Hello and Merry Christmas to everyone.
Sorry to be posting some bad news during this time of the year but I wanted to warn my fellow FMers.
I've just picked up an LP-E6 battery for my 5D2 from a "Canon" store in Shen Zhen China.
The battery box and battery looks very similar to other batteries that I've bought in Japan and
in Korea. At first I was somewhat dismayed that the battery was not wrapped in its blue
baggie that I've seen with other batteries, but after putting it in my 5D2 and checking that it
had a serial number, I thought that everything was fine.
I then walked down a few blocks and stopped by another store and wanting to compare prices
I asked them if they had the same battery in stock. They looked at the newly purchased battery
and told me that it was not a genuine Canon battery. Upon further comparison with the battery
in my 5D2, I realized that there were slight differences. From a scale of 1 to 10 ( 10 being original Canon) this battery is a 9.7. So I took the battery back to the original store and asked for a refund.
The saleperson said no. When I told him it was fake, he insisted that it was not. So I told him
to take out another battery that they had in stock. When I put it in my 5D2, the serial numbers
were the same: bca8a8d
I then told him that this was proof that these batteries were fake,
but the salesman continued to insist that
the number displayed from my camera has no meaning and that all that it meant was that
the batteries were from the same lot. I then asked him to take out a new battery from the 60D
that they were selling. After hesitating for a moment, he pulled out the displayed 60D and
pulled out the battery. But upon inspection, I could already tell that they switched out the
geniune battery for the copy.
I then decided that I should just trade the battery and some cash for a 50 1.8ii lens - since I was pretty sure they couldn't copy a lens. But as I was about to do so, I asked him whether "this" battery would work with the stock Canon charger. He then showed me that it did work with a charger taken from the 60D model. Realizing that it wasn't worth my time to argue or educate any further, I decided to take the battery and let the Canon consumer world know.
I haven't had a chance to go through a session with this battery yet, but it does charge with
the original charger and so far it seems fine.
Please check your LP-E6 serial numbers and if you have the same code, I'd very much like to know.
Again, I'm sorry to put a damper during the holidays with this post, but I don't want anyone
else to be deceived.
I have two Canon original LP-E6's (and a few 3rd party batt). I don't think they have serial numbers. There are some engravings on each batt: VFCB and VFAB. There is another number (which is the same for both batts): MH27866. But I doubt that's a serial number.
The battery ID is accessible through the camera menu under Battery Info. It is an 8-digit hexadecimal (0-9, A-F) value, which means there are 16^8 - 1 = 4,294,967,295 unique values. No two genuine Canon batteries should have the same ID, and a given battery should always show the same ID for any compatible body in which it is inserted.
Two batteries that show the same ID are both likely to be counterfeit, since fake/knockoff batteries were probably made by copying the identification data off a genuine battery.
When the salesman told you that the IDs could be the same because they were manufactured from the same lot, this was a complete lie and the salesman must have known what he was saying was false. The ID is used by the body to keep track of the recharge performance and charge levels of each battery.
I bought a 5D2 and a spare battery last month from B&H. I don't remember which is the spare and which is from the kit.
--- One battery reports 96c2b5e in the camera, marking 201005
--- Other battery reports 7f3b530 in the camera, marking 201003
I could be wrong about the last digit of the markings, the stamps are difficult to read. But they look more like date codes than serial numbers.
Maybe your phony battery will work. I would recommend that you not leave it in the charger unattended.
A few months ago I bought a "genuine" Canon grip for my 5D MKII and it also came with 2 "genuine" Canon batteries. All this for $250. It smelled fishy then and I should of walked away...but I didn't.
Got the grip and the batteries and all looked legit. Only problem was the box was crushed in one corner and subsequently one of the brass pins on the grip was damaged. So I sent it back only to find the seller is not even on EEBAAY anymore even though I was in contact with him about the damage grip. Thank god I put insurance on the package.
As for the batteries. The two I have have no code imprinted on the body where my two legit batteries have. The serial numbers are different but only contain 7 digits and not the 8.
Todd Baker wrote:
As for the batteries. The two I have have no code imprinted on the body where my two legit batteries have. The serial numbers are different but only contain 7 digits and not the 8.
I'm not sure, but I think a 7-digit display is possible if the leading digit is a zero. My battery, which was included with the camera, has 8 digits.
dedsen wrote:
So what do you expect from China? The home of poisoned milk and lead/cadmium paint.
It's true that a lot of counterfeit goods are manufactured in China. It's also true that Chinese cultural attitudes are somewhat permissive toward the notion of imitation. The philosophy is that if you like something, you try to copy it, which of course is hardly always the right thing to do. And it's also true that the lack of regulation and accountability is highly problematic for consumer safety and protection against fraud.
But to say the above without pointing out the fact that there are just as many such scandals in the US or other countries is, in my opinion, racist. Americans, for all their FDA, USDA, and FTC "oversight" and claims of government regulation, are just as beholden to corporate greed and cutting corners. The US has had multiple E. coli O157:H7 contamination scares that have resulted in deaths from eating tainted beef and spinach. And more recently, there was the egg scandal that exposed unsanitary conditions in large factories handling eggs. But when you hear the reports in the news about these issues, Americans think, "our government isn't doing enough to protect us," not, "we are so addicted to cheap, pesticide- and antibiotic-laden factory-farmed food that we perpetuate a system that produces toxic food."
