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Third-party batteries


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As I am not the heaviest shooter out there, I am normally fine with the two original Fuji batteries I have. I have a few events coming up where I anticipate heavy usage of the internal flash of my X-E2, so I would like to get some more, but the Fuji batteries do not exactly come cheap.

What are your experiences, good or bad, with third-party / off-brand batteries?

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I have a Watson battery that came as a freebie from B&H when I bought my camera. It has worked fine. My impression is that it doesn't last quite as long as my Fuji batteries, but the difference isn't a problem.

 

I only have it because it was free and because it came from B&H which is a reliable business. Generally I avoid third party batteries. Having spent $700-800 on a camera I'm not inclined to try to save $30-40 by buying off brand batteries.

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I was excited to take my XT-1 to NYC this spring, and in preparation bought an extra Fuji battery and two Watson batteries along with the dual plate Watson charger from B&H based on positive reviews there.  The charger is fantastic, works off 12 volt DC or AC, and functions without power to show the charge state of a battery if you aren't sure.  Moral of the story though, I left only one thing at home and that was my battery holder sleeve, with all but the Watson battery that happened to be in the camera.  So for my whole trip I shot all day (carefully turning the camera off in between) on one third party battery, and never had an issue.  Between the Watsons and the Fujis it does seem like I get 50 or so more shots out of the Fuji batteries (350-ish vs 400-ish seems typical) but for less than half the cost I'm ok with that.  

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I bought a more compact charger "XIT" from China with two batteries. After a while, the batteries started being 'tight' in the camera and I had to hit the bottom of the camera on the heal of my hand to get them out far enough to pull out. I quit using them. When I examined the batteries, I noticed the case seam was partly open. I could pull on it and separate the two halves. The batteries didn't seem to be swelled or leaking, just not glued together properly.

 

I do like the charger--much more compact and has the fold away power plug (no cord).

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I was excited to take my XT-1 to NYC this spring, and in preparation bought an extra Fuji battery and two Watson batteries along with the dual plate Watson charger from B&H based on positive reviews there.  The charger is fantastic, works off 12 volt DC or AC, and functions without power to show the charge state of a battery if you aren't sure.  

 

I'll cast a vote for that Watson charger. It seemed like a bit of a ridiculous expense at the time, but I'm glad I got it. It'd be nice if they could make a more compact (single-battery) model with that same display, but for now I'm happy to have the display in the first place. Being able to confirm the charge level that way is very handy.

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I also like the Watson dual charger and have a couple three of the Watson batteries that seem to be doing just fine.

 

I thought the dual charger was overpriced (I think usually around $80). However, I found one new (on Amazon) at less than half that price set up for GoPro Hero 2 (or some oddball discontinued battery), bought it and a couple charger plates (usually < $2 each). Much better deal that way :) I also have the little Watson charger that takes the same plates. Handy to also charge my daughter Nik*n batteries.

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  • 4 weeks later...

often times, the higher-capacity third-party batteries are rated higher than they actually are. i've had third-party phone batteries from China in the past where you'd peel the label and see its true, lower rating underneath.

 

that being said, i think the Wasabi batteries with the charger is a good value especially for the charger. i have a couple chargers in the car, around the home and in different camera bags.

 

unionphotomessenger-04batteries_zps86a01

Wasaaaaabi!

 

(Sent from another Galaxy via Tapatalk)

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I have second Fuji battery as a spare, and my needs never exceeds rate "2 batteries per day". 

On other side, stock charger is a bit bulky for travel. So I got an cheap China-made compact charger with 2 batteries. I add to bag one of these nonames as a "unexpected spare". Sometimes I use it for short period, for moments when both of my Fuji batteries are moved to chargers, and it works ok. For such my need maybe each third-party battery with correct voltage and dimensions will be fine, and cheaper is better.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I ordered two Watson batteries for the X100S.  One charged up fine.  The other one failed to charge.

So for me thumbs down with a 50% failure rate.

 

I've just had a mishap with a Watson product — the dual-battery charger with digital readouts. First time this has happened: after charging a (Wasabi) battery in it, I put the battery back into the X-T1, which fired up dead as a doornail. I put the battery back into the Watson charger and it again showed the battery as being 100% charged. Removed it and put it into a small Wasabi charger, which showed it as being in need of a charge. About two hours later the Wasabi charger indicated full charge and this time the camera agreed.

 

Irritating. Up to now the Watson dual charger has been fine, and I don't know if this means it has failed or if just there are individual batteries that don't like it. If that's the case and if the results stop being predictable, then it sure won't be a good idea to take it on the road. (Four of the small Watson chargers would take up roughly the same amount of space.)

 

If you have more than one charger, you might try another one to see if it makes a difference.

 

One of the few things I miss about the Nikon DSLR is that its batteries and charger were of really high quality...and the cost of those things reflected it.

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