Are batteries with much higher capacity than OEM legit?

[brett0123]

Currently shopping for some LP-E6 replacements. The original batteries are 1800mAh, but I see many batteries with well over 2000mAh, one brand even has 3200mAh!

My question, to which the answer is probably no, is do these batteries actually have the capacity they claim? And if so, do they keep that capacity, or lose it after a few charge cycles?

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

They may very well have the mAh they claim.  The problem with some 3rd party batteries can be the quality of the internal components and manufacturing.  Some lack overheat, overcharge and short circuit protection.  If inferior quality battery components are used they can degrade get hot, melt, bulge or maybe even catch fire.  So you save $40-$50 bucks and then run the risk of destroying your camera.

I won't say I've never used a 3rd party battery.  I have.  I general though, I use Canon batteries and if you ask me, they are what I'd recommend.

[deebatman316]

Stick to @shadowsports recommendation stick with the OEM battery. Canon guarantees the batteries have safeties and the listed battery life. I only use Canon's OEM LP-E6NH batteries that came with my 5D Mark IV. I know with theses batteries I will get the fps that Canon lists for this camera. There have been reports of 3rd Party batteries not working correctly in cameras. Or even worse they become hot, bulge or cause a fire.

[wq9nsc]

Those capacities can sometimes be a tad overstated so don't count on significantly longer operation between charges with them.  In general, I have been a Canon only battery user and the one time I used third party batteries in an emergency my 1D Mark II would lock up if I tried to shoot a sustained burst.  Sometimes the construction of the third party battery doesn't allow a sustained high current draw without dropping below critical voltage temporarily even with a fully charged battery.  The third party I tried in the 1 series would show a drop to 1 bar during bursts returning to full bar within seconds after stopping capture, a clear sign of their inability to source required current when higher draw was sustained.

BUT the LP-E6 batteries are an exception for me given several issues I have had with various incarnations of the batteries from Canon.  I returned two within 30 days to the Canon dealer which were promptly replaced with the note that I wasn't the only one experiencing issues where nearly new batteries wouldn't accept a charge.  And knowing that this design had issue, I pulled them from the camera bodies and tried to start a charge when they showed far from depleted. 

And Canon obviously had some issues since they released a TSB for these batteries refusing to charge with some "tricks" to get charging to start which didn't work with these.  Out of curiosity, I tried one of the faulty batteries by charging for a few minutes with one of my voltage regulated, current limited bench supplies and this short treatment the Canon charger would go into a normal charge cycle. But I would NOT trust the battery and this is NOT something you should try unless you have a proper lab grade power supply and understand battery behavior and safety.

So for my 1 series, they will continue to get nothing but tried and true Canon batteries which are incredibly reliable but my 5D series now get aftermarket.  I have been using third party LP-E6 family high capacity batteries for two years now with zero failures or other issues which is far better than the results I got from the actual Canon branded.

Rodger

[rs-eos]

What camera are you using? Canon makes LP-E6NH batteries which are rated at 2,130 mAh.  Odds are, they would be compatible with your camera.

A battery grip (if available for your camera) can also extend your shooting time.

[Tronhard]

Up to the LP-E6NH series of batteries I would have said stick with OEM units - although I have used several other brands over the years and personally found no issue with them, in fact most of my original Canon batteries have lost their capacity over time while the others soldier on.  However, in the case of the LP-E6NH the Canon ones have lost their charge capacity very quickly and  I am not happy with them and Canon NZ are rubbish in replacing them, despite having a 5 year gear warranty for bodies and lenses.  I have augmented them with Kingma batteries and they have held their charge capacity much better.

[MikeSowsun]

No, they are not legit. All 3rd party battery sellers lie about their capacity in order to get your business. 

Here is a real world test. POWERING THE EOS R5: REVIEW OF THE LP-E6NH & OTHER OPTIONS 

[Tronhard]

I tend to agree with you Mike on the capacity issue.  My frustration with the LP-E6NH is their longevity.  Frankly, all of the ones I have got from Canon with my camera bodies have lost their charge capacity very quickly - more so than the 3rd party ones I got in desperation.

[ctitanic]

My experience with no OEMs batteries so far is good. In fact, I never had a no OEM battery failing on me. I always pick brands that I have used before without any problems and always look for the highest amperage possible. For the price of a Canon battery you can buy two other brands batteries. 

My recommendation, buy from Amazon, look for batteries with few 1000s of good reviews 😉

[rs-eos]

I would advise against Amazon. Counterfeit products aplenty and who knows what you’ll be getting.