Want-a-leica Posted February 27, 2011 Share #1 Posted February 27, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm going to pick up a spare battery for my M8 (one of my few issues with the camera is that the battery life is terrible compared to a good DSLR, but I knew that before I got it and it's not the end of the world by a long shot). I've seen various batteries touted on ebay, etc, but I also read that certain non-official (i.e. not Leica) batteries are all but useless and won't hold a charge after a few charges. Are there any batteries that are definitely or definitely not recommended? I don't mind getting the real thing, but if there are others which do an equally good job then I can get one of those. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 27, 2011 Posted February 27, 2011 Hi Want-a-leica, Take a look here Spare battery - recommendations?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
brunop Posted February 27, 2011 Share #2 Posted February 27, 2011 short answer. bite the bullet. the real thing. leica is never cheap. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 27, 2011 Share #3 Posted February 27, 2011 Buy cheap buy twice Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted February 27, 2011 Share #4 Posted February 27, 2011 +1 And search the forum. There have been countless threads on this topic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted February 27, 2011 Share #5 Posted February 27, 2011 +1And search the forum. There have been countless threads on this topic. Quite. But there's one particular thing that's important about Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, which is worth stressing again: Lithium is a naturally very volatile substance. Given the right conditions it will readily combust or explode and those conditions are only limited by the control circuitry in a Li-Ion battery. If you choose a Li-Ion aftermarket battery then it could easily have been manufactured in a country where little attention is paid to regulation and where the control circuitry is poorly designed or non-existent. You may well be placing yourself and those around you at risk simply to save a dollar or two. If you don't believe this then have a look at this article Lithium Battery Fires. And Googling will find plenty of others. Personally I would not take the risk Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photon42 Posted February 27, 2011 Share #6 Posted February 27, 2011 Buy cheap buy twice With Leica, even buying expensive did not prevent me from buying more than once Not necesarily related to batteries, though ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubice Posted February 27, 2011 Share #7 Posted February 27, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have been using two Leica originals and two aftermarket batteries, ever since I got my M8 close to 4 years ago. Have had absolutely no problems with any of them and in use cannot tell which one is in the camera. I find that it is very important to run every new battery through a couple of initial full charge and full discharge cycles. Theroretically (my theory at least), that will 'prime' them and should increase their stability. My cell phone battery has gone through the same process and is still holding excellent charge after 10 years (yes, my Samsung phone is 10 years old and does not take pictures....). My aftermarket batteries also state that their Li Ion cells were sourced in Japan - whether that is just a sales pitch or a fact, I can’t tell. The important thing is, that my M8 has not self-immolated or self-combusted due to the use of less expensive batteries. Everybody’s mileage may of course vary…. Best, Jan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeicaMSeattle Posted February 27, 2011 Share #8 Posted February 27, 2011 I have three Leica batteries and one aftermarket battery and through the course of use, I can tell you that the aftermarket battery will not provide the same number of shots as the factory batteries will provide. It seems that the factory battery drop off rate is much more gradual. The aftermarket battery sits in my bag for emergency use only when the other three are exhausted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert N Posted February 27, 2011 Share #9 Posted February 27, 2011 Jan - Leica clearly outlines the proper conditioning of a new battery: "A new battery only reaches its full capacity after it has been fully charged and – by use in the camera – discharged 2 or 3 times. This discharge process should be repeated every 25 cycles." I share the same experience as you on the usability of non-leica brand batteries, there is no difference except for the need to fully discharge before recharging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Want-a-leica Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted February 27, 2011 Pretty unanimous then. The real thing it is! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
menos I M6 Posted February 28, 2011 Share #11 Posted February 28, 2011 Buy as much, as you can afford. Mark them numerically (stickers). Cycle them in usage and charging. Buy original. Sleep less rich, but more better ;-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bernie.lcf Posted February 28, 2011 Share #12 Posted February 28, 2011 If you don't believe this then have a look at this article Lithium Battery Fires. And Googling will find plenty of others. Personally I would not take the risk Let's not spread urban legends here... The quoted article talks about laptop batteries. These used to catch fire a couple years ago due to a manufacturing defect by Sony, the leading LiIon batterie maker of those times. This problem was fixed. Today, Li-Ion (and Li-poly) batteries cause problems when RC people overcharge them. This is fairly common because that gang uses chargers where you can handtune the electric current. Li-Ion and Li-poly do not take overcharging well. The problem is enhanced by the use of multiple cells (per pack) - you would have to balance current over the cells, etc. etc. Third party batteries are generally produced by the same companies in China as are the brand name ones. The difference is quality, usually in terms of max capacity. Sellers of these batteries (e.g. on eBay) try to eliminate this risk for you by offering generous warranty and exchange policies. If you want max. capacity as per the spec, no problems with the battery and no hassles exchanging the battery multiple times: buy Original. So... No, third party batteries are not the same as the Original and No, they will not usually explode in your hands. (if you are paranoic, check the RC groups and sites. They have solutions to limit the damage caused by burning, exploding or leaking batteries) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted February 28, 2011 Share #13 Posted February 28, 2011 Good idea to use stickers to identify them - I use different coloured dots. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubice Posted February 28, 2011 Share #14 Posted February 28, 2011 Yes, excellent idea to identify battries - mine are numbered in sequence 1 - 2 - 3 etc. and are always rotated. Best, Jan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchalfon Posted February 28, 2011 Share #15 Posted February 28, 2011 had a generic battery for my canon during 2 years and sometimes it seemed to last longer than the original. now i've bought a generic one for my m8 and it seems really ok. just make sure you cycle between your batteries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevidon Posted February 28, 2011 Share #16 Posted February 28, 2011 Do not buy a generic or third party battery for your M8. Your M8 will not be able to give you an accurate reading on the amount of charge in the battery. I considered it money thrown away and ended up buying a genuine Leica battery for a spare. As for battery life, unless you absolutely need to review every single shot, turn of your LCD screen. It eats up battery life. You can still review the shots you want to look at by turning the LCD on manually. I find that I get very good battery life that way. I can go through the whole day and not resort to the spare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2011 Share #17 Posted March 1, 2011 I have only used original Leica batteries and while the potential saving is good their appears to be a trade off with regards to reliability.I have no intension of even trying the copies. ( if jaap was to recomend them or Mark Norten I might be tempted) With a conditoned battery I get about 450 shots (raw plus jpeg fine).Thats the equivelant to 12 roles of film.How long do we need a fully charged battery to last with an M camera. Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 1, 2011 Share #18 Posted March 1, 2011 The Calumet spare battery I have for my D700 lasts about half as long as the original Nikon one. But, it was half the price... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frase Posted March 10, 2011 Share #19 Posted March 10, 2011 I have 4 batteries one is the original leica, when I bought the camera with warranty from a shop it came with a generic battery, they cost £12 each and I see no difference from the original and my camera has not exploded yet. When the original canon 1d came out the battery cost £100 each and you needed 3 a day two bodies that meant carrying around 6 batteries no way was I going to buy canon ones, since then I have used generic batteries with no problems Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy8269 Posted March 13, 2011 Share #20 Posted March 13, 2011 Don't buy cheap battery for your M8. Better be safe than sorry. I bought it too, but don't use it since it could not show correct battery level on camera (even it showed as fully charged on the charger). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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