Are 3rd party batteries WORTH IT?

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#batteries #thirdparty #cheapbattery

[@danev1969]

I preordered the A7 IV and purchased a spare Sony battery, so I'll have two. I mostly do still photography. But I have no problems carrying 3rd party batteries for all of my cameras. Two of them will last far longer than one Sony battery for less than half the price. Electrons are electrons and will make the camera work perfectly as long as the specs are reasonably close.

[@zchamp30]

What brand of 3rd parties do you have? I recently purchased an A7IV and was thinking of going with the Wasabi brand, thanks!

[@set3777]

Sony does NOT make batteries. Sony had sold their battery manufacturing to Murata.after paying too much compensations for laptop battery fires that had burned down some houses.

[@cactusstudiossouth]

I use Kastar Batterys for my GoPros, Olympus Digital E-500 SLR & Sony PMW EX-2

[@MarcelVolker]

I've used 3rd party batteries since my first DSLR (the A700) then the Nex-6 and now the A7III (FWIW I'm now using Ravpowers). Never had an issue with any of them. Sure they last a little less long, but that's nothing as compared to what i save on the price. I'm only a hobbyist so having the highest possible capacity is entirely unimportant to me, but 100 quid in my pocket is!

[@exit138n2]

In my experience, RavPower is the 3rd party battery of choice. Never had an issue where my A7III detected a 3rd party battery unlike a hahnel one I purchased. RavPower offered great support when I had questions about one of their power banks. Nice to know they stand by their products.

[@TheFandangovideoguy]

Is it true that sometimes after a camera firmware update some third party batteries stop working or the camera starts showing battery warnings? I have a FX30 and a couple of genuine Sony batteries but could use some third party ones (which ones are the best? Smallrig any good?) but I'm concerned they may not work well after a firmware update (I'm still running firmware 1.0). thanks

[@patrickmckeag3215]

Great video as always Dave. Thanks for sharing. I have 6 NP-FW50s for my a6000 and a7II. Two Sony originals and four 3'rd party ones. Two Neewer and two Wasabi. What I do is cycle them all through both cameras in a rotation pattern so they all get the same amount of use. What I have found over the years is consistent with your observations. The Sonys last longer and they will go to 0% used in the camera display while the others will go from around 15% to zero instantaneously. So as you say, it's a trade off between price and capacity. Here in Canada on Amazon the Sony is $99.00 CAD and the others are ~ $35.00 for two and come with a charger; about the same as the UK.

[@JoeDAgostinoPhoto]

Nice Video. What light is that in the background?

[@mcmoose64]

I have six LPE6 batteries , only two of which are made by Canon. I could not tell you which I was using at any given time without opening the battery compartment and having a look . It is rare for me not to get a full day's use out of a battery (900-1000 shots)and I generally recharge them at the end of each day anyway. The only reason I have so many is that I purchased an aftermarket battery grip for both of my bodies , each of which came with two batteries .

[@1957PLATO]

I keep third party battles as spares to an original spare battery. So I have 2 originals and when they are both dead I use the third party batteries. They are handy as they mostly come with a charger.

[@SalahAl-DinYusufibnAyyub]

Hey Dave, do you know any third party battery brands you could recommend? Been looking forward to Neewer batteries however I can't find them available where I live. Thanks for your videos.

[@palantir135]

I used third party batteries recommended by my dealer. Much cheaper though they don’t last as long as the originals. But they’re good enough. I normally have two first party batteries, fully loaded, with me and that’s enough for a day taking pictures and occasional filming. Both originals are used in equal amounts. I have also an older compact camera and there I use only third party ones.

[@JimBailey]

Thank you Mr McKeegan. I learned a lot on this one. Hi Rusty. :)

[@SinaFarhat]

My Canon DSLR uses Canon LP-E6N and gives me nice stats about shutter count, battery health and how many procent that is left on the change. I currently use two original LP-E6N batteries and my biggest issue is that l cant seem get a answer if the third party batteries i find in photo Swedish stores can accurately report to the camera!

[@VisionProStudios]

I was using thrid party batteries on my Sony A7RII, and noticed that when the battery reduced in charge to about 40%, the lens I am using will malfunction and come out of focus. Cant get it to focus until I turn the camera off and then back on again, and then usually change the battery. I have since changed to all sony batteries.