But when the US media reported on the Sanlu dairy scandal in China, what conclusions did Americans draw? "Chinese corporations are evil because they would dare to poison their babies with melamine," and "this happened only because China is notorious for their lack of regulations of counterfeit products and consumer fraud." Excuse me? As horrific as Sanlu was, Americans are hypocritical for thinking that their s*** don't stink. The only difference between the US and China is that the US claims to be more strict about protecting consumers, but the reality is that both countries do a terrible job with consumer safety.
And what happened with Sanlu? Three people were given death sentences (two already executed, one suspended), and several more executives were given life in prison. Can you imagine any major corporate executive in the US being sentenced to death? They'd just buy their way out. And even if they were sentenced to die, they'd spend the next 20 years and waste millions of dollars in taxpayer's money tying up the system in legal appeals.
For all of China's flaws (and there are so, so many), the US is hardly one to talk about how they do things better.
wickerprints wrote:
When the salesman told you that the IDs could be the same because they were manufactured from the same lot, this was a complete lie and the salesman must have known what he was saying was false. The ID is used by the body to keep track of the recharge performance and charge levels of each battery.
Yes, I'm pretty sure he knew that the battery wasn't legit, but I think he was surprised that there
specific serial numbers displayed in the camera. Already frustrated, I asked him why he didn't
know about his own products, he then exclaimed that there is no way every single battery from Canon would be digitally imprinted with a different serial number. I then proceeded to take out two $100 bills and told him that if the serial numbers were the same would he accept either bill?
He and his associate that joined him by this time pretended not to understand the connection between the bills and the batteries.
Upon retrospect, I should have asked him to show me the manual for the 60D that he had on display and showed him the battery serial number explanation, but since I can't read the Chinese explanation itself, I think he would have found a way to weasel out of returning my money.
I usually buy batteries from Canoga, so there are no problems. It is sad state with all the counterfeit memory cards and now batteries. Common sense dictates buying from authorized retailers, but maybe that is not possible in some countries.
dedsen wrote:
So what do you expect from China? The home of poisoned milk and lead/cadmium paint.
I knew that when I made this post and included "China" as the source where I purchased this battery, that it would invite some type of racist commentary. Although I did make this post solely for the purpose of warning unwary consumers, I would like state that the reason why I included the source of this purchase is because China is usually the source of counterfeit products. Most of our technological goods are manufactured in China (look at your Canon battery charger) and since
the infrastructure is already there to make the genuine product, it would be easy enough for
counterfeiters to make their knockoffs. I did a quick search in both Google and FM for the
bca8a8d code and it did not turn up so I am guessing that this knockoff is relatively new - I could actually be the first person to buy one
Hopefully we could all spread the word and nip this in the bud.
n0b0 wrote:
I'm sorry you got burned but in China, you really do need a local to take you to a proper shop as well as bargain.
Yes, I thought the shop was legitimate since it was located on the main road of the electronics district in Shen Zhen and had the Canon logo on its store front as well
as several different types of cameras in its showcases with quite a few customers making purchases in the store. The salesman even had the Canon logo printed on his business card.
I've felt physical stores are a safer place to purchase items since they can't close up and move to a different location easily (sellers have actually used this as a selling point to ensure the quality of their products.)
I feel that I did take several precautions to safeguard myself, and had it not been for a rival store
telling me to do a side by side comparison (the copy is that good), I probably would not have known the difference. I guess this is a case of live and learn.
Maybe if Canon didn't screw over their loyal customers with such over-priced accessories like batteries, lens hoods, etc . . .
I'm happy to buy batteries for my 1D bodies from third-parties, and I've got more than a few eBay lens hoods. All work as well or better (in the case of the Lenmar batteries) than Canon's originals.
There's a difference between a 3rd party battery and a counterfeit. Some Counterfeits are actually manufactured in the same plant as the original. The Plant will have an order for "x" number of Canon batteries that is going to tie up production for a 12 hour shift. The Owner of the plant will do an extra shift, and produce unauthorized copies - counterfeits - and sell them out the side door.
The point being - not all fakes are lower quality, but they have bypassed copyright and patent. Because they have bypassed Canon, they can't create a new SN - so they duplicate one over and over.
I do not think it's racist to point out a culture that does not have the same legal respect for patent and copyright. That's not to imply that Canada and the US do not have the same problems - in fact, if we'd stop buying it, they wouldn't produce it.
I have no problem with 3rd party manufacturers who are putting out compatible products. I have a problem when I THINK I'm buying a genuine Canon product and it's not. Now you're adding fraud to the list.
Rob001 wrote:
I do not think it's racist to point out a culture that does not have the same legal respect for patent and copyright. That's not to imply that Canada and the US do not have the same problems - in fact, if we'd stop buying it, they wouldn't produce it.
And I think it is racist to bring up completely different examples of consumer fraud--e.g., the Sanlu dairy case--to make some broader claim of lax regulation, when the same thing could be said of any other country.
I don't dispute that China has a reputation for poor consumer protections. But it's offensive to say, "look, what do you expect from a culture that poisons its own kids with tainted milk." One could say much the same about the way Americans allow themselves to be poisoned with toxic food produced by greedy agribusinesses because they want it for cheap, and then extrapolate that to a statement about the laziness of American culture. That is equally racist.
Some of you guys have stretched far beyond the definition of the term "racist" and are writing about something else altogether. Culture, nation and race have different definitions and can't accurately be interchanged. Derogatory remarks about the different values and customs of a country or its culture do not make one a racist. They may be anti-nationalistic (anti-American, anti-Canadian, anti-Socialist, etc) or anti-cultural (bow-wow religion, thumb nose at monogamous family structure, etc), but do not become racist until your remarks focus on differences in human appearance and/or abilities with the expression or implication these differences make a particular race superior/inferior to others.
