fuchs Posted April 3, 2007 Share #1 Posted April 3, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have ordered on March 14th a spare M8 battery from a Hong Kong seller on eBay (item# 230104348318). I have other 3 original spares, so I wanted to test this one. I know some people of the group have also ordered from the same vendor, Min Ho, nickname wqtallup. I wish to know if someone has already received their orders and how do the batteries perform on their M8. Recharging time, number of RAW files from a charge, if the camera acts funny with them, etc... Thanks in advance Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 3, 2007 Posted April 3, 2007 Hi fuchs, Take a look here M8 third party batteries. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
charlesphoto99 Posted April 3, 2007 Share #2 Posted April 3, 2007 Considering that the battery may be the culprit in the sudden deaths of M8s I might stay as far away from that battery as possible. On the other hand would love to know if it works! It may not actually exist and you've been scammed..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted April 3, 2007 Share #3 Posted April 3, 2007 I'm in the same situation. I purchased and paid for a battery on the 12th March and haven't received any correspondence from the seller or the battery. I'm concerned the 30 day complaint time will soon be up and I don't know if you've noticed but neither of the 2 current sellers on eBay have received any feedback regarding the batteries. Methinks an email inquiry is in order! Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted April 3, 2007 Share #4 Posted April 3, 2007 ................... It may not actually exist and you've been scammed..... Judging from positive feedback left the seller continues to trade in significant volume. An unlikely candidate for a low value scam. There's always the possibility of a hijacked account but that would also divert PayPal payments from other items sold by the genuine account owner, so that senario is unlikely. Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 3, 2007 Share #5 Posted April 3, 2007 Personally right now with the sudden death syndrome and it maybe a battery issue. I think i would rather slit my wrists than buy a off brand battery. Im' crazy but i don't know if i would try this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuchs Posted April 3, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted April 3, 2007 Well, the seller has more than 19k feedback, with 99-dot-something % positives, and what looks to be a very busy activity in the third party battery field. I don't think it to be a scam, just wanted to know if anyone received theirs yet, and how did they (the batteries, that is) perform. As of lately it seems delays to be usual in the postal system, so sometimes I just check around to hear opinions from others as to know what to expect before I receive my orders. Best, Ed PS: Anyways, I have sent an email to the seller asking about the shipping details of my order. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuchs Posted April 3, 2007 Author Share #7 Posted April 3, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Personally right now with the sudden death syndrome and it maybe a battery issue. I think i would rather slit my wrists than buy a off brand battery. Im' crazy but i don't know if i would try this one. Guy, I wonder if the original Leica (even if not manufactured by them) are the cause of the MSDS, it may be as dangerous to try a new Leica battery as a third party's. Right now, I have 4 original batteries, one of which doesn't seem to hold charge for more than 20-30 raw photos. I never let it die inside the M8, and the camera never went even into a coma. In fact I am not using it. I will return it asap. But you are right if you refer to the fact that if you blow your camera with a nonoriginal battery you might not be covered by your warranty or even Leica's assistance anymore. Ed PS: Thank you for all your personal involvement with this camera and the copious amount of time you devote to teach us all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 3, 2007 Share #8 Posted April 3, 2007 This one is still my biggest fear is this issue here. So i am nervous about the batteries right now just becuase we are just not sure what is going on. i keep waiting for a e-mail saying we found the issue. I look every hour. LOL I am not normally nervous about this stuff but this one bugs me and we need a answer soon on this. It's happened to me and it is no fun. I love the M8 and leica but until this is settled I won't stop taking the Valium. Kidding about the Valium but things lately have settled down and no issues with the beta's either so i keep my fingers crossed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted April 3, 2007 Share #9 Posted April 3, 2007 Why? You're buying a battery to save maybe $50 and risking a $5k camera. All (read: all) the problems I have had with my camera have been related to the battery. I have now had 3 instances of freeze-up (camera either wouldn't start up or wouldn't play after taking some pix). In each case, shut down, fresh battery, and turn on solved the problem. Yikes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravastar Posted April 3, 2007 Share #10 Posted April 3, 2007 Why? You're buying a battery to save maybe $50 and risking a $5k camera......................... My reason for buying the battery is somewhat devious. I'm looking to see if there's an easy way to power the camera from an external source for use in very cold environments. The battery casing would probably make an ideal housing for an over voltage protection circuit and power socket. A spare base plate/grip with a hole drilled in the correct place would complete the conversion with no modifications to the camera. I already have five "official" Leica batteries ..... no don't ask how that happened. Two half charged ones are being kept in the cooler. Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neelin Posted April 3, 2007 Share #11 Posted April 3, 2007 I'm looking to see if there's an easy way to power the camera from an external source for use in very cold environments. The battery casing would probably make an ideal housing for an over voltage protection circuit and power socket. A spare base plate/grip with a hole drilled in the correct place would complete the conversion with no modifications to the camera.Bob. No modifications? how about clamping a set of car booster cables onto the top & bottom plate. Now that's an image, smokin... (picture a bright blue set of booster cables snaking away from an M8 to a car battery). I've got the chrome one so I wouldn't have to scratch the paint off to get good contact. Batteries bring back foul memories of buying 6 "cheap" batteries (purchased in the US) for work Kenwood VHF walkie talkies. $400 later they were all bad & never got satisfaction from the supplier. Been buying local ever since (12 batteries later). BTW if anyone wants to hire out one of my employees, he can provide a higher durability certification. He regularily brutalizes a radio in some fashion, hence the radios although "mil spec" are not "joe spec" Here's Joe scratching his ass 5098-025_24.jpg photo - neelin photos at pbase.com sorry folks, this is way off topic. Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuchs Posted April 4, 2007 Author Share #12 Posted April 4, 2007 Here's Joe scratching his ass 5098-025_24.jpg photo - neelin photos at pbase.com sorry folks, this is way off topic. Robert Yes, really LOL Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rami G Posted April 4, 2007 Share #13 Posted April 4, 2007 As Leica is not a battery manufactur and they only label some third party batteries with the Leica logo and charge over 100$ extra for it, there seem to be good grounds for thinking that they simply chose the wrong 3rd party batteris with the M8 and therefore so many are getting battery issues. How does that seem to be an argument not to buy generic batteries with the M8? actually, someone might get luckier and find better batteries. I wonder if the Batteries that are Labelled "Leica" are made by someone whose generic label batteris are amongs those that give bad reputation to generic batteries. If canon does not make a good WIde angel lenses it is not a reason against using 3rd party wide angel lenses on a canon body. I simply don't see the logic. If anybody is concerned about Leica not servicing their camera after using a 3rd party battery- just remember to take it off before you send it to service. I want to see Leica not servicing a warranty M8 now, to users that did not received their IR filters and the 1.10 firmware. That is exactly what they need to do to save their reputation... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoskeptic Posted April 4, 2007 Share #14 Posted April 4, 2007 My two Leica batteries are doing well. The problem with third party batteries is legal. If you had a problem with the camera and it was traced to a third party battery your warranty would be null and void. The other battery would have to match voltage characteristics of the original exactly. Now, OTOH, if we could figure out who made the batteries for Leica and then buy that exact same battery with another label from the original manufacturer, I think that would be okay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted April 4, 2007 Share #15 Posted April 4, 2007 FWIW, here's my take: There are many third party batteries out there that work perfectly fine in a variety of other cameras. I have one that came along with my Panaleica (D-Lux 2 equivalent), and it has worked just fine in both the Panaleica and the D-Lux 3 I later purchased. I suspect that for the M8, the experience will be similar. But I want to see a track record for these third party batteries before I put one in a $5000 body. I would prefer someone else to do the alpha or beta testing before I have a sufficient comfort level to use one myself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted April 4, 2007 Share #16 Posted April 4, 2007 ... I wonder if the Batteries that are Labelled "Leica" are made by someone whose generic label batteris are amongs those that give bad reputation to generic batteries. If canon does not make a good WIde angel lenses it is not a reason against using 3rd party wide angel lenses on a canon body. ... Putting a lens from a different maker on a Canon won't fry the insides. A battery from a cheap source might have unpleasant effects upon the circuit cards of a $5k camera. That's the logic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 4, 2007 Share #17 Posted April 4, 2007 I think the batteries that leica uses are made by given specs that Leica provides to the vendor, now the question is other 3rd party vendors do they have those same specs. that's the part the worries me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chetccox Posted April 4, 2007 Share #18 Posted April 4, 2007 Unless the battery explodes it can do no damage to the camera. The voltage output is limited by laws of Physics and cannot fry the circuit boards. Most of the exploding batteries lately have been made by Sony - certainly not a 3rd party corporation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted April 4, 2007 Share #19 Posted April 4, 2007 After buying my D2, I wanted a second battery. I bought the Panasonic-branded battery for the LC-1 (twin sister camera) at a lower price -- BUT it's the same battery from the same manufacturer (Panasonic, or whoever makes their batteries). If we can discover who makes this (strangely shaped) battery for the M8, and if that company markets a like battery, and if it's cheaper, .... At it happens I have 4 Leica batteries, so may be all set. Good luck with testing alien batteries. Let us all know how you do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted April 4, 2007 Share #20 Posted April 4, 2007 Unless the battery explodes it can do no damage to the camera. The voltage output is limited by laws of Physics and cannot fry the circuit boards. Most of the exploding batteries lately have been made by Sony - certainly not a 3rd party corporation. Chet, what if the substitute battery puts out too much voltage -- or too little? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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