Non Genuine LP-E6

[Heavyweight67]

Have been having troubles sourcing Genuine Canon LP-E6 batteries where I live in Pattaya, Thailand, like many things here the term ORIGINAL has numerous definitions...have tried numerous camera shops, even a Canon one ( have to say the worst service, product knowledge of any Canon shop ever)...
It seems that any shop that sells cameras stocks OSKA Pro Series LP-E6

[urlhttp://www.fotorelax.com/forum/index.php?topic=41934.0][/url]

Just wondering if any one has had experience with these, even if I can find an "Original LP-E6" there is always a doubt that it is original, so it may be easier to go with this OTHER brand.

Have searched Google and even with translating pages I haven't been able to find a review, at least not in any real form of English...

Thanks

[87vr6]

I'll bring you some later this year... I'm in Japan (okinawa) and can readily source them.

[lonelywhitelights]

I have 1 genuine canon LP-E6 and I have 2 "fake" ones

I never have any trouble with the fake ones, they work just as well as the genuine battery, they charge i nthe same amount of time and last just as long. The only problem is these fake batteries don't connect electronically to your camera so you don't get a battery level indicator on your LCD screen.

I've heard various stories about them and I think it's a case of being lucky with the batteries that you get, you might get a bad one or you might get a good one - but since they're so cheap it doesn't really matter so much. I paid less than £10 for each of my fake batteries, compared to the price of the genuine canon battery there's no question that I would happily buy fake ones again

[Heavyweight67]

I purchased the OSKA brand...will see how they go...

As a Non-Canon branded item they are not cheap, 1800 THB at the current conversion rate that is about $57 USD..

Still cheaper than the Canon which I saw listed on a Bangkok site at 3250 THB or about $103 USD...

At this price I hope they are OK, but when you're between a rock and a hard place, soemtimes you just have to buy.

Was travelling OK until I picked up my 5Diii grip which left me one battery short, 3 batteries for a gripped 7D and 5Diii, the maths don't work out.

The OSKA brand seems well made, hard outer casing, "Warranty Void If Removed" sticker, they seem to have individual serial numbers.

In the 7D it registered as a LP-E6 and straight out of packet indicated an 80% charge.

At the moment it is recharging in a Canon battery charger with the LED blinking at what should be the appropriate rate...

Will see how many shots/or use it gives.

Far from an exciting post, but if it proves suitable a $30 saving is always good....

[crasher8]

Wasabi work great, they must be chipped.

[Rat]

I got several LP-E6 clones that do report battery status to the camera - but they all seem to have the same serial number so in-camera registration is not an option. Cheapest ones set me back about USD 10 on eBay, also got a few more expensive Phottex ones that cost approx. 25$ apiece.

Haven't got them long enough to say anything on the longevity, but my previous dslr had Phottex batteries as well and they were as good as the real deal.

edit: on eBay, please check and doublecheck that LP-E6 clones can be charged with the original charger! There are some that require an aftermarket charger as well, and given that you find chipped ones for a tenner, you had probably best avoid those.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Could safety be a possible factor in chosing?  Do you really want to fly on a plane with someone who has 6 of the cheapie no QA chinese batteries?
 
http://www.crsrisk.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/lithium-ion-batteries-blamed-for-747-crash/

[brad-man]

I will second the Wasabi recommendation. I  bought a Wasabi charger because the one I recieved with my Mk II had a power cord, the Wasabi plugs straight into the wall (and has 12v auto power cord included), plus two batteries from Amazon for $38. They perform as well as OEM in all respects...

[Aglet]

Lithium batteries, fully charged at room temperature, then cooled to much lower than room temperature, which COULD happen within an aircraft cargo hold, CAN exceed their safe maximum voltage and MAY fail in a dangerously catastrophic way.

So, probably better to (air) travel with your lithium ion batteries only half charged or less.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Lithium batteries, fully charged at room temperature, then cooled to much lower than room temperature, which COULD happen within an aircraft cargo hold, CAN exceed their safe maximum voltage and MAY fail in a dangerously catastrophic way.

So, probably better to (air) travel with your lithium ion batteries only half charged or less.

Never put them in checked luggage, put them in the passenger cabin where there is a chance to put out any fire that starts.  They do not need oxygen to burn, so fire extinguishers in the cargo compartment are of no help.
 
