Third party batteries degraded much faster than Pentax one. What's your experience?

wombat2go · 09-17-2017, 07:14 PM

One reason to have backup battery was to avoid the nuisance need to Re set date/time after charging.
But l think this is solved with newer
bodies.
When I get home I will recharge the KS-1 from quarter to full and if the date/time stays up, I will not really need a backup battery for my usage.

stevebrot · 09-18-2017, 10:51 AM

Originally posted by wombat2go

One reason to have backup battery was to avoid the nuisance need to Re set date/time after charging.
But l think this is solved with newer
bodies.

If your clock battery is weak, that is definitely a good rational for having a battery to swap in. Neither my K10D nor my K-3 developed that problem, but it is not unknown.

Steve

wombat2go · 09-19-2017, 07:50 AM

Charging with the D_BC109 charger:
The K-S1 manual states an approximate recharge time of 240 minutes ( 4 hr) .
After charging for a bit over 4 hours and re-inserting the battery,
the date/time was still running.
So I will try to use this camera with just one battery.

**Rondec** · 09-19-2017, 07:54 AM

I definitely think the life span of off brand (I've used Watson and Wasabi) batteries wasn't as long as Pentax brand. I have no idea why, but initially the off brands held a charge as long as Pentax batteries, but within six months they would be maybe half as long and within a year were hardly worth putting in the camera. Over time that's about six off brand batteries and similar number of Pentax batteries (all of the Pentax batteries are still in service none of the off brand ones are). For what it is worth, I used the same Pentax charger with all of them.

**barondla** · 01-23-2018, 08:36 PM

Apparently I spoke too soon. One of the Wasabi that fits the Sigma DP1 has gone bad. It started swelling in the camera and was a little difficult to remove. Battery is over 3 years old.
Thanks,
barondla

bladawiec · 01-24-2018, 02:40 PM - **1 Like**

I use a few very cheap (about 3.5 USD) batteries from my local store interchangeably with original batteries. I do not use them very often but after a 2-4 years of use, I did not notice a very noticeably significant difference between them.

In my opinion, the most important is buying fresh batteries and not keeping them too long in unloaded state because it is very disadvantageous for Li-ion batteries.

In this way, I destroyed one an almost new Sony battery (original so definitely good quality) after it had been discharged for nearly a year.

**kwb** · 08-12-2018, 04:32 PM - **2 Likes**

Quick update.
My DOT-01 batteries died at the age of 25 months. Even though they didn't swell, at some point they took less than 10 shots per charge, so I ordered a Pentax D-LI 68 and a Fuji NP50 from Adorama. When the new ones were delivered, I gave one last chance to DOT-01s and I was able to squeeze four and one shot(s) out of them!

My 44 months old Pentax D-LI68 is also dying but it would still take maybe 30 shots or so.

Next update in a year or two (if I remember

) will be how Fuji NP50 performed.

Unregistered User · 08-12-2018, 05:03 PM - **1 Like**

I've had a couple of D-LI68 Wasabi's swell on me. All of my Pentax batteries are good after three years. I recently got some Fuji NP50s, so far so good.

ChopperCharles · 10-11-2018, 09:29 AM - **3 Likes**

I don't have problems with my batteries in use. They all last about the same, Pentax or otherwise. However, what I do notice is they do not hold a charge in storage. I'll charge them up, and in a month or two use the camera and the battery is showing 75% on the meter. The aftermarket batteries are worse, showing 50% or less. Charge them up and they last for a whole day of usage. But they don't store well.

Charles.

**kwb** · 03-15-2020, 05:51 PM - **1 Like**

Another update. To make it short, Fuji NP-50 is good, no problem. Sadly D-LI68 that I bought at the same time as NP-50 already bulged. Older D-LI68 are still doing OK.

Here are details. If you remember, I bought one each of Pentax D-LI68 and Fuji NP-50 at the same time from Adorama in July 2018. I also bought a second Q7 kit used from KEH, which came with Pentax D-LI68 in April 2019 (of course I have no idea how this battery was used by the previous owner).

Including Pentax D-LI68 that came with my first Q7, I've been rotating four batteries (one new NP-50, one new D-LI68 and two old D-LI68).

Recently, the new D-LI68 started swelling to the point where, once installed, I have to firmly tap the Q7 body against my palm while the battery door is open just to remove the battery, so I had to stop using that.

