Aftermarket batteries and the M9. . .

[jamato8]

I finally got some aftermarket batteries from a Honk Kong seller. The mA is shown to be 1800mA and the battery fits and looks pretty much the same as the stock. So far the charge they hold and image number per battery are about the same as the stock, which surprises me as I thought it would be less, which would be fine for the price.

Two batteries for 35 dollars shipped, which takes about 3 weeks via airmail. The seller is on ebay and advertises the batteries as 15 dollars plus change with free shipping. For the volume he does, the communication was pretty good.

 

[GrahamWelland]

I figured that given the investment in the camera it was nuts to go after market on batteries and invite any potential problems, even if unlikely. YMMV.

 

[swoop]

Yeah. I bought one aftermarket battery. And while it never actually gave me power issues. It doesn't tell me how much power it has. And that was a huge drawback. And this was an Adorama brand replacement battery.

I figure it's easier to just go the original Leica route considering how much the camera costs rather than risking a cheap battery exploding in the thing. Even though the price has gone up to about $130 a piece.

 

[ZeissFan]

If you're going to spend $5,000 on a camera, why cheap out on the battery?

I bought a cheapie battery for my Olympus E-500. Worked fine until I upgraded the firmware in the camera. Then it would never charge correctly afterward. Coincidence? Maybe.

I also bought an inexpensive AC adapter for my wife's laptop. It literally fell apart in six months. I was afraid it was going to cause a fire, so I threw it away.

 

[jamato8]

Hey, I hear you but frankly, having shot since the early 70's I have seen things that work and those that don't. Some inexpensive stuff that is junk and some that holds up great and the same goes for expensive.

These batteries are holding a charge as good or maybe a little bit better than my two Leica batteries. Remember in all probability, the Leica batteries also come from China. These batteries show charge, how much is left and work great. Why pay 130 if you don't have to. That also doesn't make since to me. I don't throw money away. . . most of the time. :^)

I have a 200mm f2 Canon L. The original cap is horrible and the hood too long for practical work. So what did I do? I found something that works far batter for a lens cap and a hood that is much more portable and is easier to take on and off and stays put and will hold up forever, for. . . . 3 dollars. So why pay 5000 dollars for a lens and then buy a lens cap and hood for 3 dollars? Because it works and does the job better than the original regardless of price

So batteries that cost much, much less and are proving to me that they work great but should not be bought due to price, for me, doesn't hold water. What do you think Leica really pays for their batteries most likely made in China?

Oh, and the Leica battery charger, made in . . . China.

 

[Rayt]

Lens caps don't explode or short out circuits like batteries can. I personally wouldn't take that chance but seems you made out OK.

 

[jamato8]

Now that would be nasty. My front element on the 200 L shattered. That would be, just hard to take. The 135L and 200 f2 L both remind me of Leica glass in their color the way they paint.

 

[k.a]

I finally got some aftermarket batteries from a Honk Kong seller. The mA is shown to be 1800mA and the battery fits and looks pretty much the same as the stock. So far the charge they hold and image number per battery are about the same as the stock, which surprises me as I thought it would be less, which would be fine for the price.

Two batteries for 35 dollars shipped, which takes about 3 weeks via airmail. The seller is on ebay and advertises the batteries as 15 dollars plus change with free shipping. For the volume he does, the communication was pretty good.

do you have the name of the seller? i'm intrested in buying some more batteries for my m8 and the ones you got seems to be a real bargin

 

[David Hegar]

There's nothing wrong with 3rd party batteries.
Those batteries have been used in Nikon and Canon world...and Nikon and Canon top of the line dslr are not exactly cheap either. Wrt to 3rd party anything...I think we still have to use common sense such as don't get the absolute cheapest battery that only costs $3 when the rest of 3rd party battery is sold for $19/each.

I figured that given the investment in the camera it was nuts to go after market on batteries and invite any potential problems, even if unlikely. YMMV.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Remember in all probability, the Leica batteries also come from China. . . . Oh, and the Leica battery charger, made in . . . China.

Ansmann's factories are indeed in China, but to draw parallels between Ansmann's Chinese operation and a backstreet battery company is disingenuous. After all, you wouldn't say that a Rolls-Royce and a Ford were built to the same standards, even though they're both built in Britain.

Like others, I've had batteries go bad in other products. If an Ansmann battery went bad and wrecked a Leica, I'd not worry about Leica making good. With a $15 battery... Well, I'd prefer not to take the risk.

David's point above is also very good, if you don't mind taking what is, indeed, most likely to be a very small risk.

Cheers,

R.

 

[250swb]

I'm guessing the people who advocate just getting an OEM battery and not acting cheap don't know there is a world wide shortage of OEM batteries?

