# Is Amazon selling fake LP-E6 batteries or did Canon change design?



## unkbob (Mar 19, 2012)

Just received a new LP-E6 battery from Amazon.co.uk. I used the default seller for buying, which I thought was Amazon (free delivery and fulfilled by Amazon) but looks like it was from a company called AineZ Store (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aag/main?ie=UTF8&isAmazonFulfilled=1&marketplaceID=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&isCBA=&asin=&seller=ATFN3XBCPF8PD). 

The new battery looks different from my old ones! Can someone please confirm whether Canon has changed the materials used in their battery manufacture? My guess is NO! The new battery cover is more orange than the old ones, and the battery plastic has a more matt finish. Typical warning signs in my eyes. However, the new battery says the chip is made in Japan, assembled in China, which is different from the old text and it's dated Feb 2012, so it could be that they've changed their manufacturing process?

Did I spend £45 on a fake?

Pics below!


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 19, 2012)

Bummer. I'd suspect counterfeit. They look more authentic every year...

"Fulfilled by Amazon" just means the vendor has an arrangement with Amazon to warehouse their stock and handle shipping logistics - it's still a 3rd party vendor. 

Here's an old Canon article on counterfeit batteries. 

Also, check the hologram on the package. Canon's anti-counterfeiting tactics includes the use of the special hologram. The new unique holograms show the word ‘Canon’ running horizontally in a number of bands, and in between the ‘ribbons’ users should see a helix design, also running horizontally, overprinted with the word ‘genuine’. The hologram has a color-changing feature also. Upright, it should appear as an iridescent gold, but when tipped into a horizontal position, a bright, iridescent green. If this transition does not color, Canon advises that the hologram is fake.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 19, 2012)

Also, Google has a cached page of a review from amazon.com (for a different Canon battery), but review has been deleted. Here's a screenshot of it:


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## unkbob (Mar 19, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Also, Google has a cached page of a review from amazon.com (for a different Canon battery), but review has been deleted. Here's a screenshot of it:



Brilliant, thanks for that!


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## kiniro (Mar 19, 2012)

Well this is just great. I ordered one from Amazon last week but as far as I remember it was "fulfilled and shipped by Amazon". I'll check mine when I get home. Haven't even opened the package yet since I'm waiting for my new camera.


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## Warninglabel (Mar 19, 2012)

I'm not saying these are real but I remember reading somewhere that canon had to redesign there batteries over there because of a new law, but they said that the old batteries will still fit.


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## unkbob (Mar 19, 2012)

kiniro said:


> Well this is just great. I ordered one from Amazon last week but as far as I remember it was "fulfilled and shipped by Amazon". I'll check mine when I get home. Haven't even opened the package yet since I'm waiting for my new camera.



Yeah, unfortunately "fulfilled and shipped by" doesn't mean "sold by". I'm 90% sure it's fake, albeit a very impressive effort. I just noticed the older Canons use metallic silver ink on the label, whereas the new/fake one just uses grey.

I should get my new 5D3 soon, so I can see what their latest batteries look like.


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## Drizzt321 (Mar 19, 2012)

Warninglabel said:


> I'm not saying these are real but I remember reading somewhere that canon had to redesign there batteries over there because of a new law, but they said that the old batteries will still fit.



I'm pretty sure this for the 1DX batteries, although the old 1D batteries will still work.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 19, 2012)

Drizzt321 said:


> Warninglabel said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not saying these are real but I remember reading somewhere that canon had to redesign there batteries over there because of a new law, but they said that the old batteries will still fit.
> ...



Yes, the 1D X ships with the LP-E4*N*, which is backwards/forwards compatible with LP-E4-using cameras, but not with the older charger (the N battery will not get a full charge).

The 5DIII uses the LP-E6, same battery as 5DII, 7D, and 60D. In it's current form, it's compliant with the new Japanese law.


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## 7enderbender (Mar 19, 2012)

unkbob said:


> Did I spend £45 on a fake?
> 
> Pics below!



You may. There was an article somewhere recently that dealt with the vast numbers of Canon counterfeit items floating around. This is becoming obviously a bigger problem with all things that have a potential for high profit margins. Talk to anyone in the pharmaceutical industry where this has become a problem bigger than most folks like to admit - and it even happens within the supply chain.

So you may end up with a fake battery even at a mainstream dealer. The article showed some pictures of real and fake. Some fakes were so good that you just couldn't tell. I make it a point to only buy from authorized Canon dealers. Even there may be a risk but at least then you're covered if you notice or if anything happens.

http://www.canon-europe.com/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_Camera/IXUS/counterfeit_batteries.asp

I would contact Canon about this and notify them and get information from them. I would try to get my money back through Amazon and notify them also. Should be in their interest to help you.

