who's canon's digicam battery mfg?

who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

i just ordered a powershot s410 after 2 weeks of research. the guy called me after i placed the order and made me spend more money on a warranty and an extra battery. i ended up spending much more on the whole thing than expected...$370 instead of $250, but i had read about the crappy battery capacity of canon's stock Li-ion pack with that camera and many recommended getting a spare or an upgrade. also, the warranty covers 5 years parts and labor and only excludes theft and heavy physical damage. which i also thought was a good thing to get cause i've been reading a lot about the dreaded e18 errors people get in a year or 2 after purchase that isnt covered by canon. and i figure i just put an extra $70 towards a much newer and better camera down the road since the equivalent of the s410 today (in price) will be much better in the future...considering this model is already a year old and probably out of production. so i didnt feel raped, but i did feel my wallet drop a few more pounds than expected.

i asked the guy what the brand and capacity of the extra batt was, and he said 1900mah - 2200mah. and mentioned some brand i forget the name of, but he said it was canon's OEM and it was the same company that manufactures all of canon's batts.

and so i have been researching all day for ANY Li-ion battery that can fit an S400 or s410 in a 1900mah capacity and couldn't find any. not even chinese off-brand knockoffs. the highest i've seen is 1400. and the highest canon is a mere 840!! (their "high capacity" NB-1LH)

i hope i didnt get taken on the battery. 1900mah sounds fishy and doesnt sound anything close to OEM. he said he didnt have the part number on hand. (huh?)

i read good reviews of Sterlingtek's 1400mah NB-1LH replacement. but i'm wary of getting it. i guess i'll have to wait and see what arrives on wed. i'm ready for a disappointment at this point and a lot of bitching to get my money back and spend it on a good battery

i was wondering if anyone knows who actuallly manufactures canon's digicam batteries??? or can recommend any good replacements rather than OEM for the NB-1LH in anything above friken 840mah. (btw, i heard digipower's version performed worse than oem)

thanks a lot
Leon.

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

Just did a very quick search and found alot of NB-1LH compatible batteries.
Many of them are labeled [Cell From Japan Made In China].
Capacity is anywhere between 1,000 to 1,200mAh. Nowhere can i find any in the 2,000mAh range. One of them used Sanyo cells. Pricing $12-15.

Canon and Nikon are trying to eliminate these 3rd party products without much success.
Lowering the prices on their own batteries seems the most efficient way to do so, but /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

I personally think you got hosed Leon. I've owned the S110, S200, S320, S400, and currently the S500. (Curse you Canon!) The (cut throat) "discount sellers," typically in NYC make very little on the cameras themselves and try to increase their profit with over-priced "extras." I have NB-1L and NB-1LH cells going back some time, and all are doing fine. The aftermarket cells can be had cheap, but YMMV! (Bitchin cameras!)
Edit: One would assume that Canon has some "leverage" with their battery supplier(s).

Larry

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

i think nyc sounds about right /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

it's looking like the 1200mah is what to shoot for. the Power2000 ACD-214 looks like it might fit the bill at $30 and it does appear to be commonly used and even oem looking. i have a feeling i might have to swallow the loss. (or ebay it off)

i was considering the s500. but the quality looked like crap...just an extra megapixel of washed-outed-ness. all the SDs have are bigger LCDs, they're smaller, faster, and use SD cards....but the quality looks like garbage and washed out. i chose the s410 with good reason...color accuracy, clarity, and very acceptable macro. although the macro mode on the SD series is killer /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif. why canon?!! why?!! i want to have my cake and eat it too!

i could also use some manual controls and was considering an A95, but i played with one and it definitely doesnt impress in the "point and shoot" aspect, the focus delay is considerable, the size, bulkier. and...although better macro...it can only be had in manual focus mode and it takes ages to focus it down. also the screen's refresh rate was quite annoying in low light conditions - a lot of flicker. i like the fact that it uses standard AA batts. but still a CF card and not an SD? (confused.)

anyone know the speed limit of Type 1 CF is? i am trying to get a faster and larger CF for the S410 which only takes type 1, the "Type" is rarely mentioned on sites and i was wondering if the (example) Lexar 80x CF was Type 1 or 2? how would one tell? (i dont think i need 12mb/sec. but i can see maybe 5mb/sec. (40x) are there any 40X tupe 1s?

thanks,
Leon.

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

Larry is right, you got sold a bill of goods. This is a textbook example of the discount camera scam.

OEM camera and cellphone batteries are a goldmine for manufacturers. Generics are generally a much better value. An extended warranty on a low to mid range digicam is money down the toilet. These guys make all their money on warranties and overpriced accessories.

Peter

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

well, 5 years is 5 years any way you slice it. it's a new camera once this thing gets the E18 error. which is not at all uncommon and is probably the biggest complaint about the camera. i'm going to read the warranty terms when i get it, but i think it's worth covering something thats quite common and seems to be its ultimate destiny. my dad's 3 year old s230's focus is already acting wierd. i normally dont buy warranties on anything and i had never run into any problems before because of it, but mostly it's because i read enough reviews and do enough research not to buy crap. it's a shame the E18 isnt covered by canon and is common, but other than that the camera's quality is exceptional. i figured it might be a good idea to get a replacement plan for it that covers everything short of loss and complete obliteration for 5 years.

i've read about generic cells and thats true sometimes, but not always. many cells advertise false capacities and some cheapo cells are known to run very hot and fail much more quickly.

if the warranty does what it says, i would be quite pleased with a better or equivalent replacement 3 years from now. but i think i'm gonna try get the battery out of the deal before it ships tomorrow.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Leon.

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

Wow, 2200 mAH? I haven't seen anything that high either. I can vouch for the Sterlingtek NB-1LH replacement, though. I bought a few and they definitely last longer than the original Canon battery.

John

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

While we are talking about Canon batteries, any good leads on better battery for an Canon SD300?

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

eBay is full of low priced generic replacement Li-ion batteries.

Peter

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

Larry,

You might be purchasing imported cameras from those discount NY dealers. There is no USA warranty on ''grey market'' cameras. Meaning if there is anything wrong you ship it overseas and wait verrryyy patiently for its return if it returns at all.

As far as Generic Li-Ion for Canon cameras I've been using a bunch and they work just as well in my digital camera.

Re: who\'s canon\'s digicam battery mfg?

it's Mack Warranty...NJ i think. i've read a lot of bad reviews about them, although some good ones. most bad reviews have to do with them contesting that the product has visible physical damage, and it's not covered under the terms, even crap that has nothing to do with the issue at hand...like hairline cracks in the case around where the camera mounts on a tripod was used as an excuse not to service a bad LCD screen, or a failed zoom dial. which is BS. i'm gonna make sure to document (photos) the condition of the camera if i ever have to send it in and document the packaging it went in. also a lot of people say that a call to the Better Business Bureau tends to get good and consistent results in enforcing the warranties. should be here tomorrow, so we'll see what happens, at least it shipped properly...it better have for second day air, those *******s. he did tell me the warranty covered the E18 error cause i asked about it specifically, i wish i had that on tape, but i guess i still can by giving them a call.

...what this means is that i now have to baby the camera and never use it, in fear of voiding the ******* warranty.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif Leon