Nikon Battery

[YoAshnish]

I would like to purchase a spare/back-up battery for my D80 and am wondering if anyone has ever purchased a non-Nikon battery for their camera. The camera store that I purchased my camera from does not have the Nikon battery in stock but said they had a Lenmar battery that would work in my D80. The D80 manual of course says to use only Nikon batteries, any other battery may over heat or leak. Any input would be greatly appreciated:D Thank you in advance;)

[kirbinster]

I have a spare battery I bought from J&R for my D40 that is not a Nikon Battery. It was about $10 cheaper and most likely comes from the same factory. Its a Power2000 and says it is a direct replacement for the Nikon EN-EL9. It is 7.4 volts just like the OEM but instead of being 1000mAh it is 1200mAh Li-ion. It works great and lasts a little longer.

[ff151]

I gotta be honest about my opinion on this subject. If you are only saving $10 bucks, is it really worth risking the electronics in your Nikon's?

You are probably right, the battery is probably the same, however is it worth the risk? All electronics are very sensitive to voltage fluctuations, In my opinion on any electronics (not just camera's), you need a stable power source. I think staying with a Nikon battery will leave you no doubt or risk.

Just my 2 cents

[rediguana]

I come from Canonland, but the same probably applies here for Nikon.

I've got a couple of Canon batteries, and the default charger. I was looking at getting some more (astrophotography goes through batteries quicker in the cold with long exposures) as well as a double charger and car adapter.

I've just today purchased two Inca batteries (matched pair for a grip) and a charger that comes with AC and car fittings. I purchased these for probably under half the price (possibly 1/3rd) it would have been to set up with 'authentic' Canon gear (two batteries, double charger, need to purchase separate cables for the double charger and still purchase a car adapter as well). My Leica D-Lux 3 actually has Inca written on the bottom of the camera as a supported battery brand.

In addition to the cost being cheaper, the Inca batteries (1620mAh) also have a higher mAh rating than the Canon BP511 (1100mAh) which means they will last longer.

I'll let you know how I get on with them, but it is probably well worth you checking out batteries and chargers from aftermarket companies like Inca. The savings could go a long way towards better/more glass... mmmm... glass :)

The biggest risk is probably not putting aftermarket batteries in the camera - as long as the voltage rating (e.g. 7.4V for my BP511's) is the same it shouldn't be a problem. The biggest risk is more likely to be charging batteries in the correct charger. But even here the guy in the store said I should be able to charge the original Canon batteries in the Inca charger. Given we have consumer protection legislation here in New Zealand, the store and/or manufacturer will be liable if the Inca charger doesn't charge the Canon battery, or if the Inca battery breaks the camera. So, whatever happens, little to no risk to me.

The only real difference I've seen in the chargers, is that the Canon charger appears to charge faster than the Inca - I'll test that later. One nice thing about the Inca charger though, is that you can swap out the battery mating plate and charge different battery types. Great if you're travelling with P&S and DSLR, or just want to simplify you gear desk!

Cheers Gav

[kirbinster]

I don't see it as a problem and $10 is a big percentage when you consider the price is $30 versus $40 for the OEM. An OEM battery is likely no better, look at the recalls by Dell and most other companies over batteries produced for them by Sony.

[YoAshnish]

Thank you all for your input thus far. My biggest concern with purchasing a non Nikon battery is "if" something should happen with this other brand battery and it damages my camera...the warranty on the camera would be shot, which isn't a pretty picture. We do have consumer protection laws in Maine as well, however, it means possibly getting into a battle and heck, that is not fun, can be down right exhausting! I really think I am going to stick with the Nikon battery for now...maybe after a year or two I'll consider a different brand.

[rediguana]

I don't know about the Nikons, but quite a few cameras allow you to put AA's in the battery grip. I don't think I'm beholden to use Canon AA's (probably don't exist). This suggests to me that cameras should be fairly resilient about the power source.

Me? I'd be more concerned hooking my camera up to the mains via an AC adapter and having a power surge (if I was doing this I would most likely be using a surge protector).

Cheers Gav

[Sime™]

I use both standard and non standard batteries in my canon eos and ixus (RIP!) and have never had any problems. you might want to make double sure that using a non-standard battery doesn't void any warranty... have a look HERE (http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nikoneurope_en.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=8030&p_created=1069238416&p_sid=YmU8sjKi&p_accessibility=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX 3Jvd19jbnQ9ODMmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnB fY3Y9JnBfcGFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9d2FycmFudHkgY mF0dGVyeQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1)