Canon 7D Battries - Real or Fake?

[etherial]

Hi, I'm in the market for a spare battery or two for my 7D. I've seen genuine ones around from about $80 and of course there are plenty of copies out there for as little as $10.

I've also found many places that sell fake batteries with their own charger, complete with a warning. Refer here (https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/index.php/batteries/digital-camera-batteries/canon-batteries/canon-compatible-lp-e6-battery-and-compatible-charger.html)for example! That worries me a bit.

I recall reading somewhere that there is issues with using the copies in the 7D, does anyone know about this?

I'm also considering a battery grip, and wonder if two batteries, one real and one copy will play nice together?

Any advice appreciated.

[Tricky]

Haven't got an answer for you Mic - I tried searching for one myself and came across a few stories of non-OEM batteries causing electrical faults in 5D2s (same battery). In the end went for a genuine battery - I've found battery life to be so good (over 500 photos each) that I've never felt a need for a third. Certainly way better life than my old 40D used to last.

[dulvariprestige]

What i've noticed, is that the genuine battery is 7.2v and 1800mAh, and the copies are 7.4v and 1400mAh.

[etherial]

There are heaps on eBay that are 7.2V 2200mAh for like $15 including a charger. Seems to good to be true so probably is!

[phild]

I buy genuine every time, they're not that expensive and their performance is consistent.

Not sure about clone batteries but on the 5DII the camera tracks battery usage dependant on the serial number of the battery.

[hackcessor]

Doesn't the 7D battery have a smart chip in it?

From memory the chip is proprietary and the aftermarket copies are yet to replicate it.

I will do some more research and update shortly.

[twofruitz]

It really depends. The 5dmkII and 7d have battery info which wouldn't be calculated when using a generic battery. I used to find great results when using generic in the 40d, however have chosen genuine in my 5d as its too expensive to bother with cheap batteries.

[ausguitarman]

After some reading I opted for the original when I upgraded to the 5DMII.

[Speedway]

I did a bit of research on the batteries and it seems that the genuine charger and batteries have a chip in them and will destroy the generic batteries, this is why they sell battery and charger together, the warning on one site suggested if you have the original battery and a generic one that you put the genuine charger away and charge both with the generic charger as this causes no problems, this was noted on a number of sites.
I purchased a battery and charger from here (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260527588387) it is a 2000mAh battery and the charger can be used in a 240v socket or a cigarette lighter.
Re the 7.4v this is wrong as 6 1.2v cells = 7.2v.
I am looking at a generic battery grip with batteries the same brand as I have had on my 400D for over 2 years and these come with charger too.
Keith.

[etherial]

I purchased a battery and charger from here (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260527588387) it is a 2000mAh battery and the charger can be used in a 240v socket or a cigarette lighter.

Keith.

Hi Keith, that is the same one I was looking at. Have you had it long, what's your experience with it? I guess for $20 you haven't lost much if it doesn't work, but my real concern is if it does any damage to the camera etc. A car charger would also be really handy!

[wideangle]

I tend to come to the thinking that if you are willing to spend quite an amount on a camera, then $80 for genuine batteries is a small price to pay for piece of mind.

[Andrew]

I tend to come to the thinking that if you are willing to spend quite an amount on a camera, then $80 for genuine batteries is a small price to pay for piece of mind.

That was my thinking too. When I bought my 7D and grip from Fabian I was spending over two grand so why risk damage to save about sixty bucks.

[businup]

I think if we choose the battery with correct voltage, the genuine battery and the cone battery doesn't have great different on the impact of camera.

[Clubmanmc]

i bought some cheap batteries for my 20D ages ago.. they were intermittant with their life and never worked well, so since i have used genuine.... and never looked back

whay save $60 to ruin a 2500 or 4000 camera body ??

sounds like great mathematics to me

M

[Speedway]

I have 4 batteries for my 400D 1 genuine, 1 inca and 2 that came with the battery grip and after nearly 25000 shots all 4 are still performing well. As for the 7D battery only time will tell, the only problem I can see is that with the generic you lose the battery info function. As for the cost savings $60 each battery plus about $120 on the grip and $100 for a car charger = $400.00 This makes a huge difference when you survive on a pension. It has taken me years to build my kit and every cent saved counts.
Keith.

