Are batteries for the Canon XXXD Rebel series interchangeable?

Question

A friend from online recently found out he has an extra battery for an 400D XTi that he can no longer use because he sold the camera. I have a 450D XSi and I was wondering if I could use this battery. I don't want him to send me the battery if I can't use it either, so I was wondering if they are compatible. Then I started wondering about the other Rebels, and then I started wondering in general. So,

Where can I find out what Canon batteries work in what bodies?

In particular I am wondering about these two bodies, but I am curious to know the others also.

Answer 1

If the battery model are those which EricB wrote, be careful because the physical shape are different (use google images to see them), and probably it won't work.

Check yourself, and choose your model in www.canoneos.com, go the accessories part, and in each accessory they have a compatibility list. I think this is the comparability list for a replacement battery for you camera, and in that isn't the Xti.

Now I see I've luck, because my cameras have 5 year difference and they use the same battery model. I never imagine that canon change so much the batteries between models so close in time.

Answer 2

The batteries are interchangeable among certain groups of cameras. You need to look at the battery's "E" number and figure out which "group of cameras" it can fit into. Below are some battery types and the cameras they fit into (not an exhaustive list)

LP-E8 - EOS 550D, 600D, 700D, T2i, T3i, T4i,T5i

LP-E5 - EOS Rebel XS, Rebel T1i, Rebel XSi, 1000D, 500D, 450D, Kiss X3, Kiss X2, Kiss

LP-E6 - Canon 7D, 60D, 5D Mark III, & Mark II Digital SLR

NP-E3 - Canon EOS-1D, EOS-1D Mark II, EOS-1D Mark II N, EOS-1SDS, EOS-1DS Mark II

When buying a particular battery model, also check out the mAH or the "milli-amp-hours" value. It says how long a battery will run. The cost of the battery will also depend on this mAH value. The higher the mAH value, the higher the cost because you can shoot for longer durations.

Answer 3

I'm not sure about compatibility, but it appears that the batteries, themselves, have different model numbers. This might mean you're out of luck. If you go to Canon's site and find replacement batteries, I'd bet it will list the cameras that take them.

400D: NB-2LH
450D: LP-E5

If you look at the specs for the "Rebel" bodies on a site like DPreview, you should be able to make a list of which camera goes with which battery.