Nikon D5100 third party battery compatibility (Page 2): You have been told not to use third party because of all the horror stories but nobody who has answered can say it happened to...

oldmalky Loc: West Midlands,England.

You have been told not to use third party because of all the horror stories but nobody who has answered can say it happened to them. I have been using third party since 2009 with no problems at all. I shoot Sony.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Flash_Your_It wrote:

I understand your position, I also really can't af... (show quote)

While I have not used one in a D5100 body (none available) I have used one in the D5200 body I have in my rental inventory and had no issues at all. And like I said, I have used it exclusively in my $2700 Nikon Df for over a month now, I just took over 1200 shots with it in Yellowstone over the last 3 days.

Brandmic Loc: Alabama

One of numerous articles against using non nikon batteries. In some cases it voids the warranty. Nikon sates that "we will take no responsibility for OEM batteries used in nikon cameras". For me I've got a 3 year warranty on my d7100 and I just will not risk it for $50. Spend $1.200 for camera and put a $20 battery in it is like purchasing a $500 lens and putting a $20 filter on it. IMO. I figure if I can afford the camera, I can afford the battery for it. Lots of articles warning against it.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7151190_difference-nikon-oem-batteries-replacements_.html

Fractured_Lens

and yes, I totally understand the warranty issue, as many manufactures do the same. Everything I own, basically, is bought used. I do keep things in as good condition as I can because I usually end up selling it off, at some point, either to upgrade or to pay other priority expenses.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Brandmic wrote:

One of numerous articles against using non nikon batteries. In some cases it voids the warranty.

Did you read all of the article you linked to?

"Batteries of both types can leak, catch fire and explode." (Referring to both Nikon and third party batteries.) "The use of non-Nikon batteries may void your camera's warranty."

"Third-party batteries may be incompatible with your camera or may cause some camera functions to not work properly. Other batteries may offer a quality alternative to Nikon branded batteries, but consumers would be wise to read reviews and do a bit of research before purchasing them."

I did read all of the 1-star ratings for the Wasabi battery at Amazon, 17 of them out of 174 ratings. Without exception, the 1-star raters said they got "incompatible battery" warnings, which could be attributed to older batteries produced prior to the latest Nikon update.

Also, almost all of those in the last year got a response from a Blue Nook/Wasabi Power representative with a toll-free number to call and stating that they will get the customers a replacement that does work with their D5100's.

Fractured_Lens

I read a lot of it... again, if anybody has had their camera fried by third party batteries you think you would have heard in on here at some point. but as you stated, they just got an "incompatible battery" warning.

Which reminds me... that's the warning they should have posted on the Obama Care website...

Frapha Loc: Tulsa, Oklahoma

There's been a lot of chatter in various forums & blogs about a firm-ware update from Nikon back in November 2013 that supposedly presented problems in using after-market batteries in several cameras -- not sure how accurate those reports are, but more info can be found at these (and several other) links:

http://petapixel.com/2013/12/09/new-nikon-firmware-kills-3rd-party-battery-compatibility-several-models/
http://www.electronista.com/articles/13/12/09/third.party.batteries.grips.not.compatible.with.latest.dslr.firmware/
http://nikonrumors.com/2013/12/08/the-last-d3100-d3200-d5100-d5200-and-p7700-firmware-update-killed-third-party-battery-compatibility.aspx/
http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/09/nikon-camera-update-battery-block/
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/12/09/nikon-firmware-update-breaks-support-for-third-party-batteries?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=related-news&utm_medium=text&ref=related-news&comments=3

jjadeco25 Loc: Alma, AR

Once you invest in a good camera, why take the chance of a third party battery. There may be some who have never had a problem, but why take the risk.

Brandmic wrote:

Use nikon. I've read of horror stories with 3rd party batteries. I have a d5100 and a d7100 and for what I've invested in the camera's I'm not willing to risk damaging them to save a few dollars. Nikon batteries on amazon are reasonably priced.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

I use wasabi for my Olympus and Fuji cameras. They are very good. Maybe not quite as many shots as the manufactures battery. I also like the charger that comes with the batteries.You don't have to buy from Amazon, but directly from Blue nook. http://www.bluenook.com

OddJobber wrote:

I use Wasabi batteries as backup. I don't have a D5100, but a D7100. The Wasabi "decoded" batteries work perfectly, and I can't tell any difference in performance. I have to remove the battery to see if I'm using a Nikon or Wasabi.

For $17 instead of $60,
http://www.amazon.com/Wasabi-Power-Battery-EN-EL14-EN-EL14a/dp/B0090T8ESM/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400597761&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=wasabi+batteryd+5100

ocbeyer Loc: Baltimore

Third party batteries may or may not work in your OEM charger, they may or may not work with all the (superflous?) functions of newer cameras, they may hold better or worse charges than OEM batteries, they may or may not last longer than OEM batteries and they may or may not void warranties. But they will not damage your camera. How would they? And if under warranty when something goes wrong, how would the manufacturer know which battery you were using?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

OddJobber wrote:

I use Wasabi batteries as backup. I don't have a D5100, but a D7100. The Wasabi "decoded" batteries work perfectly, and I can't tell any difference in performance. I have to remove the battery to see if I'm using a Nikon or Wasabi.

For $17 instead of $60,
http://www.amazon.com/Wasabi-Power-Battery-EN-EL14-EN-EL14a/dp/B0090T8ESM/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400597761&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=wasabi+batteryd+5100

I've used Wasabi, and others, in everything for years.

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

I used 3rd party batteries in my D80, D90 and D5100. I now have a D700 and will use them in that as well when the need arrises. I never could see any difference in charging, shooting and never had one of these ever damaged my camera.
I have used Wasabi as well as other 3rd party brands.

twillsol Loc: St. Louis, MO

DavidPine wrote:

Some are more daring and use 3rd party equipment. I don't and I won't.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: Agree totally

PhotoPhred Loc: Cheyney, Pa

I recently bought a d7100 from B+H and the package deal included a Watson battery. It works fine. I don't know what they cost, as it was part of the deal. I don't think a company like B+H would sell something that won't work or possibly damage your camera. When in doubt, go with what you know.

Fractured_Lens

ocbeyer wrote:

Third party batteries may or may not work in your OEM charger, they may or may not work with all the (superflous?) functions of newer cameras, they may hold better or worse charges than OEM batteries, they may or may not last longer than OEM batteries and they may or may not void warranties. But they will not damage your camera. How would they? And if under warranty when something goes wrong, how would the manufacturer know which battery you were using?

all you stated is absolutely true... don't know if you read my earlier post about the fact that no one has stepped up to say that third party batteries killed their camera, leaked all over, caught fire, or exploded (all manufactures warnings). That being said, digital cameras ARE nothing more than a computer with a lens attached... if the manufacture requires software/firmware updates (the latest for the 5100 supposedly tells it not to recognize third party cameras) then it's fairly certain that if it were to die with a third party battery in it, Sony would have diagnostic equipment that would be able to detect that. Kind of like a black box in a plane. But again, if these batteries have been doing all those bad things there would be WARNINGS plastered all over Ugly and all the other information sites and even probably videos on YouTube showing the damage.