[Speedway]

Just an update to this thread. I have now had my 7D for nearly 2 months and using both the (1) genuine and (2) generic batteries I have found no difference in performance, the generic charger charges the genuine battery in the same time as the genuine charger and has the added advantage of the 12v cigarette lighter adapter included, now I have put the genuine charger away and keep one of the generic chargers at home and the other in the car,although with three batteries I have not had to use the car one yet even though the 150-500Sigma tends to use a lot of power as does the 18-250, possibly the OS and HSM. At under $40.00 for 2 batteries and 2 chargers (less than 1/2 the price of 1 genuine battery) this is a good way to go. The lack of battery info has not been a problem for me as the first time i notice it is when the camera shuts down anyway.

[dulvariprestige]

I've had my grip and generic batteries for about two weeks and have stopped using the generic batteries and are now only there for emergencies.
Apart from loss of battery info, I noticed that the fps didn't seem as quick, but it wasn't until I was next to someone shooting their 40d that I was sure, the 40d sounded a lot faster than my 7d, so I pulled them out and put the genuine battery back in, and wouldn't you know, it was sounding like it should've.
So for me, i'll only buy genuine from now on.

[Speedway]

No such problems with mine, FPS is fine as is everything else. As there is nothing in a battery to cause this:-
1. were the batteries fully charged. It is recommended to leave the batteries in the charger for at least 1 hour after the charge indicator goes out, (both genuine and generic). Also it can take a few cycles before batteries reach full capacity.
2. How many shots had you taken in the burst and is your card fast enough.
Keith.

[dulvariprestige]

Batteries were charged overnight, and i know the card's not the problem as it's fine when using the original battery.
Maybe the problem is that the generic batteries are 7.4v and 1400mAh which i thought i'd checked before i bought them, apparently i didn't, the canon are 7.2v and 1800mAh, could 400mAh less make a difference.

Keith did you end up going with the ones that you linked to.

[Speedway]

Yes I did and both my generics are 2200mAh. I don't think the 0.2 volts would make any difference. The 400mAh would only effect the charge life. Where did you get your grip from?
Keith.

[dulvariprestige]

I got it from link delight

[peterking]

Don't know about the 7D but my 350D fakes were a disaster. Didn't last six months.
Went and bought some genuine ones.

[Pinarelloman]

I recently purchased a 7D in Hong Kong & the generic battery will not charge in the Canon charger. I will be keeping it for emergencies only.
On my 30D, the generic battry charged in the canon charger & had a larger capacity. It never gave any problems in the 3 years I owned it.

[Helen S]

I too, went genuine when I bought my 5DII (genuine BG, as well) and have since bought two more genuine Canon batteries. Just need to pick up a second charger now as it's a pain in the proverbial only charging one at a time. Still the battery life on the genuines are awesome... same kind of life as what I have with my 2200mA generic ones for the 40D. :cool:

[Speedway]

I recently purchased a 7D in Hong Kong & the generic battery will not charge in the Canon charger. I will be keeping it for emergencies only.
On my 30D, the generic battery charged in the canon charger & had a larger capacity. It never gave any problems in the 3 years I owned it.

All generic battery sites I have viewed have a warning that if you charge the generic battery with the genuine charger you will ruin it. This may be completely destroying it or just reducing the output to a point where it no longer performs correctly.
Keith.

[Speedway]

I got it from link delight

Same place I got my 400D one from. Have you contacted them re the problem.
Keith.

[etherial]

I ended up buying a cheap battery just to have in emergency as it came with a car charger. I also bought another genuine and have been using it. I haven't had the need to use the cheap battery as the genuines are so good. I am getting well over 1200 frames from a battery!

[dulvariprestige]

Just an update,
I broke the charger for my generic batteries, so I bought two of batteries and chargers from the site where Keith got his, this way I can use the chargers for the other two bateries, left them on charge all night, put them in the camera and again, the fps is definitely lower than OEM batteries.

