Batteries for 1dmkiii ......advice please

[MarkOne]

As the camera only came with one battery, I am looking for a second as back up.
Having looked on Amazon, they are asking £122 for an original Canon. A tad expensive me thinks.
Has anyone bought a copy? are they as good?
Have seen a few originals for sale on EBay..... should I stick to Canon?

Advice please

[Pete W]

Mark, I would stick with an original, that said 1 battery will last a day minimum. I always take a spare but have never needed it. On average you get around 1000 if not more shots from one battery...

Have a word with Kerso, see how much he can get you one for

Ian Kerr kerso1123@msn.com

[Nitro]

Mark in a word yes stick to originals and buy a new one its the only way you will get one that you know will take and hold a full charge you can buy second hand and yes they will work but the charge will drain very quickly and you will probably have to pay about half the cost of a new one anyway.
Robert

[Espen]

Extra battery is quite expensive, but worth the money at the end of the day. I always buy an extra one when I buy a new camera, and I always buy an original, and a new one.

It is really, really %#!%!! to be out there, and running out of power just as the good scenes appear. Actually I even get annoyed about having to change battery in the middle of it all; I'm out there to take photos, not to struggle with my gear!

[colin]

I am posting an update to this thread because I have trialled an alternative for over a month now. At £12.99 delivered, I thought it was worth having a look at and so far, it is doing a good job.

It works fine on the charger and I have checked the charged battery with my multimeter and everything is within specification.

I wasn't even being particularly penny pinching, as I have three genuine batteries as spares, for when I am in parts of the world with little or no power to charge batteries.

Here is the link for anyone interested: 7dayshop.com - Online Store

Colin

[MarkOne]

Thanks Colin,

For that price ............. worth a go I think

[Pete W]

Just thinking the same, not that I need another as that would be 4 of them.....

[Cadwell]

Mmm... all of the third party ones I've seen have been a bit dubious in the fit department. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the weather sealing on a non-Canon unit. Of course, if that's not important to you...

[Pete W]

Good point Glenn.... Colin do they have the rubber seal /

Oh and can you just submerge your camera in water to test it for us .......... No no Colin only joking...

[colin]

The only difference I can see is the label.

I have examined the bogus battery side by side against the real thing and can discern no difference. It has the same indents and mould marks on the plastic body, identical twist and open mechanism and identical sealing gasket with twin sealing surfaces on the side and single sealing surface on the top.

Without the label as a clue, you would reasonably assume that both batteries came off the same machinery from the same factory.

Colin

[Pete W]

Thanks Colin, this is good news

[MarkOne]

Well I've taken the plunge, so will report back when received. Like what Colin has said though.

[Espen]

Without the label as a clue, you would reasonably assume that both batteries came off the same machinery from the same factory.

Perhaps they do.

[Bumble]

I have had a cheapo battery as a spare for some months now. It's slightly tighter to fit into the camera but seems identical to look at. I've taken aprox 500 Raw photos with it in one shoot and it still had plenty of power left.

The only drawback I've found with it is it drops it charge very quickly when just left alone in my bag. With a canon battery they seem to be able to be left in my bag for weeks and when you use them they are still fully charged. With the cheapo I've got to remember to charge it the night before I go somewhere so as not to find it flat if something went wrong with the one in camera.

[colin]

I did notice a slightly tighter fit, so I compared it to a new genuine battery, which was a bit tighter than my regular ones, but not quite so tight as the cheapo. I would reasonably expect both to "relax" their grip a little as they get used.

In fairness, I haven't found any difference in use, with the number of shots available, or the discharge rates when not used.

Colin