New Battery: go for true Canon part or compatible?

I'm looking for a second BP-511A. I could get the proper Canon battery for around £30, or pick up a cheaper compatible. I suspect the answer is going to be "play it safe, go for Canon" but if someone knows a compatible brand that's OK then please let me know!

bare with me...I have brought 'vanilla' brands with no discernable difference in quality through Amazon. I'll try and find out the source for you.

There are issues with vanilla brands, but more often the lower end of the market (i.e. some ebay sellers) which may cause problems, however, the more reliable distributors/sellers reputation rests on selling quality compatible items.

Well I will normally only buy official Canon products (lenses etc) however I do have a couple of compatible batteries that I bought a couple of years ago that I have been very impressed with. They get as much use as my official Canon battery and I have never had a problem with them

With regards to batteries, then I would go for any of the reliable brands - some may even be better than Canon, as that's what they specialise in

I'll also chip in and say camera battery compatables have been fine (unlike mobile phone batteries which have always given shorter hours in comparison despite trying to buy from good sources). Jessops do cheaper compatables if you want to buy on the High Street but there are also some good UK companies on Ebay, 7 day shop and I think Amazon. I currently have 3 Nikon originals and a Jessops for my D70s and they seem exactly the same.

Thanks everyone - I'll give a compatible a go then

I bought four replacement batteries for the Canon BP511 about 2 years ago now. I got all four for £30 plus P&P off ebay.

They still work perfectly.

Alan.