Rolk Loc: South Central PA

We're getting ready for our first river cruise and I figured it would be a good time to finally order a second battery for my Canon EOS60D, which I did from B & H.

I got it yesterday, and it appeared to be packaged like a new battery, so I plugged it into my existing charger and lo and behold, a day later instead of it showing a charged status, the amber/reddish light under the "charge" indicator was blinking very fast.

When I put it in the camera, I got this message: "Cannot communicate with battery. Use this battery?" and then of course the option to Cancel or OK.

I chose OK and the camera went through it's normal startup routine but the battery showed no charge and the camera wouldn't even focus.

So, did I get a dud? Any suggestions on how to proceed? Any advice would be appreciated.

Tim

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

This may well be a faulty battery, or a battery with a faulty chip. But I'd recommend trying one more time to charge it...it's possible that it was just on the shelf for too long.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I would call B&H ASAP and explain the situation exactly as you explained it to us. They have always been willing to work with me - and this is plain bad.

Rolk Loc: South Central PA

Thanks for the quick advice, Larry, and thought of doing that, but I'm concerned it may start a fire...you never know with Li-On batteries.

I did want to post the ratings of each battery. The original was stamped 7.2V, 1800mAh, 13Wh, while the "new" battery was stamped 7.4V, 2000mAh, 14.8Wh.

I'm using the original charger that came with the camera. It's a LC-E6.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

"Unable to communicate with battery" either means a bad controller chip on a Canon battery or it's a counterfeit.

Definitely get in touch with B&H. They have great customer service and will want to be made aware of the problem, so they can check the rest of their stock. They are usually really good about avoid cheap knock-offs... but anybody can get bamboozled. Some of the "fakes" are hard to distinguish from the real thing.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The original battery supplied with your 60D was an LP-E6... I have several and they are all marked as you indicated.

Those are no longer available. They have been replaced by the LP-E6N... You should find that marking on the battery. I have several of those, too. They are completely interchangeable with the earlier LP-E6, so should charge fine (I use four of the same charger as you). The only significant difference between LP-E6 and LP-E6N was their capacity.

That's where what you wrote seems a little odd.

My LP-E6N are marked: 7.2V (volt), *1865mAh* (Li-ion) 14Wh.

Maybe Canon has revised the capacity of the LP-E6N again... But searching online I can only find reference to the same 1865mAh capacity of mine, among the OEM Canon batteries.

That worries me, because it's rather common for "clones" to claim higher capacity than the OEM batteries. I even found one claiming 11200mAh, which is absurd. But at least it doesn't try to "pose" as a Canon battery....it's clearly marked with a third party brand name. Sterling batteries, which are pretty good and also don't try to pose as OEM, sell one they claim has 2400mAh, which is more believable.

EDIT: Aha! Is it possible instead of a Canon OEM battery you ordered a Watson LP-E6N? I see those are rated 2000mAh (which is more believable than 11200!) The Watson battery is cheaper at $39.95, than the Canon OEM LP-E6N ($63 at B&H). B&H also sells a Pawa brand LP-E6 that's even cheaper (~$20), but it is only 1600mAh (versus the 1800mAh of the original Canon LP-E6 and 1865mAh of their LP-E6N). The Watson and Pawa brand batteries aren't counterfeit... they are simply cheaper third party.

If yours is the Watson battery, look closely to see if it has a part number on it. In the Q&A section at B&H there is mention of a Watson LP-E6N "B-1544" that doesn't work with 80D (so it may not work with other Canon cameras and chargers, though there's no mention of that... and no one says if the problem is the camera can't recognize it).

The Watson LP-E6N "B-1544-2" is said to work fine, and is what B&H is showing on their website. There are 200 reviews of it, with an overall four out of five star rating. It appears to work fine for a lot of people. However, some of the buyers who gave it one or two stars complained of short life and trouble with their camera not recognizing it, much as you describe... maybe 5 or 10% of buyers appear to have had that problem.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

[quote=Rolk]We're getting ready for our first river cruise and I figured it would be a good time to finally order a second battery for my Canon EOS60D, which I did from B & H.

I got it yesterday, and it appeared to be packaged like a new battery, so I plugged it into my existing charger and lo and behold, a day later instead of it showing a charged status, the amber/reddish light under the "charge" indicator was blinking very fast.

When I put it in the camera, I got this message: "Cannot communicate with battery. Use this battery?" and then of course the option to Cancel or OK.

Did you put it in the charger correctly, did it make solid contact? If yes, call B&H customer service. I am sure they will make it right.

steve49 Loc: massachusetts

Send it back. Its just a defective battery. It happens.

miked46 Loc: Winter Springs, Florida

Most of my batteries are 3rd party INDIO, and I have never had a problem with them. Used on 70D, 80D, 90D.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

Why go to us call B&H and Canon B&H (800) 606-6969 and/or Canon (800) 652-2666. They are the Pros.

Let us know what they came up with, please

Rolk Loc: South Central PA

Awesome info, amfoto!

I can't believe I threw away all the original packages, but I looked at the invoice...what's weird, when I ordered it online, I would have sworn I was ordering a Canon battery...the invoice shows a battery by Blackmagic Design...darn...can't believe I missed that.

And, yes BillNikon, I did make sure I plugged it in correctly...I am getting older, but I'm not quite senile yet...sorry,
couldn't resist.

Anyhow, I tried contacting B&H today, and my luck, for whatever reason, they are closed today..I will try again tomorrow and will let all of you know how I made out.

Thanks to everyone who's jumped in to help...truly appreciated.

Tim

Rolk Loc: South Central PA

LOL...Not really sure why you started out with "Why go to us...", which is borderline rude, but I do appreciate how you finished...thanks for responding, Picture Taker.

Tim

pblanche1 Loc: Lansdale, Pennsylvania

Tim,
I have had this experience with 3rd party batteries (LP E6) for my 7d & 5dMkIV. For some unknown reason the Canon charger will either not charge or not fully charge some of these batteries. I purchased a 3rd party charger and it works fine and it came with a 12v adapter which is great for road trips.
Good luck on your trip!

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

It may be rude but, I don't understand buying a product and find it does not work, and rather than asking the manufacturer (that has one of the best customer service ever) or call the store (one of the better ones) Asks you neighbors what to do.

Sorry for being rude

Rolk Loc: South Central PA

Picture Taker, the main reason I tried here FIRST was because when I noticed I had a problem it was late and B&H was closed for the day. As it turns out, they were also closed today, so I couldn't get an answer from them.

It's been my experience that MOST of the UHHer's are very helpful and in most cases, some have experienced problems that others can learn from.

I do accept your apology for being rude, and extend one to you if you think I was wrong for asking.
Tim