Camera batteries

brad28

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bradley
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Hi,

I have a canon and am looking at a spare battery.
The genuine canon ones are very expensive and I've seen I can pick up an lpe8 on eBay for £5!
Has anyone got a cheap one ? Any problems?

Thanks
 
I haven't had a problem, but I know many recommend you stick to originals, as a problem with the battery could completely kill your expensive camera. If you have a cheap camera, take the risk :)

Next time I'm buying I plan to try and find some reputable companies for alternative batteries, but I don't know if there is such a thing.
 
I've always used 7dayshop's own brand camera batteries and never had a problem with them. They all seem to last just as long as the branded batteries and I've not had any issues with bulging, charging or anything else.
 
ive got 4 spare generic batteries that ive had no probs with...... purchased from ebay for about 15 quid back in sept last year.... i always use the original canon battery first and use the others for spares....
 
Energiser branded ones are good.

I have a couple BP-511a's, I'd buy more but they seem to be non-existent now. :(
 
How many spare batteries can you need?

I get about 700 shots plus with one so surely a good charged spare should be enough in which case buy the real deal or good branded make such as energizer and save all the angst
 
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I picked up a grip for my 550D off ebay for about £35 and it came with 4 batteries as well. I thought they'd be really poor but I've been massively impressed by them. They all hold the charge as well as the original, charge quickly and report properly in the grip and if I've got just 1 in the camera. Best £35 I spent on the 550D. I put 2 in the grip in december and have taken over 500 pics with them and they are still going strong.
 
As above really, I've also used a Duracell replacement battery and again, found it absolutely fine ...
 
How many spare batteries can you need?

I get about 700 shots plus with one so surely a good charged spare should be enough in which case buy the real deal or good branded make such as energizer and save all the angst

Depends what sort of shots - long exposures tend to really suck it out of the battery... and if you're out on a clear night the low temperature accelerates the demise too... my battery is also rated for 6-700 shots - it's taken 53 since I last charged it (about 35 minutes total exposure time) and it currently has 60% left (it thinks)...

If you do a lot of compose, focus, recompose, refocus - the battery gets depleted by all of it - and the more glass you're shifting in autofocus, the more it takes out of the battery.

Then there's LiveView and the reviewing via the LCD screen... again battery killing stuff.
 
i've not needed a spare battery yet but, if i were to run out of battery It would be nice to have a spare, even if its cheap. Would a cheap battery damage the camera? or is this unlikely?
 
A good quality one from a reputable retailer should be cause no problem at all.
The ones I use from 7 day shop are only about £8 I think and do the same job as the branded ones that cost over £30.
 
I've not had the same luck with 7dayshop batteries that the other people on this thread seem to have. When they were new they lasted longer than the OEM Nikons, but after about 5-10 charges/discharges they seem to go flat really quickly. Even just sitting in my bag out of the camera (with the contacts covered) they go flat really quickly.
 
I always bear in mind the saying "You get what you pay for" when looking at equipment. I got a reputable 3rd party spare for my D60 when I had it, about half the price of the Nikon branded battery, and it worked fine. However I don't know if I'd trust a battery only worth £5 in a camera thats 100x that price.
 
what about a cheap battery from a reputable company, like play.com?
 
I've not tried any other brands so I don't know. They may just be the same as the ebay or 7dayshop ones, but with a different branding.
I don't mind getting cheap ones as I hardly ever use them. I always use the genuine one and keep the cheapo one as a spare. I charge both batteries before I go out shooting so I haven't really noticed the same problem that reddraggon has.
 
Ansmann make excellent batteries and chargers, won't go far wrong with their products
 
I've used the Nikon "copies" you can get on eBay in both of my genuine grips for the D90's and they have all been fine!

Only once did I get a battery that wouldn't let me turn the camera on when i put it in the grip, even though there was a fully charged battery in along with it. :cuckoo:

A bit of a mind boggling moment to say the least but for a £6 battery I didn't worry much, just grapped another - I have 11 of them so to hell with paying circa £40 each!

I used to go camping a lot with scouts so charging batteries for 6 days was out of the question hence the quantity of power :shrug:
 
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