Hi all,

I'm looking into getting a second battery for the XHA1s - possibly the BP-970G which I believe has the most/longest power.

Official Canon ones are about £250, but third party ones are about £25.

Given the price of the third party ones I'm not worried about slightly lower performance, but do I risk doing any damage to my camera by using non-official-Canon batteries?

Any help appreciated! Thanks

I have several third party batteries and all is well. Funny enough, my two Canon batteries seem to not hold a charge as long as the generic brands. hmmmmm

There are a lot of third party batteries out there. The problem seems to be finding a reputable manufacturer. I use a third party battery in my XHA1 and in my old Panasonic. Had no problem at all over the last five years or so.
I can't recall who I got them from online. That info is lost in the archives and the batteries are unbranded. Damn nuisance as I should have kept a record for future reference. Hopefully some of the other forum members can chip in with recommended seller/manufacturer details.

hi, I have bought and used plenty of non-Canon batteries in my XH-a1s from this site and find they are all reliable without a problem.

L.A. Color Online | Photo/Video Gear Products (http://lacoloronline.com/products/default.asp?catid=1)

good luck!
ps. he even sells add-on lights (comer) which use the same battery. convenient.

I too have a couple of generic brand batteries i use with my A1 & haven't had any issues at all.

I purchased a couple used batteries last year and they worked fine...then I purchased a new battery for an emergency situation...Box just says "Digital Video Battery"...it has easily been the best battery of the 5 I have. A smaller one, but the charge lasts longer than the Canon "Large" size batteries.

The Lenmar BP 970G batteries are a good alternative. No issues at all and they're a lot cheaper (about 80€).

I've been using a Lenmar brand 3rd party battery without a problem for the last 2 years