PhotosBySteve

I have always used either Canon or Watson batteries in my Canon cameras. All from B&H. The only one that died completely, after 1 year, was the Canon battery. Both brands typically hold the same charge

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Be happy you do not have a new Nikon camera (e.g. Z6). They have figured out how to make the camera refuse non-Nikon branded batteries.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

My Z6 can. It rejects non-Nikon branded batteries and even older models of recommended (required) battery.

Funny how some get all bent on using camera branded battery on their camera with lenses from Tamron, Sigma, etc.

Never heard of cameras ruined by Li batteries. The phones that blew up were using manufacturer branded batteries. The old battery issues were NiCad or standard off the shelf AA or AAAs.

Only issue I had was a swelled Nikon battery that took a lot of effort to remove.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Update: it appears the generic manufacturers have decoded Nikon’s effort. Now can get two plus charger for $35 that claim to work with Zs, vs. $55 for one with a Nikon brand.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

Camera manufactures will supply a good battery 9Not made by them). Other batteries are good and bad. The Camera manufactures will support the batteries they supply and not other brands. I'm not going to spend the time to research the battery marker nor am I going to risk a camera problem because it was a bad battery or a camera problem that my camera manufacture won't service do to a bad battery supplier.
No problem any battery is fine a bad supplier battery problem with my camera is not worth it. With a thousand dollars or more of camera stuff in you hand you can save a few bucks but, not me.

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

The only 3rd party batteries I have are by Promaster because that is what my local camera store carries. Their battery life seems longer than the Sonys that came with my α6000 as the graph shows (my experiment with Airplane mode ‘off’). Note the ‘stair-step’ behavior of the Sony.

(Download)

Photoguy120

Buy Canon batteries or their equivalent from B&H

Jaackil Loc: Massachusetts

I have used several different 3rd party batteries and not had a problem with the. It also depends on the manufacturer. There are reputable brands made in China and I am sure there are others that are not. With out knowing the brand it is hard to say but you said you only paid $10 for it that would be a red flag. But if you are just using it for an emergency back up and not leaving it in the camera probably gonna be ok for what you need it for.

gjgallager Loc: North Central CT & Space Coast Florida

A few years back we bought a good quality camera (Lumix LX100) for my wife and the deal included some extras, that being 2 extra off brand batteries and a charger. The camera is primarily for vacations, so after several months I took her camera out and planned to recharge the batteries. One of the off brand batteries had been left in the camera, and it had begun to swell. It was touch and go but I did manage to extract it from the camera but it took several minutes. I have had the same experience with UPS (uninterruptible power supply) batteries as they age. I threw them out and bought another Panasonic battery. Greg.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

Powertool batteries, camera batteries, printer ink cartridges. Its where the manufacturers make the most money knowing there are enough suckers out there to keep buying them.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Watson, Wasabi, and Power2000 are all pretty reliable brands. We have a Power2000 and several Wasabi batteries and a Wasabi charger here, for our Lumix GH4 bodies. They seem to perform about as well as the Panasonic batteries. Rarely do we exhaust more than two batteries per day. And hey, if one does go bad, they're cheap! I can buy a new one for $13. The OEM battery costs $53. Four for the price of one works for me, even if they die in three years instead of five.

Canon can't guarantee a third party battery. So they use FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) to persuade you to spend a ridiculous sum on OEM batteries. Their batteries DO work reliably, but often cost 2-3 times as much.

Just stay away from brands you don't see advertised by the major national retailers (Adorama, B&H, Cameta Camera, Roberts Camera...). And for goodness' sake, don't buy batteries from 42nd St. Photo or Abe's of Maine.

Think about it... If your goal were to become or to remain the largest (or one of the largest) photo dealers in the USA, would you sell unreliable gear? No, you would be like Japanese companies, and not want stuff to come back! Returns are a major PITA.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

I have two Promasters purchased from my camera store bought during Christmas last year as backups but I usually have them order OEM Nikons. Get them in 2-3 days at the store. More than willing to pay extra for OEM.

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

You couldn't have been using 3rd party batteries for almost 40 years. The Canon XTi came out August 2006, which is only 13 years ago.
I have been using digital cameras since the early 90s, which is less than 40 years ago and there were no 3rd party batteries for digital cameras available then.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I have purchased batteries (Nikon marked) on E Bay. These look identical to Nikon OEM batteries, but most do not hold a charge as long. Looked on Nikon's site, but could not determine if these are genuine or not.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

All good information. As far as FUD, it is hardly limited to Canon or even to camera manufacturers. Vehicle and equipment manufacturers have done the same since about forever. Same tactics. Use our oil, filters, belts, etc or the tires will fall off your new car! I even had a John Deere salesman try to tell me my engine warranty would be void if I didn't use John Deere oil. Totally false but that was his story and he was sticking to it. I now drive an extra ten miles to buy from a different dealer.
Common sense and a bit of research can save a good deal of money most times.