I have only ever purchased Canon batteries.... anyone have other batteries that work just as well and are a bit cheaper??

TIA

for what camera?

Quantaray. I got one as a backup for my Canon battery, thinking it wouldn't last quite as long, but it would be good to have in case an event goes long. The Quantaray actually lasts longer (for me, so far, anyway). It's only by about 100 shots, but that's pretty significant to me!

Recently a friend and I were out shooting a horse show, and her Canon battery ran down before mine did (but she's shooting with a 1D and her battery is pretty old). She popped in my spare Quantaray battery and shot for another six hours with it - LOTS of shooting; she filled up a 2-gig card with JPGs and was doing a lot of bursts and lots of going through her shots and tossing bad ones in between classes. When we were done, the Q-ray was still showing that it had full charge.

So...I like 'em! And they're only about $50.

(posted by Mike)

Well if its a BP511/512 type for 20D, 30D, 5D etc., you absolutely cant go wrong with SterlingTek batteries. Our last batch was 2000ma capacity, they last forever on a charge, and are $12 each. Get yourself a handful.

+5000 for the sterlingtek. Their batteries are fantastic. Definately pick up a bunch.

Thanks all... I just came back to this post! I appreciate the advice.

I've bought a bunch from ebay, just search for bp-511 and a ton will show up roughly 10-15 each. I have 6 of them and have not had any problems. Had them about a year now. Not sure how they compare to Canon stuff, but so far so good.