NP-50 as well as D-LI68 that came with my second Q7 are going strong, D-LI68 that came with my first Q7 is still OK (no swelling, can take some shots).

BTW I noticed that the price of these batteries are crazy right now. D-LI68 is listed at $58.82 both at Adorama and B&H, NP-50 is only available at B&H at $49.99.
https://www.adorama.com/ipxdli68b.html?
FUJIFILM NP-50 Lithium-Ion Battery (3.7v 1000mAh) 16575069 B&H

When I bought them just 20 months ago, they were $39.95 and $29.09 respectively. In the future I might go back to third party batteries like Wasabi.

Originally posted by kwb

Quick update.
My DOT-01 batteries died at the age of 25 months. Even though they didn't swell, at some point they took less than 10 shots per charge, so I ordered a Pentax D-LI 68 and a Fuji NP50 from Adorama. When the new ones were delivered, I gave one last chance to DOT-01s and I was able to squeeze four and one shot(s) out of them!

My 44 months old Pentax D-LI68 is also dying but it would still take maybe 30 shots or so.

Next update in a year or two (if I remember

) will be how Fuji NP50 performed.

**barondla** · 03-15-2020, 10:10 PM

Originally posted by kwb

Another update. To make it short, Fuji NP-50 is good, no problem. Sadly D-LI68 that I bought at the same time as NP-50 already bulged. Older D-LI68 are still doing OK.

Here are details. If you remember, I bought one each of Pentax D-LI68 and Fuji NP-50 at the same time from Adorama in July 2018. I also bought a second Q7 kit used from KEH, which came with Pentax D-LI68 in April 2019 (of course I have no idea how this battery was used by the previous owner).

Including Pentax D-LI68 that came with my first Q7, I've been rotating four batteries (one new NP-50, one new D-LI68 and two old D-LI68).

Recently, the new D-LI68 started swelling to the point where, once installed, I have to firmly tap the Q7 body against my palm while the battery door is open just to remove the battery, so I had to stop using that.

NP-50 as well as D-LI68 that came with my second Q7 are going strong, D-LI68 that came with my first Q7 is still OK (no swelling, can take some shots).

BTW I noticed that the price of these batteries are crazy right now. D-LI68 is listed at $58.82 both at Adorama and B&H, NP-50 is only available at B&H at $49.99.
https://www.adorama.com/ipxdli68b.html?
FUJIFILM NP-50 Lithium-Ion Battery (3.7v 1000mAh) 16575069 B&H

When I bought them just 20 months ago, they were $39.95 and $29.09 respectively. In the future I might go back to third party batteries like Wasabi.

Excellent information. Sorry to hear of a Pentax battery swelling. Guess nothing's perfect. The price increases are quite a bit. Lots of lithium comes from South America & China. Perhaps the covid virus and other things have temporarily forced the prices up. Hope it's only temporary.

Thanks,
barondla

**rgknief60** · 03-22-2020, 11:20 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by stevebrot

I avoid using the quick charger that came with the Wasabi batteries...I seldom run the batteries to exhaustion

I was told that these two things, quick charge and exhaustion, would also negatively affect the lithium-ion batteries in my cellphone and laptop computer.

**marcusBMG** · 03-22-2020, 11:40 AM - **2 Likes**

Just FYI, see my new diy article on battery rebuilding. This is one way of being pretty sure of the quality of the cells in the battery.
If you browse U-tube there are plenty of videos checking and even dismantling dodgy cells to illustrate it's a bit of a jungle out there.

**kwb** · 03-24-2020, 06:17 PM

Originally posted by marcusBMG

Just FYI, see my new diy article on battery rebuilding. This is one way of being pretty sure of the quality of the cells in the battery.
If you browse U-tube there are plenty of videos checking and even dismantling dodgy cells to illustrate it's a bit of a jungle out there.

I've read your post and I'm impressed, thanks for that post!

**barondla** · 03-26-2020, 07:08 AM

Originally posted by marcusBMG

Just FYI, see my new diy article on battery rebuilding. This is one way of being pretty sure of the quality of the cells in the battery.
If you browse U-tube there are plenty of videos checking and even dismantling dodgy cells to illustrate it's a bit of a jungle out there.

