What are peoples thoughts or experiences with using third party batteries for their Canon cameras? I like to have a spare battery just in case, (though I don't remember ever needing one!) but so far have always gone with the Canon branded ones. Here in the UK you can be looking at £70 to £80 for the more up to date versions though! This is starting to seem a bit excessive for a "just in case" item. I wouldn't want to take a chance if others have had negative experiences, and I'm just asking out of interest for the future really. Thanks. Paul.
Paul, I have used after-market batteries in my 10D and my 50D for sometime now and find that the aftermarket batteries work OK but the length of time they remained charged is less that the original ones. The good point about the aftermarket ones is they are much cheaper, so I purchased two, other than a smaller charged time, I have had no real issues in the 10 years I have used them.
I needed to get new batteries for my old 1Ds (manufactured 2002-2004) but Canon no longer make them so I was forced to buy non-genuine. I have not had a problem with them. The bonus is that they last longer than the originals. The Canon ones are 1650 mA/hours and the aftermarket ones are 1800 mAh and 3900 mAh and they were significantly cheaper than the originals. I also bought non-genuine batteries for my 20D mainly to get a new charger (they came as a package). They were very inexpensive and they definitely don't last as long as the originals but the charger works just fine on the originals. So, it's case of you get what you pay for. OEM batteries are more expensive but they last longer. You decide whether you want to pay the extra.
I have used second hand batteries but I did not dare to use other non branded batteries. The risk is too much. If the correct voltage is nit transferred to your camera, it might create some circuit problems. One tiny little flaw can make your camera damaged. If the battery is very good and well known ed then first you have to check for reviews and then buy them.
As I stated above, the batteries for my EOS-1Ds are no longer made by Canon so I had no alternative but to buy generics and both of them have lots more power than the genuine Canon and they last much longer and have never given any problems.
I actually opted to go with a twin battery and charger pack made by Neewer. I think they were under £25. I picked this make as I have had one of their Canon specific "Speedlites" for about 18 months now, and it has worked flawlessly both on and off the camera when ever I have used it, so far. The batteries charged up in about two hours, though I have to say they weren't totally flat, and the charger also works fine on the Canon battery too. They seem to work without issue in the camera, but I can't say how long they will last for in comparison to a Canon one yet! I have to admit that I will only be using them as back ups until I am in dire need.
The genuine Canon Speedlites are very expensive and I cannot justify the price they ask. I have noticed the much more affordable Neewer units but wondered if they would work the same as a Canon one. So I am very interested to hear of your experience. Does it work properly in E-TTL mode? If so, which model do you have? Thanking you in anticipation.
Hi Ray. Yeah, same goes for the price on the Canon model. The Neewer one I have is an NW670C. TTL seems to work as intended and I haven't noticed any issues personally. If you aren't happy with the result, there is the option to manually increase or decrease the power of the flash with 3 settings either way. There is also a Manual and Stroboflash setting for on the camera (I haven't even tried Stroboflash!) and two modes for using it off camera. As with all "far Eastern" products, I guess you are always going to be gambling. (My son bought a dash cam that has run for years, and on his recommendation I got one too. Mine lasted about a week!) How long mine will work is anyone's guess. I thought it was worth the risk, and up to now have been lucky.
Many thanks for that useful information, Paul. I have found that model for sale on eBay here (Australia). The prices are much easier on the wallet than the genuine Canon product. I know that the genuine article is very high quality but I am not a professional and I can live with the cheaper version. Thanks again. Much appreciated.
