generic en-el 15 battery for nikon

[Mark von Kanel]

Has any one had experience with these batteries from ebay they are selling for £15 but im not normally one to buy cheap stuff but the nikon version is such a rip off!

[jcuknz]

I have numerous batteries, from Amazon, and I don't check them to compare performance but work on the assumption at that price I can afford to swop them around when they empty, not that I have noticed that happening, though I did dump one of my early ones which had packed up and the genuine item was still working
It is a right B.... that Panasonic change the battery with model ... three different batteries with three cameras*, and chargers too URRRGH!
* Bridge FZ50 and two M4/3s
It is interesting that they claim to have more Ma than the propriatory ones.

[Clactonian]

I have bought several batteries for my Nikons from The Seven Day Shop. They are as cheap as chips and I've had no problems, although I did note that were a little down on capacity. The only precaution I take is to charge them when I'm at home and can keep an eye on them.

[Mark von Kanel]

I have bought several batteries for my Nikons from The Seven Day Shop. They are as cheap as chips and I've had no problems, although I did note that were a little down on capacity. The only precaution I take is to charge them when I'm at home and can keep an eye on them.

Thanks for the pointer Mike ive ordered 2

[Manfred M]

To copy a response to a similar question I answered earlier on...

“I've never quite figured out how people will sped a lot of money on their camera gear and then go cheap on the batteries.

Lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries that power your camera are fine if they are well made and not abused, but can become fire hazards under the right circumstances. If you remember the massive laptop battery recalls a few years ago; these were a a result of manufacturing defects that lead to a fire risk; the internet as full of videos of laptops with their Li-on batteries. bursting into flames. There are significant restrictions on transporting Li-on batteries, especially by air. You can't put them into your luggage, for instance and can only carry limited quantities in your cabin baggage.

The battery has safety circuitry and components built in. Lithium is a very reactive metal and can burn, especially in the presence of humidity. Oxygen is generated at the cathode, and this must be vented, so the battery contains a vent and a burst disk, in case the vent gets blocked. The battery can get into thermal runaway during charging or if charged at low temperatures, so cutoff circuitry is built-in to detect overheat conditions. There is also a thermal cutoff to detect overheat during use, i.e. the battery has a lot of failure detection mechanisms built in. Are you willing to assume that the knock-off battieres have these features built in?

So, you are willing to trust non-name batteries that could do serious harm to your camera and its immediate environment? These problems can occur with name brand, but at least they will stand behind their products. I personally stick with batteries from my camera's manufacturers.

We are thinking exactly the same way here Carl; I paid $3000 for my camera body, but I am willing to risk it all by saving $20 on a camera battery. I feel the same way about memory cards; use the recommended cards because you really do get what you pay for. I would hate to be out in the middle of nowhere missing that once-in-a-lifetime shot because I was being cheap...

i am a member on a travel website and one of the more common questions is related to wanting to forgo the expense of vaccinations or anti-malarial drugs when traveling to the Amazon basin or sub-Saharan Africa. It really bothers me that people are willing to risk serious illness or even death for the price of a good restaurant meal after dropping thousands on a trip. “

[Clactonian]

........... These problems can occur with name brand, but at least they will stand behind their products. ..........

I wish!!

[Dave Humphries]

I have recently bought Duracell branded batteries for two bridge/P&S cameras - I have nothing untoward to report, they seem to have equal capacity to the manufacturers originals.

I did buy a genuine Nikon one for the DSLR previously though.

I think the price differences are more now, when I got the DSLR battery in 2009, it was 2x the price of an alternative, where as now Rebecca has found that the Panasonic she uses the genuine are some 3x the price of the cheaper alternatives - with these, in a Panasonic camera, I believe she has found them lacking capacity and without the charge remaining indication.

This is avoiding the really cheap ones on e-Bay which are likely to be worse.

Cheers,

[Brocken]

I always use generic batteries in my Nikon DSLRs and have never had any problems with them. I regard money spent on costly Nikon branded batteries as money that would have been better spent elsewhere. Of course, I have heard all the scare stories about fire, melt-down, and other catastrophic failure. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, or anyone I know personally, and I suspect that the disaster stories reflect camera manufacturer's marketing spin and lobbying by the retail trade rather than any genuine statistical knowledge of generic battery failure rates.

