I am about to pull the trigger on a 7D

[rpcrowe]

I will be paid tomorrow for a lens that I am selling which will fund most of a refurbished 7D from Canon.

In the past, I have have used Sterlingtek BP-511 batteries as well as Canon OEM BP-511 batteries in my other Canon DSLR cameras and they worked equally well.

I have read that some LP-E6 batteries are not "decoded" and the battery charge will not be indicated when using the non-decoded batteries in the camera and that these non-decoded batteries cannot be charged in the Canon OEM charger.

Sterlingtek doesn't indicate if their batteries are "completely" interchangeable with the OEM LP-E6 batteries. I have emailed them to ask if they are. I noticed that the Sterlingtek LP-E6 batteries are more powerful at 2600mAh than many other generic (both decoded and non-decoded) LP-E6 batteries which run anywhere from 2400mAh down to 1800mAh.

I am not pinching pennies but, why pay more than I need to? My previous Sterlingtek BP-511 batteries have worked so well that I never notice if I am loading my OEM or my Sterlingtek batteries into my cameras.

[Donald]

Richard

I absolutely agree with you so far as the Sterlingtek BP-511s in the battery grip with the 40D are concerned. And, if I recall, the nice thing was they were in my camera, from the US, within 4 days of ordering them.

[rpcrowe]

I received this very prompt email answer from Armando at Sterlingtek:

"Our LP-E6 batteries are chipped to work the same as the original LP-E6 battery. It will show all functions as the original and can also be used with the Canon charger. Thank you for your interest in our products."

The Sterlingtek batteries run $23 (USD); while the best U.S. price (from a legitimate dealer) on the OEM Canon LP-E6 battery is $70 (USD) from B&H in New York City. There is no question regarding which I will select. I would, however stay away from some of the ultra-cheap batteries sold on eBay which MAY OR MAY NOT be as good as the OEM or Sterlingtek batteries. I just don't want to take a chance on "no-name" batteries in my new camera...

I always like having two extra batteries for my cameras. They do not weigh that much for traveling and redundancy is my motto concerning photo equipment...

MURPHY'S LAW OF PHOTOGRAPHY: The possibility of a piece of photo gear failing is in a direct relationship to the importance of the shoot and in an indirect relationship to the availability of replacement gear...

[ktuli]

Richard,

Very interesting. I feel kind of sheepish now for shelling out for three additional Canon OEM batteries for my own 7D. I've always been wary of after-market product like that, and especially something so integral to the operation of the camera. My thought has always been if a Canon battery explodes in my camera, Canon doesn't have much choice but to support it. But if it is a Super Battery Megastore Brand, they'll be much more likely to say 'Sorry, Charlie!' (and I hate when people call me Charlie!).

Granted, I keep all of my gear insured under a separate policy, so warranty support is less critical to me, but still....

I guess if I end up needing to pick up more batteries, I'll have to give Sterlingtek a look. Thanks for the pointer!

- Bill

[rpcrowe]

I ordered two extra Sterlingtek LP-E6 batteries for $22.99 (USD) each which came out to a total of $45.98. The shipping on these two batteries was going to be $7.98. However, Sterlingtek offers free USA shipping if the order is $60 or greater. I included a Sterlingtek charger (which includes a 12V car charging cord) for $14.99. That resulted in a $60.97 purchase with free shipping. I got the charger with 12V capability for seven dollars more than just the two batteries plus shipping. I have only used my 12V charger for my BP-511 batteries once or twice but it really came in handy when I needed it.

I guess that now I my need a couple of larger CF cards since 4GB is my largest card and video can benefit from a card with more memory - say 8GB or 16GB.

Digital photography gear is expensive but, once the equipment is purchased, it is a free ride from then on...

[ktuli]

Digital photography gear is expensive but, once the equipment is purchased, it is a free ride from then on...

HAHAH!

You let me know when that free ride starts! I'm not there yet, that's for sure!

- Bill

[Bill Yeung]

thanks for the pointer too.
yes, another battery is always good. I used to buy battery grid for my 20D and later found out that I never use it!
so, l learn the lesson and buy one more battery instead of another battery grid.
also, I got more stuff to my 7D, custom bracket, 200mm lens, it seem that the grid is no longer justify...

thanks, will search for the Sterlingtek..

[Bill Yeung]

battery from Sterlingtek ordered.
This forum is always informative and useful.
thanks.

[rpcrowe]

I received my replacement 7D (first one had problems) and this one seems like it works just fine. The learning curve from my 40D to the 7D (video excepted) doesn't seem to be as steep as I thought it would be.

The Sterlingtek batteries and charger work just fine.

The only thing that I have against the LP-E6 (either OEM or Sterlingtek) is that they look so much like the BP-511 batteries for my other 1.6x cameras. I can see me confusing them and ending up on a shoot with only BP-511 or LP-E6 batteries when I needed both types. I am going to place a spot of bright paint on each LP-E6 battery to avoid any screw-up.