[@scj643]

Also the cameras might not able to tell the battery charge due to potentially different battery chemistry.

[@RalfWeyer]

I had some pretty bad experience with third party batteries for my A6000 a few years ago. The capacity seemed to be slightly under the original one when I bought them, but after roughly 1.5 years they dropped significantly. But I have a different approach nowadays for my A7III. I bought a second Sony battery and 4 SD cards overall. After each shooting I will swap the battery as well as both SD cards. This way I can reduce the wear and tear on the batteries and the SD cards, also I always know very quickly if one of these parts fail.

[@davidlewis5929]

I have some FZ100 from several years ago with some 3rd party batteries from about the same time. I can say that the Sony batteries seem to hold a better charge than the 3rd party ones even when considering that I never quite got the same usage length when both were new (kind of like your results). Currently I only use the 3rd party batteries if I know I'll only be going to to shoot for less than 3 hours and I am not expecting a lot of action, they really should be replaced. The best thing about the 3rd party batteries was the duel charger, which isn't great, but it is much smaller than the Sony charger and has a USB connection which the Sony charger does not. The USB charging option and the size obviously make it a much better tool for when traveling.

[@jamesbell8730]

Good video, like you have purchased 3rd party for emergency backup, years ago. Over the years I managed to purchase Sony batteries. Added an extra with the A7r3 the an extra with A7lll another extra when I swapped the 7lll for an A9 so I have extras. Just swapped the A9 for a A7rlV which comes with a new battery. I keep the 3rd party charged, but will most likely never be used.

[@Rootnationlife]

Great video! Love it and info was useful. But... What's up with a sound? What mic do You use? Or You just forgot to plug it all the way?

[@DaveMcKeegan]

That microphone gave up on me last week so I think the noise you're hearing was probably it starting to go bang

[@Rootnationlife]

@@DaveMcKeegan well, then, I hope it did serve you well and swell. Still, what was the model?

[@DaveMcKeegan]

It did to be fair, It was a Rode VideoMic Go which I've had for about 3 years

[@Rootnationlife]

@@DaveMcKeegan what will be your next mic? Any model You are currently considering buying?

[@stevep8553]

Well presented and informative Dave. I guess you're not reading these comments after 1 year but others might read this. Got some good ideas from other people's comments. Decided to buy a MUCH cheaper battery option for my Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ95D I purchased today. Cost comparison is $140AU TO $17Au (that's Australian dollars in case you are not sure). Big difference! I'll use the after-market (generic) battery as a back-up as suggested. Thanks.

[@duhauaxel]

3 batteries for the price of one... there is no brainer. Give me the third party ones!

[@JimBailey]

Thank you Mr McKeegan.

[@Super01041994]

I've bought a hahnel battery a year ago and after the recent firmware update on my a7iii it doesn't display the battery percentage anymore so Sony is disabling this feature. Performance wise, it discharges quite fast compared to the original one. Just recently I had to buy another battery and went for a genuine one from Sony as it was £65 and the Hannell is £60. Also had a third party one on my nikon d7100 and loses charge quicker than the genuine one. After these experiences don't think I'll ever buy a third party one ever again.

[@buzzcory8128]

I have a new Sony A7 R IV and just for the first time installed the Sony vertical grip and 2 NP-FZ100 batteries. I'm getting an error code saying "Batteries not compatible use Sony batteries." WTF

[@OUATIH]

For my Canon Eos 2000D I bought a second 1st party battery and two 3rd party battery and my life has been going on just fine 😂

[@StephenLightstudy]

The 7.2v vs 7.4v caution isn't a worry. Battery voltage drops as you use them and these hand cameras are designed to work within a range of 8.4v to 5v. The 3rd party manufacturers are likely using different cells that happen to sum to a slightly higher voltage than the OEM, but its well within the camera's operating voltages.

[@StephenLightstudy]

As an example, you can power these cams off a 5v wall charger.

[@petervang9300]

I got 3 original batteries for my R6 and I'm happy, they were expensive but they last longer than the Duracell I got for my 7D mkII

[@cocteaufan]

I've always used 3rd party batteries from day one of going digital in a host of different camera brands including - Canon (lots of different models), Pentax, Fuji, Sony, Olympus. I only once had an issue with one brand of batteries that ran out after 20 shots or less other than that all have been flawless and I never felt they were lasting significantly shorter between charges than any OEM battery, when I had a couple of Canon 50d's the Canon batteries were £89, the duracells I bought were around £26. At that big a price difference it's a no brainer.

