Home News Buyers Guide About Advertising
 
 
 
   
  #1  
Old 02-13-2005, 06:21 PM
Grossie Grossie is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 10
Question Generic Battery

I want to buy a backup EN-EL3 for my camera. I've seen a number of different generic brands, all rated 7.4V 1300mAh. The price differencs is remarkable ($50 vs $15). Any experience out there with these?

Thanks again.
Reply With Quote

  #2  
Old 02-13-2005, 08:35 PM
Rhys Rhys is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Formerly South Wales. Now South Carolina.
Posts: 7,199
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grossie
I want to buy a backup EN-EL3 for my camera. I've seen a number of different generic brands, all rated 7.4V 1300mAh. The price differencs is remarkable ($50 vs $15). Any experience out there with these?

Thanks again.
No experience but they're probably just as good if not better.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-13-2005, 09:34 PM
D70FAN D70FAN is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: The Sonoran Desert
Posts: 4,870
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grossie
I want to buy a backup EN-EL3 for my camera. I've seen a number of different generic brands, all rated 7.4V 1300mAh. The price differencs is remarkable ($50 vs $15). Any experience out there with these?

Thanks again.
Ya know, while I sort of agree with Rhys on this, I can't help thinking what happens if the battery craps out in the middle of a shoot? So I decided to pay $50 for the real thing from the local camera shop. $1200 camera...$50 battery. Peace of mind?
__________________
Once you go dSLR you'll never go back
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-14-2005, 08:04 AM
jamison55 jamison55 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Grafton, MA
Posts: 1,719
Default

I have had great success with "cheap" EBay replacement batteries. The BP511 copy that powers my DReb and 20D, lasts just as long as the Canon original...
__________________
www.jamisonwexler.com

Canon 5dII|Canon 5D|Canon 40D|Sigma 15 f2.8|Canon 28 f1.8|Canon 35 f1.4|Canon 50 f1.4|Canon 50 f1.8|Canon 85 f1.2|Canon 17-40 f4|Canon 18-55 f3.5-5.6|Canon 24-105 f4 IS|Canon 28-105 f3.5-4.5|Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS|Canon 75-300 f4-5.6 IS|Kenko 1.4x TC|Canon 500D 77mm|Canon 580ex X2|Canon 550ex X2|Canon 420ex|Sunpak 383 x2|Sunpak 120j x2|Sunpak 622|Elinchrom Skyports

Past Gear
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-14-2005, 09:52 AM
Samuel Lo Samuel Lo is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 108
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jamison55
I have had great success with "cheap" EBay replacement batteries. The BP511 copy that powers my DReb and 20D, lasts just as long as the Canon original...
Hmm.., I read the newspapers in Hong Kong a few weeks ago about explosion of these replacement batteries and the camera is damaged, the owner was injured. I can't remember the brand name, but please check carefully. Not only camera's batteries, there are cases of mobile phones' batteries.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-14-2005, 10:13 AM
Rhys Rhys is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Formerly South Wales. Now South Carolina.
Posts: 7,199
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samuel Lo
Hmm.., I read the newspapers in Hong Kong a few weeks ago about explosion of these replacement batteries and the camera is damaged, the owner was injured. I can't remember the brand name, but please check carefully. Not only camera's batteries, there are cases of mobile phones' batteries.
I suspect that the worst that could happen is that the battery would get very hot. In theory a lithium battery - if it got wet - could explode as the lithium reacted with water to produce hydrogen.

Personally, I find Lion batteries run cooler than NiMh (which run cooler than NiCad).

I would guess that the Honk Kong newspaper was probably talking about batteries made in China. Very little that I've seen coming from Chinese factories has been of anything more that awful quality.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 02-14-2005, 11:48 AM
Samuel Lo Samuel Lo is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 108
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhys
I suspect that the worst that could happen is that the battery would get very hot. In theory a lithium battery - if it got wet - could explode as the lithium reacted with water to produce hydrogen.

Personally, I find Lion batteries run cooler than NiMh (which run cooler than NiCad).

I would guess that the Honk Kong newspaper was probably talking about batteries made in China. Very little that I've seen coming from Chinese factories has been of anything more that awful quality.
Yes, i think so. But unfortunately cheap items were always come from China, even some batteries in some products made in Japan, for China have the largest batteries plant in the world!
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-14-2005, 12:46 PM
D70FAN D70FAN is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: The Sonoran Desert
Posts: 4,870
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rhys
I suspect that the worst that could happen is that the battery would get very hot. In theory a lithium battery - if it got wet - could explode as the lithium reacted with water to produce hydrogen.

Personally, I find Lion batteries run cooler than NiMh (which run cooler than NiCad).

I would guess that the Hong Kong newspaper was probably talking about batteries made in China. Very little that I've seen coming from Chinese factories has been of anything more that awful quality.
Uh... even OEM batteries are assembled in China using cells from Japan. Recently, some LiIon cells (specifically for cell phones) are fabricated in China as well.

Some of my biggest customers are in China, and their quality is every bit as good as other places in the world. Depends on the company. This trend will continue.

My only concern is that a lot of QC rejects have found their way into the grey market, so recharge life may not be up to snuff. I have had one 3rd party EN-EL1 bite the dust after about 40 charges (but worked fine for about a year and a half).

Hence my reluctance. Most people I have talked to have had little or no problems with 3rd party LiIon rechargables.
__________________
Once you go dSLR you'll never go back
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-18-2005, 01:20 AM
Samuel Lo Samuel Lo is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 108
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by George Riehm
Uh... even OEM batteries are assembled in China using cells from Japan. Recently, some LiIon cells (specifically for cell phones) are fabricated in China as well.

Some of my biggest customers are in China, and their quality is every bit as good as other places in the world. Depends on the company. This trend will continue.

My only concern is that a lot of QC rejects have found their way into the grey market, so recharge life may not be up to snuff. I have had one 3rd party EN-EL1 bite the dust after about 40 charges (but worked fine for about a year and a half).

Hence my reluctance. Most people I have talked to have had little or no problems with 3rd party LiIon rechargables.
I have no prejudice on Chinese products; in fact I'm a Chinese! Corruption in China is very serious, unqualified products are always selling parallel to the real one (you can't tell which is from grey market or not), but customers cannot identify, sometimes I feel it's just a Chaos! So I think go to a shop that you can trust and pick only the product that seems to pass the QC!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 02-18-2005, 08:01 AM
Rhys Rhys is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Formerly South Wales. Now South Carolina.
Posts: 7,199
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Samuel Lo
I have no prejudice on Chinese products; in fact I'm a Chinese! Corruption in China is very serious, unqualified products are always selling parallel to the real one (you can't tell which is from grey market or not), but customers cannot identify, sometimes I feel it's just a Chaos! So I think go to a shop that you can trust and pick only the product that seems to pass the QC!
QC doesn't really exist these days. I remember having lots of things with QC stickers on them that just plain didn't work. The best was our old microwave. That had a QC label. We plugged it in, switched it on and the turntable spun, the light and fan came on but it never warmed the food. Thus, an engineer was summoned from the company that supplied the oven. He opened it and found the lead to the microwave circuit had not been plugged in! Some QC!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 02:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

All content, except for forum posts, is © 1997 - 2009 Digital Camera Resource Page LLC (R).
Content and images from this site may not be reposted on your website or online auction.
All trademarks are property of their respective owners.