# Third Party Accessories - What to Buy, What to Avoid



## FatDaddyJones (Jan 15, 2013)

Most photographers, whether professional or hobbyist, are price conscious and want to get the best deal for their money. The best value for some means buying the most inexpensive item. For others it means the best quality no matter the price. I think that most of us fall somewhere in the middle, wanting to balance price with quality. 

When it comes to OEM Canon accessories compared to third party options, I'm sure that some have found Canon accessories to be superior in quality, while others have found 3rd party equipment to be sufficient, if not equal in quality for much lower cost. There are also many horror stories of knock off equipment and bad service from third party manufacturers.

If anyone has a recommendation on a third party accessory (battery, grip, flash, caps, hoods, etc.) that you have found to be a good value and good quality, I'd like to hear it. If there are any ones that are better off avoided, I'd like to hear that too.


----------



## tortilla (Jan 15, 2013)

I can recommend the Yongnuo YN-560 II flash. Flash intensity cannot be controlled by camera but it is quite powerful and build quality is very good. The 600 EX has more features, but the Yongnuo only costs about €60 - €70.


----------



## aprotosimaki (Jan 15, 2013)

I have a pair of cactus v5 triggers. No ETTL but the price is right. They are less than robust but I have had no problems using them. From time to time my off camera flash does not fire but reseating the triggers/flash sorts this out. If you are on a budget, I recommend them.


----------



## neuroanatomist (Jan 15, 2013)

I use mostly Canon OEM where available. Particularly, batteries and the battery grip. I'd have no problem using a 3rd party flash for manual output. I'd also stay away from 3rd party lens hoods - not so much for the chance of a worse fit (Canon hoods are hit and miss depending on the lens) but because the Canon hoods have flocking on the inside, whereas the smooth, reflective inner surface of a 3rd party hood can actually add flare instead of reducing it.


----------



## RLPhoto (Jan 15, 2013)

Just recently bought a CB-mini bracket, And its fantastic.


----------



## alexanderferdinand (Jan 15, 2013)

Borrowed a 17-40/4 from my local dealer, the worst CAs I've ever seen in the corners.

Then bought the 16-35/2,8 II; maybe a lemon, corners soft even at f8.

After more then a year I tried the Tokina 16-28/2,8 (first non- Canon- lens after 25 years.
A week later I sold the 16-35/2,8II.
This is now 2 years ago, and I'm still happy with my decision.


----------



## Efka76 (Jan 15, 2013)

I use Meike battery grip for my Canon EOS 7D and Hahnel spare battery. Very happy with quality of these products. Also, one of lenses is Tamron SP 24-70, which is one of my favourite.


----------



## distant.star (Jan 15, 2013)

.
I've had good experience with Vello wired and wireless shutter releases. The prices are so dramatically lower than Canon's, I couldn't not try them. In some cases I could buy four or five of the Vello units for the price of one Canon. No failures so far.

You probably don't need to be told Tiffen filters are poor. I made the mistake of leaving one of their UV filters on a used lens I bought -- really screwed up some night photography for me.


----------



## brad-man (Jan 15, 2013)

alexanderferdinand said:


> Borrowed a 17-40/4 from my local dealer, the worst CAs I've ever seen in the corners.
> 
> Then bought the 16-35/2,8 II; maybe a lemon, corners soft even at f8.
> 
> ...




Couldn't agree more. I still like my 17-40 for it's light weight, the fact that it's weather sealed, and decent sharpness, but I whip out the Tokina for when it counts. I have 15 Canon lenses, 6 of which are "L". However, the last three lenses I have purchased are the Tokina 16-28 f/2.8, the Sigma 35 f/1.4 DG and the Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 Di VC. Canon has no match for any of these lenses. You can argue the EF24-70 2.8L ll will beat/match the Tamron, but no IS and an overly aggressive price tag rules it out for me...


----------



## FatDaddyJones (Jan 16, 2013)

I've got a Yongnuo wireless remote which works great and for a great price too.

One item I wouldn't recommend is the knock-off LensPen. The one's I've seen and used don't have the same cleaning compound and actually leave smudges on the lens rather than cleaning it.


