Don’t Buy Third Party Camera Batteries Until You Read This

Have you ever put a third party lens on your camera? I am guessing for the majority of you the answer is yes. The reason for that is that there are numerous lens manufacturers out there, most of whom have sterling reputations when it comes to value and quality.

Let me now ask a slightly different question.

Have you ever put a third party battery in your camera? I am going to hazard a guess that the number of virtually raised hands is significantly less. There are reasons for this. Firstly there is a good chance that significant numbers of photographers may not know that third party camera batteries are available. Secondly, modern batteries have gained a bit of a bad reputation.

Why Don't We Use Third Party Batteries?

We hear countless stories of exploding smartphones and hover boards spontaneously combusting. Even Boeing had problems with batteries. Why would we trust an unknown company to power our beloved camera. The answer is you wouldn’t. However there are some very good companies producing batteries for cameras. Because you may not know their names does not mean they are disreputable. Like anything in life there are pros and cons to purchasing third party so let’s take a look at them.

The Advantages of Using Third Party Camera Batteries

The most obvious advantage is price. If you shoot a lot of frames per day or perhaps hours of video footage, you will need extra batteries. OEM companies charge a premium for batteries because they can. Third party batteries can provide the same power, often for a third of the cost. This means you can get purchase as many batteries as you need for a day’s shoot and make significant savings.

As well as price, there are a number of reputable companies producing batteries. Companies like Hahnel have been producing photographic equipment for years, they would not risk their reputation on poor quality batteries. A little research online will reveal the major players in the third party battery industry. Much like buying memory cards, choose a reputable dealer too.

In some case you can buy higher rated batteries that have the potential to increase the number of frames that you can take. Many of these third party batteries also include microchips to monitor power levels, much the same as their OEM counterparts

best third party camera batteries — Wasabi are a respected name in third party batteries. Image by moppet65535

The Disadvantages of Using Third Party Camera Batteries

Despite there being a number of reputable companies, there are significantly more fly by night merchants. These will sell batteries with poor manufacturing standards that may swell after sustained use. This can be a major issue if it is in the camera at the time.

Another issue is that camera companies often “fix” battery problems with firmware upgrades. This is sometimes an excuse to lock out third party batteries completely rendering them useless. Batteries that worked fine before the upgrade are not recognised at all after.

One often reported issue is long term battery life. The third party battery may be giving you a similar number of frames as your OEM at the beginning its life may deteriorate much quicker than an original.

Lastly the use of a third party camera battery may invalidate your warranty in certain circumstances.

battery charger — Camera companies can lock out third party batteries so you have to use theirs. Image by Kai Hendry

Reading through there are as many pros as cons to buying a third party camera battery. That’s not the full story though. If you are considering going for a non OEM battery you need to spend time doing your research.

The Most Reputable Brands

Look at the photographic forums and get an idea of the most reputable manufacturers. Look at the cost savings, is it really worth saving the money on batteries that you put in a multi thousand dollar camera? Does your camera manufacturer have a reputation for locking out third party companies?

From a personal point of view I have been using third party batteries for years. Not only in stills camera but in professional camcorders too. I have never had an issue where a battery has swollen or damaged my camera. Nor has any camera update locked out a battery. I have encountered a quicker decay of battery life in some but not all.

Whether or not to go third party is a personal decision that should be based on research. If your camera is still under guarantee you might avoid going third party at least until that runs out. Yes there are horror stories on the internet, but assuming the stories are true, for every one who has had a problem there will be scores more who didn’t. For some third party batteries will always be a no no. For others they will be a way of getting a full days shooting without paying a kings ransom.

In case you decided that third party camera batteries might be a good idea, we're going to cover the best options for various cameras.

Third Party Batteries For Canon 5D

If you have one of the following cameras, make sure to get WasabiPower batteries:

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Mark III, Mark IV, 5DS and 5DR
Canon EOS 6D
Canon EOS 7D and Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Canon EOS 60D
Canon EOS 70D
Canon EOS 80D

These batteries cost around $30, which makes them considerably cheaper than Canon batteries. They have quite good build quality and dual charger allows both batteries to be charged at once.

However, some users have issues with longevity of these batteries.

Third Party Batteries For Canon EOS Rebel

For the following camera models you should purchase BM Premium batteries:

EOS Rebel T1, T3, T5, T6
Kiss X50, X70
EOS 1100D, EOS 1200D, EOS 1300D

These batteries cost just $15, which makes them extremely afforadable. Also, they are fully charged in under an hour and a half.

Even though some user complains about their longevity, BM Premium batteries still offer a great bargain.

Third Party Batteries For Sony a7

If you own one of these Sony cameras, you should get a NP-FW50 battery model made by WasabiPower:

a7, a7 II, a7R, a7RII, a7S, a7S II
a5000, a5100, a6000, a6300, a6500

These batteries cost $27 and come with a standard three-year warranty. They are also compatible with original Sony charger.

What’s not so good about them is that their build quality is on the cheap side and they don’t hold charge if they are left unused.

Third Party Batteries For Nikon D5500

Purchase EcoEfficiency batteries if you own one of these cameras:

Nikon D3100, D3200, D3300, D3400
D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500
Coolpix P7000, P7100, P7700, P7800

EcoEffiency batteries perform very well during video shoots and many users claim that they are comparable to original Nikon batteries. They also include international power adapters and they are quite affordable – the price is just $25.

The only drawback is that some Nikon cameras reject these batteries.

nikon d3100 — Photo by Oscar Ivan Esquivel Arteaga

Third Party Batteries For Nikon D800

You should get RavPower batteries if you have one of these Nikon cameras:

D7100, D750, D7000, D7200
D810, D800, D600, D800e, D810a
D600, D610

RavPower batteries aren’t cheap – they cost $40. They come with a USB charger and what’s really great about them is that both batteries can be charged at once. Many users praise them for their great battery life.

However, they seem to have compatibility issues with certain cameras.