[Cyclopath]

[Gray]

I have a Canon T1i. I've bought and used both Canon batteries, and knock offs. The knockoffs were about half the price... and seem to last about half as much, after the first time or two of using them. On a 5 day Seven Lakes Basin hike (only 4 of which I used the camera, because of rain), I took 2 Canon batteries and one of the cheapos as a backup. I still had a bit of juice left in the 2nd Canon. --Gray

[gb]

I only have OEM batteries for my Olympus EM-1. But there was a thread on DPR review regarding Olympus in which many people expressed misgivings with off-brand batteries. A couple of folks had Wasabi batteries that warped and couldn't be removed from the battery case except by glueing a strap to the battery and then pulling hard.

[mike]

You have to shop around and read the reviews. Wasabi had a good rep a while back but not so much now. I went with the Progo branded batts on the recommendation of several friends who have had zero issues and get just as many shots as the OEM. That is my experience as well. Some say that the Progo's don't fully charge in the Oly charger which I don't like anyway. I much prefer the charger that comes with the Progo batts. It has fold down plugs and a place to plug in a 12v cord and charge in the car.

[spamfoote]

One major difference between branded and non branded batteries is that the branded batteries have on-board circuitry which stop the camera from pulling down the voltage too low and destroying the battery. Likewise branded batteries also have over volt protection when charging. These two features is what you are paying for most often on branded batteries. If you pay attention to how you use your batteries, non branded batteries will perform just as well as branded, but require extra babying. Assuming of course that the mAh rating of the two batteries is the same. I would not be surprised at all if most non branded batteries are using subpar mAh rating Li-Ion batteries. Its not like I know as I have only bought non branded batteries for my own brand of camera, not everyone elses. If the non branded batteries are unwilling to publish their mAh rating. DO NOT BUY. YOU ARE BEING SUCKERED! Obviously a lower mAh rating will means fewer pictures taken per battery. Higher mAh rating that branded battery will obviously be more pictures per battery. Is the upfront $$$ worth the downstream babying of your batteries? You decide. For me, the answer is yes.

[mike]

Your assumptions are off base I think. -my generic batteries have no problems and have never been over charged. I believe that they have the same circuits as the OEM. -if you use the proper charger you aren't going to have a problem with whatever batteries you put in it. Generic or OEM work the same. -the generics I use are rated higher mah than my OEM batts. There is so much variability in usage that I can't tell the difference for sure but my generics give at least as long a service as the OEM. Probably longer as they are rated 1400 and 1600 mah respectively vs 1200 mah OEM. - there is no need to baby the generics any more than the OEM's. Bottom line: Reputable generics are the same inside. You are paying for the OEM name brand only but suit yourself. ...

[spamfoote]

Sure said generics can have the overvolt and undervolt protection in them. So can your charger and camera. All depends on the manufacturer. I know when you buy generic singular Li-Ion cells, the majority do NOT have this ability in them and you must buy a charger that does and likewise do not pull them down to far. I use them in all my flashlights as well as my camera. AAA cells, AA, C etc. Remember, camera batteries are nothing more than bundled Li-Ion AA cells by and large so the manufacturer can boost the price by a factor of 5X-10X. Some small cameras use smaller sized cells than AA obviously. Anyway: Buyer beware. Don't be suckered

[mike]