Battery Requirements for Newest Mirrorless Cameras

[dpsaiz]

Do the newest mirrorless cameras require Canon only batteries. I am sure at some point Canon mirrorless cameras will not work with third party batteries due to the use of a chip in genuine Canon batteries that won't be available in third party batteries.

Does anyone know for sure?

[dpsaiz]

Additionally, there are two Canon flash that don't use AA batteries. They are the EL-1 and EL-5. Both use rechargeable Canon batteries and batteries are not included. 

A video on YT had a guy doing an unboxing of an EL flash. He was so excited about buying one. He went on and on about this feature and that. He did what most unboxers do. He pulled the product out of the box and tossed he b box aside and showed the product. He then tried to install AA batteries but they didn't fit. He then realize that the flash required its own Canon battery. Great another $100 or more for a battery that he might or might not be able to buy.

It seems that each new product requires its own battery that isn't shared between other products. They ship one with the camera and batteries from your other cameras aren't compatible with the new camera you bought. Now you want three or four extra plus a couple of chargers only to find the batteries are on indefinite backorder.

Canon is going to have to do way better than that if they don't want us to use 3rd party batteries. If  a new product requires a battery that isn't compatible with other products in the line up they should ramp up production no batteries so that at least a pro camera like the R1 and R3 ship with two batteries.. 

How is anyone going to go on a pro shoot with one battery in his $6000 R1 because that's all they'll provide you with and the battery is on backorder?

I am still waiting on a Canon battery that I ordered from Canon USA two years ago when I bought my wife a refurbished EOS RP. I won't be charged until the battery ships. Its been so long ago Canon has no record of my placing the order. So I bought four 3rd party batteries and they work just fine and she hasn't experienced any issues. Neither have i when I bought my refurbished EOS R. 

When Canon makes cameras that will only use Canon batteries and those same batteries are $150 each and cannot be found anywhere then I'll find something else to do with my spare time. I can only assume that the other camera manufacturers will follow Canon's lead.

[kvbarkley]

The unboxer was lying, or bought an unauthorised unit. As already said, the unit comes with a battery and charger:

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

@dpsaiz.  

Canon is not using an in battery chip to keep people from powering their devices with third-party batteries. The battery design was changed because the R5 markII has a higher power requirement than previous body's in this class.  

I just bought a pair of E6P batteries.  This is the latest battery for the R5mkII camera. I got them in 17 days.  These batteries were not designed for my camera but they work in it and give me about 49% increased shooting time. Firmware updates have been provided to make the new battery compatible in many of Canon's latest body's

Third-Party batteries will eventually be available for the R5 markII. They aren't available  yet because of design changes that Canon made to the battery for higher power delivery rates.  The LP-E6P Is available at Canon USA and B&H Photo as of this writing.  I'm sure companies like Watson and others will have batteries available in time.

[dpsaiz]

I see the day coming that Canon will put chips in their batteries so that only Canon batteries will work in Canon cameras. It may not happen today or tomorrow but it'll happen.

[Waddizzle]

I do not think Canon is trying restrict the use of third party batteries.  I think the problem is counterfeit merchandise being marketed with Canon branding.

[Stephen]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

I do not think Canon is trying restrict the use of third party batteries.  I think the problem is counterfeit merchandise being marketed with Canon branding.

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Correct.
If you buy a product and know it's third-party, you use it at your own risk.
Buying a "bootleg" or counterfeit battery or charger with our logo but not made by Canon is a problem and can be dangerous. Learn more at https://canon.us/counterfeit 

[dpsaiz]

My very first digital camera was a EOS 10D that I bought used form the photography website Fred Miranda.

I don't remember what I paid for it but it came with two dead Canon batteries. At the time the EOS 30D was all the rage. So I bought four SterlingTek batteries since it had a vertical grip that used to batteries. Up until I traded it for a 40D I used those 3rd party batteries that never failed, held a change as long as the Canon batteries AND at a fraction of the cost. 

Everything we do is at our own risk including buying Canon products and not being able to buy Canon batteries because the are out of stock and on back order. 

Now if I were a Canon Ambassador I would likely never have an issue getting anything from Canon but my wife and I are lowly weekend warriors and we are serious about our weekend hobby. As I mentioned in a previous replay you buy what is available. If I were to wait on Canon to make batteries available for my EOS R and RP I'd die of old age. I also use 3rd party batteries for my discontinued EOS 1Ds MKII, EOS 1V, EOS 1N, EOS 1 and EOS 5D Mk II. Mostly because as soon as Canon introduces a new product the older batteries may NOT forward compatible with newer products and are discontinued. I keep my older Canon equipment alive because I buy 3rd party. 

I have never experienced a camera failure due to 3rd party batteries or had my batteries die dead as a doornail after my wife and I have drove a hundreds miles, spent $$$ on gas, hotel and food on a trip that we spent days planning. You also run the risk of your expensive Canon product dying the day after your warranty expires. There are too may what ifs to worry about. I won't sit at home with $$$$$ with of Canon equipment and do nothing because I am afraid of buying 3rd party. 

If that day ever comes I'll dump all my Canon equipment and find something else to do. Like drink beer and watch college football. 

[Waddizzle]

“ I don't remember what I paid for it but it came with two dead Canon batteries. “

Did you purchase a camera bundle?  Among other items, did it include the two batteries?  

AFAIK, Canon has never included two batteries in their camera kits. It sounds like the batteries were probably not genuine. 

[dpsaiz]

You need to go back and reread my post. I said that I bought a used 10d from the photography website. Fred Miranda that used 10D came with two dead batteries which led me to buy aftermarket batteries for that camera.

[Tronhard]

@dpsaiz"
You suggest in your post "A video on YT had a guy doing an unboxing of an EL flash... 
He then realize that the flash required its own Canon battery. Great another $100 or more for a battery that he might or might not be able to buy."

First, just because someone is on You Tube and unboxing something does not mean they were the intended user - there are lots of non-professional photographers out there making a killing by just unboxing things. 

I would expect a professional to have researched the specs of the item they are buying and know what to look for when they opened the box.  The fact that this person didn't know what to expect, and threw away the packing suggests they are not in the intended market of a working pro.  When I buy gear, I have researched its performance and what I shall get in the box.  I keep the packing in case there is an issue and it has to be shipped back, and for resell later as it achieves a higher resale price.

The Canon EL-1 and EL-5 units are quite unique units: designed specifically for the demands and workload of professionals, and they are priced accordingly.  If you someone does not need that specific level of performance then they should not be buying the units and have no reason to be complaining.   The flashes come with a charger and rechargeable battery that battery delivers a fairly staggering 335 full-power flash cycles.  That is a massive amount of work!  Most photographers requiring that workload would likely be working in an environment with more substantial (and much more expensive) strobes or floods.  These units are designed for a very specific purpose.

So, I would encourage you to take a step back and consider the context within which equipment is offered and for whom it is offered.  In the case of the LP-E6P battery now being issued for the Canon R5II, it is a necessary upgrade to deal with the much higher energy demands of all that extra processing capacity to deliver the features that professionals and serious amateurs demand.  This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that one can still use previous LP-E6 variants but they will not have the capacity to deliver some of the features unique to the R5II.

This demand for higher energy supply is not new.  The LP-E6 series has gone through a series of updates from the original LP-E6, to the the LP-E6N and LP-E6NH as camera capabilities have been improved.  After  market battery makers have reacted to that accordingly, and there are reputable 3rd-party brands offering those updated versions, such as SmallRig and Kingma.  If you prefer such brands, then be patient and they will appear, but know you use them at your own risk, like any aftermarket attachment such as a lens.