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Off-Brand Batteries
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May 15, 2019 15:27:13   #
burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC
 
Bill P wrote:
This is a subject that occcurs this site, and others, far far too often. We all agree that they don't last as long, and don't provide as many shots per charge but never NEVER EVER has anyone posted that they had a verifiable problem resulting from aftermarket batteries.


I just did, above, in this thread. One of my aftermarket video batteries for an old Sony DV camcorder fell apart and caught fire when the guts of it hit a sidewalk.

Still, I use some aftermarket brands. Wasabi batteries seem quite reliable.

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May 15, 2019 15:49:27   #
davesit Loc: Lansing, New York
 
chrissybabe wrote:
I found a 2nd sleeve under the first. The outer sleeve claimed 3000mAh but the inner sleeve showed the cell was only rated 2000mAh. This is outright dishonesty and theft.


Not surprised. The common complaint about 3rd party batteries is that their listed capacities are exaggerated. OTOH, I have not heard that a 3rd party battery brand has actually damaged a camera.

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May 15, 2019 15:51:11   #
Jim70 Loc: Delaware
 
Let's see, your camera cost ~$1,000. Off brand batteries cost ~$10 ea. Is it ? worth the risk to you?

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May 15, 2019 16:07:17   #
chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand
 
Jim70 wrote:
Let's see, your camera cost ~$1,000. Off brand batteries cost ~$10 ea. Is it ? worth the risk to you?


Just to put this out there - I wonder if a users liking for OEM batteries can be used as a measure of their susceptibility to FUD ?
Personally I have found that somebody who has a liking for OEM products is also the type of person who would cut coupons out of the paper (cost saving) and wouldn't leave a penny found on the pavement. And yet a none coupon cutter is quite likely to be the sort of person who would use a 3rd party battery.
Oh and if I add up all the 3rd party batteries I have and convert them into OEM battery costs I could buy another camera.

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May 15, 2019 16:15:47   #
k2edm Loc: FN32AD
 
they are probably OK, might not last as long tho.... volts are volts... some cameras read btry s/n for you, these probably would not be compidable with that function..they may not be sealed as well so dont let them stay in the camera, but again if you are strapped fer $$, no real reason to go fer the "approved" ones....

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May 15, 2019 16:22:06   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
Jim70 wrote:
Let's see, your camera cost ~$1,000. Off brand batteries cost ~$10 ea. Is it ? worth the risk to you?

Exactly what is the risk? What are the odds?

Which battery are you thinking of that has a $10 difference? For the D-Li109 used by my Pentax KP, Amazon charges $52 for the one from Pentax, and under $12 for the one from Wasabi.

Replacing my KP would cost $800.

If the odds of Wasabi battery failure are less than 40/800 = 1/20 = 5%, then the risk is worth it. Do you have any evidence that more than 5% of Wasabi batteries ruin the camera???

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May 15, 2019 16:41:45   #
DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina
 
OnDSnap wrote “Amazing how one can spend Hundreds if not Thousands on a camera body only to skimp on batteries. Sorry I just don't see the logic.
Doug”



Owners’ choice. How many times have you read a post here that a camera was trashed by a third party btty? My guess, none. I posted the folg comment the last time this hit the air waves: “I have been shooting digital since digital hit the market, have used proprietary and third party, have yet to experience a failure.” Perhaps you should reconsider your hard line against third party bttys.

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May 15, 2019 17:19:56   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
rehess wrote:
The Wasabi battery for my Pentax KP itself says it was constructed in China with cores from Japan. That surprises me, because making the core is the activity that exposes workers to toxic chemicals, so Wasabi must care.

I have a hybrid system for powering my KP - Pentax and Wasabi batteries are charged using a Watson charger. The one difference I've noticed is that the Pentax batteries end charging at 100%, while the Wasabi battery ends when the charger is listing current charge as 95%.
The Wasabi battery for my Pentax KP u itself /u ... (show quote)


The core is "the battery" while the case contacts etc are what allows it to fit a certain camera. The Japanese make the high end/quality cores and a long ago magazine article had pictures of the process, hazmat style protection and sealed areas for the processes that need it.

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May 15, 2019 19:52:46   #
John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN
 
Quite true, camera companies do not make their OEM batteries, but they do set the technical specifications and level of quality control. The voltage of any battery is set by the Gibbs Free Energy of the electrode chemical reactions. The electrode potential thus depends on enthalpy and entropy values. The mAhr rating is a function of the mass of anode, cathode, electrolyte layers and the space required includes the insulation layer plus wiring and connections.

robertjerl wrote:
But the camera companies don't "make" batteries. (Panasonic does own Eneloop batteries but as far as I know Eneloop only makes AA and AAA batteries.)
They contract with a battery company to make them and put the camera company name on them.
There are only a few companies that make most of the high end battery cores on the market.
Now the cheap/counterfeit stuff from China etc, those are a different story.
Wasabi Power states they use Japanese manufactured cores and I have never had a problem with one of them. Between myself, my wife and our daughter we have used Wasabi batteries in 7 different Canon models (total of 8 cameras) over the years.
But the camera companies don't "make" ba... (show quote)

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May 15, 2019 20:07:49   #
hj Loc: Florida
 
OnDSnap wrote:
Amazing how one can spend Hundreds if not Thousands on a camera body only to skimp on batteries. Sorry I just don't see the logic.


The logic is why pay four (4) times more for something that is as good or nearly as good and don't seem to have any detrimental effect as confirmed by thousands of reviews.

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May 15, 2019 20:56:38   #
JoeN Loc: East Texas
 
I have used SterlingTek and Wasabi batteries with no problems and I can’t tell a difference in capacity. I have used aftermarket batteries in all my Canons - G3, 40D, 7D, and 5D III.

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May 16, 2019 00:42:55   #
Phil67
 
Use Wasabi batteries in all my digital cameras with no problem and excellent performance before having to recharge them.

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May 16, 2019 09:36:02   #
RPaul3rd Loc: Arlington VA and Sarasota FL
 
I just returned from a two week trip to Israel and Jordan with two Canon branded batteries for my Canon SL2. I also bought two off brand batteries for my backup Canon branded charger and I threw them away after several days. They worked but here is the shortcoming for me. The camera recognized these were not Canon branded camera and told me, in so many words, battery level might not be accurate. I spent good money on my camera and lens and I didn't want to mess with the Camera's electronics with an off brand battery. The trip cost a significant amount of money. I will never skimp on batteries again.

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May 16, 2019 09:41:00   #
joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois
 
sloscheider wrote:
I’m not familiar with Vanon but of the 8 batteries I have, roughly half are generic brands and they all work about the same. If there’s a functional difference I can’t tell.


Ditto.

About half of my batteries are generic. So far they seem to work about the same. Even if they didn't last as long considering what they cost...still a bargain.

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May 16, 2019 09:48:31   #
RPaul3rd Loc: Arlington VA and Sarasota FL
 
Dean, that's precisely the point. Protect your investment. Off brand batteries may get good reviews but I just don't have the confidence they will deliver what the OEM batteries do.

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