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Has anyone used 3rd party batteries on the a900/a850?
- Thread starter svensven
- Start date
Ron E Trees
Senior Member
I think that generally the opinion has been to stay away from the third party batteries. IMHO, considering the cost of the a900, I would not even consider any other battery and take a chance of damaging the camera. The cost saving would just not be worth the risk to me. I am not made of money either!!
Ron
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Shine On...
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Ron
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Shine On...
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ryansholl
Leading Member
Bought one for my a350. Works fine, but doesn't seem to last quite as long. I'll only use my two Sony batteries in my 850, though, just for peace of mind regarding the reasons mentioned in the previous post.
Thanks both. I think I will just get a spare Sony battery for safety.
Is the a850/a900 Sony battery the same as the battery for other alphas or do these 2 cameras use a totally different battery to the other alphas?
Also how long does the sony battery takes to charge?I may need another battery charger if it takes too long to charge, so that I won't have to stay up all night just to charge the second battery when I need them both early on the next day.
molto grazie
Is the a850/a900 Sony battery the same as the battery for other alphas or do these 2 cameras use a totally different battery to the other alphas?
Also how long does the sony battery takes to charge?I may need another battery charger if it takes too long to charge, so that I won't have to stay up all night just to charge the second battery when I need them both early on the next day.
molto grazie
A900/850/700/550/500/350/300/200 uses the same battery pack.
The A100 uses an older pack that does not have the info-Lithium capability and (I might be mistaken) is not compatible with the newer cameras.
The A230/330/380 uses a different (and smaller) battery pack.
Charging 2 batteries is probably an overnight effort with a switch of battery after about 3-4hrs. The more expensive AS-VQ900AM might be worth the investment.
The A100 uses an older pack that does not have the info-Lithium capability and (I might be mistaken) is not compatible with the newer cameras.
The A230/330/380 uses a different (and smaller) battery pack.
Charging 2 batteries is probably an overnight effort with a switch of battery after about 3-4hrs. The more expensive AS-VQ900AM might be worth the investment.
eric burrows
Senior Member
A third party battery came with my A900 when I bought it pre-loved. I use it when necessary with no problems at all. I have never tried to check it's life against the genuine article. I have two genuine Sony so it's largely a matter of luck which one I pull out of the bag.
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eric
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eric
Gionni Dorelli
Senior Member
I got a couple of those after market batteries and been using them on both a700 and a900 without any problem.
they do not last as long as the original ones though, but their performance improved over time.
occasionally they do not give a correct charge reading when they are installed on the battery grip. but they do, if they are mixed with a genuine battery and the sony one is installed on slot n1.
BTW if using a battery grip, there is not even the risk of damaging the camera on the eventuality that something goes wrong.
worst case scenario we can lose a 200$ grip.
they do not last as long as the original ones though, but their performance improved over time.
occasionally they do not give a correct charge reading when they are installed on the battery grip. but they do, if they are mixed with a genuine battery and the sony one is installed on slot n1.
BTW if using a battery grip, there is not even the risk of damaging the camera on the eventuality that something goes wrong.
worst case scenario we can lose a 200$ grip.
jmknights
Senior Member
Yes, and they aren't worth it...
Jim in Vt
Jim in Vt
Brian_Smith
Senior Member
The same battery is used in the a700 along with most of the vertical grips.
There are three options that don't involve getting up in the middle of the night to put your other battery in the charger:
1) Get a second small travel charger like the BC-TRM mentioned on this thread:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1037&message=34044463
2) Pick up a Sony ACV-Q900AM Charger with slots for two batteries is faster than the other chargers. You may dig this one cause it's like a chargercharger, svensven.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/439003-REG/Sony_ACVQ900AM_ACV_Q900AM_AC_Adaptor_Charger.html
3) Simply shoot until one battery is dead and put it in the charger while you shoot with the other. I shoot fast but have never been able to kill my second battery faster than I can charge the first.
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Brian Smith
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Kenneth B
Senior Member
The 700,850&900 all use the same battery. This is one thing that I enjoy about the Sony system. I have six of them in all that I use between my two cameras.
It will get to the 95% charge in about an hour or two depending on where the charge was. I have the dual charger which does make it nice when charging lots of batteries. It only does them one at a time but it switches to the second when the first is finished.
If you're looking at another charger you might want to check out the Delkin charger.
http://delkin.com/products/batteries/dual-universal-charger/index.html
It has interchangeable plates so you can charge different types of batteries. And it charges both at the same time.
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Kenneth Berntsen
Phixel
Senior Member
Keep in mind that there is much more in a Lithium Ion battery than just a battery. There are circuits inside the battery to regulate temperature and charging and discharging of the battery. Same thing with chargers. The cheap chargers use a higher 4+V current which substantially shortens the life of your expensive batteries. Many cheap chargers (and I suspect some batteries too!), do not use the center post at all, which is part of the regulating and safety circuit. Cheap batteries will not last as long as the Sony ones and will more quickly lose their ability to keep a charge. Normally I would go 3rd party rather than with overpriced Sony stuff , but not the batteries. It's not worth the risk and may actually cost you more money in the long run.
Well, just my 2 cents worth anyway!
-Phil
Isaaclam
Active member
Totally agreed with Phil, I have lots of bad experience of 3rd party battery with my D7D. As you know, the D7D is a battery eater. 2rd party battrery last around a year but the original battery last 3-4 years. Hence, I use Sony battery with my A850 without 2nd thought.
novak977
Senior Member
great observation!
took me awhile to figure it out. I have 3 extra batteries - paid $50 for all three and I am very happy - see no difference, except w/vertical grip small issue.
I've been using 2 of those with A700 since october 2007 (iover 2 years) and no problem ever! Battery life no difference than Sony's!
http://www.supernovak.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogic
FED-S (my father's) > Canon AE1 (my brother's) > Minolta Maxxum 3xi (my first precious) > Minolta Dynax 400si (hello Canada) > Minolta Dimage 7i (darling) > Konica Minolta 5D (first DSLR) > Sony Alpha A100 (killer baby) > Sony Alpha A700 (serious tool) > Canon 5DMkII (weird computer with average lenses) > Back to A700 (reassured about the greatness)
took me awhile to figure it out. I have 3 extra batteries - paid $50 for all three and I am very happy - see no difference, except w/vertical grip small issue.
I've been using 2 of those with A700 since october 2007 (iover 2 years) and no problem ever! Battery life no difference than Sony's!
--
http://www.supernovak.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogic
FED-S (my father's) > Canon AE1 (my brother's) > Minolta Maxxum 3xi (my first precious) > Minolta Dynax 400si (hello Canada) > Minolta Dimage 7i (darling) > Konica Minolta 5D (first DSLR) > Sony Alpha A100 (killer baby) > Sony Alpha A700 (serious tool) > Canon 5DMkII (weird computer with average lenses) > Back to A700 (reassured about the greatness)
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