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Gear / Technical Help => Photo / Video Recording => Topic started by: willndmb on August 08, 2013, 11:00:02 AM

Title: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: willndmb on August 08, 2013, 11:00:02 AM
I have a canon hf r300 that I want to get an extended battery for.
Not sure where might have the best prices nor am I sure if the savings of a generic brand is worth it or not
any input is appreciated
tia
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: hoppedup on August 08, 2013, 11:47:37 AM
I bought a couple of cheap aftermarket batteries for my Canon and they have performed flawlessly for about a year and a half. My battery compartment is internal and will not hold deeper batteries but I was able to find batteries with double the maH rating. I get about 1h25m versus 45m with the OEM battery.

Pretty sure I got mine from www.bestbatt.com

Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: taperjeff on August 08, 2013, 03:47:58 PM
B and H photo recommended Pearstone batteries.  I get close to four hours on my battery now and it was $50 cheaper than the manufacture brands.  You can look through the link and below each Pearstone battery and it says which manufacture and model # it replaces:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Camcorder-Batteries/ci/14630/N/4232861409

or call B and H, they'll make a good recommendation.

Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: fsulloway on August 08, 2013, 09:27:39 PM
you may find that the cheaper but higher mah batteries may not have the chip in it that tells you how much battery time you have left. I ran into this with my canon cams. It can be annoying but for the price savings I was able to buy two aftermarket batteries for less than 1 canon battery.
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: robeti on August 09, 2013, 07:21:26 PM
I always buy cheap batteries from China for my camcorders and photocams. Never had a problem.
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: willndmb on August 09, 2013, 11:19:53 PM
Thanks guys
Pearstone doesn't make my battery (bp-727) but they make a charger for it, go figure
I saw a battery my friend has that didnt show the time left, just the "bar". The time left is def useful though
Dd see some on eBay for like a third the cost of a canon one
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: beatkilla on August 10, 2013, 11:09:11 AM
I use an IMPACT brand battery on my Sony FX1000 along with the genuine Sonys,the Impact shows correct time and has been running since 2007 when i used it with Sony VX2100.

I also once used(dont recall which kind)of generic with a small sony cam that also showed the correct time for a few shows and then i charged it up for a shoot and it stated it had like 300mins....than about 30min later it said 45mins ....than it went to 0 and never worked again and i got only half the show,so i would recommend genuine if your shooting something important to you.
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: ace5gt on August 11, 2013, 02:01:15 AM
In my experience, they never last as long as the official brand batteries, regardless of what mAH they claim.

But some people are probably ok with getting 50-75% performance if it means spending only a few bucks for the battery on Ebay.
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: candor on August 11, 2013, 10:23:25 PM
I've had great results with eforcecity, an amazon marketplace seller.  I've gotten batteries for a number of cameras, camcorders, and even my harmony remote.  All have worked as well or better than the originals and are much cheaper.  Shipping on most items is reasonable and I've received them quickly.  They are not always the cheapest, but I've not been disappointed.
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: robeti on August 12, 2013, 05:48:07 AM
In my experience, they never last as long as the official brand batteries, regardless of what mAH they claim.

But some people are probably ok with getting 50-75% performance if it means spending only a few bucks for the battery on Ebay.

I always get the full show with cheap ebay batteries. Always.
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: tim in jersey on August 13, 2013, 04:38:54 PM
My Sound Devices 722, while not a camcorder, uses the Sony L-series camcorder batteries. I've had nothing but good experiences using the Lenmar camcorder batteries...
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: willndmb on August 14, 2013, 09:11:20 AM
This is the only generic I found that has the time left chip
Says out of stock till sept 1, I wonder if its a new product and never been in stock
The same site has a battery charger combo that doesn't have the chip for like $25

Forgot the link http://www.bestbatt.com/Canon-BP-727-Battery-p/bbbp727.htm
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: hoppedup on August 14, 2013, 09:42:02 AM
I'm pretty sure my OEM battery doesn't tell me how much time the battery has left. The battery gauge works just fine. I have a good idea of how long each battery will run when fully charged. And that's been good enough for me.
Title: Re: Are generic camcorder batteries worth the savings?? Looking for Canon extended
Post by: fsulloway on August 19, 2013, 11:58:31 AM
This is the only generic I found that has the time left chip
Says out of stock till sept 1, I wonder if its a new product and never been in stock
The same site has a battery charger combo that doesn't have the chip for like $25

Forgot the link http://www.bestbatt.com/Canon-BP-727-Battery-p/bbbp727.htm

I think it may be new. I have two of those BP727 batteries from the same site for my Canon's and they definitely don't have the chip. Had them probably 4-5 months.