----------



## paul13walnut5 (Jan 16, 2013)

I am a stickler for genuine canon flash, I have third party other things, but for speedlite I think it needs to be canon, so many extra functions and features that integrate seamlessly if you keep it all canon, for me flash is so full of pitfalls and brickbats that the simpler the better.

I do have an off brand ringflash, but it's a purely manual affair and was very cheap.

I have third party lenses, sometimes it makes sense to stick to canon, other times the third party manufacturers plug a hole in canons range, such as the Tokina fast UWA 11-16, the bright standard 30mm f1.4, I've also owned the Bigma in the past (Sigma 50-500)

I find with sigma there is more sample variation, I got a 17-35 f2.8-4 which was horrible, swapped for 17-40 (eventually swapped for kit 18-55!! now using Sigma 18-50 f2.8)

I bought a lensbaby, thought I would use it lots, haven't really.

I would say for the more esoteric, get hands on in a shop or ideally hire before committing.

I bought a 24mm TS-E (mk1 as was available at the time) wanting to do lots of fake minature, but never really did, and so sold it. At a modest loss, to be fair.

I use calumet and energiser batteries, no issue. I use Hoya Green label filters, no issue. I use chinese intervalometers, no issue.


----------



## Dukinald (Jan 16, 2013)

+1 on Yongnuo flash triggers (622 & 603). 

I would definitely get a Yongnuo speedlite if I need another one. 

I have very good experience with Meinke BG as well.

Like what Neuro mentioned about 3rd party hoods, they are a waste of money as most of the time fitment is as issue.


----------



## jp121 (Jan 16, 2013)

I bought 2 sterlingtek lp-e6 batteries. They are 2600mah. 

They always report to the camera that they need to be replaced, when the camera is turned on. But after a couple of shots, the batteries report correctly to the camera.


----------



## skitron (Jan 16, 2013)

Thumbs up for Yongnuo stuff.
Thumbs up for B+W filters.


----------



## Don Haines (Jan 22, 2013)

I got the IoShutter remote control......lets me do LONG exposures and time-lapse....


----------



## Richard8971 (Jan 22, 2013)

As far as equipment goes, flashes (with a few exceptions) and lenses I always buy Canon brand.

Battery grips, batteries, extension tubes, remote shutter switches, tripod mounts, hoods and diffusers I buy aftermarket. If you buy them from a well known dealer (like Adorama.com, Accstation or Heavystar on eBay), I have yet to have a problem with fit and performance with any of these products and 99% of the time, no one will know if they are the Canon brand or not.

Buy top end equipment and save yourself some $$$ with the accessories. Sometimes it seems really stupid how much Canon wants for some of the stuff. Why buy a $40 dollar hood when I can get one from eBay for $6? 

A friend of mine showed me his new Canon brand remote shutter switch that he had just bought. I asked how much and he said $80.00. I choked and showed him my eBay one (that looked and performed identical) that I bought for 5 bucks shipped. Ouch!

The Wasabi Power batteries (LP-E6) from Amazon are amazing. $30.00 + shipping gets you 2 batteries plus an A/C and D/C charger!

D


----------



## Andy_Hodapp (Jan 22, 2013)

Sigma 105mm EX DG Macro F/2.8 was a great lens on my Canon T1i, though I upgraded to a Canon 5D Mk II and it has been missing focus, I need to adjust the micro adjustments for it. I also got a Yongnuo YN-560 II and just this week, about 90 days after I bought it, the flash went out, the flash made a loud pop sound and it started to smell really badly, so I guess the bulb broke or something. The flash was amazing up till that moment but I was in the middle of a payed photo shoot and I was not able to get my best results because of this. I use my flash with the Cowboy Studios FM radio trigger things and they work great, I don't need a system with ETTL because I shoot with a manual flash so they are great and really cheap. I also got some Wasabi batteries for my new 5D MKII and while I have not had them for to long, I love them, very cheap and very good. 

