Bert N Posted March 20, 2011 Share #21 Posted March 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I also bought a Pearstone battery from B&H, if you discharged the battery completely before recharging it, then the camera battery status monitor works perfectly fine, and it holds charge just as well as the battery sold by Leica. The full discharge requirement is a hassle and requires additional planning, I just leave the camera on overnight with the auto shut-off feature turned off, and the battery is ready to be recharged in the morning. Pearstone is the name of the battery I tried. It held a charge very well, but did not report accurately. The camera would give battery low warnings when it is in fact full. Then, after warning of the impending shut down, and shutting down, it will suddenly report that the battery is full. The annoyance is not worth the cost savings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 Hi Bert N, Take a look here M9 third party Battery ?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Washington Posted March 20, 2011 Share #22 Posted March 20, 2011 Thanks. Makes me wonder why camera battery chargers don’t have a discharge setting like the REALLY sophisticated ones you can get at the hardware store for $19.95? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted March 20, 2011 Share #23 Posted March 20, 2011 The third party may seem cheap and tacky to some, or it could seem like salvation to others if they want to make a photograph. Personally I think anybody who wants to make a photograph (above polishing their camera) should be supported, not get told they are being cheap (it can't be true, we hear Leica owners are all rich ) or told to sit on their hands and wait until Leica's Procurement Department pull their finger out. I do wonder at some peoples priorities, because strangely for a photography forum its not to get out with the camera, but to just worry themselves and worry other people into stopping at home. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vladik Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share #24 Posted March 20, 2011 Hello Washington, here is the link : Digital Camera Batteries - Buy a new Digital Camera Battery Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vladik Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share #25 Posted March 20, 2011 Here is the link Washington:Digital Camera Battery - Batteries 400 Day Money Back Guaranteed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viv Posted March 20, 2011 Share #26 Posted March 20, 2011 That may be true, but not necessarily bad, in either case. My neighbour has two Porche's. Where we live he has no chance to drive the cars to their capacity. Recently he got a puncture and IIRC his one replacement cost the equivalent of a full set of tyres for my Saab Aero 1989! His driving 'experience' can be no better or worse than mine, but a lot more expensive! Regarding the batts, I have 4 genuine Leica Batts. One is dodgy. I would be tempted to try the cheapy mentioned above, especially as it is supplied from 'near' me. However, I don't believe I really need another just yet. Now if my sole battery supply was non genuine, I might be concerned, but not necessarily, but for backup, fine. How many of us have a second M9 as backup as opposed to 'some other camera' that we trust? Where is the difference? A very good and balanced posting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted March 20, 2011 Share #27 Posted March 20, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thanks. Makes me wonder why camera battery chargers don’t have a discharge settinglike the REALLY sophisticated ones you can get at the hardware store for $19.95? The Leica factory battery does not need to be exhausted in order to be fully charged again. You can recharge it at any state of discharge. There is no risk of 'charge memory' that other batteries have which diminishes their capacity. It is recommended, however, that if you are going to store it for a long time that you leave it half discharged. As for the topic - I would go with genuine Leica batteries. I've spent enough on the M9 that to be cheap now is not worth the risk. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted March 20, 2011 Share #28 Posted March 20, 2011 Could you spell out the risks please? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoism Posted March 20, 2011 Share #29 Posted March 20, 2011 Buying third party batteries for your Leica cameras could very well be a hit and miss experience. There are too many unknowns involved. We don't know who makes them, what quality control they have on their products, if their technology is the same used in OEM batteries, or what grade/quality raw materials they are using. Buying and using these batteries is at best a lottery. Members of this forum shared various personal experience here, and even that is not a guarantee of any sort to others. Others just pass along information they got over the internet. When I started out planning a month long trip to Asia in 2009 I decided to try it out for myself. I was to use mainly the OEM battery and use these third party batteries as back up only. I ordered two from Hong Kong through an eBay seller for under $18.00 shipped. They look exactly like the one posted