Camera batteries can be expensive and the likes of Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fuji and GoPro insist that you only use official, original (OEM) batteries in their cameras. However, many companies produce much cheaper “aftermarket” batteries for half the price of the originals. Should you risk getting the unofficial versions for your cameras and camcorders? And which aftermarket brands are trustworthy? In this video I explain the pros and cons of the different options.
TRANSCRIPT
1
00:00:04,400 –> 00:00:09,154
Whatup nerds? I’m Jay Shareef and
once again I’m trying to save you money.
2
00:00:09,154 –> 00:00:13,671
Have you ever searched on Amazon
for batteries for your camera?
3
00:00:13,671 –> 00:00:16,275
There are always hundreds of results.
4
00:00:16,275 –> 00:00:20,049
Now one or two of them will
be genuine, original batteries
5
00:00:20,049 –> 00:00:23,225
made or approved by your camera manufacturer.
6
00:00:23,225 –> 00:00:30,104
These are known as OEM batteries, which is
short for “Original Equipment Manufacturer.”
7
00:00:30,104 –> 00:00:35,126
Like this one here. This is a genuine Canon battery.
8
00:00:35,126 –> 00:00:40,207
However, you’re going to see far more
third-party batteries in your search results.
9
00:00:40,207 –> 00:00:43,541
And those batteries are normally much much cheaper.
10
00:00:44,640 –> 00:00:50,075
Third-party batteries are made without the
camera manufacturers’ approval or consent.
11
00:00:50,075 –> 00:00:52,904
They’re also known as “after-market” batteries.
12
00:00:52,904 –> 00:00:57,022
And, in theory, they can save you a lot of money.
13
00:00:57,022 –> 00:00:59,886
But should you be buying the cheap alternatives?
14
00:00:59,886 –> 00:01:02,320
And will they cause you problems later down the line?
15
00:01:02,320 –> 00:01:05,402
Well, I’m going to explain all that in this video.
16
00:01:05,403 –> 00:01:09,022
The first thing I’m going to say
is that if you can afford it
17
00:01:09,022 –> 00:01:12,510
then you should buy the original OEM batteries.
18
00:01:12,510 –> 00:01:17,532
If you’ve got a GoPro then the best option
is always original GoPro batteries.
19
00:01:17,532 –> 00:01:22,474
If you’ve got a Sony then the best
option is always original Sony batteries.
20
00:01:22,474 –> 00:01:22,974
But…
21
00:01:23,760 –> 00:01:30,000
let’s say you have an old camera, that isn’t
worth much, or you have a very tight budget?
22
00:01:30,000 –> 00:01:34,720
in that case buying cheaper,
third-party batteries is a viable option.
23
00:01:34,720 –> 00:01:37,641
However, you need to be careful.
24
00:01:37,641 –> 00:01:45,051
Firstly, a lot of after-market battery manufacturers
will straight up lie to you about the battery specs.
25
00:01:45,051 –> 00:01:49,581
It’s quite common for cheap battery
makers to inflate the numbers.
26
00:01:49,581 –> 00:01:57,000
So a battery that claims to have 2,000 mAh might
actually have half that capacity, or even less!
27
00:01:57,000 –> 00:02:02,981
The second problem you may face is that some
cameras will refuse to run with aftermarket batteries.
28
00:02:02,981 –> 00:02:09,431
If you have a GoPro, for example, you will likely
get a warning that some features will be disabled
29
00:02:09,431 –> 00:02:11,835
unless you use a genuine battery.
30
00:02:11,835 –> 00:02:17,933
Obviously, that’s there to stop you using cheaper
batteries so GoPro can make more profit.
31
00:02:17,933 –> 00:02:21,231
But it’s also there for safety reasons.
32
00:02:21,231 –> 00:02:26,441
You see, Lithium batteries are a lot more
dangerous than most people realise.
33
00:02:26,441 –> 00:02:29,208
Lithium is an extremely volatile element,
34
00:02:29,208 –> 00:02:33,514
and a lithium battery must be built
and sealed to a very high standard.
35
00:02:33,514 –> 00:02:35,724
Otherwise, it could fail.
36
00:02:35,724 –> 00:02:40,920
At which point your battery will go
into, what’s called, “thermal runaway”.