Great article! Lots of detail showing how to rebuild batteries.
Thanks,
barondla

01-24-2018, 02:40 PM - 1 Like	#21
bladawiec Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Poland Posts: 45	I use a few very cheap (about 3.5 USD) batteries from my local store interchangeably with original batteries. I do not use them very often but after a 2-4 years of use, I did not notice a very noticeably significant difference between them. In my opinion, the most important is buying fresh batteries and not keeping them too long in unloaded state because it is very disadvantageous for Li-ion batteries. In this way, I destroyed one an almost new Sony battery (original so definitely good quality) after it had been discharged for nearly a year. Last edited by bladawiec; 01-24-2018 at 02:49 PM.

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09-17-2017, 07:14 PM	#16
wombat2go Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Michigan Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	One reason to have backup battery was to avoid the nuisance need to Re set date/time after charging. But l think this is solved with newer bodies. When I get home I will recharge the KS-1 from quarter to full and if the date/time stays up, I will not really need a backup battery for my usage.

09-18-2017, 10:51 AM	#17
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by wombat2go One reason to have backup battery was to avoid the nuisance need to Re set date/time after charging. But l think this is solved with newer bodies. If your clock battery is weak, that is definitely a good rational for having a battery to swap in. Neither my K10D nor my K-3 developed that problem, but it is not unknown. Steve

09-19-2017, 07:50 AM	#18
wombat2go Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Michigan Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	Charging with the D_BC109 charger: The K-S1 manual states an approximate recharge time of 240 minutes ( 4 hr) . After charging for a bit over 4 hours and re-inserting the battery, the date/time was still running. So I will try to use this camera with just one battery.

09-19-2017, 07:54 AM	#19
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,653	I definitely think the life span of off brand (I've used Watson and Wasabi) batteries wasn't as long as Pentax brand. I have no idea why, but initially the off brands held a charge as long as Pentax batteries, but within six months they would be maybe half as long and within a year were hardly worth putting in the camera. Over time that's about six off brand batteries and similar number of Pentax batteries (all of the Pentax batteries are still in service none of the off brand ones are). For what it is worth, I used the same Pentax charger with all of them.

01-23-2018, 08:36 PM	#20
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714	Apparently I spoke too soon. One of the Wasabi that fits the Sigma DP1 has gone bad. It started swelling in the camera and was a little difficult to remove. Battery is over 3 years old. Thanks, barondla

08-12-2018, 04:32 PM - 2 Likes	#22
kwb Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Pacific North West Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,223 Original Poster	Quick update. My DOT-01 batteries died at the age of 25 months. Even though they didn't swell, at some point they took less than 10 shots per charge, so I ordered a Pentax D-LI 68 and a Fuji NP50 from Adorama. When the new ones were delivered, I gave one last chance to DOT-01s and I was able to squeeze four and one shot(s) out of them! My 44 months old Pentax D-LI68 is also dying but it would still take maybe 30 shots or so. Next update in a year or two (if I remember ) will be how Fuji NP50 performed.

08-12-2018, 05:03 PM - 1 Like	#23
Unregistered User Guest	I've had a couple of D-LI68 Wasabi's swell on me. All of my Pentax batteries are good after three years. I recently got some Fuji NP50s, so far so good.

10-11-2018, 09:29 AM - 3 Likes	#24
ChopperCharles Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Durham, nc Photos: Albums Posts: 954	I don't have problems with my batteries in use. They all last about the same, Pentax or otherwise. However, what I do notice is they do not hold a charge in storage. I'll charge them up, and in a month or two use the camera and the battery is showing 75% on the meter. The aftermarket batteries are worse, showing 50% or less. Charge them up and they last for a whole day of usage. But they don't store well. Charles.

