AJ said:
I have used third-party batteries in the past, with good success (Sterlingtek). This was before chipped batteries.
Chipped batteries are a blatant money grab from camera manufacturers. But, sign of the times; taking a macro look at it all, nobody buys a camera (or skips one) because it uses a chipped battery, though they might do so because of battery compatibility with ones they already have. And the chipped battery ensures additional revenue, at least until the chip is decoded.
So, you could argue, all that wonderful new tech in the camera that you're getting at a lower price than the last camera is subsidized in part by overpriced accessories that they know most people will buy
Valvebounce said:
Hi AvTvM.
Absolutely agree, consumables, much like I wouldn't buy a Canon CF card and have tried and use lenses from other manufacturers.
Cheers, Graham.
AvTvM said:
i do consider batteries for cameras like tires for cars: an important consumable, that i don't have to buy from the car maker/dealership.
This is a good analogy.
However, where it breaks down a little is that most of the knockoff companies are very cheap Chinese offerings, and I would not put a cheap Chinese battery in my car. Likewise, a lot of those cheap Chinese memory cards are junk, if you care at all about write speed.
For LPE6 batteries though, I haven't ever had a problem with cheap Chinese batteries (these aren't exactly rocket science

). Also, Canon doesn't make a dual LPE6 charger, so I use a knockoff charger, even though I have several originals.
If Canon wanted my business for premium products, I would happily pay US$150 for a 4-battery LPE6 charger 8)
I would also pay US$100 for a rechargeable lithium battery pack that fit into Canon 4-battery flashes like 600EXRT. And, I would even probably pay Canon's price for an LPE6 battery if it had significantly more mAH than third-party batteries.