Can anyone point to any particular brands that are good and which to avoid? I'm specifically looking for a LP-E4 replacement for the Canon 1d Mark III camera. Thank you in advance.
this has been an on going point of discussion for years here. there is no recourse "in the field" for a questionable product unless you carry a few and hope.
the average lifetime of a quality lithium battery pack with full output is 2+ years after that it will decline in both output and reliability.
the chemical reaction of deterioration starts on date of manufacture.
i am in the minority here, but my thought process is that why spend all this money on a camera and lens, only to cut corners on the batteries to save relatively little money.
Depends on how you use them I guess. If my photography was my source of income, and if every shoot was mission critical, then I would be using OEM batteries just on principle.
For what I do, it's more sensible to carry a few good off-brand batteries and replace them as they start to lose the ability to hold a charge. I've never had any issues. Another consideration is that I'm outside in winter and no battery -- OEM or off-brand -- holds a charge for long in the cold, so I need to have lots with me. Physics is physics regardless of brand. My strategy of having a handful of off-brand to supplement the OEM one, and charge frequently, works fine.
Dustin Gent wrote:
i am in the minority here, but my thought process is that why spend all this money on a camera and lens, only to cut corners on the batteries to save relatively little money.
Dustin Gent wrote:
i am in the minority here, but my thought process is that why spend all this money on a camera and lens, only to cut corners on the batteries to save relatively little money.
Depends on if you are getting value out of the batteries the camera manufacture is trying to sell. For the 5d2...these were $65 a pop where as the Wasabi are $15 each. I usually like to have 4 batteries with me when I'm out on a multi-day trek...that's a $200 savings on batteries. I have used Wasabi batteries for years and find them just as good as the one that came with the camera...so I've saved myself $200.
I have no problems spending good money on things when there is a noticeable difference in quality or function...with batteries I see none so I get the cheapest I can and save money in my pocket. Other gear likes lenses...that's a different story.
I bought a Fosmon brand battery for my 7D2. It was highly rated in reviews. My copy does not seem to be as good as my OEM battery, so I'm a little disappointed, but the Fosmon was like $20, so it was good value.
And just because I spent $5k on photo gear (or $30k on a car or whatever) doesn't mean I want to blow money carelessly on other things. I want value for all my purchases.
I'm still using original batteries for both the 20D and the 1DsIII. The 1dsIII work like new and the 20D batts are getting long in the tooth but continue to hold up. I've gotten after market batteries to compliment the originals in the past and they've long ago bit the dust.
I've noticed with most consumer electronics that use Li batteries that the originals greatly exceed after market replacements in terms of quality and longevity.
I would bet that replacing after market batteries over time is more costly than getting the real deal less frequently when needed.
But that's just my experience -- sample size of one.
I've used aftermarket batteries for canon and Sony. They work pretty well, but none as well. I notice they just don't hold the charge as long in camera or number of shots.
That being said I think cheaper versions can be worth the discount.
hc1969 wrote:
Can anyone point to any particular brands that are good and which to avoid? I'm specifically looking for a LP-E4 replacement for the Canon 1d Mark III camera. Thank you in advance.
I don't think I've seen anyone give glowing reports on third party batteries for the 1d series. Most complaints are about the physical fit.