03-15-2020, 05:51 PM - 1 Like	#25
kwb Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Pacific North West Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,223 Original Poster	Another update. To make it short, Fuji NP-50 is good, no problem. Sadly D-LI68 that I bought at the same time as NP-50 already bulged. Older D-LI68 are still doing OK. Here are details. If you remember, I bought one each of Pentax D-LI68 and Fuji NP-50 at the same time from Adorama in July 2018. I also bought a second Q7 kit used from KEH, which came with Pentax D-LI68 in April 2019 (of course I have no idea how this battery was used by the previous owner). Including Pentax D-LI68 that came with my first Q7, I've been rotating four batteries (one new NP-50, one new D-LI68 and two old D-LI68). Recently, the new D-LI68 started swelling to the point where, once installed, I have to firmly tap the Q7 body against my palm while the battery door is open just to remove the battery, so I had to stop using that. NP-50 as well as D-LI68 that came with my second Q7 are going strong, D-LI68 that came with my first Q7 is still OK (no swelling, can take some shots). BTW I noticed that the price of these batteries are crazy right now. D-LI68 is listed at $58.82 both at Adorama and B&H, NP-50 is only available at B&H at $49.99. https://www.adorama.com/ipxdli68b.html? FUJIFILM NP-50 Lithium-Ion Battery (3.7v 1000mAh) 16575069 B&H When I bought them just 20 months ago, they were $39.95 and $29.09 respectively. In the future I might go back to third party batteries like Wasabi. Originally posted by kwb Quick update. My DOT-01 batteries died at the age of 25 months. Even though they didn't swell, at some point they took less than 10 shots per charge, so I ordered a Pentax D-LI 68 and a Fuji NP50 from Adorama. When the new ones were delivered, I gave one last chance to DOT-01s and I was able to squeeze four and one shot(s) out of them! My 44 months old Pentax D-LI68 is also dying but it would still take maybe 30 shots or so. Next update in a year or two (if I remember ) will be how Fuji NP50 performed.

03-15-2020, 10:10 PM	#26
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714	Originally posted by kwb Another update. To make it short, Fuji NP-50 is good, no problem. Sadly D-LI68 that I bought at the same time as NP-50 already bulged. Older D-LI68 are still doing OK. Here are details. If you remember, I bought one each of Pentax D-LI68 and Fuji NP-50 at the same time from Adorama in July 2018. I also bought a second Q7 kit used from KEH, which came with Pentax D-LI68 in April 2019 (of course I have no idea how this battery was used by the previous owner). Including Pentax D-LI68 that came with my first Q7, I've been rotating four batteries (one new NP-50, one new D-LI68 and two old D-LI68). Recently, the new D-LI68 started swelling to the point where, once installed, I have to firmly tap the Q7 body against my palm while the battery door is open just to remove the battery, so I had to stop using that. NP-50 as well as D-LI68 that came with my second Q7 are going strong, D-LI68 that came with my first Q7 is still OK (no swelling, can take some shots). BTW I noticed that the price of these batteries are crazy right now. D-LI68 is listed at $58.82 both at Adorama and B&H, NP-50 is only available at B&H at $49.99. https://www.adorama.com/ipxdli68b.html? FUJIFILM NP-50 Lithium-Ion Battery (3.7v 1000mAh) 16575069 B&H When I bought them just 20 months ago, they were $39.95 and $29.09 respectively. In the future I might go back to third party batteries like Wasabi. Excellent information. Sorry to hear of a Pentax battery swelling. Guess nothing's perfect. The price increases are quite a bit. Lots of lithium comes from South America & China. Perhaps the covid virus and other things have temporarily forced the prices up. Hope it's only temporary. Thanks, barondla

03-22-2020, 11:20 AM - 1 Like	#27
rgknief60 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 980	Originally posted by stevebrot I avoid using the quick charger that came with the Wasabi batteries...I seldom run the batteries to exhaustion I was told that these two things, quick charge and exhaustion, would also negatively affect the lithium-ion batteries in my cellphone and laptop computer.

03-22-2020, 11:40 AM - 2 Likes	#28
marcusBMG Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: North Wales Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,869	Just FYI, see my new diy article on battery rebuilding. This is one way of being pretty sure of the quality of the cells in the battery. If you browse U-tube there are plenty of videos checking and even dismantling dodgy cells to illustrate it's a bit of a jungle out there.

03-24-2020, 06:17 PM	#29
kwb Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Pacific North West Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,223 Original Poster	Originally posted by marcusBMG Just FYI, see my new diy article on battery rebuilding. This is one way of being pretty sure of the quality of the cells in the battery. If you browse U-tube there are plenty of videos checking and even dismantling dodgy cells to illustrate it's a bit of a jungle out there. I've read your post and I'm impressed, thanks for that post!

03-26-2020, 07:08 AM	#30
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714	Originally posted by marcusBMG Just FYI, see my new diy article on battery rebuilding. This is one way of being pretty sure of the quality of the cells in the battery. If you browse U-tube there are plenty of videos checking and even dismantling dodgy cells to illustrate it's a bit of a jungle out there. Great article! Lots of detail showing how to rebuild batteries. Thanks, barondla