[@billy9506]

I bought a pack of 2 3rd party batteries for my M50 for £15 (Henjoy branded) and they are comparable to the stock battery. Haven't let me down and still get the same shots from them

[@mayank2564]

that was a really good explanation at the end of the video i would now comfortably buy the cheaper batter as a spare for the days when i have prolonged shoots

[@drkskwlkr]

The in-camera leftover charge indicator is bound to be wrong when a non-genuine battery is inserted. The reason is that batteries will behave differently over their discharge cycle because they (1) differ in capacity and (2) differ in amount of current they can output (which, in turn, also influences capacity). The camera manufacturer is under no obligation to implement an 'intelligent' battery measurement system that is compatible with 3rd party batteries. Most often, it isn't. The only objective way to compare batteries is using the CIPA methodology (that many pictures taken, that many pictures with flash taken, that many minutes of (identical) video taken, etc. That said, I've had great performance with non-original batteries, and I've had a few duds. And, camera manufacturers frequently do stuff to their 'coded' batteries to make 3rd party replacements incompatible. In any case, original spares are a complete rip-off.

[@mihalydozsa2254]

I just had a fake battery allert with a genuine battery, I shared in a group to help me spot the fake and within 5 minutes I got 3 responses with the same experiences bought directly from the manufacturer :-D

[@arcanics1971]

I have an old Canon. I have both Canon and Duracell batteries for it. The Duracell are really good- cheaper and better (though in this case the better is more to do with the age of the original manufacturer batteries) and very reliable. I will definitely trust Duracell camera batteries in future. Also this is an old DSLR and not being used for video.

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

Pretty good test considering you didn't have brand new batteries. The message you see on the screen is not Sony detecting that the battery is from Sony or not, it's simply the camera checking if the battery is behaving the way it should, within the tolerances. What I mean is that you could very well see that message even with a Sony battery, if it's damaged.

[@EmanuelFilms]

Just bought the a7iv. Charging it for the first time felt like it took so long, after checking on google it says the charge time is 310 minutes which seems like a long time. I was charging it with the cables provided in the box. Does anyone know if buying a seperate charge dock for the batteries will charge the battery faster or does it really take that long to charge batteries on the a7iv? Also I will be looking at buying a second battery, Is it true that the not original sony batteries make the a7iv overheat more/faster? hearing all the issues with the a7iv overheating makes me not want to buy other brand batteries since i've heard they overheat the camera faster.

[@MichaelScrip]

I use the NiteCore USN4 dual battery charger for my Sony FZ100 batteries. It can fast-charge two batteries. ⚡⚡

[@gitithadani]

I have the same perspectiive as you. A native & 3rd party as back up (a7r4). The 3rd party is abt 80% of the native & was half the price. i dont have any issues with battery metering. I have also had equal amount of problems with native batteries dying on older models (canon - native died before the 3rd party, samsung equal age) Newer sony batteries are much more reliable. Have had my r4 for 2and a half years & native battery is still working very well. Hardly ever use the backup.

[@_rhapsodist]

never needed more than two in any given day so I stick to the originals

[@melodychest9020]

Any heating issues with 3rd party batteries? Always a worry.

[@rickymcc8624]

Good question which you pretty much answered. OEM costs more but definitely performs better. If you can afford it then go genuine. I have used LeFire too and think they are OK but just not quite so good as OEM. Many cells are a lot worse than LeFire. In particular cheap counterfeit cells, packed to look like genuine Sony cells, can be especially cr@p. Avoid cheap branded cells from many smaller suppliers on eBay is my advice. Amazon and main etailers in UK like WEX mean you pay a lot but do get the genuine article. Your camera doesn't lie which is how I knew my cheap counterfeit cell was cr@p - it didn't hold charge well either. Lesson is if you want robust quality then don't cheap out on phony cells. Best branded third party can be OK, just not quite as good as the real thing.

