Batteries & card readers - several questions

[cirks]

1 - for my Canon 20D - I want to get a 2nd battery. Do you think OEM is best or should I get a 3rd party (obviously miles cheaper) one? If the latter, which make?

2 - just bought my 5yr old daughter a cheap point-and-shoot digital camera (to get her into the photography bug!). Trouble is that the camera will take about 30 shots on a set of Duracells (2*AA). So, time to get a decent set of rechargeables. I assume I'm looking at around 2500mAh. Which make do you suggest and where from? I'll need the charger too probably.

3 - Although I have a cheapo USB2 CF card-reader, it is miles slower than transferring with USB cable plugged straight into camera. Is it worth getting one of the Sandisk CF readers or does anyone know why there should be such a difference in performance?

4 - related to the above, I also need to get a SD reader for my daughters camera so, do I get a multi card reader or a SD only one (answers probably dependant on comments on question 3) above!)

Sorry for all the questions but since related I thought I'd put them all in one thread!

[_dobbo_]

1.) OEM or 3rd party battery? Depends on how often you think you will use it. I've never run out of battery so if I did get one it would be for emergencies, and so I couldn't justify the cost of an OEM over an elcheapo...

2.) Batteries - you will struggle to do better than this


3.) You might not be getting USB2 - are you plugging the card reader and the camera into the same port on your PC?

4.) I've got an el-cheapo 15in1 card reader, has never let me down. Don't know if it's slow or not, but if it is it doesn't bother me enough to spend more than the £7 it cost...

[fergusd]

Can't speak ref Canon batts but I've read many horror stories with people buying cheap 3rd party batteries for D2x's and the batts being worthless . . .

I suspect it depends on what's actually in the battery, in the D2x's case there's a bunch of electronics which seem to be the root cause of a lot of the incompatability issues . . .

Fd

[Bee_Jay]

Ahh... Batteries, my favourite topic...

1) OEM have been fine for me - I have 2 originals and 4 OEMs off ebay for my 20D with Battery Grip - the OEMs are better in my opinion, last longer. (Why so many batteries? - do events shooting tethered to a PC, which keeps it on all the time and eats batteries in about 90 mins or so...)

2) try some Ansmann 2600's from www.budgetbatteries.co.uk - also strongly recommend the Ansmann Ultra 4 (I think) charger, we live on them at events, charge a full set of 2600s in about 15 mins!!!

3) check it is in a USB2 port, doesn't sound like it to me.

4) just buy an all-in-one and make sure it is USB2 and plugged into a USB2 port!

Cheers,

Joe.

[Andy M]

I bought one of these: www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_3&products_id=88147

£7 and with better performnce than Canons own

Recommended.

[monkeyhanger]

As far as 7dayshop batteries go, i've hardly used my Canon OEM's since i bought 4.

[te51cle]

I've had no problems with 3rd party batteries in my Canon camcorder and 350D (batteries interchangeable between both). There's a lot of card readers on the market, some will be USB 2 and some will be USB 2 compatible. The compatibles will run at 1.1 speeds but very slowly - they work quicker when connected to another 1.1 device than to a 2.0 in my experience. You might also consider something like this instead of a straight card reader as you can take info of both cards wherever and whenever you like.

[cirks]

Andy M said:

I bought one of these: www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_3&products_id=88147 £7 and with better performnce than Canons own Recommended.

Blimey..£9.99 for a 2-pack. I ordered a non-OEM earlier based on other comments and 1 was £8.99. I might be tempted to get a couple of the 7dayshop ones as back-ups just in case I go off in a mad shooting spree one day

Thanks for all the other comments. Have gone for a all-in-one reader to replace my, what might be 2.0 compatible rather than real 2.0 (would explain the slow speeds c.f. the camera), and satisfy the SD requirement too.

Also went for the Uniross 15min charger and batteries for £13.99.

Thanks to everyone - PH, again a quicker and better source of information than elsewhere!

[elliotdavies]

I have cheapo spare batteries for my 20d and the other day shot over 700 pics with 1 using IS on the lens with the 20d on servo focus, i cant think of any other way to use any more power.

but........I have had bad experiences with cheapos on my digi ixus, they were naff, and ive had 2 sets of 2 and both were as bad.

I bought a 40 in 1 USB 2 card reader ! cost lots........... £5.99 and its rapid
Are you sure your PC is USB2 otherwise it will be running at USB1 speed as they are backwards compatible

I bought a fast battery charger and some 2500mha batteries from budget and a fast charger and they were superb
Mind you you needed an oven glove to remove them as they were very hot


>> Edited by elliotdavies on Thursday 4th May 20:35

[cirks]

elliotdavies said:

I have had bad experiences with cheapos on my digi ixus, they were naff, and ive had 2 sets of 2 and both were as bad.

I've got an Ixus as well but have had no probs with a 3rd party battery in that.

elliotdavies said:

Are you sure your PC is USB2 otherwise it will be running at USB1 speed as they are backwards compatible

most definately USB2. I think it's more likely to be the reader that's the problem not the PC.