[ricmcd]

The after market ones will work but in my experience on a 5D mkII they will not hold charge for long and aome of the camera features do not work, eg the battery level indicator

[Speedway]

Just an update on this thread.
I have 1 genuine and 2 generic batteries for my 7D and after 9000 actuations I cannot tell the difference between them except the no communication with the camera but this doesn't worry me as usually the first indication that the battery is low is the camera stops working. the main thing thing I found when research the batteries is that you mustn't charge them with the genuine charger as this can kill the generic batteries. I nave put the canon charger away so I can't use it. The generic charger is ok to charge the genuine battery. I also have 1 genuine and 3 generic batteries for my 400d battery grip and with about 35000 actuations I have had no problems with these either. Also during my research I found most camera batteries "genuine and generic" are made by the same company. Panasonic. Also regarding the FPS I still have no problems see here. (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?t=57542)

[Tannin]

I buy genuine every time, they're not that expensive

Ha! Post of the week! Funniest thing I've read all day.

More generally (to the thread as a whole, not just Phil) let's get rid of this "fake" nonsense, shall we?

Batteries are batteries. They come in various shapes and sizes, and in different qualities too. You will generally see only three sorts:

1: Canon-branded ones. Good quality, ridiculous prices. Canon make about 75% profit on these.

2: Other brands. Good to very good quality (not infrequently superior to the Canon-badged ones, but typically about the same), reasonable prices. Very common on the market.

3: Shonky brands. Avoid. You can recognise them by the ridiculously low price.

Who is making batteries suitable for the 7D already? Don't know. The brands I usually buy don't seem to have bothered yet. In fact, against my better judgement, I bought a Canon one the other week because I couldn't find anything else.

[etherial]

I agree with you Tony, the real vs fake was not a good choice of words. I agree 100% with you post, the only issue is working out which of the non-canon brand batteries are the 2s and which are the 3s!

The one I bought was ridiculously low in price, but seems to work fine. Long term though it might be a different story, but I can buy 10 of them for the price of a Canon branded one so I think I'd be ahead buying the cheaper brands.

Thanks everyone for their input.

[bpratt]

I have just bought my 7D, and I also bought two of the generic batteries which came with 240/12v chargers.

At around the $40-50 mark for battery and charger, I figured that should I get a lower charge life for the batteries, I have the advantage of a 12 volt charger for on-road charging, and can now charge both batteries at the same time.


I also used a generic alongside a genuine battery in my 350D grip, and never had an issue there.


I am disappointed that the camera doesn't want to know the battery, as far as info on it goes, but with two batteries in the 7D grip, I don't think I'll be too concerned. :)

[Speedway]

I just had a big weekend at the Riverland two day Go Kart meeting and ran a test on the genuine canon battery alongside the generic battery. The score canon 1236 actuations, generic 1392 actuations. All shots using the 7D and the 18-250 sigma, also there was no perceivable difference in FPS rate between the two batteries. Both batteries were fully charged the night before using the generic chargers and my other generic battery did the last few races each day after the fully charged ones had gone flat. I took a total of 3026 shots for the two days.
Keith.

[simonw]

I have 1 ebay cheapie ($12) and my genuine, the generic once lasts just as long as the genuine and has probably been through about 10 charges now.

[deasty1]

I agree with Speedway.
I have 2 genuine and 4 generic with my 50D. Battery level indicator works and I can find no difference between them.

[achee]

You will generally see only three sorts:

1: Canon-branded ones. Good quality, ridiculous prices. Canon make about 75% profit on these.

2: Other brands. Good to very good quality (not infrequently superior to the Canon-badged ones, but typically about the same), reasonable prices. Very common on the market.

3: Shonky brands. Avoid. You can recognise them by the ridiculously low price.


What are the 'other' brands? It seems like they are referred to here as 'generic.' I'm keen to buy a spare battery or two, but I want to make sure I can differentiate between #2 and #3.

Oh, and what are 'ridiculous' prices... lower than $10 / $20 / $40 ea?

[dulvariprestige]

What I've noticed, is if you use one generic, and one genuine, the camera's fps and battery meter work fine, but if I use two generic, fps drops and battery meter doesn't work, but I'm not sure if it's wise to mix batteries, so I use the genuine ones and just have the generics for back up.

