Is Amazon selling fake LP-E6 batteries or did Canon change design?

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Mar 25, 2011
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Parallacs said:
Sorry OP if the battery is fake, I got burned a few years back with a very convincing CF card.

A word of advice to everyone: Don't use Amazon or Ebay to buy any type of memory card/battery/filter.

Just assume that anything from a third party seller is fake. Assume anything from Hong Kong is fake. Even when your order is directly from Amazon, their system will sometimes use may different warehouses and distribution centers. These locations aren't guaranteed to have legit stock.

Ebay is just asking for counterfeit stock, don't even try.

Pretty much the only option for these type of items is either Adorama or BH.

I've had no problem buying batteries from Amazon, they are a authorized Canon Dealer. The op bought his battery from a third party seller, not from Amazon.
 
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Oct 18, 2011
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Yep, and I've actually had pretty good luck with a few known knock-offs (Wasabi, Maximal) that have lasted just as long as my original Canon or Panasonic batteries. No reason to pay $60 for a battery I know someone can make and sell for $10. But, they also say they are knock-offs.

Sucks to get bait-and-switched on what you thought was a legit Canon battery.
 
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RC said:
Anyone know if these counterfeit batteries register the s/n in the battery menu? The reason I ask is because one of my 3 batteries (purchased from Amazon fulfillment) has a different length serial number from my other 2. I was a little suspicious but I could not tell any differences between batteries or packaging.

Yes, other brands of batteries can be registered in the menu. Don't worry about the number of digits - I get that too.
 
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unkbob said:
kiniro said:
This is how my battery came...the packaging.

Looks very similar but subtly different to mine. My packaging has no ridges on the sides. Was it sealed / blister pack? Mine could be opened in 1 second and put back with no one the wiser.

I just opened mine. The tabs in the back are glued to the red paper so I don't know how someone might open this packaging and then repackage.
 
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neuroanatomist said:
Also, check the hologram on the package. Canon's anti-counterfeiting tactics includes the use of the special hologram. The new unique holograms show the word ‘Canon’ running horizontally in a number of bands, and in between the ‘ribbons’ users should see a helix design, also running horizontally, overprinted with the word ‘genuine’. The hologram has a color-changing feature also. Upright, it should appear as an iridescent gold, but when tipped into a horizontal position, a bright, iridescent green. If this transition does not color, Canon advises that the hologram is fake.

hologram that came on my package meets these characteristics.
 
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Mar 25, 2011
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Canon has changed packaging as well as whats printed on the batteryabout once a year. Three of my four are slightly different, each is a different age. The new batteries I bought form Adorama and Amazon (not a third party) have the correct hologram. The other two came with my 5D MK II and later 7D.

The original 5D Battery says made in Japan, then I have a made in China, and one that is part Japanese and part Chinese. One has a date on it, but the others are older and do not.
 
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Mt Spokane Photography said:
Canon has changed packaging as well as whats printed on the batteryabout once a year. Three of my four are slightly different, each is a different age. The new batteries I bought form Adorama and Amazon (not a third party) have the correct hologram. The other two came with my 5D MK II and later 7D.

The original 5D Battery says made in Japan, then I have a made in China, and one that is part Japanese and part Chinese. One has a date on it, but the others are older and do not.

Do they all have the same colour plastic covers?
 
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Jedifarce

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I guess this is a tricky one. When I ordered additional batteries from Amazon, I purposefully stayed away from "third party" replacements. So I purchased it from this amazon spot -

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-LP-E6-Battery-Digital-Cameras/dp/B001KELVS0

They seemed to work fine. However, when you look at the reviews you'll see 93-5stars vs 31-1star ratings it can make deciding a bit confusing. After sifting through some of the negative ratings, some of the people that were burned seemed to have not bought directly from Amazon but from other sellers. The battery crapping out or not holding it's charge appears to be the biggest complaints. The batteries I got hold the same amount of charge as the original that came with my camera and the yellow plastic cover is the same color.

I suppose it's more difficult for me to tell if theres a problem because I shoot primarily video which drains the battery much quicker than taking stills and they power my SmallHD DP6 external monitor. The DP6 is pretty neat, it was specifically designed to have 1-2 canon batteries to bolt on back of it as a power source so it's not drawing any power from the camera itself. Having 8 batteries you don't really worry about the batteries losing power, when it does you switch it out. I'd purchase more batteries from the same Amazon link again.
 
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Jedifarce

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Parallacs said:
Sorry OP if the battery is fake, I got burned a few years back with a very convincing CF card.

