Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon BP-827 Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Vixia HG 20/21, HF11/10 & 100 Camcorders

I've gotten screwed by generic batteries before. I had to throw one in the trash about a year ago because it just crapped out on me. Now, I try to buy the official battery.

When I fully charge this big thing up, my HF100 reads 268 minutes (4 hours and 28 minutes) of battery time remaining as soon as I power it up. I'd take that number with a grain of salt... think: a minimum of 3 hours for sure and you'll probably be fine. I always assume about 2/3rd's of what the manufacturer claims the battery life to be, because the manufacturer always does their battery tests in the ideal conditions of the lab instead of real world conditions.

And yes, it does stick out pretty far... but hasn't been a real problem for me. You may want to consider getting two 819's instead however. They will last you about 2 hours (real world time). The original battery that comes with the camera lasts for about 1 hour real world time.

This thing is really expensive. You know that 75% of it or more is pure profit. But, if you want the official name brand with a warranty, I guess you pay a premium.

Side note: I also bought a generic 2 hour battery and charger for my HF100. Just know that I CAN NOT charge my official Canon batteries (including this big boy one) on that third party charger. I need to still charge my Canon batteries while they are in the camera. I'm still trying not to spend so much money on that really expensive official Canon battery charger. That thing should be half the price that it is! Just thought I might warn people who thought they could get a off-brand charger to charge up their Canon batteries. They must have some kind of lock-out chip that prevents them from being charged in a non-official charger. Boo Canon.

In general, you can purchase non-OEM batteries at much lower prices. They are for the most part, reliable, a fraction of the cost, and will last a good deal of time. The downside, their charges won't be as strong as an original same-capacity battery, their recycle/recharge rate will be less, and they will die out on you sooner, but then again at the price you pay buying another one will still be cheaper. If price is not an issue, this battery is excellent. Best part, I received this battery free as an Amazon promotion for my Canon HG20 which is a must, since the HD Camcorder uses the main screen instead of a viewfinder, battery consumption and use of the hard drive drains power quickly. The batteries that come with camcorders standard are always a joke and should be used as backups only. Thank you and enjoy a great product. BBC

This Battery give me around 300 minutes of recording time or about 350 minutes of playback time on my HF10.

It does make the camcorder slightly bulky. This battery is a must when you are shooting outdoors.

I bought this battery and was very happy with the 4-1/2+ hours of battery time on my camcorder. The battery is a bit bulkier then the one that comes with the HF-100 but that is to be expected since it has like 3+x the capacity. I have the 16MB storage cards and you can fill a little more than 2 of them on a full battery charge.

The camcorder still fit in my case with the battery on, so no big deal.

If you are going to be shooting for a good length of time or you just hate recharging your battery after every 60-90 min session then this is a good buy. I highly recommend it.

During extensive filming, this battery pack provided reliable use of the Vixia HG20 for many hours. While the battery pack extends beyond the end of the camera when attached, it does not cause a problem in handling the camera nor does it look objectionable. The battery that comes with the HG20 is very short lived and the camera would be of limited value without this option.