The biggest issue is a damaged battery or mis manufactured one that will short out when bumped at just the right point.  QA is a huge part of this, and its often non existent in the cheapies.
 
USPS now makes it illegail to send one in international mail, or to send equipment containing a li-on battery.

[peederj]

Well batteries bringing down a plane would be headline news for weeks. I think that's a bit fear mongering; Sony, Apple, etc. major name-brand companies have had their batteries catch fire but so very rarely, and the cheapies haven't had a worse reputation to my knowledge.

I have one Canon LP-E6 (came with the camera) and almost a dozen Wasabi and some other Chinese made clones. Wasabi, I should note, says "Premium Cells from Japan" on one side, and "Made in China" on the other. I can't tell the difference between any of these other than the label; it appears they are all made in the same factory, the QA may be better, there may be a better chip in the more expensive ones, the Zacuto variety claims it must not be charged in a Canon charger, but I am skeptical about a lot of that. If there were genuine safety concerns the stuff would probably not be allowed to be sold at all.

Batteries are a commodity and trying to make increased margin on a commodity often invokes snake oil and FUD. Things like "memory effect" and such have been demonstrated as largely false (although I do see "burps" in getting a charger to recharge old batteries). The people who really know about these things don't hang out on net.forums but probably just make sure the regulations ensure safety in nearly all cases.

Some people just want their favorite company to make more money I think, or to feel they haven't wasted theirs on conspicuous consumption.

[Wilmark]

I have bought two Photive and a Maxtech from Amazon both less than 15$. I have never been able to tell them apart from the Canon batteries. The OEMs are rated slightly more current than the canon, i havent tested but they seem to last just a long at least. The photive sometimes read an incorrect battery reading esp when FULL. But it will read correct most times. I havent seen this problem with the maxtech.

[Heavyweight67]

So if all these GENERIC batteries exist, and there seems to be few issues then why are we paying premium prices for Canon branded batteries?

I understand that some are hesitant due to breaching some Canon warranty, which is where my concerns are, it's too easy for companies to shirk their responsibilities over minor issues...

I had a warranty issue not with Canon (fingers crossed) but with Yamaha, who almost force you to use there branded oil in Motorcycles ( which is always priced at a much higher margin to other brands and not always available), I had to prove to them that I had absolutely no choice but to use another brand of oil (strange, since Yamaha actually don't produce oil, and it is outsourced like the production of Canon batteries)..

So, I wonder if I would be in a similar position with Canon, needless to say, once the 12 month warranty expires I don't think Canon or Yamaha care what I do or which product I choose over theirs...

My issues come down to making every attempt to source the original, when you walk into a Canon shop or Yamaha, you do expect that they will have the "nuts and bolts" that people require for everyday operation of their products...

[LSV]

I've been buying generic replacement batteries for my Canons from a top-rated seller on Ebay and have been very satisfied.  A generic replacement LP-E6 goes for $10(US) with capacity of 2200 mAh, exceeding the original LP-E6's capacity of 1800 mAh.  My cameras could not tell the difference.

[Aglet]

I haven't tested batteries for safety.
I HAVE tested batteries for capacity.

Altho many generic batteries will work decently, some better than others, a few nearly as good as an OEM one.

What I've found is:
- most of the generics will not last as long as an OEM battery, either in capacity or in calendar life.  Many fail to provide useful capacity after only a year or 2 of light use. Some will last nearly as well as OEM.
- many of the generics overstate their actual mAh capacity.  I've tested some new batteries and found their actual capacity to be less than half what they claimed they were.  You can only put so much energy into a given volume when using a similar cell structure.
- some generics I got from eBay last year were not even using metal-canned Li-ion cells but resorted to using cheap Li-polymer cells.  You can tell by how little they weigh compared to a "real" battery.  They worked.. for about 10 charge-discharge cycles.

You CAN find good generic product out there but there's also a LOT of garbage produced by unscrupulous mfrs.

Sharing info on brands and sources on a forum like this is a good alternative to everyone experimenting.

I no longer remember the name but there was an eBay seller, based in ON, that provided some good quality batteries that fit and work very well.  One I got my my G11 is still working as well as the OEM one 2 years later and some BP-511 types are also performing long after other generics have become junk-drawer filler.
It's still a gamble as to whether the source he gets them from is still producing at comparable quality or whether you roll the dice again.  You get what you pay for most times; sometimes you get better than expected, sometimes not.