spare battery for my SD 790 -- aftermarket or Canon: My question is: besides the battery possibly (or likely, according to some reviewers) crapping out, could this battery in any way do any harm to my 790?
1790537
If the battery is charged in the camera rather than in a seperate charging cradle then extra caution is certainly called for. The charging process is the most dangerous (barring accidental shorting of the battery's contacts). Most bad batteries just refuse to hold a charge though. One of the reasons reviews of 3rd party batteries are all over the map is that, in my experience, you may get a perfectly usable battery or you may get a complete dud that can't even be charged at all or which only lasts for a few minutes. Some batteries are just stored too long and their charge has fallen too low over time to keep the battery viable (batteries have a limited shelf life). And some batteries are just not manufactured very well. I have a Lenmar universal camera battery charger but I'm not too confident in it (for one thing, it doesn't use the batteries' built-in thermal protection lead and, for another, it seems to stumble with very low batteries). Haven't tried Lenmar batteries in particular though. The best high quality 3rd party batteries I HAVE tried are made by SterlingTek.com http://sterlingtek.com/canb13bapaeq.html
733419
Dang, anyone know if there are still any cameras that use real batteries like this? I'd have had to replace my Sony multiple times over if it used proprietary batteries. They're such a pain, and I wish NOTHING used them. I need a new/better camera though, and REALLY want something that still uses regular batteries.
864649
Same here. Interestingly, when I've seen spare batteries listed they are going for $150 (!). If that's the case, you might as well buy another unit from HD and use its battery as a spare.
1344350
hmm- good question. I did not pay attention to that. I have been using the battery for a few weeks now and its working fine-holds a longer charge than the default camera battery that comes with camera from Sony.
1961611
Thanks Tech Guy. I see that it takes SDHC, and the video size limitation is fine by me. I'll have to see if I can get an a solid answer from Canon's tech support on if the 790 can take advantage of the faster in-camera processing Class 6 cards have (the upload to computer speed advantage doesn't mean much to me), and if it varies by brand. I also am wondering if I'll need to replace my current SD card reader if I do buy and use any of these higher capacity / faster SD cards.
1117825
I have no problems with my SX280 at all. This battery works perfect with the camera.
1903855
I never experienced such drastic draining of charge when using those supplied batteries in the grip (when the camera was OFF). Mine is performing well. Please check if the same happens when (not using the grip) a single but different battery is installed in the body-if so contact the canon service; in the meanwhile, check all the contact pads in the grip for any short circuit. I hope you can figure it out easily.
1551486
I have yet to see this problem. So far the batteries have been performing as well as, or better than the original Canon for me.
1396575
Hi RickI bought this battery for my camera and I can give testimony that is original and working properly. A few days ago I lost one of the two I have and will go back to buy this battery. I recommend it.
2276763
I used STK's Canon NB-5L NB5L almost 2 months so the quality should be the same. I don't know after 1 year or later STK's Canon use the same original Canon battery or not?
95259
My experience with this battery is that it has not held up as good as the one that came with the camera. It doesn't seem to hold a charge nearly as long as the OEM, even when not in the camera. My suggestion would be to purchase a Sony battery.
1373630
I would also like to know. There was 1 reviewer that claims that this battery will not fit on the GZ-MG330 (the camera I own), yet on the Best Buy website, they also list this battery as an accessory for the camera. I wonder if the individual who wrote the bad review simply didn't know how to correctly install the battery?
1032908
They work great for me, no problems at all. Although I'm using a d3200, your cameras calls for the same battery. If you have any reservations send the seller an E-mail, as long as you're buying from somewhat of a camera accessory vendor. They would know from any backlash from other buyers.
946664
My experience has been very good... Over Christmas for example, I had a battery last me for a few days, and that's with shooting probably 20 photos and a little video each day. On trips where I'm doing a lot of shooting I may go through a battery each day and recharge at night. Since I have two batteries I just cycle them through and am never lacking a charged battery. When I got my camera, a firmware update made battery life significantly better... Could be the same for you. Best of luck!
1079667
I had the same issue with a Canon Powershot SD780 IS Digital Elph. Just wanted to say this helped me a lot reading these comments. It just refused to power on one day out of the blue. A month later and 2 years out of warranty and with no options other than to cough up a bunch of money for a repair or new camera I decided to get risky and see what I could do myself. In the battery compartment, just to the left side of the battery a small plastic tab from the battery door fits into a slot when you close the door. The tab wasn't broken so I took an x-acto knife and poked at the piece in the camera body I assume the plastic tab was supposed to be hitting. Maybe the part was gunked up or sticking or something. I have no idea. But the camera was able to turn on after that and seems perfectly fine now.
1269086
I purchased that battery for my Dell 5010 and it is working great (four months now) The only problem I have had - and it's minor- is that occasionally when i recharge, I get a message that the computer can't "read" the battery number and to replace with a dell battery. I unplug and replug it in and it starts charging no problem. That's happened about 5 times in 4 months. so not really a big deal.
2014311
Thanks CAMPJEEP.Most of my photos will be outside, so it sounds like I should be able to expect well over the stated 260 shots (CIPA standards).I'll purchase a backup battery to be safe. Probably the Maximal after market battery listed here on Amazon. Only $3.45 and the reviewers say that it lasts as long as Canon's.Thanks again.