[@roganthoerson1909]

I have bought quite a few 3rd party batteries and always have a good experience with them. I try to stay on the known reputation brand though. You can measure them rather accuratly with a dummy load some are even logging into a pc and for such batteries you don't need a big and expensive dummy load. You can google "EBD-USB Load Tester" or look the video 148 of andrea spiess. Then you need to connect the batery and an easy way is by using plates of universal chargers. That said 3rd party in my experience have around 20% less energy but not always, there is probably less quality check. They have another voltage discharge curve than first party most of the time and because the camera measure voltage to know how much energy is still in it is not as accurate anymore. That said this is by no mean scientific because i don't own/test enough genuine / 3rd party bateries to have statistics on them but at least i could do a 0.5 amp discharge between 8.4V and 6.6V. Yes all lithium bateries have a big range of voltage exept Lithium phosphate but i have not seen Lithium phosphate in camera yet.

[@villageblunder4787]

First party tend to have better fade resistance and charge cycle numbers too.

[@SeppyYT]

in most cases the battery status displays are just checking Voltage under load. it does not mean the battery has higher capacity. you need to measure from Full Charge Voltage to End-Of-Charge Voltage to measure capacity.

[@AR-vf7vg]

Can you rule out that sony is not shutting of third party batteries (to early) ?

[@realmadera]

I personally tested my OEM against 3rd party on the a7s3 and a7iv my OEM last 5-10mins longer than the 3rd party. Huge price difference 1 OEM without charger for $80 or 2 3rd party with dual charger for $50. I can get 6 batteries with charger for the price of 2 OEM without charger. Mama aint raised no fool.

[@PixeledMoment]

I'm probably too cautious (or too much anxiety) to risk 3rd party batteries for either my R6 or light panels. If I had enough 1st party pieces for peace-of-mind then I might give a reputable 3rd party battery a try if the reviews are good.

[@PhilofBristol]

I have used Hahnel 3rd party batteries in Minolta and Sony digital cameras, and currently use a Newell battery alongside a genuine Sony battery in my A7iii

[@JerryWoo96]

i want cheaper batteries with no pop-up warnings but with a battery level indicator thats it. i do not care what brand it is.

[@JWS1968]

I have DTSE batteries for my Panasonic G9 and they're fine. I'm not sure if they last as long as an original but they get me through the day no probs. I don't care if a battery lasts 2 hours instead of 2.5 hours. It would be different if they were lasting minutes. When I used the Sony A6300 those batteries were 30 mins and I think third party 20-25 mins. If I can shoot for 2 hours straight before having to swap a battery it's not a deal breaker for me. I'm shooting video not Photos.

[@TP-Fotografie]

For filming I use only the original Batterie from Sony. To take pictures the Baxxtar batteries are good enough and let me save some money.

[@MRNOFILTER718]

95% of photoshoots I shot has at least a wall outlet. Buy many 3rd party batteries then just charge them while shooting. Make sure you get a dual charger. Problem solved and you save money.

[@frits1463]

The battery for my Leica costs a whopping $ 170 from Leica. Third party not available. I carry around a power bank for charging at pause.

[@brandishwar]

Whether 3rd party is worth it will depend highly on brand, and it's best to stick with trusted battery brands. With my D7200, for example, I had a pair of Duracell EL-EN15 batteries. Never had any issues with them. But I also never tried to charge them with the Nikon charger, using only the separate Duracell charger for those. Unfortunately my Z5 displays an error when I have one of those batteries inserted, so oh well on that front. But I have three Nikon brand batteries currently (two EL-EN15 and one EL-EN15c), so that's more than enough for now.

[@christopherconkright1317]

I tend to use 3rd party for back up also I shoot photos not video they last a long times

[@saliwanpl1832]

I had a similar message with the original battery which was damaged and gave 8 volts!!! Using bad batteries can damage your equipment. choose only good substitutes without error messages

[@carlmcneill1139]

My experiences have been the same. Third party batteries don't last as long. I have a pair for my Canon T6s that run down faster. And Canon has a thing that pops basically asking if it's a third party battery. I bought one for my syrup and it didn't last as long. When I upgraded to a z6 II the battery wouldn't even work in it. But I kept the battery from the d750 so I still have a spare battery.

[@Finite-Tuning]

1st party batteries at their usual outrageous price point are at least guaranteed to do one thing well, that is consume a lot of your money! While the 3rd party batteries can be a real hit or miss ordeal, they're at least guaranteed for a period of time, so if you are not satisfied with the performance you can get your money back. Generally I find the 3rd party batteries that cost about half as much as the originals to be a real safe bet with equal to or close enough to the OEM performance. If you buy the cheapest thing you can find, well, that's exactly what you will get in most cases. I've had great success overall with 3rd party batteries, but I've definitely had a couple of turds along the way. Cheers 🍻.

