Extra Battery

[broberts]

Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone has bought extra batteries off of ebay? I am looking for a couple of extras for my new toy (Nikon D300). The prices seem pretty good, but most of them ship from hong kong. If not ebay, where is another good place to get extra batteries?

Thanks,


Brian

 

[ukcatfan]

I do not know specifics, but I would not do it.

 

[boBQuincy]

Do a search on lithium battery fires and then decide if the factory battery is worth the extra $.

 

[pxlbarrel]

I bought a battery off Ebay once. I got it, opened the package and instantly knew I had a counterfeit. I even put up a page about it to warn others.

Ebay was no help and neither was Paypal. Paypal insisted that the only way I could get my money back was to send the battery back to the person...and then they would refund my money (I'm out postage). So I did....but after I soaked it in water for half a day.

Buy your batteries from trustworthy stores. Counterfeiting batteries (as well as other electronics/electrical equipment such as extension cords) is big business now and also very dangerous to consumers since they're not actually tested to the standards that they're supposed to be tested at.

 

[seashoreCM]

I have bought off brand equivalent batteries (not sure whether they were also counterfeit) (a) from Hong Kong or nearby sources, and (b) in or near Hong Kong (I forgot exactly). They didn't run as long as the battery that came with the camera but what the heck I needed spare batteries at the time. (Or maybe I didn't charge them long enough)

OT: Caution: when buying off brand memory sticks from noname stores, try them in the camera first. Occasionally a defective one or a mislabeled smaller one is sold to unsuspecting tourists.

Digital camera hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/digicam.htm

 

[YEKCIM]

Given the lifespan of the OEM Nikon batteries (years) and the relatively small number of dollars difference, I would suggest buying the Nikon battery. I'd be concerned about performance and also warranty issues with Nikon if a knockoff battery was to damage the camera. I think the peace of mind is worth the extra bucks.

~Y

 

[fhirleighinn]

If you are willing to spend $1800 or so on a camera, what is the problem with buying batteries that you know are going to work? All I have used in My D80 is actual Nikon Batteries. I do not think that it is worth the risk.
Whether or not these are fake, or just knock-offs, nikon does address them here:
http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=8119

 

[sdzman]

I bought a Dolica brand spare battery from Overstock.com for my Nikon D40 and have no problems.

 

[broberts]

That is the way I was leaning. I really appreciate everyone's input. I think I will either check out amazon or look around and see where I can get the Nikon battery locally.

Thanks again.

 

[mabas9395]

I read a lot of other photography discussion boards and there are two camps when it comes to batteries: 1-Stick with the manufacturer's batteries and never buy 3rd party or 2-Why pay $40 bucks or more for something when you don't have to?

If you are in the 1st camp, you really only have one choice; go buy the OEM version. But if you don't mind 3rd party batteries, there are thousands of hobby and professional photographers that have used and trust batteries from sterlingtek.com or diamondbackbatt.com. And they only cost between $12-$16 each. I have 5 batteries for my Canon, 2 are OEM and 3 are from Sterlingtek and I have had them all for more than two years and I can not tell the difference in performance (my wallet knows the difference though).

I don't think I would buy unknown batteries off of ebay, but these two places have a proven track record with a lot of people who have a ton more experience than me. So I highly recommend them.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I don't even trust the original equipment batteries. I always make my own.

 

[dr_zero]

I went Amazon for my spare battery looked over all the reviews and ordered one and it works well and have not had a bit of problems.

 

[boBQuincy]

I took apart an old Canon BP-511, there is a lot of protection circuitry in there. Maybe Mark can use it...

 

[Groucho]

We've bought cheapie batteries off eBay for our old Canon SD600 and current Fuji F40fd. I see no problem with it, especially if you truly do treat them as "backups" and switch back to the originals after charging.

We don't do that, and use the imitations until they are drained, and they seem to last just about as long as the OEM ones, at, oh, maybe 20% of the price of the original.

For my DSLR... well, I bought a Minolta battery from B&H for my K20D to use for a backup. I actually did a little research and they work fine, just slightly less power than the Pentax battery and still a "brand name" one at least.

On a DSLR, I can't imagine why you'd need more than one spare, unless you're really roughing it and going somewhere with no electricity. You'd have to be going bonkers with the camera to drain two batteries in one day.

 

[JR6ooo4]

I have never heard ( or remember ) anyone complainig about sterlingtek batteries.

canon wanted $50 for one battery. at sterlingtek I got two and an ac/dc charger for that much. My original and the two others are still at the same capacity after three years.
Mikeeee