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Fake battery?
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May 17, 2021 06:13:11   #
picsman Loc: Scotland
 
I order a Nikon en-el15b from a website at a low price (in the UK). On arrival I compared it to a genuine battery provided with my new D780. The main difference was that the plastic cover was shiney not matt as the genuine one. There were other differences in that details on the back were not presented in the same way although the fonts appeared similar. Also the reflective security label was slightly different having some diagonal lines showing at different angles.

I don't know that the battery was fake but emailed the vendor and he immediately refunded me.

Was it fake?

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May 17, 2021 06:17:21   #
User ID
 
You reeeeally need to ask ?!?!? LOL

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May 17, 2021 06:39:12   #
tcthome Loc: NJ
 
When I purchased my camera , I got a spare battery. The shop gave me a Pro Master brand. Works. If I was going to get one today, it probably be the Nikon brand 15c battery. It will work in your camera & should give you more photos per charge.

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May 17, 2021 07:00:23   #
joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois
 
picsman wrote:
I order a Nikon en-el15b from a website at a low price (in the UK). On arrival I compared it to a genuine battery provided with my new D780. The main difference was that the plastic cover was shiney not matt as the genuine one. There were other differences in that details on the back were not presented in the same way although the fonts appeared similar. Also the reflective security label was slightly different having some diagonal lines showing at different angles.

I don't know that the battery was fake but emailed the vendor and he immediately refunded me.

Was it fake?
I order a Nikon en-el15b from a website at a low p... (show quote)


Its only fake if it was sold as an original at original cost. What did you pay for it?

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May 17, 2021 07:05:00   #
yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey
 
The shiny cover is one of the tell-tales that it's counterfeit.

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May 17, 2021 07:07:46   #
BebuLamar
 
joer wrote:
Its only fake if it was sold as an original at original cost. What did you pay for it?

It's a fake if it says Nikon on it.

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May 17, 2021 07:10:00   #
MrMophoto Loc: Rhode Island "The biggest little"
 
There are a lot of after market items out there and batteries are just one. The real question is not if it has a shiny plastic cover as opposed to a matt one, but does it work the same as the original manufacturers? Batteries are not that complicated and reproducing one that meets the manufacturers specs is not that difficult. I have read that a lot of these types of products, batteries, memory cards, cables, etc. etc. are actually made by after market manufacturers and are simply packaged a little differently for the name brand companies, same product just a matt finish when ordered by Nikon and a shiny finish when ordered by an after market retailer - Nikon adds a larger profit because they can and the after market retailer doesn't because they want to compete with Nikon.

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May 17, 2021 07:33:54   #
Dannj
 
“Fake” in that it’s not a Nikon product: definitely.
Will it work on your camera: maybe.
I’ve bought other brand batteries and haven’t had any problems but they were sold under their own name.

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May 17, 2021 07:36:58   #
dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida
 
Seeing in a different non-photo setting: I assume [perhaps incorrectly] that picsman would not buy a water pump for his car from an auto-parts store but rather would go to the dealer to buy the same unit at a much higher price. Knowing that only a dealer mechanic could possibly repair his car...

Batteries: Really, people, I have always used 3rd Party batteries [picsman called them fake a condemning emotional word].. voltage is the same [measured] but the price much much lower and a new modern dual battery digital indicating charger included. Bunkhood prevails and people waste their money... Of course, it is their privilege.

What measurements do the faithful to the OEM use to prove 3rd Party to be a danger or inferior? Will your 3rd party batteries cause your camera to catch fire and cause a plane to crash?

Give a read to a Fake Battery user... oops.. aftermarket battery...
https://photographylife.com/reviews/third-party-batteries-watson-and-wasabi

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May 17, 2021 08:22:25   #
picsman Loc: Scotland
 
£25.55, full price here is £59.

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May 17, 2021 08:52:10   #
IDguy Loc: Idaho
 
MrMophoto wrote:
Batteries are not that complicated and reproducing one that meets the manufacturers specs is not that difficult.


Wrong. They have electronic chips. Nikon’s new cameras reject non-OEM batteries using that chip. The clone makers haven’t been able to bypass it yet.