Good luck.


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## unkbob (Mar 19, 2012)

Judging by the hologram, I've come to the conclusion that the packaging is real but the battery is fake. You can easily open the packaging without damaging it, and it seems that someone has swapped out a real for a fake battery. Possibly a previous customer of this same seller, who subsequently returned the item.

Nice little scam, that. Buy £10 knockoffs from ebay, swap them for real ones from Amazon and return the knockoffs to Amazon.


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## tjc320 (Mar 19, 2012)

The bottom of your new battery looks just like all my batteries. Including the one that came with my 5D. Is it possible that your old batteries were fakes?


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## CanineCandidsByL (Mar 19, 2012)

Contact Canon. They can help you confirm one way or the other. They may not be able to do anyting to help you, but with your assistance they may be help others by going after the company or individuals involved.


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## msdarkroom (Mar 19, 2012)

I received a fake from Amazon last year (3rd party fulfilled by Amazon). I returned it, was refunded, and went to B&H online.


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## unkbob (Mar 19, 2012)

tjc320 said:


> The bottom of your new battery looks just like all my batteries. Including the one that came with my 5D. Is it possible that your old batteries were fakes?



No. My old batteries include those which came with the original cameras (5d2 + 7D). Check your batteries - I bet the date stamp is on metallic silver ink. On this new one the ink is grey. Also, I bet your Canon batteries have the yellow/orange covers, not the brown / orange one I posted. The brown / orange is the same type used by the Energizers, and it's a bit more rubbery.

I'm sending it back to Amazon.


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## aloper (Mar 19, 2012)

Maybe just wait a few days for the flood of photos and videos that will be coming from a ton of "unboxing" videos...I'm sure you will find something in those to compare the battery with...


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## kiniro (Mar 19, 2012)

This is how my battery came...the packaging.


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## unkbob (Mar 19, 2012)

kiniro said:


> This is how my battery came...the packaging.



Looks very similar but subtly different to mine. My packaging has no ridges on the sides. Was it sealed / blister pack? Mine could be opened in 1 second and put back with no one the wiser.


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## kiniro (Mar 19, 2012)

I'll have to check when I get home. I'll post an update later tonight.


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## Parallacs (Mar 19, 2012)

Sorry OP if the battery is fake, I got burned a few years back with a very convincing CF card. 

A word of advice to everyone: Don't use Amazon or Ebay to buy any type of memory card/battery/*filter*. 

Just assume that anything from a third party seller is fake. Assume anything from Hong Kong is fake. Even when your order is directly from Amazon, their system will sometimes use may different warehouses and distribution centers. These locations aren't guaranteed to have legit stock. 

Ebay is just asking for counterfeit stock, don't even try. 

Pretty much the only option for these type of items is either Adorama or BH.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 19, 2012)

Parallacs said:


> Sorry OP if the battery is fake, I got burned a few years back with a very convincing CF card.
> 
> A word of advice to everyone: Don't use Amazon or Ebay to buy any type of memory card/battery/*filter*.
> 
> ...


 
I've had no problem buying batteries from Amazon, they are a authorized Canon Dealer. The op bought his battery from a third party seller, not from Amazon.


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## preppyak (Mar 19, 2012)

Yep, and I've actually had pretty good luck with a few known knock-offs (Wasabi, Maximal) that have lasted just as long as my original Canon or Panasonic batteries. No reason to pay $60 for a battery I know someone can make and sell for $10. But, they also say they are knock-offs.

Sucks to get bait-and-switched on what you thought was a legit Canon battery.


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## RC (Mar 19, 2012)

Anyone know if these counterfeit batteries register the s/n in the battery menu? The reason I ask is because one of my 3 batteries (purchased from Amazon fulfillment) has a different length serial number from my other 2. I was a little suspicious but I could not tell any differences between batteries or packaging.


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## unkbob (Mar 19, 2012)

RC said:


> Anyone know if these counterfeit batteries register the s/n in the battery menu? The reason I ask is because one of my 3 batteries (purchased from Amazon fulfillment) has a different length serial number from my other 2. I was a little suspicious but I could not tell any differences between batteries or packaging.



Yes, other brands of batteries can be registered in the menu. Don't worry about the number of digits - I get that too.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 19, 2012)

The main concern besides having poor performance / life is safety. Someone who is making a counterfit battery is not likely to worry about following the safety laws for Li-on batteries, and they can be dangerous. Its like a lottery, but with a counterfit, your odds of a fire are much greater.


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## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

unkbob said:


> kiniro said:
> 
> 
> > This is how my battery came...the packaging.
> ...



I just opened mine. The tabs in the back are glued to the red paper so I don't know how someone might open this packaging and then repackage.