I do have a question for all of you on here, what is the best third party grip for the 5D MKII? A lot of them seem not to have the rubber on the back which seems like something that would be a little annoying. I've also read the you have to remove the grip when you put batteries in it and that the grips can easily get stuck to the camera. I've also heard that the battery grips can suck a lot of energy from the batteries so if you leave the batteries in the camera, it will be out of charge in less then a week. I've been thinking about getting the Pixel battery grip but I haven't heard much about it.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Jan 23, 2013)

Third party equipment is usually less reliable, and often is incompatible with new camera models. If you are making money on your photography, or need reliability, be careful.
Flashes tend to be the most problematic, and many, if not most failed to work with the 5D MK III. Current models are usually updated, but if you have a out of production flash, a upgrade may never happen. Lots of people get bit on this one.
As long as you wait 6 months after a new camera commes out, you will be able to find out what equipment works, and what will never work.


----------



## crasher8 (Jan 23, 2013)

Wasabi batteries are the only 3rd party that has worked well for me, charged to capacity in a Canon charger and has longevity.


----------



## FatDaddyJones (Feb 3, 2013)

Last week I received a battery grip for my 5D Mark III from eBay, along with two batteries, all made by DSTE from China. The battery grip feels very solid and is identical in style and function to the Canon BG-E11, having the same buttons and side loading battery tray. It also comes with the AA battery tray. Communication with the camera worked flawlessly, and it reported that a BG-E11 was connected. The camera also reported individual battery information with the grip attached.

The DSTE batteries are 2600mAh and fully decoded. You can charge them in the original Canon charger, and they show battery information in the camera. 

For $72 and free shipping, I would highly recommend this grip and also the DSTE batteries for those price conscious photographers who aren't afraid to use third party accessories.


----------



## wsmith96 (Feb 9, 2013)

Vello battery grips and lens hoods work fine for me. I stick with canon flashes and so far lenses though others speak highly of sigma and tokina. Good to know about the wasabi batteries. Have also heard that eneloop batteries are good for speed lites.


----------



## sama (Feb 9, 2013)

FatDaddyJones said:


> Last week I received a battery grip for my 5D Mark III from eBay, along with two batteries, all made by DSTE from China. The battery grip feels very solid and is identical in style and function to the Canon BG-E11, having the same buttons and side loading battery tray. It also comes with the AA battery tray. Communication with the camera worked flawlessly, and it reported that a BG-E11 was connected. The camera also reported individual battery information with the grip attached.
> 
> The DSTE batteries are 2600mAh and fully decoded. You can charge them in the original Canon charger, and they show battery information in the camera.
> 
> For $72 and free shipping, I would highly recommend this grip and also the DSTE batteries for those price conscious photographers who aren't afraid to use third party accessories.



DSTE batteries are pretty good in quality. In the past 3 years, I ordered over 20 pcs of them for my different dslrs and p&s. One of them for my Canon SX40HS was dead after almost a year's normal use. I emailed them and they sent me 2 pcs replacement without questioning anything. Not all Ebay items are "bad".


----------



## meli (Feb 9, 2013)

sama said:


> DSTE batteries are pretty good in quality. In the past 3 years, I ordered over 20 pcs of them for my different dslrs and p&s. One of them for my Canon SX40HS was dead after almost a year's normal use. I emailed them and they sent me 2 pcs replacement without questioning anything. Not all Ebay items are "bad".



+1 for DSTE. Working for me for both platforms actually and as noted their service is fair.


----------



## Schruminator (Feb 9, 2013)

I picked up a Meike 951 speedlite. It has TTL, it'll strobe and it'll adjust the flash based on your current focal length (24 to 105mm) amongst other bells and whistles (like a laser grid AF assist beam).

Yeah, it eats batteries and it's not the same build quality of Canon's-- but so far it's been reliable and functioned as advertised. Not bad for $90 if you're not a pro and looking to save a bit of money.


----------



## Marsu42 (Feb 9, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> I'd also stay away from 3rd party lens hoods - not so much for the chance of a worse fit (Canon hoods are hit and miss depending on the lens) but because the Canon hoods have flocking on the inside, whereas the smooth, reflective inner surface of a 3rd party hood can actually add flare instead of reducing it.



