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JoJoBoy
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New Camera Battery?

Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:23 pm

I just ordered a new camera Olympus E-420 and I'm wondering if I should get a backup battery. The Olympus brand battery costs $45 but I see lots of other brand batteries that say will work as a replacement for much less money. Are their any third party battery makers that you guys would recommend?
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FireGryphon
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Re: New Camera Battery?

Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:41 pm

My experience with third party batteries is that they're generally not worth it. They can damage the camera, the charger, or you... It is definitely a good idea to have a backup battery, especially if you shoot a lot.
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bobboobles
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Re: New Camera Battery?

Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:45 pm

I've been thinking of getting a couple for my 40D. Have heard good things about this company in the past -- Sterlingtek. They're much, much cheaper than the ones from Canon.
http://sterlingtek.com/
Olympus Page http://sterlingtek.com/oldigcambat.html
 
rogthewookiee
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Re: New Camera Battery?

Sat Jul 10, 2010 10:37 am

I heartily recommend backup batteries, I shoot with a battery pack so I actually have four batteries total! All of them are canon brand. I bought some off brand ones once and they lasted two charges. I don't remember who made them right now.

On accessories that can kill your camera if they fail, I'd stay as safe as possible.
 
SpotTheCat
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Re: New Camera Battery?

Tue Jul 13, 2010 11:23 pm

There is a lot of FUD here.

off-brand Lipo batteries will not simply kill your camera. They are all (that I have ever heard of) safe enough to use in your equipment. There are drawbacks though.

-They often use binned cells. This often results in incorrect balancing, and a series battery is only as strong as it's weakest cell.

-They are often composed of older cells. If you use your camera a ton this matters less, but for those of us that go through very few charges (like me, I'm light on my flash) it matters more as we will get fewer years of use out of them.

-They sometimes mix and match cells. This affects balancing.
Despite these drawbacks, they all have the same protection circuitry, off-brand or not. None of them will enter a state that would set the battery on fire, or even get hot. If they do explode, it would be on the charger (just like your canon branded batteries). It is not like a computer power supply where it can run a bunch of high voltage current through your components; when these batteries fail it is a low voltage failure and your camera just turns off. Don't be afraid of killing your camera, even shorting them out would cause the battery circuitry to cut the power.
 
sliknik
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Re: New Camera Battery?

Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:54 am

I've used batteries from bestbatt.com for my Pentax K7. They are about 1/3 the cost of the OEM replacements. I bought 2 after reading a few good reviews elsewhere and I have been using them for about 9 months now without any issues (the original battery goes in the camera and the replacement goes in the battery grip). There are tales you hear about non-OEM batteries bursting into flame, but you hear that about OEM batteries too.

I have checked and they have replacements for your E-420 also. I can only tell you of my experiences, but I'm pleased with the service I've been getting out of the batteries so far. And I can buy 3 for every one OEM battery, so even if they only last a fraction of the time the OEM lasts, they are still significantly cheaper.

http://www.bestbatt.com/OLympus_PS_BLS1 ... psbls1.htm

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