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May 17, 2021 09:24:28   #
BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
 
MrMophoto wrote:
There are a lot of after market items out there and batteries are just one. The real question is not if it has a shiny plastic cover as opposed to a matt one, but does it work the same as the original manufacturers? Batteries are not that complicated and reproducing one that meets the manufacturers specs is not that difficult. I have read that a lot of these types of products, batteries, memory cards, cables, etc. etc. are actually made by after market manufacturers and are simply packaged a little differently for the name brand companies, same product just a matt finish when ordered by Nikon and a shiny finish when ordered by an after market retailer - Nikon adds a larger profit because they can and the after market retailer doesn't because they want to compete with Nikon.
There are a lot of after market items out there an... (show quote)

First thing I did when I got my Nikon was buy 2 extra batteries. I bought photive brand for no particular reason other than price and mAh rating. It says FOR Nikon en-el14, so not fake but, after around 5 years, guess which batteries are still good? Right, the replacements, the Nikon holds a charge long enough for a couple of pictures, and it's been that way for years so these batteries have way outlasted the Nikon one that came with the camera.

I'm not saying Nikon batteries are junk,Nikon doesn't even make batteries far as I know. I probably just got a bad one. I am saying not too much to worry about with battery replacements, they all come from the same manufacturers I'd guess.

I'd say the main difference in the batteries is the manufacturer changed the label stamp on the production line. I guess they might make a cheaper version with less mAh, but my Nikon battery has 1030mAh and the photive has 1500 mAh. Other than that, the only difference is the photive batteries both still work good as new, the Nik died early on.

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May 17, 2021 09:33:28   #
E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada
 
"I ordered a Nikon en-el15b" These are the first words in your post! You ordered a NIKON battery, not an aftermarket battery for your Nikon camera. So..if the battery you receive is not one made by or for NIKON, same as when you purchased the camera, you did not receive exactly what you ordered.

You, however, were NOT necessarily poorly serviced or ripped off. There are a few other possibilities:

1. You received a genuine battery but the outer case design or material has been changed over time.

2. The font used in the printing may also have changed.

3. Oftentimes camera manufacturers outsource their batteries to other specialized companies- the supplier may
bet different but the battery may meet NIKON specifications.

4..There are many suppliers that manufacture and sell aftermarket batteries under the own trademark- these are
litgitimate. Their prices may be more competitive but the quality may be equivalent to the OEM product- or not,
you have to make certain you are dealing with a reliable and reputable source.

FYI- Batteries are specified as to voltage, however, actual voltage has to be tested for under load. Many batteries are labelled with their ampere/hour rating so you can have some idea of how many exposures you will get per charge. Inferiore batteries can deliver the same voltage but will not hold a charge as well.

The best approach in this situation is to get in touch with the Nikon distributor or dealer in your geographic location and find out, first-hand, what the authentic product looks like and ascertain the exact specifications.

As I alluded to, there are many aftermarket battery brands that are perfectly fine. Besides my commercial photography business, for many years I was also involved in an electronic flash repair, and custom build company. We serviced various phot/electronic devices and dealt with many battery suppliers. I always advised our customers that it is not logical or cost-effective to buy inferior batteries for their costly equipment. Bad batteries can let you down at the most inopportune times, cost more in the long run in that you need to carry many more spares in the event of failure, and in the worst-case scenario, actually damage your equipment.

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May 17, 2021 09:44:35   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
picsman wrote:
I order a Nikon en-el15b from a website at a low price (in the UK). On arrival I compared it to a genuine battery provided with my new D780. The main difference was that the plastic cover was shiney not matt as the genuine one. There were other differences in that details on the back were not presented in the same way although the fonts appeared similar. Also the reflective security label was slightly different having some diagonal lines showing at different angles.

I don't know that the battery was fake but emailed the vendor and he immediately refunded me.

Was it fake?
I order a Nikon en-el15b from a website at a low p... (show quote)


What Ed has just written is all true. And genuine Nikon batteries have been made with tan cases, black cases, and some colors in between.

That being said, if you bought a battery labeled as Nikon for substantially less than the prevailing price, there is every reason to believe that it is likely a counterfeit battery. Batteries in general are subject to counterfeiting, and there have been several cases documented by NikonUSA of those cases.

I'm not certain about the situation in Great Britain, but NikonUSA has a section of their website set up to help identify and document counterfeit priducts. You might take a look there and compare what you bought to what they show. It is exactly the kind of details you are describing.

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May 17, 2021 09:56:47   #
boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander
 
I use 3rd party batts. Vivitar and Wasabi. Less than 1/2 price than OEM with no problems. When in the camera (Canon 7d) I can't tell the difference between the Canon or 3rd party Battery. I would never use a battery from an unknown source. BTW Camera companys do not make batteries they probably buy them from the same source that you can.

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