Spare 7D batteries - OEM or 3rd Party?

[enduro]

I'm off on holiday to TAS hiking for couple of weeks and want to get a spare battery or two as I don't expect my single battery will last the 10 days at all. I'll be hiking in the wilderness and there will be no electricity to charge at all, so I need to get some spares.

So do I get OEM or cheap alternative?

Back in the days I had a 40D, I had an alternative manufacturer batter as well as the OEM unit. I really couldn't tell the difference between the two at all.

Any successes or ideas I should consider?

Looking at getting a 16gig CF card too, but that will be another post.

[peterking]

Personally I've not had great success with cheap alternative batteries. I'm going to stick to genuine.
As for 16GB, I've got the Sandisk Extreme Pro and have no problems with it. Only once filled it and it took me days to sort through it all.

[ZedEx]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I don't think your battery charge indicator will function properly with an aftermarket battery. I think the 7D uses the same battery as the 5D mkii and they had some weird little chips in there that communicated more accurate battery info to the camera. Having said that, stick to known aftermarket brands like Inca or Lenmar (two that I use) and you will be fine. The actual batteries themselves are effectively the same as genuine

[ace23s]

+1 for ZedEX
There are no difference between the genuine and the after market batterty for DSLR. Only thing is Canon have the better qaulity control. For after market batteris you need to find a reputable camera shop that should be fine.

[enduro]

+1 for ZedEX
There are no difference between the genuine and the after market batterty for DSLR. Only thing is Canon have the better qaulity control. For after market batteris you need to find a reputable camera shop that should be fine.

Thanks for the assistance ppl

Do the other batts have the chip in them that lets you know all the battery usage information etc ... not that I ever use it!

[pmack]

having a genuine canon battery die on my after only several charges, i'm no longer wasting money on genuine batteries again. canon do not make batteries.

i just purchased two "phottix" batteries for my 7D on ebay. hopefully they are "decoded" or whatever so they display the correct battery information. they were advertised as "Same function as Canon battery" so a little vague

can someone clarify what charging function you loose if your batteries arn't decoded?

[Caring]

I'm off on holiday to TAS hiking for couple of weeks and want to get a spare battery or two as I don't expect my single battery will last the 10 days at all. I'll be hiking in the wilderness and there will be no electricity to charge at all, so I need to get some spares.

So do I get OEM or cheap alternative?

Back in the days I had a 40D, I had an alternative manufacturer batter as well as the OEM unit. I really couldn't tell the difference between the two at all.

Any successes or ideas I should consider?

Looking at getting a 16gig CF card too, but that will be another post.
I would not plug a cheap third party imitation battery in my beautiful camera (even if it is only an entry level)! I could not afford to buy a new one, and I can imagine the look on the Canon rep's face if it fried the camera and I tried putting it in for a warranty claim.

[ZedEx]

That's why I said go with a known brand of aftermarket batteries. Seriously, get a canon battery and open the casing up. It's a couple of standard rechargeable cells. Probably all made in the same factory. Canon doesn't manufacture the cells inside their cases as far as I know. It would be interesting to see if they're the same brand of cells as in the aftermarket batteries. Needless to say, get the inca or the lenmar. They are absolutely fine and I have sold hundreds to various customers and never had an issue. I use them myself, too


I would not plug a cheap third party imitation battery in my beautiful camera (even if it is only an entry level)! I could not afford to buy a new one, and I can imagine the look on the Canon rep's face if it fried the camera and I tried putting it in for a warranty claim.

[enduro]

That's why I said go with a known brand of aftermarket batteries. Seriously, get a canon battery and open the casing up. It's a couple of standard rechargeable cells. Probably all made in the same factory. Canon doesn't manufacture the cells inside their cases as far as I know. It would be interesting to see if they're the same brand of cells as in the aftermarket batteries. Needless to say, get the inca or the lenmar. They are absolutely fine and I have sold hundreds to various customers and never had an issue. I use them myself, too

Can you point to where I can pick up a Lenmar or Inca battery?


Thanks,

[ZedEx]

Film and Video Extras is the company that supplies me with Lenmar, and Adeal supply me with Inca. Any actual shopfront that stocks manfrotto tripods, Hoya filters or accessories with brands like Micnova, Giottos, Glanz etc will be able to order these batteries for you if they do not stock them.

edit: both of these companies are wholesale suppliers to many photographic shops around Australia, the one I manage included. If you really cannot find a shop locally, PM me and I will see what I can organise for you.


Can you point to where I can pick up a Lenmar or Inca battery?


Thanks,

[JM Tran]

over the last 3 yrs of using 3rd party batteries, I have owned about 14 of them for the 5D and 5D2, and never had a problem of using and charging them every week

Just be wary of where you buy them from and how reputable the seller is. I would never buy a Canon OEM battery when I can get 4-5 of them from 3rd party makers for same price:)

[blissful]

Thanks for the information on batteries - I'll be looking soon to supplement mine also.

As for a 16GB CF card Enduro, Cheap Chips (an AF sponsor) have a special on the Lexar Pro UDMA 300x for under $70.

[enduro]

Thanks for the information on batteries - I'll be looking soon to supplement mine also.

As for a 16GB CF card Enduro, Cheap Chips (an AF sponsor) have a special on the Lexar Pro UDMA 300x for under $70.

thanks for the link and information - Cheap Chips (http://www.cheapchips.com.au)have some good prices.

I have a 8gid CF card that is 30mb/s and it's not fast enough. I might have to pick the SanDisk Extreme which is 60mb/s. The SanDisk Extreme Pro looks tempting, but expensive.

[Regnis]

over the last 3 yrs of using 3rd party batteries, I have owned about 14 of them for the 5D and 5D2, and never had a problem of using and charging them every week

Just be wary of where you buy them from and how reputable the seller is. I would never buy a Canon OEM battery when I can get 4-5 of them from 3rd party makers for same price:)

that is comforting to know. could you please provide a link of where you purchase them from?