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Sterlingtek Batteries

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Mr Pants

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I'm looking to pickup extra batteries for my 400D. I've seen Sterlingtek mentioned a few times on here. They look like a great deal:

http://sterlingtek.stores.yahoo.net/canbeqba80.html

They last 50% longer, and are only 25% the cost of a NB-2LH. Normally I follow the "you get what you pay for" maxim, but I know that Canon and all other manufacturers jack up the price on accessories (ink cartridges, etc.). So my questions are:

1) Are these as good as they claim? Do they last longer than normal Canon batteries and has anyone had a problem with them (leaks, dead batteries,...)?

2) Do they work in the standard Canon battery charger that comes with the 400D?

Thanks,
Dan
 
I commented on all this stuff in a thread from mid-summer, but....

I bought some Sterlingteks for my XT before heading out on a trip this summer. One couldn't keep the charger light lit, even when I cleaned its contacts with an eraser (which seemed to help at least briefly). Others didn't last beyond an average of 200 shots, though I normally got 500-600 from my Canon batteries, and the Sterlingtek supposedly was rated at double the Canon capacity. One customer service rep suggested cycling the batteries multiple times, but I didn't have ability to do so (e.g., by leaving LCD screen on all night), and frankly have read elsewhere there shouldn't be need with the type of battery.

Rebecca in particular at Sterlingtek was ultimately very helpful in getting me replacements in time, though even then they seemed (and still seem) to last around the same as the Canon despite supposedly double the rating.

I know some swear by Sterlingtek, and I'm still using my replacements and grateful to Rebecca in particular for helping me, but I'm on the fence as to how quickly I'd order in the future, especially if in another scenario where it might be cutting it close testing things properly.

If I hadn't read of someone else's need to return the same batteries shortly before I left town for over a month, I wouldn't have checked mine before leaving, and could have ended up stuck on the road without ability to easily return for refund/replacement.

They do have their guarantee(s), I guess, so if you can test things in time, I guess the cost savings may well be worth the risk.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'll be using the camera at least once a year on trips out of the country, so having batteries flake on me could be a bad situation. I guess I'll just go ahead and invest in the Canons.
 
I've purchased their batteries for both the 300D and 350XT, and only have good things to report. Very reliable; at least from my experiences.
Bob
 
Good batteries.Fit and work well.....but....regardless of the maH ratings,they do not last as long as the OEM Canon battery(at least the 2 I have).But,for the price are good backup batteries.
 
On a charge, they seem to do just as well or better than the Canon's.

I don't think they last as long (calendar wise) as the Canon's. But, when they are something like 20% the cost, I can live with that (happily).

They charge fine in the canon charger.

J.
Auriga said:
They are great for their price IMO, but they definitely aren't
better than the original Canon batteries. I haven't had any of them
fail (I have 4 of them - 2 for my XT and 2 for my G6), so in my
experience, they're reliable - just not longer lasting.

--
---------
Terence
http://www.pbase.com/auriga_m38
Click to expand...
--
'Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.' -
Mark Twain

(equip in profile)
 
--I wonder if those who complain know they have to charge all batteries several times and let them deplete before they run on full capacity. Nor does anyone mention how cheap the S. ones are in comparison to the price of a Canon.
fredyr
 
i've bought sopme for both my 300D and then when i upgraded to the 350D and they have all worked like a charm. couldn't really tell you if they last longer than the canons or not, they are certainly not noticably worse.
cheers
ron
--
http://www.ronmolnar.com.au
 
Fredy Ross said:
--I wonder if those who complain know they have to charge all
batteries several times and let them deplete before they run on
full capacity. Nor does anyone mention how cheap the S. ones are in
comparison to the price of a Canon.
fredyr
Click to expand...
I read somewhere on this forum that this was unneccessary / not good for this type of battery.
 
Work well for me as well.
 
I have had 2 of the batteries I've been using for a year now.