[@viryachandra7610]

Can anyone help? I wanna ask is it okay if I use third party charger to charge my original Sony NP-FZ 100? pls help..

[@DaveMcKeegan]

I've never had a problem charging my original batteries in 3rd party chargers Done it with both FW50 & FZ100's

[@viryachandra7610]

@@DaveMcKeegan Thank You Dave! That's a big help for me😁

[@MichaelScrip]

I use the NiteCore USN4 dual battery charger for my Sony FZ100 batteries. It can fast-charge two batteries. ⚡⚡

[@user-fm5cs4ix9k]

Hello from Kyiv Ukraine. With every Sony full frame camera I bought came a Sony FZ100 . I have 3 bodies and 3 FZ100. I chose to buy 3rd party batteries from a company called PowerExtra and for around £45 you get 2 batteries and a charger so I bought 3 sets. So far I have had no issues with them and they seem to last as long as the Sony batteries. Because I was impressed by these batteries I bought 4 PowerExtra V Mount batteries and again they have never caused a problem and last just as long as any other V Mount battery. I wonder who actually makes all the Sony batteries? Sony or third party company?

[@timelord2222]

Can someone tell me is it possible for a third-party battery to cause damage to a first-party charger?

[@frost8077]

Not in my case. I'm always charging my LP-E12 batteries on the Canon charger.

[@scj643]

For my Nikon D5600 it’s worth it since I can get them in bulk and swap. Especially since I’m shooting at conventions where swapping batteries isn’t an issue.

[@scj643]

I do have 2 first party batteries as well

[@electrobob]

This whole situation is created by greedy camera manufacturers. Mine charges 85 EUR for a battery has 5 worth of battery in it. My experience with 3rd party has been worth it, but a bit variable: Camera 1: 3rd party battery for 1/3 price, that started losing charge faster after 5 years. Replaced by 1/10 of the price afterwards. Totally worth it. Camera 2: 3rd party battery for 1/8 of the price, no difference after 2 years. Camera 3: 3rd party battery that was bad in 6 months. Tried another brand: going strong after 3 years.

[@MihneaStoian]

With all the new cameras you can just use a PD power bank and use it to charge the camera directly. No more having to carry around batteries.

[@DaveMcKeegan]

True, but that they means potentially carrying a power bank around with you whilst trying to shoot and that might become impractical

[@VexinQuest]

I don't understand how did you lose 24% on a FW50 on standby when people get 1 hour 10-20 minutes out of it recording 4k?

[@PaulFeinberg]

Used to not care, but now I just get two OEM batteries and the other "backups" that I typically do not use are 3rd Party. Pretty similar mindset as you.

[@yetialphamale]

I use Sony only. Got them numbered so if nr1 is empty I use nr2 until it is empty then nr3. Then I go back to nr1, every battery gets the same use this way.

[@paololarocca7684]

I had both a good and a bad experience, excellent experience with Baxxter batteries for my fuji camera, two batteries and a charger for a few euros which have served me well and a very bad experience with an additional battery for my sony, camera, don’t’ remember the brand but doesn’t even get charged , money wasted….

[@tanvir4uall]

I m a cinematographer and I always use genuine battery of sony a7m3 and I am very happy with those genuine batteries I never used 3rd party battery

[@call9trace]

Talking about the battery voltage - Li-ion battery have 8.4V fully charged , and around 6.6V discharged (and its same for any brand because they are using li-ion technilogy) - so talking about danger here is kind of not knowing the technology.

[@rvg1997]

I use the genuine Sony batteries because I have had 3rd party batteries swell during charging or while in use in the camera.

[@SurvivalSavvvy]

With my canon 80d and canon r6 3rd party batteries do not last as long and die quicker. There life span is shorter too. But compared to the price it out weighs it so all I own is 3rd party batteries. After 5 to 7 months I toss them and buy new ones.

[@BrianHallmond]

Seeing how canon is with Third Party Lenses I wonder....

[@tonytfuntek3262]

My experience with third-party batteries has been horrendous. I had one overheat in the battery grip to the point where it almost damaged the battery insert. The other one barely accepted a charge after a year. That said, due to the huge price difference I do utilize 3rd party Sony NP-F batteries on my light kits. They mount externally so less of a worry.

