[Quick Note] Expensive original/branded products vs. cheap 3rd party/unknown ones, which one to buy?

On the occasion of buying a new cheap battery for my Canon R6 (Fig. 1), I notice more about prices that reflect quality and vice versa. The cheap LP-N6 battery limits the maximum number of photos in burst mode (~7 photos/second compared to 12 on Original Equipment Manufacturer - OEM batteries). The reason is, as implicitly mentioned in the official Canon R6 user manual, that intense working modes like continuous shooting require high and stable electrical current powered from the battery. This requirement is tested and guaranteed to fulfill with OEM batteries whose design is well made. With the price 7 times/89% cheaper (14 vs. 122 euros)(1), and that the battery works well in normal condition (no extreme), as well as a foreseen shorter life (noticeable after 1 year, from what I experienced with 3rd party LP-E8 battery for Canon 700D), I am still happy with the trade affair of cheap batteries.

Figure 1: Authentic LP-E6NH (left) and 3rd party LP-E6 (right) batteries for Canon R6. Despite having larger capacity (2600mA vs. 2130ma), the 3rd party battery does not allow the R6 to run burst mode at full speed (7 photos/second reduced from 12).

Here in this article, I am not going to talk about fake or malfunctional products with an unbeatable price that risk making you regret. I would rather speak about third party products that are sold to replace OEM ones. These are real products with some limitations that consequently make them cheaper and eventually affordable. Once you understand the whole story with all pros and cons, 3rd party product purchase is a cool choice to make, or in other words, not too bad :).

Below are some similar observations that I have experienced with other camera equipment and accessories.

Figure 2: Memory card with a good brand (left), unknown brand with write speed reduced (middle) and unknown brand with the ambiguous “II” symbol, which normally indicates UHS-II standard.

Everything comes with a price. What price would you pay for the need you really have?

To me, thanks to cheap products, I can try more and know more clearly what I want to have and invest further, instead of spending at once from the beginning on high quality products, some of which I may not need or want. That is kind of a better use of money and a clever strategy to reduce unwanted electronic wastes or consumption. That’s said, spending all the time on cheap products is not what I meant. We need to balance, and cheap products are great for a start. In the end, we have to consume anyway, more or less, but we need to do it neatly. This is just one way of doing, and I also acknowledge the impact of short-term use of electronic devices to the environment. In short, understanding well what you need and getting what suits you the most is the key !

Note:

There exists various product ranges within a brand that provide from low to high features. Here, I pick products with big gaps among them to point out the difference, despite the existence of other models that cover the missing feature. I chose Canon 700D (APS-C sensor, EF-S/EF lens) as a reference point for all comparisons.

(1) Reference prices (euros) mainly from amazon.fr, together with other online marketplaces.

(2) (OEM-3rd party)/OEM = 0 means equal price, lower than 1 means (value)% cheaper.

N/A: Not Applicable