[Speedway]

There is nothing in a battery to cause the slow frame rate you say you are having, does the auto focus work properly when using the generic batteries. Have you at any stage tried to charge the generic batteries with the genuine charger. I have no such problems with my 7D using 1 genuine and 3 generic batteries, I have also spoken to 2 other 7D and 1 5D11 user and none have had any problems with generic batteries.
Keith.

[dulvariprestige]

Not a focus problem, not a charging problem.

I've recorded it on the iPhone, just need to figure out how to post it up.

[RamblinR]

The 7d battery lasts well but it's always nice to have a spare just in case. Have purchased copies before for my 40d and never had a problem but the 7d is playing hard ball.

I gather the following is a genuine battery. I'm thinking of purchase one.

Your thoughts?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/LP-E6-LPE6-Battery-Pack-Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-II-7D-/170507499873?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Cameras_Photographic_Accessories&hash=item27b309f961

[RaoulIsidro]

I always buy genuine batteries for my DSLRs.
The cost is higher than after market clones as you are paying not only for the brand but the whole design system integrated with the "camera to battery communication."
Canon or Nikon will never give the blueprints of their battery designs that have integrated chips that communicate with current and future cameras.
All clone batteries are reverse engineered, taken apart brand new, and cloned by the gray manufacturers. They can emulate the physical make up of the cell, but they cannot squeeze out the digital information from those intelligent chips. That is why they are not "future proof". Most original batteries (and lenses) are "forward compatible" and they are prepared for future DSLRs yet to be released. Clones can only service the current stable.
The price hike is a small amount to shell out for peace of mind.
I recall, about 8 years ago, Nikon took the great responsibility of recalling millions of defective batteries worldwide to replace them with brand new ones, no questions asked, just because of a few fault incidents. My almost exhausted and spent batteries were replaced with brand new ones by Nikon. That is a responsible move by a manufacturer.
Clone battery manufacturers will never do that, even with a few explosions of their products here and there.:):):)

[Speedway]

I just had a big weekend at the Riverland two day Go Kart meeting and ran a test on the genuine canon battery alongside the generic battery. The score canon 1236 actuations, generic 1392 actuations. All shots using the 7D and the 18-250 sigma, also there was no perceivable difference in FPS rate between the two batteries. Both batteries were fully charged the night before using the generic chargers and my other generic battery did the last few races each day after the fully charged ones had gone flat. I took a total of 3026 shots for the two days.
Keith.
I just thought I would bump this thread as now after over 2 years use and 40,000 actuations I can report on the long term usage of the genuine v aftermarket batteries. The genuine canon battery now delivers less than 500 shots per charge and this is dropping fast. The aftermarket ones still deliver well over 700 shots per charge. The FPS of both types is unaltered. I have just bought an aftermarket battery grip, the batteries that came with this are decoded and all the reporting functions of the camera work correctly, the only difference is the new are only 1400mAh, the genuine are 1800mAh and the older aftermarket ones 2200mAh

Keith.

[agb]

I just thought I would bump this thread as now after over 2 years use and 40,000 actuations I can report on the long term usage of the genuine v aftermarket batteries. The genuine canon battery now delivers less than 500 shots per charge and this is dropping fast. The aftermarket ones still deliver well over 700 shots per charge. The FPS of both types is unaltered. I have just bought an aftermarket battery grip, the batteries that came with this are decoded and all the reporting functions of the camera work correctly, the only difference is the new are only 1400mAh, the genuine are 1800mAh and the older aftermarket ones 2200mAh

Keith.

Thanks for that information Keith. The original link to the battery that you purchased 2 years ago is no longer working, are you able to direct me to the source of the battery that you purchased. There are just so many on ebay how do you decide which are the good ones to look at. I need a second battery as a back up for the 7D.

[Speedway]

I have purchased a lot of gear from here (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Decoded-Battery-LP-E6-Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-II-7D-60D-/110723379793?pt=AU_Cameras_Photographic_Accessories&hash=item19c7a0b251) and have never had a problem I just got one of their LCD battery grips for the 7D and it came with 2 of their decoded batteries which comunicate with the camera and can be charged with the original cherger.
Keith.

[agb]

Keith, thanks for that. It is a very low price for an lp-e6 battery.