Would you buy after-market batteries?

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Oksana
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I'm on a strict budget this month and I desperately need another battery or two (Nikon D300s). Would you buy after-market or never ever do that? I don't want to buy a used one because it'd most probably be knackered. The original one is 1500MAh, but there are 1800's and 2200's out there and all claim "elaborate-precise decoding" and say other things I don't understand. I also know they can claim all they want on that eBay listing but no-one really cares about my camera as much as I do...

Is there a good tried and tested after-market battery you'd recommend? Will my original charger take it?
 
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When ever I can, I get a battery holder
and feed it with "XX Eneloop".
 
the 2 Nikon EL-EN3e batteries supplied with my new D300 would only rise to 93% charged
and quickly fell to 50 % after 100+ shots

it was suggested to buy EX-Pro --- I bought 2 from their site -- cheaper than Duracell replacements
charged up to 100% and still holding charge after usage
http://www.exprodirect.com/en-el3e-enel3e-ex-pro-nikon-li-on-digital-camera-battery.html

PS low charge/short discharge can be a sign of battery 'age' ...EVEN if they show 'New' in the camera
mine were 3-4 yo

PPS - both my Nikons were original & genuine
see Nikon counterfeit site....................D300 counterfeit
 
I've only ever bought 3rd party batteries for my D70, D200, D300 and D300S. Have they all worked perfectly? Yes, to begin with anyway, ;) but one or two have stopped working over the years. Has it bothered me? Not really, because they were so cheap in comparison to Nikon batteries. I think all were less than £10, with some of them closer to £5. If one failed, I bought two more, and so always had one in reserve.

Some people only buy official manufacturer batteries, and I have never had a Nikon battery go bad, so it seems a wise choice, if a very expensive option. I'll carry on saving the money. ;)

Looking through my emails, I've bought batteries from Amazon in 2014 + 2010, 7Dayshop in 2013 and MyMemory in 2007. If you are going to buy 3rd party batteries I would say make sure the listing names your camera, because Nikon changed the design of the EN-EL3 to the EN-EL3e at some point if memory serves me right, so I always made sure the advert listed my camera.

The new D500 uses the uses the EN-EL15 battery, which other Nikon cameras use, but most copied batteries don't seem to work according to reports. If/when I get the D500, I hope there are 3rd party versions which are designed to work with the D500 when I need them. And I will make sure the D500 is listed, then if it doesn't work it can go straight back. :)
 
think id probably only consider oem batteries if i was going to the artic or some military thing, something where 10 to 5% might be worth the huge difference in price, but the ex pro whites are probably better than the sony ones in my case, and my mid priced generics do better than my sigma batteries soo *shrug*
 
I have had several DSTS ones form ebay, work well, last better than originals, aslo some from 7dayshop, all good, I dont think there are many bad battery manufacturers nowadays.
 
Another fan of the ex-pro whites here used them in Fuji's and now Sony A711 also purchased a very reasonably priced charger from them as Sony don't supply one.
 
I have only ever bought third party. I buy from Amazon and look at the item feedback and the price and make a choice.
 
I've had good experience of Duracell batteries in my 20/50D and 7DIi. Got over 1,000 shots out of one battery last weekend and again yesterday.
 
I've previously bought a few used original nikon batteries from MPB. Nikon cameras should the life scale in the menus so you can ask sellers what the life rating is before buying. It's worth checking MPB as people do buy lots of batteries for a special trip then trade them in or sell them afterwards. I picked up 3 second hand en-el15's for the nearly same price as a new one.

Many third party batteries seem to be ok. There are plenty of good places to buy third party batteries, ebay would be the place I steered clear of, you can't guarantee what the seller is selling what they say they are and returns maybe tricky.
 
On my Nikon D300 I took the route of getting a couple of EN-EL 4a batteries for the grip but this also means getting a BL3 end cap and an MH21 charger
 
condyk said:
I have only ever bought third party. I buy from Amazon and look at the item feedback and the price and make a choice.
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Exactly whar I do, also have a ratio in mind- like to see at least 10 "5 star reviews" for every 1 star, prefer to see no poor reviews of course. Also read the actual reviews as some review the delivery time rather than the item/battery
 
realspeed said:
On my Nikon D300 I took the route of getting a couple of EN-EL 4a batteries for the grip but this also means getting a BL3 end cap and an MH21 charger
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Loads of power from the EN-EL4a battery, but one of the things I like about the D300S/D500 cameras is the size of the camera. I have a (copy) grip, which I use occasionally on the D300S with 8x AA batteries, but I wouldn't want the camera to be that large and heavy all the time. With a grip as an option though, at least you have the choice. :)
 
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I've used ex-pro white for a few years on my Canon's. The camera recognises and registers them.
 
green said:
I've used ex-pro white for a few years on my Canon's. The camera recognises and registers them.
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i didn't know about these ''ex-pro white'' when i replaced my failing Nikon D300 EN-EL3e
i did a search on the Ex-Pro site - it came up with a straight replacement - not the 'white'.........:(
Ex-Pro Nikon EN-EL3E, High Capacity 2200mAh
still - they charged to 100% no prob - life..? we'll see.......:)
 
The latest ones i have bought are labelled 'ex-pro white series'. Got them off of Amazon uk.
 
