matt-to wrote:
Thank you all - seems the consensus is to stick to Sony batteries.
Frankly there's a lot of sabre waving and fear mongering when it comes to batteries. People will point out the few instances they've heard of issues (on the internet) but we are talking about vast quantities of batteries so the failure rate is extremely low overall.
In Sony's case they no longer manufacture them themselves - they are made by Murata in Japan.
In 99.9% of cases good quality 3rd party batteries (not the ultra-cheap stuff that can be found here - I am resident in China) will work just fine. In 25 years living here (and in HK) I've never even heard of anyone having a dangerous issue with their 3rd party camera batteries (there are a LOT of expats plying their trade here and I'm a member of 4 photographic groups of ca. 500 people each, video and stills shooters).
The major 'issue' if you can call it that, is reduced longevity, both in terms of discharge, so number of shots fired, and of battery life. I agree that everything considered (bar price) I'd always use Sony's batteries, but if you own a number of cameras with different battery types and / or shoot professionally or a lot (sport/birds etc.) then you need to own more than a couple of batteries.
I have an A7rii sitting right in front of me (alongside the A9 and A7r4) and I have 6 batteries for it (for travel when I'm in the mountains and recharging may not be possible for a few days). Two are Sony originals that I will use by preference but often I don't even look before swapping out the batteries (the others are Leifire and Kingma), it just isn't an issue.
Check YouTube for battery testing for the battery you require. Rav Power are not particularly good. Wasabi, and the ones I use Kingma, seem to consistently rate much higher, alongside others that seem to be renamed for the USA and perform admirably in short term testing.
You can assume, in general, ca. 20% fewer shots from a quality 3rd Party manufacturer. Considering the substantial saving that works for me. The maths is simple : a 3rd party battery may cost ⅓ price of a Sony whilst the Sony gives you e.g. 700 shots. A 3rd party maybe 500 so buying 3 (for the price of one Sony) equals 1,500 shots for the same price. the downside is you have to carry 2 for every single Sony (but now have extra capacity) but especially for the A7rii that is not even noticeable and there are upsides to having more batteries of lower capacity than one with higher (esp. for example in cold weather).
Personally I have no fear whatsoever in using 3rd Party batteries from good manufacturers.
RoamingScott wrote:
Why not use a 20,000 mAh power bank instead of lugging six batteries you have to charge individually?
10,000 is the max. allowed on the airlines here, and I carry 2 or 3 of those as well, but that's to power everything I need power for and when going out for day trips from my base I like to have 2-3 in the bag (or in my pocket to keep them warm). 6 is overkill but I prefer to have more than I need than be caught short.
I have about 8 of the 50 series Batteries Including at least 1 OEM and 2 Ravpower For an A7 and an A7R2. For my A7III and A9 I have 3 OEM and 2 others.
My view is use Sony first, check Batteries before taking them out as spares, I try to charge a battery in camera before i take the camera away (ensures the in camera battery is recharged, mattered on A7)
I believe charging is the prime time for batteries to fail, also High temperatures may trigger issues.
If I am out in severe cold, take many spares with at least one battery in a warm place.
Uninsured Stolen or damaged gear is a far cry from a fire in your home. Then there’s the phrase “I had good luck with brand XX Chinese batteries.” That pretty much says it all-relying on luck.
SoundHound wrote:
Uninsured Stolen or damaged gear is a far cry from a fire in your home. Then there’s the phrase “I had good luck with brand XX Chinese batteries.” That pretty much says it all-relying on luck.
Z name that tune ! As in come on, when and where? Ridiculous. Do you not now buy Apple phones or computers too? Oh and let's not forget cars*, better not travel in cars either.
*More than 38,000 people die every year in crashes on U.S. roadways. The U.S. traffic fatality rate is 12.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. An additional 4.4 million are injured seriously enough to require medical attention.
I guess it depends upon your experience A while ago a friend had some Li-ON speciality batteries (no not for Sony cameras). They went Nova damaged some expensive and almost burned down his garage. So yes we all take risks. My idea is to minimize risk by a bit more care and expense. So yes I wear my seat belt whenever driving.
name that tune ! As in come on, when and where? Ridiculous. Do you not now buy Apple phones or computers too? Oh and let's not forget cars*, better not travel in cars either.