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I often have a Nikon fail to respond to the shutter button cuz the Nikon battery quit. Likewise for Canon and Sony batteries. Is there something more to your story ?

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Ok, here is what Nikon has to say about the battery for your camera:
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/batteries/en-el14-rechargeable-li-ion-battery.html

Now it's your turn. You need to look at your camera manual and read FOR YOURSELF about battery usage and what Nikon will or won't do in case of damage due to the battery. No link provided, look it up on your own.

george19

I got a spare Watson battery when I purchased my D810, and haven’t had any issues with it.

Watson is a brand from the Gradus Group, which includes several other off-brand accessories such as Bolt.

More significantly, Gradus exists to provide import for these items SOLELY for B&H. Google it.

Now, the potential for a battery to provide damage to the camera is greater than with other items, my experience with Gradus warranty has been excellent when needed.

DJCard Loc: Northern Kentucky

With the off-brand battery after a year or so of use, the shutter button fired inconsistently when the meter registered at least 75% remaining (which was consistent with number of shots). Once I realized the battery was the likely culprit, this never occurred again with old or new Nikon batteries over the next 2-3 years, at which time I sold the D80.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

I don't think B&H produces any goods. They are a store that sells a variety of goods. To me, I would not buy aftermarket on a battery. If it $h!ts the bed and the picture of a lifetime presents itself you are out of luck.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

You will get many opinions on the subject here.
My question is, what is $20.00 worth to you? Is $20.00 worth getting a battery that was specifically designed to work with your camera and charger? Or is saving $20.00 worth getting a good battery that was not designed to work specifically with your camera and charger?
There is no doubt that Watson makes a good product. But it cannot match the number of charges you will get out of the Nikon battery. But if you don't take that many shots and your not depending on a battery to always be fully charged and operational and may be prone to failure, then I guess the non OEM battery will do.
What is $20.00 really, a 1/4 tank of gas, a movie ticket, a breakfast. I guess it really doesn't matter does it.
Or will it, when you have that one in a million chance for that once in a life time opportunity to get a shot and your non OEM battery fails and you miss the shot. Now, how does that $20.00 look?

BebuLamar

It's possible that the Watson battery is better than the Nikon one but... I would spend the extra $20 to buy the Nikon battery in this case. Why? Because besides that I would have to pay $20 extra anything bad happens later isn't because I got the Nikon battery instead of the Watson.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I use generic batteries in everything. Never a problem.

Interestingly, brand name batteries for cordless tools are more expensive than the generics, but they are definitely superior in terms of power and longevity. I haven't seen such a difference with camera batteries.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

The following is a common thread on the internet. If you can believe it.

"Why You Shouldn’t Use Them
Firstly, you can trust the first-party batteries more as they have a reputation to keep. A Canon battery comes tried and tested with Canon cameras. Over and over again. After all, they have been doing this for years, if not decades.

With third party batteries, you can never be sure how good they are. Many Chinese companies skip testing, safety, and manufacturing standards. Then, paired with a clever name, it sounds good and reputable.

Third-party batteries are cheaper because they need to be to compete. Other batteries are cheaper because of the lack of money poured into manufacturing. But how do you choose the wheat from the chaff?

There are way more unreputable companies selling third-party batteries than reputable ones. Batteries can swell after continuous use. I don’t need to tell you how dangerous that is with Lithium batteries.

Many camera manufacturer companies have targeted these sellers. Firmware updates have the capacity to render third-party batteries useless. Meaning that extra money you spent created expensive paperweights.

Another issue is they might not compete with battery life, in the long run. They might begin with a great charge but quickly deteriorate."

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

If you don't specifically tell Nikon you used a non-OEM battery, then they won't know. The camera does not record what kind of battery was last used. Of course sending in the camera to Nikon for repair with a non-OEM battery still in the chamber would not be a wise choice.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, that's they key. In my case, I've never had a generic battery I didn't like.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Ditto on Bob's comment about only buying Nikon batteries - Watson is a reputable brand, but IMHO still falls in the category of pennywise and pound foolish.

YMMV.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

I use OEM batterys in all 4 cameras and will continue to do so.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

Larry has the right idea. Cost per mAh plus the inconvenience factor of having to change batteries more often.

BurghByrd Loc: Pittsburgh

I tried a Watson for my D810 and it worked fine for a while. I didn't notice a problem with the number of shots on a charge (didn't push it that far) but have noticed that it has failed the take a proper charge now (shorter service life).