I've used equivalent batteries four times, three for different Canons and once for a Panasonic, all via Amazon and all have worked perfectly. I wouldn't hesitate in buying alternatives in the future but would probably avoid the cheapest EBay one's.
 
redhed17 said:
I've only ever bought 3rd party batteries for my D70, D200, D300 and D300S. Have they all worked perfectly? Yes, to begin with anyway, ;) but one or two have stopped working over the years. Has it bothered me? Not really, because they were so cheap in comparison to Nikon batteries. I think all were less than £10, with some of them closer to £5. If one failed, I bought two more, and so always had one in reserve.
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That mirrors my experience exactly with aftermarket batteries (not just for cameras, but also for smartphones and other devices).

If I had a critical use in mind (e.g. if my livelihood depended on the equipment), then I might opt for only original batteries, but the price disparity is so large between aftermarket and original that I'm more than happy to take the chance for my needs.
 
I only have limited experience with Blackberry batteries and one for my d600. Both failed very quickly the D600 battery would lose 50% charge after 50 shots and the blackberry battery swelled up over night to the point the back cover kept popping off.
 
Deano_uk said:
I only have limited experience with Blackberry batteries and one for my d600. Both failed very quickly the D600 battery would lose 50% charge after 50 shots and the blackberry battery swelled up over night to the point the back cover kept popping off.
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If batteries swell they should be discarded, properly, immediately
 
I have often wondered who the camera makers buy their batteries from, none of them make their own.
there is little reason to suppose that they are any different or any better than any other, nor that each batch comes from the same battery maker.
 
Only bought one 3rd party battery. Duracell. Wouldn't go on the charger unless forced on. Only buy OE now. Never had one fail or significantly lose its charge holding ability. Oldest is about 5 years. Must admit I have the same view of batteries as i do with battery grips. I didn't spend £10000 on cameras to skimp on things like this. Thats me, others have a different view because we all have different requirements.
 
so say if i bought an after market from somewhere they should last just as long in charge and what about lifetime?
redhed17 said:
Depends on the battery, but they should be at least equivalent of the OEM batteries, some are advertised with a higher capacity though. ☺
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Stefano Bussandri said:
so say if i bought an after market from somewhere they should last just as long in charge and what about lifetime?
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Again, depends on the battery, some are just as good, some are not.

They are lot cheaper in many cases for a reason, one would think there is more R&D done by Nikon, but who knows. It is up to the individual to decide whether that justify's the price they charge. I've been able to buy 4-5 batteries for the cost of 1 Nikon battery. I'd rather have more batteries than I need just in case, and with 3rd party batteries I can afford to do that. ☺ If one or two fail every so often, I can live with that. ☺
 
redhed17 said:
Again, depends on the battery, some are just as good, some are not.

They are lot cheaper in many cases for a reason, one would think there is more R&D done by Nikon, but who knows. It is up to the individual to decide whether that justify's the price they charge. I've been able to buy 4-5 batteries for the cost of 1 Nikon battery. I'd rather have more batteries than I need just in case, and with 3rd party batteries I can afford to do that. ☺ If one or two fail every so often, I can live with that. ☺
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Thanks for the info
 
Stefano Bussandri said:
so say if i bought an after market from somewhere they should last just as long in charge and what about lifetime?
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Also, do some research on the batteries you intend to get & make sure they are compatible with the camera. What I mean is, manufacturers can `programme` their products so they don't function with certain aftermarket products.
 
OldCarlos said:
Also, do some research on the batteries you intend to get & make sure they are compatible with the camera. What I mean is, manufacturers can `programme` their products so they don't function with certain aftermarket products.
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Oh I didn't realise that they programmed them to only work with their batteries, thanks for the info.
 
OldCarlos said:
Also, do some research on the batteries you intend to get & make sure they are compatible with the camera. What I mean is, manufacturers can `programme` their products so they don't function with certain aftermarket products.
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That seems to have been what Nikon have done with the D500. And they may have even changed things so that it may not be compatible with previous batteries from previous cameras. :mad: :rolleyes:

Normally, as long as it is a decent online store, if they say a battery is compatible with a camera it normally is, and if it turns out it isn't, you should be able to get your money back.

If I went and bought a battery for the Nikon D7200, the EN-EL15, it should work with the D500, because that takes the same battery, in theory, but Nikon have changed something in the battery for the D500, at the same time making the D500 less compatible with previous batteries. If an advert doesn't specifically say it is for a D500, a company could say we sold it to work with the D7200, and it does. :thinking:
 
redhed17 said:
That seems to have been what Nikon have done with the D500. And they may have even changed things so that it may not be compatible with previous batteries from previous cameras. :mad: :rolleyes:..........
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i wonder if Nikon may have shot themselves in the foot..?

OK I'm at the bottom end financially but refuse to pay £100+ for an original and a spare
so my camera choice - and maybe others like me - will now factor battery cost into the decision to buy/upgrade

just my2p
 
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