Non-propriety camera batteries - pro's and con's

[Midgie Hater]

Hi

A few months ago I bought an Olympus D-720 compact from Ebay - got it for a great price and it's in excellent nick as well as perfect working order. Nice little camera actually with a lot of functions.

The only issue is the battery which is obviously a few years old so I was planning to get a backup for trips away. With video especially the battery drains very quickly so I think it's essential to have one - possibly two - back-ups.

Trouble is the original Olympus ones that i've seen online appear to sell for something in the region of £60+  ! I realise this is a way for Olympus and others to continue to make a return on a now discontinued product but since this is something like three times what I paid for the camera I was looking at the various non-propriety ones available on places like Ebay.

Does anyone have experience of such "copies" in terms of their reliability, safety and longevity? Are some such batteries better than others? Is there a way to tell by looking? Some retail at around £5 which seems quite cheap - especially compared to the Olympus ones. Obviously i'm a little wary as I dont want to damage what is a great little camera, but for it to be of much use on extended trips I do need to get said back-ups.

All thoughts/advice appreciated - as ever

Les

[Fishtales]

I bought one for my DSLR, a Nikon, and it 'blew' after only a few charges. I had difficulty in getting it out of the camera. I only use the named ones now. I also found that the cheap one didn't last, or hold the charge, as long as the named ones either.

[Midgie Hater]

Oh that's what I feared, hence the question. Still, I simply can't afford 60 quid for an Olympus battery. I know many of the cheapos are manufactured in China and-the-like - not to denigrate far-eastern manufacturing overall tof course, but some must urely be better than others. The problem is how to know forsure. I wonder if there are more "favoured" immitatons manufactured elsewhere to better specs?  I hope so. Some i've seen are in the range £10-£20 rather than the fiver quoted. Still, that could just be sellers "on the make" I suppose. So hard to tell...

[Midgie Hater]

Just did a quick search and I notice that Energizer do a replacement battery (Li-42B) for this camera at around £15. Energizer are a well-known make so I can only assume they must be reliable? Any thoughts anyone? Sandy?

[Guddler]

I'd say go with the cheap (but not cheapest ones). No point in spending loads of money on batteries for a second-hand discontinued compact.

Generally the aftermarket types maybe don't hold such a charge as the "proper" ones but if you know that's the case you can make allowances. I have once had problems with a cheap battery that swelled up when stored in a videocam for a few months. Took a bit of hauling out but I got away with it.
I've also used a mix of genuine and aftermarket batteries in a couple of DSLR's now without any issues but I guess, as Sandy's experience shows, you are more likely to have problems with the cheapies.

[Fishtales]

This battery might be better.

http://www.digi-quick.co.uk/energizer-d-720-olympus-battery

Energizer being a 'named' maker rather than a non-descript one.

This one looks interesting and comes with a 1 year warranty.

http://www.nikon-olympus-battery.co.uk/olympus-stylus-d-720.htm

[Midgie Hater]

True Guddler, although, as Sandy (and you) say, there are inherent dangers with going too cheap - as I suspected...

Sandy - yes I saw the Digi-quick listing - appears to be out-of-stock at the moment. Didn't see the other one though -and that appears expremely cheap. Is this a supplier you've used with confidence before?

Yes the warranty appears good, although, it seems the Energizers have a 2-year one from what i've read.  I checked a few customer reviews for the Energizer replacement on Amazon ("spit"   ). Two positives but one - as Guddler suggests - states a rather low charge life compared to the original.

Hmmm, food for thought...

[Fishtales]

I haven't used them I came across it in a search and thought with the warranty it would be worth a try. The last Nikon battery I bought in Glasgow airport as it was around that time the cheap battery swelled up in the camera. Normally I just do a price search for the camera battery and take the cheapest from a well known site and try not to think of the cost :roll:

[Midgie Hater]

 :lol: Unfortunatly, in my currently financially-bereft state I can't afford not to look at the cost.

Thanks for the advice

[alancrob]

Just had a quick look on ebay. I don't know if this is the same battery but looking for a broken camera sold for spares might be a solution.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Olympus-E-300-8-0-MP-Digital-SLR-Camera-Black-Kit-w-17-5-45mm-Lens-/290926141012?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item43bc8c9e54

a.