Are eBay camear batterys alright to use in my new Lumix?

[red97vette]

I just bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 from prestigecamera.com, and about 30 min later i get a phone call to verify, etc that it was me who bought it.. anyways, he goes on to say that the battery it comes with will only last "15-20 minutes" and that i should buy a bigger battery from him for $40.00 (that would last "2 - 3 hours")...seemed like a scam to me, so i said no, as i had read that people were getting 300 pictures from the camera on a single charge.

The battery it comes with (according to panasonics website) is a 1,150mAh battery.

Then i went to prestiguecameara's website and look up this extra battery pack (which there costs $90) and its only a 750mAh battery! ...odd

Ebay has 1,150mAh batteries for sale for abound $13 shipped.. are these batteries ok to use? ive heard stories that they only last 1/2 as long, etc. but with a power rating of the same as the manuf. shouldnt it last just as long?
here is the link to ebay:


http://cgi.ebay.com/... ...452104QQihZ007QQcategoryZ43447QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewI tem
and here is to prestiguecamera's "extra" power battery for $90:

http://www.prestigecamera.com/product~id~bppcgas005.htm



any recommendations? i dont think i should have bought the extra battery from them for $40 (which was a "one time discount" apart from the normal price). So i think i did okay there.. what do yall think?
do i buy an ebay battery, or buy one from them (or panasonic) for a lot more?

[maudit]

I bought a nikon d50 with an extra battery pack, from a 3rd party manufacturer and it works like a charm, just be sure to buy from sellers with 100% or close enough feedback, of course, don't expect this battery to last as long as the original one ( lifewise that is or at least that's what i've read on 3rd party products.
Hopes this helps
Also, you should look for reviews on the battery pack you're going to buy, there's bound to be one ore two at least...

Edit: Spelling...

[red97vette]

maudit wrote:

I bought a nikon d50 with an extra battery pack, from a 3rd party manufacturer and it works like a charm, just be sure to buy from sellers with 100% or close enough feedback, of course, don't except this battery to last as long as the original one ( lifewise that is or at least that's what i've read on 3rd party products.
Hopes this helps
Also, you should look for reviews on the battery pack you're going to buy, there's bound to be one ore two at least...

awsome, thanks for the reply

[rinniethehun]

They told you that the Panasonic battery will only last 15-20 minutes...and you believed them? I would have instantly cancelled my order. I couldn't find this business listed on ressellerratings.com...do you know anyone who has purchased from them?

Be careful with aftermarket batteries...yeah, I know - dozens of people will claim they've used them and never had a problem. The ones who did will never admit it.

What happens to your warranty if the batteries leak?

http://www.cipa.jp/battery/index_e.html

the Hun

[red97vette]

nope, i didnt really believe him, i just figured it was another sales push. its an "import model" so i just wanted to make sure they didnt sneak a nonstandard battery in there that was crappy to save on costs. it was only $340 shipped. Panasonic MSRP on it is $399.99.

[eric s]

What you were hit with is one of the oldest scams in the photo world.
You were lucky, though, that they didn't do some of the really nasty tricks.
- Charge you for the battery that *comes* with the camera
- reject your order ("not in stock") if you don't by the over priced extras
- and many others.

I have used two after market batteries without trouble. But I know other people who have had trouble. (I disagree with rinniethehun - Its human nature to complain and look for sympathy. People love to complain when they buy something that didn't work well... in fact, my experience is that they are more likely to do that than praise a product.)

I believe the after-market batteries are cheaper because:
- They use inferior parts/chemicals.
- They have lower quality standards for shipping a product.
- Maybe others....

The end result is that in 6 months you might find that
- The batteries don't hold a charge as long (take fewer pictures)
- The batteries end up dead just by sitting on the shelf

They can be so cheap as to be worth the risk. Other times they are way more powerful and cheaper and be worth the risk.

I've generally been happy with my after market batteries.

Eric

[Rriley]

i never buy 'factory' batteries i consider the price a rip off
sometimes the ma factor varies a tad, no matter

batteries require a visual inspection on occasion
if the case becomes cracked, and leaks you must toss it
if you see white powder on the terminals toss it

i have never had either

when you consider you can sometimes buy 6 batteries for the price of 1 factory battery they exceed the $ per recharge any way you cut it

not that I see them as shorter life anyways

Riley