Not true - I recently bought a EW-83J clone for my 17-40L and it has the same flocking as the original lens hoods from Canon for my 100L and 70-300L - but the Walimex still costs half the price of the Canon original and fits perfectly. Just don't get the absolutely cheapest, shiny 3rd party hoods but for example Walimex: http://www.walimex.com/nc/en/foto/produkt/402000

PS: I knew something Dr. Neuro didn't, I'll mark the day in the calendar and celebrate it annually :->


----------



## infared (Feb 9, 2013)

My experience:
Kenko Extension Tubes...in using the 12mm tube to get closer ith my 85L (the close-focusing distance for this lens is not close), I found that my AF was way off...and if I changed the microAFadjustment it changed it for the lens alone as well as my 5D III does not recognize an extension tube (Canon or other brand) and lens as a separate entity.
I bought the Canon 12mm...no focus shift. Problem solved...wallet in pain.

I found that no-name cable releases break easily although they "look" the same as the Canon.

My Wasabi batteries and charger (includes car charger) are great! You just don't get any battery indication in the finder, if you can live with that. Savings are significant if you buy the two-battery-plus-charge set when compared to the Canon batteries, spare charger and car adapter.


----------



## TonyMM (Feb 9, 2013)

I have had good luck with Fotodiox lens hoods for about $5.95 each - have bought 3 of them from Amazon. They fit perfectly and can be mounted backwards. They are black on the inside and I have had no problems with flare.

I have had bad luck with a 3rd party battery (can't remember name) - the supplied charger worked fine with Canon batteries (which is why I ordered - needed the replacement charger and the battery came along with it). The battery would not insert all the way into the camera - and certainly wasn't going to force it in, so put it in recycle. 

Tony M


----------



## Stig (Feb 9, 2013)

I got in on trying ebay stuff as well. From the top of my head, the most pleasant price/performance I got were: 

1, remote *flash triggers* (MK-RC7 i think), cost something like 15euro, work great as flash radio triggers, but *also work as wireless shutter release* : ) and then 

2, a *flash branded Godox TT520* for something like 26euros that I sometimes prefer to my (almost 10times as expensive) canon 430exii... it doesn't have some functions, but it can work as optical slave, it can be set as front and rear curtain, but mostly, in manual its so *much quicker to change the power level*... on a 430exii you need to hold the middle button for a moment, then go +/-, then push the middle one again, on the Godox, you just press + or - and you are done, so when I'm playing with some off camera setup, I find it more convenient. Oh and as a detail, the cheap one has a white reflection card, while the canon doesn't. And, I actually bought that from linkdelight.com, but they sell on ebay as well.

some other stuff that works great: quick draw *shoulder strap* with soft foam-ish shoulder padding, foldable 5in1 110cm *reflector *and stofen diffuser, simple *extension tubes* (intro into macro for a few bucks), some cleaning stuff
mixed feelings: gorillapod tripod (works great, but the screw rotates and can not be held easily from bottom, so I need to use a coin or something), battery grip (again, works great, fits well, but smelled badly when it came and it still does a bit some two weeks later), I also bought a ND8 filter that I wasn't expecting to be top quality, but I wanted to try it, get some experience and see if I have a use for it (or a different density) before I invest in an expensive one and it served like that (but has a strong red-ish color cast)

... but all for a fraction of the price of locally offered alternatives


----------



## RMC33 (Feb 9, 2013)

I can't speak enough praise for Manfrotto light stands. I had a bunch of cheap $15-20 stands that I would replace once per month. Had the same Manfrotto stands for almost a year now and they are still tough as nails. 

Think Tank bags and belts/harnesses are top notch. Would be lugging a backpack still without them and missing a lot of shots. 

RRS anything. No regrets on any of my RSS items other then a few body plates I don't use anymore. Buy an L-plate first and save the cost of not having it when you need it. Wish I would have done that for all my bodies. 

Colorspace UDMA 2 http://www.hypershop.com/HyperDrive-COLORSPACE-UDMA2-p/hdu2-000.htm. Fill a card.. dump to this. No lost photos. I bought the bare device and a 1tb 7200 RPM drive and saved a few bucks. Super durable and goes almost everywhere with me. 

For flashes, Sto-Fen diffuser domes. Easy to use, produce wonderful light and one of my favorite light modifiers by far (other then my Lastolite box!). Can use with Gels and all sorts of modifiers. 