[@mrwashur1991]

I was just reading online that someone opened up some 3rd party batteries and compared it to the OEM. It turned out the inside of pretty much all the 3rd party batteries were poorly built and contained unbalanced cells. The OEM was perfectly balanced and another one was still balanced after heavy use (I can’t remember how long). Long story short, I’m not powering my $2500 camera and $2000 lens with cheap batteries. The OEM already struggles to power my A7iv and 200-600 all day anyways. My a6300 will continue to eat 3rd party batteries until it explodes haha

[@frfr8130]

My take is that CANON is overpricing their batteries, a Makita 6 AH costs less.I buy VIVITAR and I have had good luck with them for years...

[@spenceford4299]

I have 3rd party for my older cameras 5Dll and M3. R5, R6, and 6D ll have the newest canon batteries. I could always use the 3rd party if I had to.

[@spenceford4299]

I also have battery grips on the 5 and 6 series so lots of shots.

[@frost8077]

It's inaccurate to put all 3rd party batteries into one group. I bought two pairs of LP-E12 batteries for my Rebel SL1 and they work just as good as Canon's, with all four of them being cheaper than a single Canon battery. These are 7.2V 1300mAh but I don't really notice them holding extra charge when I'm out using my camera. Then I also had experience with some LP-E10 batteries that did hold charge for about an hour or two more of general use back when I had a Rebel T5. So at least for Canon Rebels, 3rd party batteries seems to be a huge advantage as you can't beat those low prices for equivalent products.

[@shand1967]

I save a lot of money but buying a second hand 1st party battery from a reputable dealer like MPB.

[@TVe200]

Sony batteries are even more expensive where I live. NP-FZ100 cost 100 €. The way I use my camera I never go from 100% to 0% in one day. So a cheaper battery just in case is perfect.

[@mirasga]

Thanks to Samsung and Vivo, it's difficult to have batteries shipped.

[@prozekutor]

who would buy a battery brand called LeFire!!! 😅😂

[@devroombagchus7460]

I don’t see the point. Of course, with a cheaper version, you must accept getting less. You only have to know if it is safe and what to bear in mind. Much ado about little.

[@christopherconkright1317]

I don’t know why Sony doesn’t do them for 40-50 I would by more likely to buy them

[@simmo303]

Unbanded batteries are better avoided. Many good third party makers.

[@veesoho93]

Greeat video thank you

[@davegrenier1160]

You only compared battery run time, battery to battery. A fair comparison (and the reason why many people by third-party batteries) would be run time per dollar. Two third-party batteries that only each run for 80% of the time of a single OEM battery that costs twice as much as the two third party batteries are providing 160% of the battery life of the OEM battery at 1/2 the cost. This would mean that four third-party batteries would deliver 320% of the run time of an OEM battery for the same cost. That's a considerable increase in run time for no increase in cost (when spending as much as the cost of the OEM battery).

[@DaveMcKeegan]

That is true at the initial time of buying However the third party batteries also generally lose capacity much faster than OEM and are statistically more prone to failing So you might have 300% of the performance for the same price to start with, but over time that number would drop off and if one battery failed it would drop significantly I've had it with phone batteries before Bought 3rd party replacements because it was so much cheaper than OEM's but after 6 months the battery is barely lasting 1/3rd as long as it used to before needing charge, so you end up buying another, and then another ... But that would vary depending on how much use the batteries are being put through So it's weighing up which route you'd prefer to take For the sake of argument: hypothetically, you could have an OEM battery cost £60 and last 1 hour of record time - that's £1 per minute If someone was selling third party batteries which only cost £1 each but only managed 2 minutes of recording time - the third party's would offer twice the value, but I doubt many people would want them

[@brycepinson8641]

@@DaveMcKeegan I get what you are saying. But personally I had some wasabi batteries for my D800 that lasted years and with longer run time than the Nikon battery for much less money. I’m sure it all depends on the specific camera and specific third party maker as to how worth it, it is. Personally I’ll keep trying my hand at third party.

