The original camera battery that came with my Canon Digital Rebel was starting to lose the ability to hold a full charge. I tried to squeeze every last drop out of the battery by constantly taking it out of the camera and holding it in my hand but even after this desperate measure it still would only last for about 20 minutes. So the first place I turned to find a new battery was eBay which has a wide range of BP-511 generic batteries to choose from. The prices were so good I ended up winning an auction for two batteries at the final price of $15.00, including shipping. Normally a single original Canon battery would go for $35.00 but I was willing to take the risk of going with a generic.

After a couple weeks of testing, the batteries are working great. They hold a charge for many photo sessions now and I can focus on taking more shots instead of worrying about how much juice I have left. Everything was great until I got to the point where I needed to take it out of my camera. The Digital Rebel has an orange latch that holds the battery snug and in place. When I would release the latch with the old battery, it would pop right up so I could grab hold of it and lift it out. These generic batteries are heavier than the original so when I released the latch the battery just sat there like a rock. It took me 15 minutes and a bobby pin to pry the thing out of my camera. This would not do if I were out shooting so I devised a quick fix.

Using regular scotch tape, I stretched out a piece and folded over the top of the tape back onto itself to make a firm loop. Next, I proceeded to cut the strip of tape in half vertically so I had two, long skinny strips with loops on the end. With the battery warning sticker as a guide, I pressed the two pieces of tape firmly in the groove leaving the loops hanging over the edge of the top of the battery. What I have left with is this…

Now I can easily hoist my batteries out of the camera turning a former deal-breaker trait into only a slight inconvenience. It still takes a little fiddling to pull the battery out but at least I don’t need to wiggle a bobby pin around the battery compartment. And the best part is they don’t get in the way of charging or using the battery. These knock-offs are totally worth the initial risk of going generic.