[Manfred M]

I always use generic batteries in my Nikon DSLRs and have never had any problems with them. I regard money spent on costly Nikon branded batteries as money that would have been better spent elsewhere. Of course, I have heard all the scare stories about fire, melt-down, and other catastrophic failure. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, or anyone I know personally, and I suspect that the disaster stories reflect camera manufacturer's marketing spin and lobbying by the retail trade rather than any genuine statistical knowledge of generic battery failure rates.

You'll have to explain this battery recall then:

http://en.nikon.ca/Service-And-Suppo...-Advisory.html


Or restrictions on carrying Li-on batteries on aircraft...

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/..._batteries.pdf

[Melkus]

Have to say what I said in another post about batteries "You can't beat OEM"

[MrB]

You'll have to explain this battery recall then:

http://en.nikon.ca/Service-And-Suppo...-Advisory.html

From this report - "There have only been seven (7) confirmed reports of incidents of the problem worldwide"!!! - given the sales of Nikon cameras worldwide, isn't this comparable with the chances of a lottery win? Obviously, despite this tiny number of incidents, Nikon feel it worthwhile to protect their reputation. But that is no reason for millions of consumers to worry unduly that their cameras are going to self-destruct. Those were Nikon branded batteries but, by now, there must be many millions of camera and laptop users around the world powering their equipment daily with cheap generic batteries from Amazon, Ebay, etc., with no problems. E.g. Pentax battery - £55, Amazon equivalent - £5. Are there any significant exploding camera statistics for these?

Or restrictions on carrying Li-on batteries on aircraft...

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/..._batteries.pdf

Several Youtube videos of exploding laptops are staged "Brainiac Science Abuse" style incidents, showing that given the "right" conditions, the combustible materials in a lithium battery can flare up - surprise, surprise - no, just elementary chemistry. One video's introduction includes "we artificially forced the battery pack into an unstable state". The airlines are probably right to restrict lithium batteries because of this danger, but the restrictions make no mention of faulty batteries, rather they stress their concern regarding accidental short circuiting of the spare batteries in luggage. So this is also no reason for millions of actual and potential generic battery users to fear them in normal use.

Such scaremongering gives me a headache. Must get some medication - brand name paracetamol (16 x 500mg tablets) £1.35; generic paracetamol (32 x 500mg tablets) 45p - now I wonder which I should buy?

Cheers.
Philip

[Manfred M]

Philip - you are quite entitled to your opinion. I will stick to the Nikon batteries...

A short circuit can be both internal or external, and the fact that there were failures reflects on the fact that the internal fail-safe mechanisms themselves failed. There are no records that I am aware of where the battery failed, but the on-board electronics worked as they should have.

Google just about any transporter - UPS, Fedex, ICAO, etc. They all have restrictions on transporting these batteries.

[Carl in Louisiana]

Yuuup to each his own. I'll stick with Canon batteries

[Mike Buckley]

Well, now. Considering that Manfred is participating in this thread, I've just got to mention that he saved my butt very recently. (If I were speaking rather than writing, I would have used a three-letter word beginning with "a" that has the same meaning as "butt".) The cause of my problem was that I had used a non-Nikon accessory with my Nikon camera. If he hadn't saved my butt, I would have lost use of my camera the entire time of my trip to Iceland rather than just two days. I can't depend on him being available all the time and I also can't depend on his solution requiring only two days of lost camera usage. As a result, I will never ever use a non-Nikon accessory that attaches to my Nikon camera again.

That's not to say that I can't encounter similar problems using Nikon accessories. However, I have used only two non-Nikon accessories and one of them did temporary damage to my camera. Of all the Nikon accessories that I have used, none of them have caused damage to my camera. I'm going with those statistics, as anecdotal rather than empirical as they may be.

[MrB]

Philip - you are quite entitled to your opinion. I will stick to the Nikon batteries...

A short circuit can be both internal or external, and the fact that there were failures reflects on the fact that the internal fail-safe mechanisms themselves failed. There are no records that I am aware of where the battery failed, but the on-board electronics worked as they should have.

Google just about any transporter - UPS, Fedex, ICAO, etc. They all have restrictions on transporting these batteries.