[@polyvg]

First party vs third party ceases to be a meaningful question when first party are no longer available. And when the market for any specific battery spec. drops, even third party will become difficult to find. While appreciating many of the reasons for camera-specific batteries, it would be so much better if we knew more. The specs for the original batteries, the specs of third party batteries, etc. This would allow for third party batteries to be assessed. The prime issue I have is safety. I'm forced into buying third party batteries with little real basis for trusting them. Which makes me uneasy. Performance is also important, but secondary to safety. And reviews can address performance much better than basic safety.

[@ekevanderzee9538]

Yes, they are worth it. I mainly use the oem one. The third party one is plenty to allow me to charge the main one. They both last for in general more then a day when not on a working shoot, providing plenty of backup. I don't need the full capacity of the oem battery in both and am happy to save the €€€'s.

[@mlhm5]

2 batteries plus a charger for almost half price of single first party battery. Seems like an easy decision.

[@tankerbruja]

wasabi batteries are 🐐

[@polyviossimopoulos2436]

Meaning?

[@neogod29]

3rd party batteries are trash on Sony cameras. My experience, they will drain just being in the camera. If I leave my 1st party batteries in my cameras for weeks, I can turn the camera on with the batteries still full. I leave a 3rd party in for a couple days, and the damn things will be almost dead. I like you buy 1st party batteries for use, and 3rd parties for back-up. I always have to remember to charge them even if they were never used just out if fear that if I need them, they will be dead. Also my experience with 3rd parties, is that even two 3rd party batteries don't last as long as 1 Sony battery.

[@drkskwlkr]

"I like you buy 1st party batteries for use, and 3rd parties for back-up." If what you say is true, you should probably do things the other way around: use up 3rd party batteries first and rely on the original cell as backup. That's because you know the original one will never fail you (which is the meaning of backup).

[@neogod29]

@@drkskwlkr no. Most times I go out to shoot. I can go all day without having to change batteries with the 1st party batteries most times. With 3rd party, I always have to change batteries.

[@sosomelodies659]

No they're not worth it. Especially on a Sony A9. I had a third party battery installed and it made my A9 schizophrenic. At first I thought the camera was a dud. Then I installed a Sony branded FZ100 battery and the camera worked like a charm.

[@NJM1948]

If camera companies don't like us using 3rd party batteries, then why don't they pitch the original replacements at a realistic price? If they did, then I'm sure everyone would buy the originals. People don't like being blatantly ripped off

[@polyviossimopoulos2436]

Simple: FUD [Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt]! That is, pay us a premium so you will keep your peace of mind, also, if [y]our camera gets damaged, we “reserve the right” to refuse repair under warranty because you probably used a 3rd-party battery, which is the culprit!

[@NJM1948]

@@polyviossimopoulos2436 Not quite my point. Your answer is why they do it now. My suggestion is that if they weren't so greedy and reduced there replacement batteries to a much more sensible rate then people wouldn't need to go to 3rd party companies....and they would have the peace of mind that all will work as good as the original. Plus, sales would increase dramatically

[@polyviossimopoulos2436]

@@NJM1948 True, what I have replied you is more of an issue for professionals than all the rest of us [it’s a bummer if you damage an a6400/D3300/650D/…, it’s a disaster if you damage an a1/Z9/1DX III/…], however, by having a look at other visitors’ comments [mine included!], on this video, here, you will know that even if OEM prices were adjusted to be more realistic, sales would, most probably, NOT increase dramatically - it is rather much more likely that prices of 3rd-parties would decrease [given the profit margins they make, by selling marbles for pearls!], so the balance would be more or less the same! The OEM’s are doing so, simply because they can, just like you are required to pay an arm and a leg for some genuine Mercedes/BMW/Alpha Romeo … accessory, an Omega [genuine] “Spectre Bond” [NATO] watch strap … these manufacturers do not survive [thrive, more like!] thanks to your, my, David’s or anybody other visitor’s/commenter’s of/on this video, here, money, rather they are multi-million, multi-national behemoths, with a vast product line and a mind-boggling contract portfolio, of which, in the case of photographic equipment manufacturers, camera, lens and the like sales only consist a small percentage, plus there is no adequate/reliable/frequently updated database on both OEM and 3rd-party camera batteries’ specs and performance - and even if there was, I still strongly doubt that a significant majority of - both pros and non-pros - end users would bother! If you care for more details, you might want to watch my relevant video, @ kzbin.info/www/bejne/al6vpJyGZ9lsqdE - which can be quite amusing, as well!