wetreed

I have never had any trouble with a third party battery. In fact they work just as well as the ome . I can’t wait to how many old foggies come out from under the woodwork to say it’s not worth it.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

Like everything in life if you buy the cheapest then you will most likely get junk. But in saying that there is a mid point where the batteries are just as good as OEM but much cheaper. We use Wasabi and have saved over a $1000.

You also need to be aware that there is a subset of the population who have some weird mental condition that will only allow them to buy "name brand". Happens with cars, cameras & batteries, stereos, grocery products, clothing and shoes (especially), hand bags, power tools and others.

Silverrails

For the Safety of your Camera and Flash it has been suggested by other Professional Photographers that use Nikon Batteries with Nikon Cameras, Use Canon Batteries with Canon Cameras, Etc. Off brand Batteries do not perform at 100%, also have occasionally been known to damage Cameras.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Take battery advice with a grain of salt. Mirrorless cameras consume more power than DSLR. Batteries that work well in a DSLR will not perform as well in a ML camera. Batteries perform differently in different devices. To be safe buy the original.

Exact equivalents are out there...Canon don't make batteries. The only sure way to find a comparable battery is by trying the different brands.

Although another way to look at it is initial cost vs performance. If your battery only provides 2/3 the life but it cost less than 1/2 of the original...get the point.

ShelbyDave Loc: Lone Rock, WI

Canon batteries are overpriced. I bought several off brand batteries for $6 each and I never had any issues with them. Fit well, lasted as long as the Canon. Still have three of them (all about 10 years old) so I am hesitant to sell them even though I have sold the camera they went with. I looked and unfortunately there is no name on them. If I had to do it again I would.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

If we want to go down that road, OEM batteries have also been known to damage cameras. Guess we are in a pickle.

tropics68 Loc: Georgia

Is there any for sure way to determine the "OEM" battery is in fact not a Chinese knockoff? I once purchased a Canon battery that was advertised as OEM from a "reputable dealer". The battery was junk. It looked exactly like the battery that came with the camera new. I got about 25 pictures and it was dead. The dealer took it back and did not offer to replace it so I just moved on down the line to an advertised third party battery. I have several cameras and have had no real issues with known 3rd party batteries which usually DO NOT last as long as the real OEM version. joel is right. It is all about bang for the buck!

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

OEM camera batteries are expensive, OEM inks for printers are expensive, OEM parts for cars are expensive. In a lot of cases there are alternatives that will last as long but be much cheaper.
Capitalism says if the market is captive then charge as much as you can. Since the OEM battery probably costs the same to make as an off brand one (and possibly in the same factory) then some simple calculations will make this much clearer. Note that camera makers are in the business of making cameras - batteries happen to be a necessary evil that they unfortunately have to provide to be able to sell the cameras. I think you will find they would rather sell 10 batteries at $80 than 20 at $40 since less inventory and handling etc. Simple economics.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

None of the 3rd party batteries we use have shown any tendency to run for less time than the OEM. If you apply the same principles to using batteries to filling your gas tank then you shouldn't have a problem. Just as you would never wait until the car actual stops before refilling with fuel you should also never use the camera until the battery won't function ie it's dead. If you are a prolific shooter then put a new battery in midday regardless of the state of the current one. If you are one of those who only has one battery then pull your finger out and get a 2nd one, or even a 3rd one. If you are only running with one battery then I guess you are also not bothering to make a 2nd copy of your shots either (backups).

And I should mention that over the last 20 years, although we have chosen some very crappy non OEM batteries (which we quickly replaced) with good makes we have never had a battery dribble into or damage a camera. In fact the only time we have been caught out was once an OEM battery (in a Canon P&S) expanded and extraction wasn't easy.

Buy OEM if you have too much money or you can tax write them off. Or have the name brand problem.
Okay I am trolling a little bit here but the answers on here seem to be extreme in both directions but there is a good middle ground where you don't pay a fortune and get good value.

Silverrails

Interesting Experience indeed, What "Off-Brand" Batteries do you recommend using for a Nikon Brand, they might act differently with a different brand. $6.00 battery is definitley a deal, IF they DO NOT DAMAGE your expensive Camera.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

I use Wasabi but there are others. I have found that $6 batteries are well to steer clear of but when an OEM is $80 there are good batteries around for $30-50 that work well and last as long. Adding comments like "do not damage your expensive camera" is scare mongering.
Several commenters on here have pointed out the brands that they have found to work okay. Do some research.
The killer will be the day that manufacturers insert code into the OEM batteries and code into the camera that checks for the 'correct' battery. The day after I discover that happening will be the same day that brand (camera) is removed from my consider purchasing list. Do not underestimate the power of a marketing department to make some really stupid decisions.
Same thing happening with power tools. Although I use 3 different brands of tools I only use a single battery make (Makita, and clones, as it happens). If I cannot buy an adapter then I don't buy that make of tool.

johonew

Considering what I paid for my SONY camera and lenses, and the fact that I have seen firsthand off-brand batteries 'expand' with my Fuji, I now opt to spend a little more for OEM batteries and agree wholeheartedly with rmalarz.

Chris13 Loc: St. Pete, FL

Another vote for Wasabi batteries. Over the years and through various cameras they beat OEM every time in every way. A $300 gym shoe that says "Nike" on it is still just a $50 gym shoe.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

Or just carry an extra OEM battery instead of shutting everything off. At $50-80 this is an inexpensive way to double battery life.

ronpier Loc: Poland Ohio

My original OEM battery in my Nikon D50 just started its 16th year of service. For this reason I make every attempt to purchase OEM unless it’s no longer available. This happened only once because it was needed during the Holidays for a backup.