Canon 60D and Third-Party Batteries

My 60D arrived a few minutes ago. I want an extra LP-E6 battery as backup.

Has anyone tried third party batteries and chargers in this camera? Specifically, I am interested in Stirlinktek, who offers a battery and charge they describe as "compatible", for about $40.

Currently using Opteka batteries which I believe is even less money than what u say.
FYI, used them before on an XTi.

I'm using sterlingtek batts and have no problem. they last as long on a charge as the canon's seem to.

Stirlingtek has a very good reputation and should be fine. I haven't used their LP-E6 yet, but have used some of their BP511A, which if anything were superior to Canon's.

When I bought my 5DII and 7Ds, there really wasn't a choice... Canon OEM LP-E6 were the only fully compatible batteries. Initially they were hard to find and sellers were taking on a premium price! The first non-OEM knockoff LP-E6s were made without all the same circuitry and couldn't even be charged in Canon chargers. I didn't have much choice and ended up buying LP-E6. Since then it seems the third party battery makers have fully reverse engineered the LP-E6 and are selling fully compatible versions at good prices. On a positive note, I didn't need as many LP-E6. Where I always carried two backups for each BP511A, I found the newer LP-E6 were good for so many more shots, plus recharge fast enough, that I only needed a single backup for each battery.

Every 3rd party battery that I ever used with my 60D worked fine.

I don't own a 60D, but I've been using two Diamondback batteries in my camera's grip for years without an issue.

amfoto1 wrote in post #12678513
Stirlingtek has a very good reputation and should be fine. I haven't used their LP-E6 yet, but have used some of their BP511A, which if anything were superior to Canon's.

When I bought my 5DII and 7Ds, there really wasn't a choice... Canon OEM LP-E6 were the only fully compatible batteries. Initially they were hard to find and sellers were taking on a premium price! The first non-OEM knockoff LP-E6s were made without all the same circuitry and couldn't even be charged in Canon chargers. I didn't have much choice and ended up buying LP-E6. Since then it seems the third party battery makers have fully reverse engineered the LP-E6 and are selling fully compatible versions at good prices. On a positive note, I didn't need as many LP-E6. Where I always carried two backups for each BP511A, I found the newer LP-E6 were good for so many more shots, plus recharge fast enough, that I only needed a single backup for each battery.

Thanks for the response. It tells me what I wanted to know. I already knew that the Canon LP-E6 and its battery chargers had special circuitry that made them incompatible with early third-party batteries and chargers. It is good to know that the third-party manufacturers have caught up.

I too have had a good experience with Stirlingtek batteries for my 300D and 30D. They still work after about six years. I will get one, along with a charger, for my 60D.

I'm using an Opteka as my back-up and it works fine. Registered with my camera and after I put it in a couple of times it even showed it's charge at 100% after fully charging it. The life isn't as good as my Canon battery, but it is good for about 1200 or so photos (especially when I make myself do the proper thing and turn off the LCD once my exposure is set) or a good 30 minutes of video.

There is an eBay seller that has generic decoded LP-E6 batteries for $12.95 shipped. I bought a couple and found the physical and electrical characteriscs were identical to the Canon batteries. Only difference is that the generics typically yield about 20% fewer shots on a charge.

K6AZ wrote in post #12680772
There is an eBay seller that has generic decoded LP-E6 batteries for $12.95 shipped. I bought a couple and found the physical and electrical characteriscs were identical to the Canon batteries. Only difference is that the generics typically yield about 20% fewer shots on a charge.

Didn't know this until you mentioned it, so I just grabbed one to try out.

gr8-wrx wrote in post #12686035
Didn't know this until you mentioned it, so I just grabbed one to try out.

They work pretty well for me. On the 7D I get about 600 shots per charge (no live view), the Canon batteries do about 800.

I've bought severael Sterlingtek BP511's for my old 20D, 30D, and 5D. Great batteries that lasted longer than the Canons. Sterlingtek's charger is also more compact..better for traveling.

K6AZ wrote in post #12686054
They work pretty well for me. On the 7D I get about 600 shots per charge (no live view), the Canon batteries do about 800.

Cool, thanks!

I'll post my experience once I receive it.

Again, I thank everyone who responded with useful information and experiences.

I ordered two LP-E6 equivalent batteries and a charger from Stirlingtek. The seem to work fine in my new 60D. The camera was able to "read" battery status information from the new battery -- suggesting that the battery is fully compatible.

I haven't tried charging the Canon-branded battery in my Stirlingtek charger or vice versa. Stirlingtek claims this should work.

I did notice that the Canon battery charger got fairly hot while charging the Canon battery, whereas the Stirlingtek charger remained quite cool.

The Stirlingtek charger is usable from 100v to 240v, which makes it OK for worldwide use. (So is the Canon.) The Stirlingtek charger is slightly smaller and comes with a 12v plug adaptor for car use.

Can you charge the Sterlingtek battery with the Canon charger?