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

[Midgie Hater]

Interesting thought about the "broken - for parts and spares" idea. Hadn't thought if that. Sadly not the same camera and a quick look at specs. shows it takes a different battery. I suppose also in the case of an older, knackered "for spares" camera the same issue of a nearly-done battery is quite likely to arise.

Alan- yes i've heard tell of this happening. In the case of this camera I did a bit of checking and it seems the non-manufacturer ones do work with it - to varying degrees. Like you I tend to use cheapos but as Sandy and others pointed out there's always the possibility of disaster ensuing.

Anyway, I eventually bit the bullet and got a Duracell replacement (for better or worse) as it was relatively cheap. Will see how it pans out. Many reviewers are happy with the Duracell/Energizer replacements but a few talk of short charge life no matter which make you get - aside from an original. Bit of a lottery, but just have to see...

Thanks

[Wildfisher]

I have used clone rechargeable  batteries for years with absolutely no problems. They very often also have a higher ampere hour  rating.

[Traditionalist]

I have used clone rechargeable  batteries for years with absolutely no problems. They very often also have a higher ampere hour  rating.

That's all I use as well, never had a problem. I do intentionally choose those with a higher A/h rating. They always last longer. I can only imagine that a few people here have been very unlucky indeed. If an accu suits the specs and is handled properly it should be OK. There may be some that don't but I have never had one. I don't know anybody who has either. Of course the laws here regarding such things differ. It may be easier to sell junk in the UK.

Also it is absolutely essential to use a decent charger. Cheap chargers will ruin even the best accus in a very short time.

[david hayward]

I am a professional photographer and have used non-prprietry brand batteries in my Canon 5D without any problems or worries at all.In fact i have used some of them for several years for thousands of shots without any issues and despite "scare" stories being released by Canon. I have always bought mine from 7dayshop.com and have always been very pleased with them and their service.

                                                                                     

[Fishtales]

I was looking for a 12 volt one and was looking at a 6800mAh on Ebay and came across this.

http://ve2zaz.net/blog/index.php?/archives/13-A-super-cheap-6800-mAh-Li-Ion-12V-battery-pack.html

It put me off as the extended hours were what I was looking for but it didn't come up to the spec stated.

[Traditionalist]

I was looking for a 12 volt one and was looking at a 6800mAh on Ebay and came across this.

http://ve2zaz.net/blog/index.php?/archives/13-A-super-cheap-6800-mAh-Li-Ion-12V-battery-pack.html

It put me off as the extended hours were what I was looking for but it didn't come up to the spec stated.

That's a clear swindle. According to the measurements the device does not even come close to the stated specs. Anybody who sold that here would be in trouble for selling it under false pretences.

Mind you, there are various ways of calculating capacity in Ah and results depend on many factors.

[Midgie Hater]

An interesting mix of experiences and thoughts! got the Duracell in the post today. Was slightly perturbed that it showed 2 bars on the charge meter when I inserted it, so I decided (for better or worse) to set a bout completely discharging it by putting it in video record mode as many times as required, and then recharge it from completely exhausted. Will see how that works out - and then panic when subsequent posters say "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, don't DO it!!!!"

Especially interesting to hear from you David, given your professional status (not to disregard all the other advice etc. from Forumites which is very much appreciated). Maybe then I will get another couple of the cheapos as additional back-ups for longer stravaigs. Fred - yes, i've noticed that some show a higher A/h rating too and it made me wonder...but like other comments, it's something of a reassurance

[Fishtales]

It is possible I just got a bad one. I do tend to mistreat equipment though. Not in a bad way and I have yet to break something My cameras can travel in the boot of my car 365 days a year. Freezing cold in winter and baked in summer unless I remember to take them into the house. Out on the hill the DSLR is round my neck and the only cover it gets from the rain is when it is stuffed down the front of my waterproof :roll: When it isn't around my neck it can fall off a rock, roll down a hill, fall off the rucksack, lie on damp grass or get  knocked about inside the tent at night as I sleep

I also find that re-chargeable AA batteries don't hold their charge in the cold as long as normal AA, by that I mean below 10°C in a wind, and cheap ones are even worse. The Li-ion batteries fair better in that respect.

As an example :- My Gps uses two AA batteries. Duracel last five days of all day use, 8-10 hours/day; re-chargeable ones three days unless it is cold and then it is two days; cheap AA batteries last three days whether cold or not. I carry two sets of Duracel when away for my week as when it is cold the charge drops off but can come back up again the next day sometimes and on others it doesn't.

[Traditionalist]

That's normal. Batteries and accus all give much lower performance at low temperatures. Any chemical reaction is slowed down by low temperatures.

The main problem with various rechargeables is that the voltage is invariably a lot lower than "standard" cells.  This can also be a lot worse depending on how they are in circuit, series or parallel.

Also apparently not widely known but most accus can only be used efficiently down to about 40% of their normal capacity.

To get the best out of any battery, accu etc, you do need to set them up correctly. Some things will barely work at all using rechargeables because of the lower voltage to start with.

4 standard cells in series gives 4* 1.5 V = 6V
4 NiCad or NiMh  Accus in series only gives 4*1.2 V = 4.8 V

This makes a massive difference in terms of performance.

Equipment designed to run on four 1.5V cells in series wont run very well or very long on four 1.2 V cells, sometimes not at all. Often such devices will also show "Low Battery" indications even with new charged cells.

The only way to get such equipment to run properly is to use FIVE 1.2 V cells 5 * 1.2 V = 6V.

For a lot of my stuff I have made special battery packs and adapters so that I can use rechargeables.  used like this they last a lot longer, usually longer than the original 1.5 V cells.

Various power problems with a whole range of devices are the result of incorrect voltages. It usually makes little difference whether proprietary or "no-name" accus are used although the proprietary accus are often better quality and more likely to meet the specs given.

[Fishtales]

Devices are designed to run on less than the voltage specified. Even domestic energy supplies have a twenty percent variation, 220-240 volts here although usually stated as being 240 volts, and all electrical appliances are designed for that. Alkaline batteries can be as low as 1 volt when getting near to being discharged and the devices still work whereas Ni-Mh batteries can maintain the 1.2 volts far longer as their internal resistance is lower, the problem this causes is that the device shows a higher charge rate than is available so that it suddenly stops working rather than showing that it is about to lose power. The biggest problem is Alkaline batteries maintain a charge for months whereas a Ni-Mh battery can lose up to 20% in the first day and up to 4% every day thereafter, this varies with storage temperature, the colder they are stored at the slower the discharge rate. That is another reason I don't use them in my GPS as after a a few days in the rucksack the new re-chargeable batteries wont last as long as the new alkaline ones and a third set of re-chargeable will last even less time as they have been in the rucksack a few days longer.