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## kiniro (Mar 20, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Also, check the hologram on the package. Canon's anti-counterfeiting tactics includes the use of the special hologram. The new unique holograms show the word ‘Canon’ running horizontally in a number of bands, and in between the ‘ribbons’ users should see a helix design, also running horizontally, overprinted with the word ‘genuine’. The hologram has a color-changing feature also. Upright, it should appear as an iridescent gold, but when tipped into a horizontal position, a bright, iridescent green. If this transition does not color, Canon advises that the hologram is fake.



hologram that came on my package meets these characteristics.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 20, 2012)

Canon has changed packaging as well as whats printed on the batteryabout once a year. Three of my four are slightly different, each is a different age. The new batteries I bought form Adorama and Amazon (not a third party) have the correct hologram. The other two came with my 5D MK II and later 7D.

The original 5D Battery says made in Japan, then I have a made in China, and one that is part Japanese and part Chinese. One has a date on it, but the others are older and do not.


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## unkbob (Mar 20, 2012)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Canon has changed packaging as well as whats printed on the batteryabout once a year. Three of my four are slightly different, each is a different age. The new batteries I bought form Adorama and Amazon (not a third party) have the correct hologram. The other two came with my 5D MK II and later 7D.
> 
> The original 5D Battery says made in Japan, then I have a made in China, and one that is part Japanese and part Chinese. One has a date on it, but the others are older and do not.



Do they all have the same colour plastic covers?


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## Jedifarce (Mar 21, 2012)

I guess this is a tricky one. When I ordered additional batteries from Amazon, I purposefully stayed away from "third party" replacements. So I purchased it from this amazon spot - 

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-LP-E6-Battery-Digital-Cameras/dp/B001KELVS0

They seemed to work fine. However, when you look at the reviews you'll see 93-5stars vs 31-1star ratings it can make deciding a bit confusing. After sifting through some of the negative ratings, some of the people that were burned seemed to have not bought directly from Amazon but from other sellers. The battery crapping out or not holding it's charge appears to be the biggest complaints. The batteries I got hold the same amount of charge as the original that came with my camera and the yellow plastic cover is the same color. 

I suppose it's more difficult for me to tell if theres a problem because I shoot primarily video which drains the battery much quicker than taking stills and they power my SmallHD DP6 external monitor. The DP6 is pretty neat, it was specifically designed to have 1-2 canon batteries to bolt on back of it as a power source so it's not drawing any power from the camera itself. Having 8 batteries you don't really worry about the batteries losing power, when it does you switch it out. I'd purchase more batteries from the same Amazon link again.


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## Jedifarce (Mar 21, 2012)

Parallacs said:


> Sorry OP if the battery is fake, I got burned a few years back with a very convincing CF card.
> 
> A word of advice to everyone: Don't use Amazon or Ebay to buy any type of memory card/battery/*filter*.
> 
> ...



Bought 8 CF transcend cards from Amazon and have never had a problem with the cards. I would never trust EBay just to buy a CF card. The only time I've gone there is to purchase items that can't be bought anywhere else such as anamorphic lenses.


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## kiniro (Mar 23, 2012)

Got my 5d Mark III today. The battery that came with the camera looks identical as the battery that I bought from Amazon.


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## Warninglabel (Mar 23, 2012)

I was going to say the same thing, I was going to take a photo but it's charging


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## revup67 (Mar 25, 2012)

Unkbob - After looking at your photos there was one thing that peaked my curiosity and that was the Made In and Assembled. Strangely enough your "old" battery shows "Made In China" but the new states "Cell Made In Japan pack Assembled in China". I grabbed my 7D bought through an authorized Canon Reseller and mine says the latter "Cell Made In Japan pack Assembled in China". Perhaps this may assist you further.


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## takoman46 (Mar 25, 2012)

I just ordered another LP-E6 from B&H and still have it new in packaging. The battery enclosed, looks like the the others I have had from my 5DmkII (semi-gloss black battery with the lighter yellow-orange cover). It seems that Canon should not have changed the design at all in recently manufactured LP-E6 batteries because the battery that came with my 5DmkIII also looks the same as the original design. After looking at the packaging, I noticed that there is a foil holographic sticker with "Canon" printed on it placed near the top left corner of the blister pack. Did the battery from Amazon have this sticker? It's used to indicate that it is an authentic Canon product. In any case, there must be some type of distinguishable variation in design of any product for a third party manufacturer to legally produce and market the product. If there is no difference in design between the original LP-E6 and the battery in question, then it is likely that it is authentic. Most manufacturers would not go to the extreme of forging an exact replica of an authentic copyrighted product because they would be an easy target for legal action by the copyright owner.


