Additional Backup Batteries

[jimglasgow]

Anyone using or seen any decent reviews on third party batteries for the R5/R6

 

[Ted M]

I am rarely out long enough to need a backup battery but I must say that I always buy a second Canon battery when I buy the camera on the logic that it could prove false economy if a fault with a generic battery should ruin the camera. It is'nt so important once the camera is a few years old so if I need another battery then I may consider a 3rd party beast without worrying about it causing harm.

The bigger question for me most of the time though is reliability. Is the alternative battery you charged last night in preparation for your expedition today going to work when you need it to or is it going to develop a fault when you are miles from nowhere and the Beast of Bodmin is only twenty feet away and posing nicey for you? Knowing my luck, I'd also be eating a four-fingered chocolate wafer snack at the same time. Sounds very similar to Big Cat but tastes so much nicer, even if it doesn't curl up on your lap of an evening.

 

[GordonM]

I used to have multiple batteries when I was using 1D‘s for football, I had three Canon batteries, but ended up buying another three non Canon. To be honest I never noticed a difference, but if you were worried about battery life I’d suggest using the non canon first, so that the best is saved for last (on the basis you’re not worrying about what you’ve got last)
personally having seen reviews of the Neewer batteries I’m going to buy two as spares, once my R6 arrives.

 

[KEN_A]

I have 2 hahnel extreme HLX-E6N batteries from my 5D Mk iv that were my back ups. When used the 5D the camera recognised, even displaying the serial numbers. These are 2000 mAh which was higher than the equivalent canon ones. Not used in the R5 yet as I bough a couple of spare canon ones when I got the camera.

 

[KEN_A]

Since my reply yesterday I've put the hahnel batteries in my R5 battery grip. These have been recognised with serial numbers and percentage power left displayed just as for the Canon ones.

 

[jscraig07]

I have had two Neewer and two BM (Big Mike's) LP-E6NH batteries for about two months. All are recognized by my R5, and registered in camera with S/N, all allow the green H+ mode. I don't see any real difference in day-to-day shooting with them, they do not seem to drain any faster than the original Canon battery. I have seen some online sources complain about the long-term life of third party batteries, so I guess that is something I will have to look out for. Right now they give me the extra battery capacity for longer sessions away from home.

 

[jimglasgow]

I have had two Neewer and two BM (Big Mike's) LP-E6NH batteries for about two months. All are recognized by my R5, and registered in camera with S/N, all allow the green H+ mode. I don't see any real difference in day-to-day shooting with them, they do not seem to drain any faster than the original Canon battery. I have seen some online sources complain about the long-term life of third party batteries, so I guess that is something I will have to look out for. Right now they give me the extra battery capacity for longer sessions away from home.

Jim Can you send me the link if that’s okay so I can have a look. I had third party ones for my Sony Rav Power never had any problems with them

 

[BruceW]

Has anyone been able to find Canon OEM batteries for the R5? They seem to be out of stock and I had to order some third party batteries, which will get my by, but I’ve heard the life on them are shorter.

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

I've got a pair of BM's as well from Amazon and have noticed no difference in the R5 from the Canon battery. They came with a dual charging station which is handy as well.

 

[GordonM]

I bought a pair of Neewer from Amazon that seem to perform the same as the Canon. My R6 came from Panamoz, so had a European charger without a lead and with an adapter for the UK, so the Neewer being compact and having a lead was a bonus!

 

[jimglasgow]

I bought a set of Neewer off Amazon had no problems cost me for two £24 ($33) a steal and perform and last well for a use them and could buy 5 sets and would still be cheaper that one Canon

 

[Dave Williams]

I have just purchased a pair of Neewer LP-E6NH batteries and the charger at a price of £66 compared to £115 for a single Canon one which comes without a charger. I appreciate that their life might be shorter, their discharge rate may be faster but I'm impressed that the R5 accepted them without problem as if they were Canon originals, so much so I wonder if they are made in the same place in China!
The Canon charger will charge the Neewer batteries but the Neewer charger didn't recognise or react to my older LP-EN battery when I put it in to see if it worked. I didn't try to charge my Canon LP-6NH though.
Both batteries arrived with a 66% charge according to the camera readout and the Canon charger does charge faster than the Neewer one which you need to buy a separate USP mains plug or have access to one. On the other hand though, you can charge your Neewer battery using a USB socket or cigarette lighter adapter when out in the car which is a handy thing, especially if you are without mains electricity. You can also use a power bank to do so too. Very handy!

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

I've been running 4 BM Premium LP-E6NH batteries (bought at Amazon) along with a pair of Canons in my R5 and R6 and have had zero issues until this past week when my R5 viewfinder would go black during continuous shooting (no a card speed issue), sometimes immediately, sometimes after several shots. Only experienced with one battery (now marked for future review), so it's something to watch for since others have confirmed the same with 3rd party batteries. Otherwise, the USB dual charger I got with them works fine with all batteries, though it can be extremely slow if the USB port you plug it into is meant to charge an old phone (took 6 hours for a pair of batteries one time when I was on vacation and grabbed the wrong charging port to plug in).

 

[Dave Williams]

Are you sure it's the battery and not the firmware update numbered 1.5 ? My R5 has been doing this recently on quite a few occasions using the Canon battery and Canon now have now released an updated 1.5.1 firmware on the 14th of February to solve the problem.
It apparently only happens when you use the AF-On button for back button focus which I do.

 

[Jake Shoots Birds]

Are you sure it's the battery and not the firmware update numbered 1.5 ? My R5 has been doing this recently on quite a few occasions using the Canon battery and Canon now have now released an updated 1.5.1 firmware on the 14th of February to solve the problem.
It apparently only happens when you use the AF-On button for back button focus which I do.

Not sure of anything at this point, but I contacted my pro rep and he said he'd not heard anyone complain of this and asked about the battery first. He mentioned the firmware next, but I'm in the middle of a trip and won't be updating until I'm home on Monday. There may be something there, but nothing about it was mentioned in the release - at least not that I saw.