Mine charge fine on my canon charger - no problem there.

For the first 8 months they easily outperformed the OEM battery.

But, in spring when it was still chilly (around 40 degrees) I noticed my sterlingtek batteries drained much faster than my OEM.

Now - when this same topic was brought up over the summer - someone else indicated they had the opposite occur.

I've also noticed that they don't hold as much of a charge anymore - still good, but I probably get 20% less shots out of them then I did in the beginning. To be fair, I don't have any idea if the OEM battery would have a similar drop-off given the same activity over that time period. So I can't say if that 20% loss is good or bad.

So, to summarize - for the two batteries I own - they're great above 40 degrees. When temp gets down to 40 or below I can't trust them for more than 400 shots a piece (which for most people isn't an issue but for a sports shooter you can go through that fairly easily).
 
Fredy Ross said:
--
fredyr
Click to expand...
Lithium Ion (Li-On.) battery---

Lithium Ion battery doesn't have "Memory" problem either, You may go back to recharge this kind battery at any level you want to. You shall not use the discharge function button on the charger to discharge a Lithium Ion battery.

This kind battery is much lighter, require much less space. So they can contain much more capacity than a Ni-Cd or Ni-Mh battery. They are representing the newest trend in the battery business.

Here is the routine process to take care a Lithium Ion battery--

After you use it, you may go back to recharge it at any level you want to.(A.S.A.P.)

You shall not use the discharge function button on the charger to discharge a Lithium Ion battery.

After fully charged, take the battery out of the charger base, keep it in the shelf.

Every 30 days or so, even if you don't need to use it, You still need to bring it out, and recharge it. Because every battery will self-drain the power from 1 to 3% on the daily base. By the 30th day. The battery may down to zero already. That is the time battery getting hurts.
Lithium Ion battery only can be recharged up to 300 to 400 times.
 
The reason Li-ion batteries typically come to you charged is because the manufacturer's charge them to 50% for something like 3 days or so to help 'set' the battery plates. It is never good to fully deplete a Li-ion battery under any conditions - they chemistry is different than with nimh or nicd. They like to be charged more often and kept more fully charged.

The Canon BP511a is $49.95 at BH. That is about 4x the price of a sterlingtek. So, even if they last only 3x as long (lifetime) they are a huge good value. I've had no issues at all with them having less capacity than Canon batteries.

J.
Lionel Johnson said:
Fredy Ross said:
--I wonder if those who complain know they have to charge all
batteries several times and let them deplete before they run on
full capacity. Nor does anyone mention how cheap the S. ones are in
comparison to the price of a Canon.
fredyr
Click to expand...
I read somewhere on this forum that this was unneccessary / not
good for this type of battery.
Click to expand...
--
'Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.' -
Mark Twain

(equip in profile)
 
I own two Sterlingtek 3rd party batteries for my Canon EOS 350D/XT. If you want a good deal on them use Sterlingtek's pricegrabber.com storefront,

http://www.pricegrabber.com/user_sales_getprod.php/masterid=4180635/lot_id=888676/

At the time of this posting the batteries go for $10.49 each plus shipping which is $4.99 each. I think shipping is $1.99 for each additional battery.

I have had mine since December 2005 and they last longer than the Canon OEM battery that came with the camera. They work with the Canon OEM charger and come with a one year warranty. I actually use them a lot more than the Canon battery because I have to recharge them less often.

I am not a professional photographer so my camera gear will go weeks without use, so keep that in mind. I am not using these batteries everyday. If they start to fail at some point in the future I will post an update.

According to a post on the pricegrabber.com website these batteries will also work with the Canon EOS 400D XTi.

http://ah.pricegrabber.com/pgbot_image.php?h=200&w=200&s=213cde5aa191ebf14fab4a9560297a79&u=http%3A%2F%2Fauction3.inetu.net%2Fmember%2Fcchenau%2FDLC2L.jpg
 
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