Third party batteries (or get a grip?)

[Paul Shields]

I'm going to have a holiday in a few weeks time (first break away from home for 3 years - yippee!). Anyway, I'll obviously be taking my entourage of cameras (as well as the kids, if there's still space). I've not yet got a spare battery for the 5D. With my other camera gear (Olympus) I just grab third party offerings for 1/3 the price and be done with it. Does the same hold true for Canon 3rd party batteries? Any brands to avoid/seek out? Also, the Canon grips are so much cheaper than Oly offerings - maybe I should just get a grip + a battery or two?

[JDArt]

My opinion: forget the grip. Buy a couple more batteries. I went through grips/no grips. Ended up savoring the small size more than the advantages of grip. Can't help you w/ brands, but I sure wouldn't pay up for the Canon originals.

On the other hand, I'm not the kind of guy who takes his truck back to the dealer for service.

[Slea_]

Paul, I use these on my 20D and 5D and have had no problems whatsoever

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=8141

Slea

[Paul Shields]

Originally Posted by Slea_

Paul, I use these on my 20D and 5D and have had no problems whatsoever

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=8141

Slea

Great link. Cheap and British - my perfect combination (don't tell the wife ). I'll be placing an order with them imminently.

[JDArt]

Originally Posted by Paul

Cheap and British

Isn't that the combination that allowed you folks to let America get away?

[Paul Shields]

Originally Posted by JDArt

Isn't that the combination that let allowed you folks to let America get away?

Hey, there's a potential for a huge thread on that comment, but I shall lift my head up and stroll on by .

btw - that 7dayshop place does two 5D batteries for £9.99 + P&P. Excellent deal. You can easily pay twice as much on ebay (hmm, maybe there's a market there. Isn't it called arbitrage or something..?).

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by Paul

With my other camera gear (Olympus) I just grab third party offerings for 1/3 the price and be done with it. Does the same hold true for Canon 3rd party batteries?

Generally yes, with 5D and 30D just watch the mAh: their larger LCD's do tend to eat up some more power in real life...

Have fun on your trip, regards,

Max@Home

[shmspac]

The nice thing with the “grip”, at least the unit for the 20D is that it will also accept AA batteries (a AA battery holder is included with the Canon grip), I use both, Canon batteries and bring along rechargeable AA’s. The reality is the Canon batteries last a long while especially with the additional battery the “grip” accommodates. For those that don’t want to spend the extra money for a grip, I say, “you don’t swallow the cow and choke on the tail”. The grip is a small investment in relation to most camera accessories, and there is little more useless than a digital camera without power, and knowing you will not likely run out of power is one less thing to worry about.

Also find the grip more comfortable, i.e. easier to balance when using a long lens, but then again, I have large hands. As for the added size and weight a grip adds, I don’t really feel it’s that significant, especially the weight factor.

As for third party batteries…I was once given a gift, from a group of my fellow workers, a very expensive desk top clock, battery powered. It wasn’t so much the cost, it was engraved and has sentimental value, so I was very disappointed when the batteries leaked and significantly damaged the clock. The good news was that I had used name brand batteries that offered a warrantee for battery incurred damage. With no fuss from the battery manufacturer, I followed their instructions and sent off my clock for repair, actually it was “restoration” and a few weeks later the clock was returned in perfectly restored condition…sure glad I hadn’t decided to save a small amount of money on cheaper batteries… often times there is more to a choice than just cost. Or as my father used to say, “Don’t be pennywise and pound foolish”.* *

[Rumpole]

When I had my 20D then, I like it with the battery grip. Not so much of the extra power but it feels better for handheld especially when a lens of substantial size (such as 24-70 f2.8L) is mounted on the camera. Since my days with Nikon F3 some 25 years ago, I have been used to having large handgrips on cameras. Well, it is quite personal and I suggest you to check it out yourself.

I must confess I am quite tempted by third-party batteries as they cost only a small fraction of the price of Canon ones. However, if you look at it from another angle, the cost-saving is so minimal considering the total amount you have spent on your equipment. So is it really worth the risk, minimal as it may be?

Cheers
KH

[Black Ricco]

I've never had any problems with these.

http://www.sterlingtek.com/ln03-cano...11-dlc511.html

http://www.sterlingtek.com/bpbpbpbachca.html