Aftermarket Replacement for Canon LP-E5 Battery

Shades of Hyperion

I've searched the forums with no results and I've read contradicting web reviews. I'm looking for an affordable alternative to the Canon branded LP-E5 battery for my T1i.

First reaction from those that don't have first hand experience is "you get what you pay for", I'm looking for some first hand experience to confirm or disspell this age old adage.

I'm looking for a "second" battery for my camera. I've read favorable reviews for the Opteka and Lenmar offerings. If I can find a battery that cost 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the Canon and have at least 75% (seems to be the consensus of the reviews) of the performance of the Canon I would be happy to have it as a back up battery.

Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

GadgetRick

I don't know about your particular model so take what I say with a grain of salt...

I've read lots of people make the, "you get what you pay for," or, "I spent $x on my camera, I'm not cheaping out on a battery," etc. However, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, etc...none of them make their own camera batteries. They buy them from someone else who makes them for the camera makers. Same thing with car batteries but I digress...

Anyway, on my 50D I've been using 3rd party batteries for months now with no problems. I have, however, read of issues (not really problems) with 3rd party batteries for the 7D. Apparently, there's some Canon-specific electronics on their batteries for the 7D which helps manage power and give you a proper measurement of how much juice is left. For a 7D, I'd probably stick with Canon batteries. For my 50D, well, I've already made that choice.

I just don't know whether the batteries for your camera has anything like the 7D batteries you need to be concerned about. If not, I suspect you'll be just fine with 3rd party batteries.

mrcoons

I've tried after market batteries (don't remember the brands) and have never been happy with them. They just don't last. I monitored the last one (was for a Rebel camera) and it did not give me as many shots per charge as the original. Then after 3 or 4 months use it would not hold a charge for more than 1 day. So I only buy Canon batteries now. Would be nice to find something more affordable but it has to be cost effective and what I have tried has not been.

divamum

I don't know about batteries for the T1i, but I had an aftermarket battery for the 50d and it was just fine. I believe it was from Sterlingtek, and that battery performed exactly as the OEM, including information displayed in the camera.

I'll report back on the aftermarket battery for the 7d once I've tried it "in the field". Because I bought the camera from Adorama and it has an Adorama guarantee, I got the Adorama lpe6 kit. The aftermarket battery needs a different charger than the OEM one, but it comes with it (also helpfully including a car charger adapter with it, which is actually quite useful to me.). The aftermarket charger can charge the OEM LPE6, but not the other way around; while this isn't ideal (the aftermarket charger doesn't have the "level indicators" the way the OEM one does), it does make it possible to only carry one charger on location. The aftermarket charger is also noticeably smaller than the OEM one.

The 3rd-party lpe6 don't report the battery level/use in-camera, but I'll start shoots wtih the OEM battery and swap out to the aftermarket. Given that they're less than half the price of the OEM, I decided to give it a try despite the mixed reviews, and even if it doesn't last for more than a few months, it still tides me over until I can get an OEM lpe6 (which appear to be hard to find in stock anywhere just now anyway).

PhotoLasVegas

Well we bought SIX aftermarket batteries from an eBay auction for our 2 40d's (both have dual battery grips) and they have performed flawlessly for close to TWO YEARS, during which time we've shot over 150 full-service (4+hour) weddings and over 100 quick chapel weddings. They are just now starting to noticeably lose usable time. Interestingly, the 2 Canon batteries we have are also starting to lose performance.

IIRC we paid something like $10 each for them so do the math there! When we bought them, we figured if we have to replace them 6 or 7x more often than Canon then we're "ahead".

Shades of Hyperion

Thanks to everyone for the input, I'm going to give the "Radio Shack" (Lenmar) battery a try. It's affordable and I can order it online and have it shipped to the store and avoid shipping costs.

photogreen

I've been using my "ebay battery" for about 3 years now without any problems.

Manfr3d

I've never had problems with off-brand batteries. Just make sure you buy from a bigger dealer who gives 1year warranty. If the batts make it through the 1st year, they're probably good enough

pathfinder

i've used Sterlingtek batteries for my 40D, 50D for several years without difficulties. I think the OEM battery lasts a bit longer , but.....

One consideration, not usually discussed, is that if a Canon battery melts down in your camera, your warranty will apply. If a non-OEM battery melts down in your camera, your warranty is considered void.

Something to think about if your warranty is still active perhaps.

The price of the LP-E5 is not quite as exorbitant as it was a while back when the 5DMKii was released.