Not having the luxury of having a stock of OEM batteries because I never had an M8, when I got my M9 I ordered a new battery. Five months later it arrived at my dealer. All the dealers in the UK got their allocation on the same day, and by the end of that day they were all sold. Same around the world. So don't sneer at people who need to go via the third party route.

I got my third party spare battery from an ebay dealer in Germany, as I thought it may be easier to send back if it didn't work, like the scare stories told me. It does work, it holds its charge very well, and I think for longer than the OEM battery. The battery meter doesn't show the true charge unless its recharged from empty, but if you know its charged and the camera says 'Low battery' just press 'Set' and carry on shooting, at some point the camera realizes its impossible that an empty battery is supplying power and the meter resets to a true charge.

So don't be fooled into thinking dealers have OEM in stock just because it says so on the website, you need to order one to find the true stock level, and then you can fire up ebay and get one from China.

Steve

 

[kully]

I took apart one of the M8 batteries from the seller 'loo100us'.

The cell pack and circuit board were ok and all connected up, the thing that suprised me was the soldering had been done by hand. The workmanship was more Doc Marten than Luis Vuitton, but it wasn't shoddy.

I didn't think my M8 was a 'rip-off', but paying £70 for a 1800mAh Li-Ion battery in this day and age is not nice.

BTW There are lots of 3rd party batteries which are absolute crap, so please don't take this to be a recommendation for any old battery.

 

[jamato8]

Ansmann's factories are indeed in China, but to draw parallels between Ansmann's Chinese operation and a backstreet battery company is disingenuous. After all, you wouldn't say that a Rolls-Royce and a Ford were built to the same standards, even though they're both built in Britain.

Like others, I've had batteries go bad in other products. If an Ansmann battery went bad and wrecked a Leica, I'd not worry about Leica making good. With a $15 battery... Well, I'd prefer not to take the risk.

David's point above is also very good, if you don't mind taking what is, indeed, most likely to be a very small risk.

Cheers,

R.

I merely stated where they were most likely made. I stated no comparison to any factories, did I? Just like in the states, there are good manufactures and bad ones.

 

[GrahamWelland]

I'm guessing the people who advocate just getting an OEM battery and not acting cheap don't know there is a world wide shortage of OEM batteries?

Not having the luxury of having a stock of OEM batteries because I never had an M8, when I got my M9 I ordered a new battery. Five months later it arrived at my dealer. All the dealers in the UK got their allocation on the same day, and by the end of that day they were all sold. Same around the world. So don't sneer at people who need to go via the third party route.

Well, you might be guessing wrong but I digress. This was the situation in the US too a while back but isn't the case at the moment though.

I'll happily concede that given the choice of a no spare battery option and picking up an after-market alternative for now, I'd certainly buy one, no question. It's hard to argue against that one.

I've been burned in the past by non-OEM batteries for various cameras (Nikon, Canon, Leica, Panasonic etc etc) and so now simply always buy OEM whenever I can. Sure it's more expensive initially but the long term cost is minimal and ultimately worth it to me for peace of mind.

 

[35mmdelux]

Buying an Aston Martin and not getting the best tires for it......

 

[ampguy]

If you carefully open up an OEM one, there is a 2-way switch. One direction says "Cheap Chinese clone battery mode" and the other position says "Expensive Leica cork-sniffer mode" 😉

 

[jamato8]

Ok, after running them down and recharging I see that if you only discharge the battery some, that when you recharge it, the percentage still remains as it was. Interesting, part of the circuit that can't do the same as the OEM battery. They are working fine otherwise and will be great for back-up and extended field work.

 

[kully]

Don't compare things which make no sense in comparison like tyres and batteries. Cheap tyres may well cause you discomfort in ride and road noise and more discomfort when they lose traction and plant you in a tree.

A 3rd party battery is different, Li-Ion battery technology is a commodity. If you find a 3rd party battery company which makes good quality product then there is no need (not saying there is not a want) to say it is worse than the OEM product.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Don't compare things which make no sense in comparison like tyres and batteries. Cheap tyres may well cause you discomfort in ride and road noise and more discomfort when they lose traction and plant you in a tree.

A 3rd party battery is different, Li-Ion battery technology is a commodity. If you find a 3rd party battery company which makes good quality product then there is no need (not saying there is not a want) to say it is worse than the OEM product.

Well, yes, true. But the key word is 'if'.

Cheers,

R.

 

[scottwallick]

Another OEM and non-OEM battery user with the M9. I have two Leica batteries, two Pearstone BM-8. Pleased with both types.

The key to using these batteries is to first insert the battery, and then use the M9. That should help clear up any confusion. 😉