Aftermarket 5D MKII Batteries?

[mR_CaESaR]

I've only had the mk2 for a couple of days and i was wondering if anybody used them?

Or even better can recommend me a set? Are there any out there that have the battery information?

I had a perfect set of aftermarket batteries for the original 5D and was thinking if that would be the same case for the MK2?

There's a few cheap ones on Ebay, but most of them say something along the lines of "does not display battery information", does this mean it's only the canon ones that will show me the battery information properly?

Cheers

[Jcas]

Type Phottix into ebay search, they are a popular third party brand and they display the info.

I have used them for my 40D, but they sell them for all models.

[DAdeGroot]

I've only had the mk2 for a couple of days and i was wondering if anybody used them?

Or even better can recommend me a set? Are there any out there that have the battery information?

Or just go Genuine - Stu at Quality Cameras (a site sponsor), sells them for around $89, one of the best prices for MkII batteries around really.

[mR_CaESaR]

yeah i'll prolly just end up getting genuine

[Philr]

The genuine ones are fantastic, they last a lot longer than I thought. I got just over 1400 shots off one battery when I was travelling.

[Bronnie]

I have several phottix batteries from ebay seller. I bought 4 of them so I always had plenty of power on hand, and at that stage was looking for a reasonable price solution rather than 4 x oem batteries.
Have had no problems with them, purchased last year, 2 x europe trips last year and 000's of photos later they are still good.


Bronnie
40D

[MarkChap]

I just bought a genuine Canon LP-E6 for the 7D, same battery as the 5D II, I only paid $85.00 from Hardley's here in Rocky.

[Clubmanmc]

hmmmmm 4K for a camera, and you dont want to pay $85 for a OEM battery...

dont do it... if the batteries over power the camera it will fry some thing...

M

[JM Tran]

hmmmmm 4K for a camera, and you dont want to pay $85 for a OEM battery...

dont do it... if the batteries over power the camera it will fry some thing...

M

6 yrs of shooting digital and I have never heard or read of a camera battery frying a DSLR camera yet. In the pro world, when someone farts during a studio shoot, the whole city would know it by 5PM, and the rest of the world by tomorrow morning, if u know what I mean.

not possible for them to just jump a few hundred volts and take out a camera, and a modern DSLR can actually take a lot of voltage. Maybe if you were running high voltage gear from the 60s and 70s then yeah!

My old 5D used to be worth '5 grand' in Aus retail, and I paid $14 each for 4 aftermarket BP-511s, compared to $90 for a Canon one, and they last a bit longer too. Over a yr later with over 60k actuations from purely work, my face and camera is still intact.

Maybe if North Korea started making camera batteries, designed to blow up American cameras and the capitalist pigs using it, then I would be wary, and amused.

[Clubmanmc]

Jackie...

in the 6 years of shooting digital, how long of those years were the batteries micro chipped? as they now are in the 7D and 5DII??

Canon are playing at some thing with these chipped batteries... how many cameras have you had that have died for no reason? or faulted for no reason? or errorred (Canons magic Err 99) for no reason...

how much do we really know about how a camera behaves, and could we really test it?

with all those sorts of questions un answerable... i wouldnt risk $60 for a 2k or 4k investment...

M

[JM Tran]

Jackie...

in the 6 years of shooting digital, how long of those years were the batteries micro chipped? as they now are in the 7D and 5DII??

Canon are playing at some thing with these chipped batteries... how many cameras have you had that have died for no reason? or faulted for no reason? or errorred (Canons magic Err 99) for no reason...

how much do we really know about how a camera behaves, and could we really test it?

with all those sorts of questions un answerable... i wouldnt risk $60 for a 2k or 4k investment...

M

Ive gotten Error 99 on the 5D, 5DMKII, 50D, and 1DsMKII in Vietnam recently

With billions of actuations taken by the 5DMKII and 7D since its release around the world, have u heard of the 'chipped batteries' frying a camera yet? I mean with the amount of ppl using it, theres bound to be at least a few right? But theres none. Micro chipped doesnt give it the magical power to suddenly surge a few hundred volts to take out a modern DSLR.

