Batteries question for the experienced

[velocemitch]

I’ve recently aquired a Canon 7D mkii currently just have the one battery.
I’ve noticed the battery doesn’t hold out as long as my old 550D did and I’ve got a trip to Iceland coming up soon, so I’m going to need to do something about it. ( cold weather and batteries are not a good combination! )
Can’t decide which;
Buy a SH Canon Grip,or possibly an after market Grip, both about £60.
Buy a pair of branded Canon Batteries
Buy a batch of cheap unbranded batteries.

Any thoughts?

[Simon_GH]

I’d buy the Canon batteries. It’s an expensive holiday and you sound like you want to capture (some of) it on camera, The unbranded batteries would probably be fine but I wouldn’t risk it for the additional cost to upgrade to genuine batteries.

[hairy v]

My experience with non-OEM batteries has been that they work fine for a few months but then their life degrades whereas my original is still nearly as good as its original life a couple of years later.

[Nigel_O]

I'd go for a camera grip, plus one or two extra genuine batteries. The grip route gives you double the shots without having to swap batteries out and adds to the options when using the camera.

I had a cheap aftermarket grip with my Nikon DSLR, but it was so good (while it worked) that I bought a genuine grip (turned out to be MUCH better than the aftermarket jobbie)

[C n C]

My thoughts on this:

Spare new genuine Canon batteries should be 100% reliable.

I've used cheaper (DSTE) ones in the past, but these lose performance over time more quickly than the Canon ones.

I've had better ongoing performance from Duracell made replacement batteries (better than the DSCE ones, and close to original Canon ones).

The grip would obviously improve battery life, but the downside is the increase in bulk when attached to the camera (although some people prefer the improved handling despite the added weight/bulk).

Taking just spare batteries (rather than a grip) would allow you to keep the spare batteries in your pocket, meaning they stay warm, and would potentially be more practical. If after a while in the camera and they get cold, regularly swapping for a warm one from your pocket, and then re-warming the cold one may give you more extended usage.

Whatever approach you take, hope you get some good shots, and maybe post one or two on here, as they would be interesting to see.

[S1bs]

If you are concerned about the cold affecting batteries then, although a battery grip will give you two batteries to power the camera instead of just one, the issue is that both will degrade simultaneously in very low temperatures.

You would have better low temperature performance by just buying two batteries and no grip.

Put one in the camera and store the other in an internal jacket pocket close to your body heat.

When one battery dies due to cold, just swap with the warm battery and carry on. You will probably find you can swap the batteries over a few times, as the cold one warms up again and regains some power.

(me and C n C typing a similar reply at the same time !)

Edited by S1bs on Friday 9th February 15:56

[Glosphil]

I have a Canon 400D. I have the original Canon battery & a cheaper copy bought at least 10 years ago. Both last the same time when in use. The copy loses charge faster when not in use.

Edited by Glosphil on Saturday 17th February 22:05

[Riley Blue]

I've always bought Duracell batteries after trying a couple of unbranded which were hopeless, holding little charge and losing it very quickly. I never got on with battery grips, too heavy and cumbersome for me.

[Simpo Two]

Riley Blue said:

I've always bought Duracell batteries after trying a couple of unbranded which were hopeless, holding little charge and losing it very quickly. I never got on with battery grips, too heavy and cumbersome for me.

I tried a grip in the early days (Nikon) but apart from making the camera look sexier it didn't really confer any advantages.

Duracell batteries are a good call; I have a couple and they've been fine so far. Good service too.

[5s Alive]

Simpo Two said:

Riley Blue said:

I've always bought Duracell batteries after trying a couple of unbranded which were hopeless, holding little charge and losing it very quickly. I never got on with battery grips, too heavy and cumbersome for me.

I tried a grip in the early days (Nikon) but apart from making the camera look sexier it didn't really confer any advantages.

Duracell batteries are a good call; I have a couple and they've been fine so far. Good service too.

I've had a spare Duracell for my D90 since the original Nikon one died and it's been as good as my replacement Nikon oem one so far.

[velocemitch]

Interesting, the Duracells are a fraction of the price.
Can you charge them with the standard Canon charger?

[5s Alive]

velocemitch said:

Interesting, the Duracells are a fraction of the price.
Can you charge them with the standard Canon charger?

They're oem copies regards size, shape, capacity, voltage and charging characteristics and will fit and function in exactly the same manner. To all intents and purposes they're identical.

[tog]

I use a bunch of off-brand batteries in my R5s and they work fine. A couple are Hahnels from my local camera store, the rest are various cheapies from Amazon. The twin or triple USB chargers are quite handy too. I have some genuine Canon ones as well of course, which I tend to use first, but I've never done any standardised tests to compare them all. I am happy and will buy off brand again.

[velocemitch]

Thanks all.
I’ve bought a couple of Duracell ones, £27 for the pair as they were on offer. Will report back on how they perform.
Temperatures are well below zero up there at the moment, so it’s going to be chilly!

[StevieBee]

If you do go for a non OEM battery, I have found those made by Neweer to be pretty good and on par with OEM ones.

I would advise getting an external charger so you can charge one whilst using the other in the camera.

And I wouldn't leave it to the last minute to get them. I've been waiting five weeks for a couple of Sony batteries!!

[Tony1963]

StevieBee said:

If you do go for a non OEM battery, I have found those made by Neweer to be pretty good and on par with OEM ones.

I would advise getting an external charger so you can charge one whilst using the other in the camera.

And I wouldn't leave it to the last minute to get them. I've been waiting five weeks for a couple of Sony batteries!!

Read the post above yours

The 7D will have its own external charger already.

[Derek Smith]

I always take a power bank. Mine is Duracell make, but there are umpteen available. I chose a named one and have not been disappointed. My advice is not to buy the largest you can afford, but go one up and find the money somehow.

I have three batteries for my G9 but if I'm using the pre-shot mode, it eats batteries. When the first goes low, I put it on charge, often in my pocket despite being told this is not a good idea. By the time the third is giving up the ghost, the first is ready, and I'll put the second on charge.

I bought mine through my camera shop, Parks, to, hopefully, ensure I didn't get a copy.

[leggly]

I use a Neewar battery grip and Canon batteries on a 5D iv, it has never suffered from the sub zero conditions I tend to sit in waiting for the Aurora.
I did however suffer from short battery life just using one. Just my experience and not a good idea base any decision on.