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## MarkChall (Aug 4, 2012)

Hi, 
I'm new to the forum but felt compelled to reply to this post after finding it, having also received 'fake' LP-E6 batteries for my 7D. I ordered them from a third party, 'Tech_traders1' through Amazon but like with unkbob the battery covers were a different colour to the genuine Canon one I received with my 7D and the texture on the battery was different too.

I contacted Canon directly to see if they could advise but my the iPhone photos I sent them meant they couldn't conclusively say whether they were counterfeit or not. I was told however...

"From the images that you have provided, it is not clear if these are counterfeit. If these are counterfeits, they do appear to be good replicas - unfortunately the slight softness of the image prevents me from confirming 100%. The battery cover does definitely raise concerns, as the colour is incorrect.

Perhaps one of the best ways to tell is from the hologram. The hologram should change as you tilt it, I have attached two photographs to confirm how the hologram should appear. From the images you provided, this did not appear to be the case, and also the actual design of the hologram does not seem right.

Comparing a genuine with a suspect battery is simply the best way to determine if it is counterfeit, as genuine Canon batteries should mostly be identical aside from occasional slight design changes. Slight differences in typefaces or logos, printing or labels that are situated at a slight angle, or the quality of printing and materials used for the packaging, are generally the best indicators."

Having contrasted the holograms on the suspected fake packaging to that of a genuine packet (that I have subsequently bought) leaves me in no doubt that the third party batteries from Tech-traders1 are fake.

I have requested a refund from the seller and Amazon have confirmed that a refund request has been made. Having only recently acquired my 7D (I use the Canon C300 video camera more) I wanted to use genuine Canon parts.

The moral of my story is that if prices for so called genuine products seem too good to be true then they usually are. Attached is a photo of the genuine hologram that I received from Canon in my correspondence:

Hope this helps someone down the line.


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## sandymandy (Aug 18, 2012)

Thats nice of them but a bit too much bokehlicious )


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## unkbob (Aug 18, 2012)

"genuine Canon batteries should mostly be identical aside from occasional slight design changes."

LOL that's really helpful. So if it looks different, it's counterfeit, unless it isn't.

Mine was most definitely fake. If buying from Amazon, don't use a marketplace seller, even if Amazon fulfils the order. Same goes for brand name memory cards.


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## willis (Aug 19, 2012)

Well then I got mixed battery from Canon if those pictures are true : Got new finish style on top and old style sticker.


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## Mandy (Dec 3, 2012)

My new 60D body arrived via Amazon with a very dodgy battery charger and the supplied battery took 16 hours to charge. The instruction manual speaks of orange flashing lights - well it didn't have any of those....just red to warn you the thing gets red-hot. It's gone to Canon for their word on whether it's a counterfeit but I'm convinced, and not a happy bunny. Designer Gadgets / Star Trading Solutions are better avoided.


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## sama (Dec 3, 2012)

Parallacs said:


> Sorry OP if the battery is fake, I got burned a few years back with a very convincing CF card.
> 
> A word of advice to everyone: Don't use Amazon or Ebay to buy any type of memory card/battery/*filter*.
> 
> ...



AFAIK, some Canon authorized dealers are selling on the Ebay sometimes. So, ebay is not all the times EvilBay.

And I cannot agree with your assumption that "anything from Hong Kong is fake". Yes, I made my purchases at the Hong Kong Canon dealer. They are selling 100% genuine products and I am happy with them.

There are always risks purchasing on line. Quite a number of North American dishonest on-line stores sell counterfeited merchandises and grey market items without proper disclosure. Their operators and suppliers are from all over the world. 

So, my suggestion is to buy from the authorized dealers direct and you don't have to waste your time and energy finding ways to recover your loss subsequently.


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## Dylan777 (Dec 4, 2012)

kiniro said:


> Got my 5d Mark III today. The battery that came with the camera looks identical as the battery that I bought from Amazon.



Where did you buy your 5D III?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 4, 2012)

unkbob said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Canon has changed packaging as well as whats printed on the batteryabout once a year. Three of my four are slightly different, each is a different age. The new batteries I bought form Adorama and Amazon (not a third party) have the correct hologram. The other two came with my 5D MK II and later 7D.
> ...


I have Canon batteries going back to the D30 that are 12 years old. I have not saved the covers from all those dozens of batteries I've owned, but the recent ones from the last 4 years are all the same yellow color. The older batteries might have had a different color cover, I know that the shell color of the BP-511 batteries changed several years ago.


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## RC (Dec 4, 2012)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> ...I have not saved the covers from all those dozens of batteries I've owned...


Curious, why do you not keep the battery covers? Don't you use them to indicate charged or discharged and of course for protection?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 4, 2012)

RC said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > ...I have not saved the covers from all those dozens of batteries I've owned...
> ...


You have battery covers for 12 year old batteries that are long gone?


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