And with that kind of pessimistic outlook, one might as well stay indoors to avoid being hit by a car, meteorite, jailed by the Nazi SS, swallowed by Moby Dick etc.

People have choices, choices to buy and use whatever they like. But when you say dont buy it because its based on your assumption/opinion and not facts, then it can be a bit misleading, no?

[MarkChap]

JM,

I think Michael is saying to buy the Original battery and not take the risk buying the cheap after market batteries.

[Clubmanmc]

Ive gotten Error 99 on the 5D, 5DMKII, 50D, and 1DsMKII in Vietnam recently

and what caused the Error 99? can you be sure it wasnt your cheaper batteries? no one knows...

after having 2 20D's 2 30D's 1 40D, all fail in some way, i think i can at least be sure it wasnt a cheap battery... and when it come time for canon to fix it they were allways fixed... or replaced with out question...

thats my peace of mind...

M

PS it may be my opinion to use OEM batteries... so please do as you wish with your camera please do not read my post at all.

[Philr]

A few months ago I was out shooting a storm and rested my camera that was attached to my hand on a strand of barbed wire. I didn't know until I saw the spark and felt the zap that it was electrified. It was a good zap too probably somewhere between 12-24 volts I assume that travelled through the 5dmkII and up my arm.. A few swear words later and a quick check of the camera proved nothing wrong at all... So yeah personally I think they can handle small surges like JM said.

[JM Tran]

and what caused the Error 99? can you be sure it wasnt your cheaper batteries? no one knows...

after having 2 20D's 2 30D's 1 40D, all fail in some way, i think i can at least be sure it wasnt a cheap battery... and when it come time for canon to fix it they were allways fixed... or replaced with out question...

thats my peace of mind...

M

PS it may be my opinion to use OEM batteries... so please do as you wish with your camera please do not read my post at all.

only the 5D used aftermarket batteries, and the others all use OEM ones ,so by your definition, I must watch out for those OEM batteries that may cause Error 99! And if you actually bothered to check what Error 99 is for, it is the general purpose Error msg for Canon and usually relates to lens communication and sometimes memory card, never have I heard Error 99 SPECIFICALLY for batteries before. My 1DsMKII came up Error 99 with the 24-105 after 2 rugged month in Asia, I googled remedies, cleaned the lens contacts and cameras, and it was back to normal again.

Not to mention that if aftermarket batteries for the 7D and 5DMKII are or would be considered dangerous, Canon would have issued a formal statement and warning a long time ago.

IN SUMMARY - proven and reputable aftermarket brand batteries will not blow up or fry your cameras, or magically pull a few hundred volts from nowhere Super Saiyan style.

If anyone knows otherwise, PROVE ME WRONG, with facts and evidence though

[mR_CaESaR]

I have several phottix batteries from ebay seller. I bought 4 of them so I always had plenty of power on hand, and at that stage was looking for a reasonable price solution rather than 4 x oem batteries.
Have had no problems with them, purchased last year, 2 x europe trips last year and 000's of photos later they are still good.


Bronnie
40D

I'm guessing that these batteries doesn't show the battery information?

I personally don't have a problem with aftermarket batteries, used them for years on my original 5D and I'll use them again if there are batteries that show the proper battery info on the screen.

Apparently some aftermarket batts cAn't be charged on the original canon charger.

[arubaato]

I had some aftermarket batteries from my 350D with I later used on the 400D. They are like normal batteries in normal conditions, but they were no where near as good as genuine batteries when I was shooting in the snow.

My genuine 5d2 battery (only 1) said it's good for 895 shots (or something like that) at full charge. 1500 shots later at the rodeo, it was saying about half charge...just shooting jpegs continuous.

I don't think aftermarkets will zap people or blow up, hell Sony laptop batteries have blown up, but they may not be as good in harsher conditions.

[MarkChap]

If you want the battery information to display I think you only have the choice of the original battery

[NGP]

I used OEM batteries in the older XD and XXD series camera myself before but with the new 5D MKII things have changed and you'll lose some feature since they're chipped.. also firmware upgrades and some other things don't work with OEM.. we've been selling the LP-E6 batteries for $85 as well..