The only incidents of catastrophic failure referred to in post #9 involved Nikon batteries. And considering the restrictions imposed by airlines and transporters, do they not apply to lithium batteries distributed by Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sony, Panasonic, etc.? The "evidence" presented here does not appear to support a decision to buy only Nikon batteries. However, you are, of course, entitled to make whatever decision you wish.

Philip

[Mark von Kanel]

Well the decision has indeed been made, i ordered 2 generic batteries from a uk supplier (7 day shop) on mikes recommendation and ill let you all know how i get on, ive also ordered a pixel grip for my d800, i can find not real data out there that indicates that non oem products in general have a greater failure rate than oem ones, so i base my choices on specific brand reviews so what have i saved?

2x generic batteries £24 nikon equiv £84
1x grip £47 nikon grip £325

saving of £338 for no perceivable performance loss.

[SteveF]

Personally I have tended to stay OEM in my DSLRS but have obtained a Hahnel for the G1X and something similiar for the G12. Neither of the two generic batteries have given me as much performance as the OEMs shooting video. The Hahnel let me down suddenly and without much warning in the Royal Albert Hall in London last week where it was showing two bars on the G1X for about five minutes then just went red skipping the one bar.

This meant I had to quickly grab my S100 to shoot our Daughter who had entered stage right to shake hands and become a Graduate. The OEM would have gone to one bar in a timely manner and I would have better warning as it has in the past.

Simply put; it was my fault. An OEM would have had that footage on the G1X but now it's on a much poorer S100 file.

[Manfred M]

Well the decision has indeed been made, i ordered 2 generic batteries from a uk supplier (7 day shop) on mikes recommendation and ill let you all know how i get on, ive also ordered a pixel grip for my d800, i can find not real data out there that indicates that non oem products in general have a greater failure rate than oem ones, so i base my choices on specific brand reviews so what have i saved?

2x generic batteries £24 nikon equiv £84
1x grip £47 nikon grip £325

saving of £338 for no perceivable performance loss.

Mark - the part of your analysis that is missing is the cost of quality. That is what you are paying for with the higher priced goods. There is always the so called Nikon tax (or Canon or any other major manufacturer), i.e. paying for the brand name, and no doubt there is a bit of that involved here, but that does not account for most of the price difference. Better materials, engineering, quality control, testing all add to the cost.

It's all about risk management - you are okay in putting a £12 battery in your camera, while I am not.

[Mark von Kanel]

Personally I have tended to stay OEM in my DSLRS but have obtained a Hahnel for the G1X and something similiar for the G12. Neither of the two generic batteries have given me as much performance as the OEMs shooting video. The Hahnel let me down suddenly and without much warning in the Royal Albert Hall in London last week where it was showing two bars on the G1X for about five minutes then just went red skipping the one bar.

This meant I had to quickly grab my S100 to shoot our Daughter who had entered stage right to shake hands and become a Graduate. The OEM would have gone to one bar in a timely manner and I would have better warning as it has in the past.

Simply put; it was my fault. An OEM would have had that footage on the G1X but now it's on a much poorer S100 file.

Yet on the other hand my canon s95 gets to 2 bars on its scale and then just dies..... and thats an oem...

I dont think that there is a right or wrong here and any opinion is valid, Ive not tried non OEm before but now ive decided to give it a go. Thanks for all the advice and ill keep you all posted as to how these products work.... or dont

[SteveF]

Yet on the other hand my canon s95 gets to 2 bars on its scale and then just dies..... and thats an oem...

Interesting Mark. I only compare things when they don't work. The S100 works right down to 1 bar and so does the G1X with OEM. The OEM and the generic were both charged up the night before and they've both had roughly the same use. (I tend to swap one over for the other to keep them used and fresh).

I've got 3 Uniross for a 1Dmk1 I still have in the cupboard and as well as a poor fit I cannot get them to charge after been standing for maybe a year. I only bought them to try them because they were £20 each and the mk1 goes through them extremly quickly (I intended to use the mk1 in high risk situations on a Pocket Wizard trigger but never really got around to it! ) On the other hand I got two old Canon packs out for a 10D I still have for the same purpose and they were starting to take some charge last night and they are from January 2004. I don't think they've been charged for 3-4 yrs.

Lest anyone thinks I have too much money I must explain I haven't sold anything since going digital and some kit is second-hand ... well, that's what my Wife believes anyway