37
00:02:40,920 –> 00:02:44,906
And, when the battery fails, it will
do one or more of the following:
38
00:02:44,906 –> 00:02:46,658
Release toxic gas.
39
00:02:46,658 –> 00:02:48,268
Start smoking.
40
00:02:48,268 –> 00:02:49,493
Catch fire.
41
00:02:49,493 –> 00:02:51,378
And, in the worst case, scenario…
42
00:02:51,680 –> 00:02:53,130
Explode!!
43
00:02:53,130 –> 00:02:57,531
I’ll say it again: lithium batteries are dangerous!
44
00:02:57,531 –> 00:03:02,529
A few years ago, Samsung spent
a fortune recalling millions of phones
45
00:03:02,529 –> 00:03:04,771
and replacing the internal batteries.
46
00:03:04,771 –> 00:03:10,049
This one issue cost Samsung $5 billion (USD).
47
00:03:10,049 –> 00:03:12,016
Five BILLION.
48
00:03:12,016 –> 00:03:15,101
But they knew it would cost
them a hell of a lot more
49
00:03:15,101 –> 00:03:18,367
if one of their faulty batteries
ended up killing a customer.
50
00:03:18,367 –> 00:03:21,135
And it really is that serious.
51
00:03:21,135 –> 00:03:26,256
Which is why you need to be very careful when
buying third-party batteries for your cameras.
52
00:03:26,256 –> 00:03:30,081
The cheapest batteries usually have poor insulation,
53
00:03:30,081 –> 00:03:32,375
poor quality cells inside,
54
00:03:32,375 –> 00:03:37,211
and there’s a good chance they will last
you half as long as the genuine batteries.
55
00:03:37,211 –> 00:03:38,486
That’s the bad news.
56
00:03:38,486 –> 00:03:43,294
The good news is that there are reputable
and reliable companies out there
57
00:03:43,294 –> 00:03:47,024
making after-market batteries
to a decent standard.
58
00:03:47,024 –> 00:03:50,629
And these are the ones I trust
from personal experience:
59
00:03:50,629 –> 00:03:55,121
Firstly, I’ve used plenty of Neewer batteries without problems.
60
00:03:55,121 –> 00:03:59,755
In fact, I can’t show you any because they’re
being used around the room right now.
61
00:03:59,755 –> 00:04:04,348
I can say the same about PowerExtra batteries.
62
00:04:04,348 –> 00:04:08,219
Wasabi Power is a brand that also has a great reputation.
63
00:04:08,219 –> 00:04:13,104
And BM Premium is well respected
for making quality products.
64
00:04:13,104 –> 00:04:17,049
In addition, I’ve had good experiences using Telesin,
65
00:04:17,049 –> 00:04:23,394
DSTE, Dot.Foto and Patona batteries,
with my action cameras.
66
00:04:23,394 –> 00:04:28,168
However, I would not recommend
those for more expensive cameras.
67
00:04:28,168 –> 00:04:30,789
So, that’s my consumer advice for today.
68
00:04:30,789 –> 00:04:33,753
If you can afford it then buy original batteries.
69
00:04:33,753 –> 00:04:39,295
if you can’t afford it then these four brands
are almost as good as the originals.
70
00:04:39,295 –> 00:04:41,894
Just one last piece of safety advice before I go.
71
00:04:41,894 –> 00:04:45,480
If you ever find that your battery has swollen,
72
00:04:45,480 –> 00:04:48,545
then you need to immediately stop using that battery.
73
00:04:48,545 –> 00:04:52,165
A swollen battery is on the verge of thermal runaway.
74
00:04:52,165 –> 00:04:58,408
So, if you can, remove it from your camera and
give it to your nearest battery recycling centre.
75
00:04:58,408 –> 00:05:03,230
Under no circumstances should you
use that battery ever, ever again.
76
00:05:03,230 –> 00:05:05,127
I’m very serious, okay?
77
00:05:05,127 –> 00:05:07,509
That’s all for today. I hope that was useful.
78
00:05:07,509 –> 00:05:10,220
I’ll be back with another video very soon.
79
00:05:10,220 –> 00:05:11,649
Later nerds!
Be First to Comment