Clone BG-E6 Battery grips

Saw this on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com …rgers&hash=item​3f01a2014c

They state it's a OEM grip without a Canon warranty and it sells for about a 100 dollars cheaper than the genuine item.

Are they the same thing as the genuine grip, are they made in the same factory , I'm not too sure ? or Are they a copy/ counterfeit.

This is a photo of my BG-E6 box which look slightly different to the box photo's on the ebay ad.

The seller is in Hong Kong. $160 + $35 for the shipment, you'd better buy a second-hand real OEM BG-E6 on POTN, even if it's a few bucks more...
Or buy a Meike or other brand; I bought one for $70 and it's perfect, considering that I'm not a professional photog hiking on the other side of the world...

This is the reply from the seller to the "is this a genuine Canon and is it made in Japan" questions.

"Hi friend this grip is oem working the same like the original
one and in the same quality but with china warrenty and also
I save a lot of money in that price we also have lpe6 batteris
for this grip thnx alot hope to deal with u guy Cohen
groupshop"

Well, your call my friend...

To me, that kind of language in a vendor's reply is a showstopper. But that's only me...

"if it seems too good to be true, it probably is"

The box looks the same to me other than the fact that it says battery grip in only two languages

Saw something similar elsewhere.
http://reviews.ebay.co​m …0QQugidZ1000000​0016963792

Does the genuine BG-E6 grip have a serial number printed on it? The fakes don't; just curious if the real one does.

No, I don't think the genuine bg-e6 grips have a serial no. on them. It might be under the bottom plate, but you'll need to unscrew the four screws.

That ebay warning was what I wanted to warn POTN users about.

Interesting.

From what I've gathered, the things that seem different are: blue colour of logos/text on the grip, glossiness of the battery cover release, "Made in Taiwan" on the battery tray insert (instead of Made in Japan), rubber piece at bottom back is much bigger than on the genuine, box only has "battery grip" in two language (not several) and the Canon label is more stuck on.

Therefore, that one linked above - and the photos in the listing - looks like a genuine one ... all except the box writing .. and can't tell about the plastic insert?

DionM wrote in post #10652542
Interesting.

From what I've gathered, the things that seem different are: blue colour of logos/text on the grip, glossiness of the battery cover release, "Made in Taiwan" on the battery tray insert (instead of Made in Japan), rubber piece at bottom back is much bigger than on the genuine, box only has "battery grip" in two language (not several) and the Canon label is more stuck on.

Therefore, that one linked above - and the photos in the listing - looks like a genuine one ... all except the box writing .. and can't tell about the plastic insert?

They could be genuine photos, but what you receive could be different, as the buyer who wrote the guide did.

He noted in the ebay ad, from the photo's, that it was made in Japan that's why he thought it was a safe buy.

Note the reply I got from the seller, there was no confirmation of where it was made even though I asked if it was made in Japan

lannes wrote in post #10652613
They could be genuine photos, but what you receive could be different, as the buyer who wrote the guide did. He noted in the ebay ad, from the photo's, that it was made in Japan that's why he thought it was a safe buy.
Note, on the reply I got from the seller, that there was no confirmation of where it was made even though I asked if it was made in Japan

Yes that's true.

I suppose the only real tell tale would be weight - I'm guessing the fakes wouldn't be made from magnesium but only plastic?

DionM wrote in post #10652657
Yes that's true.

I suppose the only real tell tale would be weight - I'm guessing the fakes wouldn't be made from magnesium but only plastic?

I think it would be weight and overall build quality, that is how closely it matches the finish of the 5dm2 body.
eg. grain of the rubber grip would match the grain of the body hand and thumb grip pattern.

lannes wrote in post #10652509
No, I don't think the genuine bg-e6 grips have a serial no. on them. It might be under the bottom plate, but you'll need to unscrew the four screws.

That ebay warning was what I wanted to warn POTN users about.

I just looked at my four cameras (D60, 20D and 2X40D) all of which are gripped. Every single grip (BG-ED3, BG-E2 and 2xBG-E2N) all have serial numbers. Even the PB1 Power Booster for my old EOS 1 film camera has a number.

I suspect the BG-E6 grip for the 5DII has a serial number as well. Why would Canon want to stop putting them on now?

JWright wrote in post #10656452
I just looked at my four cameras (D60, 20D and 2X40D) all of which are gripped. Every single grip (BG-ED3, BG-E2 and 2xBG-E2N) all have serial numbers. Even the PB1 Power Booster for my old EOS 1 film camera has a number.

I suspect the BG-E6 grip for the 5DII has a serial number as well. Why would Canon want to stop putting them on now?

Have look at this post
http://www.fredmiranda​.com/forum/topic/82933​3

Some people have said it's under the bottom plate, which needs to be removed.

If you haven't got one, you got a clone

It is obviously a cheap chinese variant. Don't even bother being hopeful. With cheaper grips for entry-level cameras (t1i, xs) it's no big deal--it'll be plastic anyway. If you get a knockoff for your 5d, you're going to end up with cheapo plastic, and there's always the offchance that your camera could be damaged.

It's not worth it to save a few bucks--get the good stuff from a REPUTABLE seller.