[Dave Humphries]

The only thing that I have against the LP-E6 (either OEM or Sterlingtek) is that they look so much like the BP-511 batteries for my other 1.6x cameras. I can see me confusing them

Hmmm, if they are that similar in shape and size, you gotta wonder why, apart from just wanting to sell more batteries and chargers , they are a different at all.

You may call me cynical

[rpcrowe]

I have been using this camera since the beginning of April and I absolutely LOVE it!

[wilgk]

Good to hear Richard - I would be interested to hear what sort of problems the first one had?

[rpcrowe]

Good to hear Richard - I would be interested to hear what sort of problems the first one had?

It simply would not show an image through the eye level viewfinder. And to answer the obvious question, No! Neither movie or live view was actuated...

Dave, there are obvious differences between the two batteries if you look at them. But, I could see me grabbing the wrong batteries in a hurry. However a great way to tell these batteries apart is that the plastic battery cover for the BP-511 battery is black while the cover for the LP-E6 battery is yellow. That is a quick way to keep track. BTW: My Sterlingtek batteries did not come with a plastic battery protector. So, when I sent my original 7D back to canon, I kept the battery cover for that camera's battery. Now I have a yellow battery cover for each of two my spare LP-E6 batteries.

[wilgk]

How bizarre, but thankfully it sounds like all is well now.

[koolkat]

Well I finally did pull the trigger on a 7D. Just got it an along with two DVDs & I'm looking forward to its features. My 400D is still a great camera but the differences in the two bodies is amazing....so is the price. Anyway, a question for those with the 7D or the MK 5 IIs as they both use the same battery and charger, LP-E6 & LC-E6 charger. Both batteries I got are Canon. When I charged them up, the charger has a orange "charge" light and then a " 0 / 50 / 75 & 100%" markings. After an initial charge that I let last 8 hrs. the orange charge light stayed on and nothing ever changed related to the other markings. When I put each battery into the camera, one indicated 99% and the other 100%. So, they got charged but is there anything to the markings on the charger, or how are they used. Thanks Mike

[ktuli]

The charger is based on blinking that light. A single blink and then a pause is the first percentage, two blinks and a pause is the next percentage, etc... a solid light is a fully charged battery.

Once you understand that, the markings on the charger should make a little more sense.

Hope this helps.

- Bill

[koolkat]

Bill, thanks for that infomation....now that I think about it, it does make sense. The markings do not light up....the single light tells the whole story. Super, thanks. Now to get up to speed with this 7D, compaired to my 400D what a learning curve. I've got the manual and the Blue Crane DVDs so I'm off to studying. And off to the Zoo Saturday morning !
Mike Goodwin

[rpcrowe]

There is a learning curve for the 7D; IMO, far steeper than the difference between the 30D and the 40D...

However, the learning curve for me is interesting. I certainly have not mastered every facet of the 7D but, that is not surprising. After several years of using it, I still occasionally discover a bell or a whistle on the 40D that I either didn't know about or had forgotten...

After-all, if I take a lunch break; I have to be retrained...

I remember how simple the old Leica M-2 35mm film camera was to operate. However, there is no way I would want to give up the capabiities of the DLSR...

[koolkat]

Well, I finally got to the zoo with my 7D &18x270 Tamron lens. Hope this picture comes thru. I cropped it very little & used PSE9's automatic color correction. But the change from what I shot to what I got after the very little PP I'm pleased with. The autofocus points in the viewfinder and the ability to change them with the camera's joystick is really a lot of fun for each shot. The high speed continus shooting is amazing. Lots to learn & the DVDs I bought are a super help.

[rpcrowe]

To Mike and all 7D owners...

There is a plethora of short, free instructional videos available on the Internet regarding different functions and capabilities of the 7D. Just do a goodle search with the parameters "Canon 7D" + "any specific areas" which you would like covered.

However, being an old geezer, I do better using a book than watching a video when I want to learn something. I often purchase an secondary instructional book for any new camera because the non OEM instruction books are frequently written in a more enjoyable style. I had been quite happy with the Digital Field Guide for the 30D which I purchased years ago from the discount rack of Frys Electronic Store. However, I do not consider the Digital Field Guide for the 7D (written by the same author, Charlotte Lowrie) to be quite as good for the 7D as the 30D version was for that camera.

I wanted a book with a bit more information on the video capabilities and the myriad of focusing choices. The Digital Field Guide Glosses over the video and is not a lot better when it comes to discussing the 7D focusing capabilities. and includes a lot of boiler-plate material like composition, how to hold a camera, etc. which is generic for any camera and which I really do not need.

My next step is to take a trip to my local Barnes and Noble Bookseller store with an hour or so to kill and peruse the 7D books on the shelf in that store. My B&N store has comfortable lounge chairs to allow perusing at my leisure.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good 7D book, expecially one which delves into both video and the focusing systems of the 7D.