on camera battery dot com, the look, the label, and even the specifications matched. I honestly was prepared to kiss my $18.00 goodbye if they did not work out. Luckily, they have been behaving well, to this date. On my trip I used all three batteries in turn, keeping them charged at all times. This way I was able to go to other two should the one inside the camera failed, or used up. I never had one failed on me. For the third party batteries, I do cycle/drain them once in a long while contrary to other expert opinions. The only one thing I noticed is that when it was first installed into the camera after recharging, the battery indicator is blank when I power up the camera. Nothing shows up. All I need to do then is to press the shutter release once ( the shutter does not go off ) and the indicator comes alive again. Picture count and battery level indicators all worked as if it was the OEM battery. And this does not even happen every time I turned on the camera - only the initial install. Once I started using the battery, everything looks normal. I have no desire to argue with anyone on whether one should use third party products. That's your decision. Use your discretion and exercise caution using them, at least initially. If your can't get the battery indicator to work, the battery gets warm quickly, or your battery is not holding charge even after draining and cycling, then that is a red light for you. You probably should stop at this point instead of waiting till the camera explodes in your face, as suggested by some. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted March 20, 2011 Share #30 Posted March 20, 2011 You probably should stop at this point instead of waiting till the camera explodes in your face, as suggested by some. Well it is suggested by some, but the same people have never been able to quote an actual instance of one ever blowing up. That alone is worth considering if you are doubtful about blowing a massive $10 on a Chinese battery (probably from the same plant that makes the OEM ones) so you can keep on photographing. Its worth considering the difference betweeen quality and function, the cheaper batteries could be (probably are) as good a quality as the OEM batteries, they just don't have the same function (the battery circuitry for calibrating the meter). Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 20, 2011 Share #31 Posted March 20, 2011 Could you spell out the risks please? Battery explosion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted March 21, 2011 Share #32 Posted March 21, 2011 Battery explosion Thanks. Impressive. Did this ever happen in a camera? K-H. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Posted March 21, 2011 Share #33 Posted March 21, 2011 Oh, the hell with this. I just ordered one thanks to the OP’s thread and if it blows up I won’t be here to tell you about it. BOOM! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted March 21, 2011 Share #34 Posted March 21, 2011 Hang on! Can you just do that again, so I can get the shot? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 21, 2011 Share #35 Posted March 21, 2011 Thanks. Impressive. Did this ever happen in a camera? K-H. Fake Lithium Batteries Cause Nikon D70 Cameras to Explode - Consumer SLR - News - DigitalCamerainfo.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgay Posted March 21, 2011 Share #36 Posted March 21, 2011 Isn't this thread all about the fact that we'd love to know who makes Leica's batteries for them so we could outwit the company and get a bargain? Even though we know that spares are an important income stream for any manufacturer. We could then divide posters into cold realists free of emotional bonds - and sentimental souls who would still buy the branded item regardless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted March 21, 2011 Share #37 Posted March 21, 2011 We could then divide posters into cold realists free of emotional bonds - and sentimental souls who would still buy the branded item regardless. Better put me down as being a sentimental soul then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
markgay Posted March 21, 2011 Share #38 Posted March 21, 2011 I'm with you. And it's not about having cash to burn, as some suggest. I just can't understand how the perfectly respectable attitude of "cheap and proud" would lead anyone to buy Leica in the first place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linsengericht Posted March 21, 2011 Share #39 Posted March 21, 2011 Battery explosion Nice example for misleading information. This fire was caused by a lithium cell. Looking into the details, you will notice that this device operates with nonrechargeable lithium batteries, which are totally different technology from rechargable LiIon batteries as used in M8/M9. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linsengericht Posted March 21, 2011 Share #40 Posted March 21, 2011 and sentimental souls who would still buy the branded item regardless. Unless, of course, they are using a DMR in which case Leica will encourage them to buy third party batteries, or contact a third party service to install third party LiIon replacement cells, because Leica branded batteries are no longer available. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.