Official Batteries vs Generic Batteries

Hey guys

this is a lot of posting lol but I got lots of questions..

Okay... here goes

As you guys know Lithium Ion batteries arn't cheap and cost a fortune.

My question is.

What does OEM stand for and

Are the generic batteries available online as good as the official one? I've read in some auctions that they are just as good or bettor but they are like a fraction of the price and you know the old saying if its to good to be true then it must be.

I think I read that saying here lol..

But anyways for example

The NB-4L Canon Battery I have cost 70$plus tax at retail stores.. the generic ones selling online is roughly 10$.

Now what do you guys think. Is it just the name we pay for or the official one of higher quality?

OEM is Original Equipment Manufacturer, which means the one that comes with the camera or is sold by the manufacturer. I plan on buying a backup battery for my SD300 from B&H (they have two different models) for $30 which have 900mAh as opposed to the OEM battery's 760mAh. More juice for less money, which is pretty standard when you are talking about manufacturer brands.

really and these batteries perform well.. don't die out faster then the OEM ones I guess?

Also how long does a battery usualy last for anyways? I'm also worried about something like that. Meaning how long will it last me as in until it wont work no more.

Thanks for the info

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by c2ironfist

really and these batteries perform well.. don't die out faster then the OEM ones I guess?

Also how long does a battery usualy last for anyways? I'm also worried about something like that. Meaning how long will it last me as in until it wont work no more.

Thanks for the info

---

The technology behind batteries is essentially very simple with anode, cathode and some chemicals shoved in between them. Thus, it;s hard to get that wrong.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rhys

The technology behind batteries is essentially very simple with anode, cathode and some chemicals shoved in between them. Thus, it;s hard to get that wrong.

---

lol good way of putting it :p

I was told though by a friend that those generic ones perform really crappy so I wasn't sure. Well generic brands of any kind anyways.

I know usualy they have a lot of crap on ebay and other auction sites at a really low price but performance is really bad.. so I questioned the quality of those generic ones that were available.

I'll probalby go grab 2 which should last me for the lifetime of my digital camera :)

One of the biggest problems with non OEM batteries is in the manufacturing of the casing.

Quite often you have to be very careful and buy from a reputable 3rd party or you may find that may:

(1) not quite fit your camera right
(2) not fit snug in your charger
(3) not even charge correctly as the contacts arn't quite right
(4) not hold in a charger, especialy if you have one that plug straight into the wall socket and thus holds the battery vertical.
(5) not fully charge to stated capacity.

3rd Party makers such as Energiser, Delkin and Hahnel are all extremely reliable.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jim Last

One of the biggest problems with non OEM batteries is in the manufacturing of the casing.

Quite often you have to be very careful and buy from a reputable 3rd party or you may find that may:

(1) not quite fit your camera right
(2) not fit snug in your charger
(3) not even charge correctly as the contacts arn't quite right
(4) not hold in a charger, especialy if you have one that plug straight into the wall socket and thus holds the battery vertical.
(5) not fully charge to stated capacity.

3rd Party makers such as Energiser, Delkin and Hahnel are all extremely reliable.

---

Lol. Reminds me of some lightweight batteries I bought in a pound shop. I put two in a torch and they died very quickly. the others i left in a box on a shelf for maybe 3 months. At the end of those 3 months, the electrolyte had eaten through the casing leaving a nasty mess behind. Fortunately it was a battery box I keep all my batteries in - just in case of such accidents. They were all the same. I think the moral there is - don't buy cheap Chinese trash.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by c2ironfist

lol good way of putting it :p

I was told though by a friend that those generic ones perform really crappy so I wasn't sure. Well generic brands of any kind anyways.

I know usualy they have a lot of crap on ebay and other auction sites at a really low price but performance is really bad.. so I questioned the quality of those generic ones that were available.

I'll probalby go grab 2 which should last me for the lifetime of my digital camera :)

---

I'd say go to a reasonable shop locally rather than buy from the web. Batteries are cheap enough. Actually, if I was buying enel1s then I'd go to 7dayshop.com anyway.

Too right Rhys :)

Ebay certainly has its uses but when buying camera batteries etc. you really need to look very carefuly at items comming from China and Japan.

I would always stick with buying from either the US or UK as they both seem to be more reliable for quality and authenticity of items.

But I am sure even in time these cheap imports will start to smother the globe, as all those buyers riped off will try to off load their dodgy purchases :)

I bought a replacement nb2l canon battery a while back from ebay. It was an aftermarket brand called Merkury rated at double the factory capacity and I was surprised to find that I actually do get double the life out of it. It was much cheaper than an oem battery.