A word of advice to everyone: Don't use Amazon or Ebay to buy any type of memory card/battery/filter.

Just assume that anything from a third party seller is fake. Assume anything from Hong Kong is fake. Even when your order is directly from Amazon, their system will sometimes use may different warehouses and distribution centers. These locations aren't guaranteed to have legit stock.

Ebay is just asking for counterfeit stock, don't even try.

Pretty much the only option for these type of items is either Adorama or BH.

Bought 8 CF transcend cards from Amazon and have never had a problem with the cards. I would never trust EBay just to buy a CF card. The only time I've gone there is to purchase items that can't be bought anywhere else such as anamorphic lenses.
 
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revup67

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Dec 20, 2010
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Unkbob - After looking at your photos there was one thing that peaked my curiosity and that was the Made In and Assembled. Strangely enough your "old" battery shows "Made In China" but the new states "Cell Made In Japan pack Assembled in China". I grabbed my 7D bought through an authorized Canon Reseller and mine says the latter "Cell Made In Japan pack Assembled in China". Perhaps this may assist you further.
 
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takoman46

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I just ordered another LP-E6 from B&H and still have it new in packaging. The battery enclosed, looks like the the others I have had from my 5DmkII (semi-gloss black battery with the lighter yellow-orange cover). It seems that Canon should not have changed the design at all in recently manufactured LP-E6 batteries because the battery that came with my 5DmkIII also looks the same as the original design. After looking at the packaging, I noticed that there is a foil holographic sticker with "Canon" printed on it placed near the top left corner of the blister pack. Did the battery from Amazon have this sticker? It's used to indicate that it is an authentic Canon product. In any case, there must be some type of distinguishable variation in design of any product for a third party manufacturer to legally produce and market the product. If there is no difference in design between the original LP-E6 and the battery in question, then it is likely that it is authentic. Most manufacturers would not go to the extreme of forging an exact replica of an authentic copyrighted product because they would be an easy target for legal action by the copyright owner.
 
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MarkChall

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Hi,
I'm new to the forum but felt compelled to reply to this post after finding it, having also received 'fake' LP-E6 batteries for my 7D. I ordered them from a third party, 'Tech_traders1' through Amazon but like with unkbob the battery covers were a different colour to the genuine Canon one I received with my 7D and the texture on the battery was different too.

I contacted Canon directly to see if they could advise but my the iPhone photos I sent them meant they couldn't conclusively say whether they were counterfeit or not. I was told however...

"From the images that you have provided, it is not clear if these are counterfeit. If these are counterfeits, they do appear to be good replicas - unfortunately the slight softness of the image prevents me from confirming 100%. The battery cover does definitely raise concerns, as the colour is incorrect.

Perhaps one of the best ways to tell is from the hologram. The hologram should change as you tilt it, I have attached two photographs to confirm how the hologram should appear. From the images you provided, this did not appear to be the case, and also the actual design of the hologram does not seem right.

Comparing a genuine with a suspect battery is simply the best way to determine if it is counterfeit, as genuine Canon batteries should mostly be identical aside from occasional slight design changes. Slight differences in typefaces or logos, printing or labels that are situated at a slight angle, or the quality of printing and materials used for the packaging, are generally the best indicators."

Having contrasted the holograms on the suspected fake packaging to that of a genuine packet (that I have subsequently bought) leaves me in no doubt that the third party batteries from Tech-traders1 are fake.

I have requested a refund from the seller and Amazon have confirmed that a refund request has been made. Having only recently acquired my 7D (I use the Canon C300 video camera more) I wanted to use genuine Canon parts.

The moral of my story is that if prices for so called genuine products seem too good to be true then they usually are. Attached is a photo of the genuine hologram that I received from Canon in my correspondence:

Hope this helps someone down the line.
 

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"genuine Canon batteries should mostly be identical aside from occasional slight design changes."

LOL that's really helpful. So if it looks different, it's counterfeit, unless it isn't.

Mine was most definitely fake. If buying from Amazon, don't use a marketplace seller, even if Amazon fulfils the order. Same goes for brand name memory cards.
 
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Mandy

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My new 60D body arrived via Amazon with a very dodgy battery charger and the supplied battery took 16 hours to charge. The instruction manual speaks of orange flashing lights - well it didn't have any of those....just red to warn you the thing gets red-hot. It's gone to Canon for their word on whether it's a counterfeit but I'm convinced, and not a happy bunny. Designer Gadgets / Star Trading Solutions are better avoided. :mad:
 
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