi battery last night, and it still came back with 86% left. </p>

[ryanjoseph]

<p>I use 3rd party batteries, but the only brand I really trust is Wasabi.<br>

I've tried a few third party battery grips on various cameras (40D, 7D, 5Ds). I ended up returning them all and going first party.</p>

[jon_austin3]

<p>My only experience with 3rd party batteries in an EOS body is the Pearstone LP-E6 (since discontinued) that came with the 5D3 kit (along with a SanDisk Extreme 16GB CF card) that I purchased from B&H a little over 3 years ago.</p>

<p><br /> I swap back and forth between this battery and the OEM battery included with the body, and -- other than the nag screen that appears when I power up after inserting the Pearstone battery -- I haven't really noticed any difference. The two batteries also "play well" when I have them both inserted in the 5D3's BG-E11 grip.</p>

<p><br /> By the way, the original OEM battery that shipped with my 20D just over 10 years ago is still going strong!</p>

[david_john_appleton]

<p>I still have 2 canon battery that came from a D30 (not 30D!) that seem fine..must be 15 year old and with that type of battery that the 20D 40D 5Dmki had etc i notice no differences with 3ed party batteries ...however the 3ed party batteries do not last as long in my 100D/SL1 but i would still get them <br /> I did use a 3ed party battery grip on my 5D i not remember what it was but it was one of the better well known makes but sometimes it will read low battery and i would take the batteries out put in again then back to 100%..also i had a feeling that the camera was not held as steady on a tripod with long exposure when the grip was fitted ...i would recommend a second hand genuine grip over a cheap 3ed party one</p>