Avoid large CF cards. When they go bad it can be catastrophic and you can loose a whole day + of shooting. I use SanDisk and Transcend cards and have only lost one in 10 years of shooting. I stick to 8-16GB max and 600X+. The QC seems better in that range. 

Stay away from 3rd party grips in all honesty. I had one on my 30D and it caused untold problems. Some people swear by them but I feel they are cheap. I don't mind the premium knowing the Canon brand ones are to their spec's and have yet to have one fail on me in 4 cameras.

I would avoid amazon lens pens at all costs. Be wary of used flash units unless you have a good relation with the person or the price is so cheap it does not matter. 



Not really accessories but books are huge. I always have one book or another about photography I am reading. ATM reading about and learning bird species in my area since I want to try my hand at birding. I just finished re-reading Syl Arena's Speedliter's Handbook to brush up on my flash work. These are by far the best assets I own as they grow my personal ability. I honestly have not read a bad photography book yet, but It will happen (by bad I mean a book that did not teach me something or give me an alternative insight).

I use all of these things (or have) on a daily basis.


----------



## Rienzphotoz (Feb 9, 2013)

Over they years I've used countless third party accessories such as Speedlites (from Metz, Sigma, Yongnuo), few Radio Triggers (from Yongnuo), Battery Grips (for 7D & 450D), Batteries (from Pearstone and 1 more company I forgot the name), lens hoods, Vello Tripod Collar (for Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS) etc. Every single one of them (with the exception of Vello Tripod Collar) failed me during a photo shoot ... the Metz plastic shoe broke with a simple 1 foot drop, Sigmas just gave up the ghost one day, Yongunos did not fire wireless during a very critical photo shoot of some VIP's, both Battery grips failed after 1 year, batteries had very poor life span, lens hoods split ... but the Vello Tripod Collar is going great guns. I now try to stick to only Canon products as I've come to trust their finish and the R&D that goes into some very minor details that make a difference to the end result.


----------



## Marsu42 (Feb 9, 2013)

Rienzphotoz said:


> Battery grips failed after 1 year



What exactly was the problem with the grips?

I am going to get a Meike grip for the 6d because the price difference to the Canon original is immense - the only problems I read about is that some 3rd party grips loose contact when bend a lot, though the 6d version is reported to be rather sturdy.


----------



## RMC33 (Feb 9, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> Rienzphotoz said:
> 
> 
> > Battery grips failed after 1 year
> ...



Every 3rd party grip I have used has either stopped working (bad contacts/crummy wiring) or caused errors. I would rather pay a premium knowing the item was built to canon spec's then built sub par.


----------



## Rienzphotoz (Feb 9, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> Rienzphotoz said:
> 
> 
> > Battery grips failed after 1 year
> ...


The 3rd party battery grip I bought for 7D just stopped working one fine day, without any reason ... everything seemed fine, no scratches or falls, just died ... tried everything I could t make it work, including cleaning the contacts ... but no use.
The 3rd party grip on 450D did not work after its plastic latch (to close the door) broke during routine change of batteries. 
I forgot about a macro ring light (Bower I think) which also gave up the ghost after just 4 months of very light macro work.
I also forgot about B+W UV & CP filers ... this is one brand I prefer over Canon ... B+W produce top notch UV & CP filters ... all my lenses have B+W filters.


----------



## Rienzphotoz (Feb 9, 2013)

One more thing I forgot to mention is that with almost all the third party accessories is that I got at least one error message on the camera after I updated the camera firmware to a new version.


----------



## Marsu42 (Feb 9, 2013)

RMC33 said:


> Every 3rd party grip I have used has either stopped working (bad contacts/crummy wiring) or caused errors. I would rather pay a premium knowing the item was built to canon spec's then built sub par.



Oh well, in this case you probably get what you paid for - though there seem to be differences between the absolutely cheapest grips and the a little more expensive Meike models. For pro shooting I guess it's no question what to get, but the Canon "premium" in these cases is stiff: You can get five (5) Meike grips for one (1) Canon...


----------



## TexasBadger (Feb 9, 2013)

B + W filters. They are superior to Canon.


----------

