Third-party alternatives to NP-W126s (UK)

I have two red Baxxtars, both last longer than the original battery from Fujifilm. They don't have the overheat protection circuit, so I only charge them in external charger though.

Hi. OP here.

I have been doing some testing indoors during the lockdown to find out why the two ChilliPower 126 batteries I have in my grip are dying within seconds.

It is specifically video, and more specific ally doing 4k video or higher frame rate 1080p.

I believe this much the same as the battery in almost any consumer electronics, it is basically failing to provide enough peak-power when the device needs it most, and without clever enough circuitry the batteries just give up.

They are non S models, so I do wonder if one of the improvements in the S model was to provide better peak and sustained power during high drain situations, would make sense with the better video capabilities.

So my question is really, have any of you experience using the third party options for video?

I use the red Baxxtar ones. They are good

Here's a comparison of the Fuji NP-W126S vs the Patona Platinum:

Baxxtar Pro

il_alexk said:

I have two red Baxxtars, both last longer than the original battery from Fujifilm. They don't have the overheat protection circuit, so I only charge them in external charger though.

Click to expand...

Are they labelled NP-126 or NP-126S? The Baxxtar Pro NP-126S batteries are (IME) noticeably better than the OEM battery. A big improvement in battery life, especially holding charge on freezing UK winter days.

Esmond_B said:

il_alexk said:

I have two red Baxxtars, both last longer than the original battery from Fujifilm. They don't have the overheat protection circuit, so I only charge them in external charger though.

Click to expand...

Are they labelled NP-126 or NP-126S? The Baxxtar Pro NP-126S batteries are (IME) noticeably better than the OEM battery. A big improvement in battery life, especially holding charge on freezing UK winter days.

Click to expand...

Aye I use those, the red ones.

I find them ace I bought two

Got a neat little USB dual battery charger in the package too! All for less than price of one OEM battery.

They charge in the OEM charger too but the dual one is excellent for travelling.

First class service and product IME

Esmond_B said:

il_alexk said:

I have two red Baxxtars, both last longer than the original battery from Fujifilm. They don't have the overheat protection circuit, so I only charge them in external charger though.

Click to expand...

Are they labelled NP-126 or NP-126S? The Baxxtar Pro NP-126S batteries are (IME) noticeably better than the OEM battery. A big improvement in battery life, especially holding charge on freezing UK winter days.

Click to expand...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MRFVL8W/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_dp_1

Yeah, much better than the original Fuji ones.

They are labeled as NP-126s because they "report" to the camera that there is an overheat protection in the camera, the camera is fooled to think it's a genuine NP-126S battery and doesn't throw a warning.

There is however no any thermal protection in these batteries or any of 3rd party batteries that I am aware of. The original Fuji batteries have a thermistor that changes it's resistance when the temperature changes. This model and I think any other "NP126s compatible" batteries that I am aware of simply have a 10K Ohm resistor instead and will not be able to tell if the camera overheats.

If a battery overheats inside the camera it might expand and get permanent stuck or can even damage the camera. Not very likely scenario but it does happen.

The risks of this happening are absolutely minimal as long as you charge aftermarket batteries with external charger (outside the camera) and don't shoot long video clips (especially 4K) with these batteries inside.

OEM vs knock-off battery threads are very common and popular on all DPR Boards, especially here. I have answered hundreds of them with strong opinions expressed about it over the years.

I used to be militant about this for many years and argued strongly that my bag full of 15 dollar Watsons were just as good as the way-overpriced Fuji batteries. I believed it very passionately and argued it constantly. I threw a fit when Fuji put that bogus knock-off warning on the XH-1.

When guys told these tall tales about exploding and swelling non-Fuji knock-offs and how I was going to blow up a plane or start a fire in my camera bag walking down the street, I just laughed and poked fun at them. What a joke....

Watsons are fine for Fuji or B&H would not be selling them for the past 8 years.

In fact, the only battery I have ever had swell on me was a Fuji battery (true story). I am still convinced that they are all made in the same Chinese factories.

Plus, we all know that the Fuji batteries are drastically over-priced and are really just simple commodity items.

But now? I don't care. I have thrown in the towel on the issue. The batteries for the GFX are almost 100 bucks and I have 6 of them. No knock-offs were available yet when I bought them.

The battery for the Q2 is 275 US Dollars!!!!!! I have two of them.

The batteries for the X series have risen to almost 70 bucks for Fuji NP-W126s, and I have about 5 of those damn things (plus my bag full of Watson 14 dollar NP-125 replacements that work just fine).

Lord only knows what this new Fuji XT-4 battery is going to cost or how long it will take Watson to knock it off.

So for me, I guess I will abandon my soap box and just buy Fuji batteries, even though it is the single biggest rip-off in the entire camera industry. I give up.

il_alexk said:

Esmond_B said:

il_alexk said:

I have two red Baxxtars, both last longer than the original battery from Fujifilm. They don't have the overheat protection circuit, so I only charge them in external charger though.

Click to expand...

Are they labelled NP-126 or NP-126S? The Baxxtar Pro NP-126S batteries are (IME) noticeably better than the OEM battery. A big improvement in battery life, especially holding charge on freezing UK winter days.

Click to expand...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MRFVL8W/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_dp_1

Yeah, much better than the original Fuji ones.

They are labeled as NP-126s because they "report" to the camera that there is an overheat protection in the camera, the camera is fooled to think it's a genuine NP-126S battery and doesn't throw a warning.

There is however no any thermal protection in these batteries or any of 3rd party batteries that I am aware of. The original Fuji batteries have a thermistor that changes it's resistance when the temperature changes. This model and I think any other "NP126s compatible" batteries that I am aware of simply have a 10K Ohm resistor instead and will not be able to tell if the camera overheats.

If a battery overheats inside the camera it might expand and get permanent stuck or can even damage the camera. Not very likely scenario but it does happen.

The risks of this happening are absolutely minimal as long as you charge aftermarket batteries with external charger (outside the camera) and don't shoot long video clips (especially 4K) with these batteries inside.

Click to expand...

Hey Alex. I don't shoo video. But good to know if i do choose to one day, thanks.

Also are you saying I should really charge the Baxxtar Pro batteries in the dual USB charger they came with and NOT my Fuji charger?

I've been using the Fuji charger with no issues for about 3 months now but if you're saying it is not the best idea I'll stick to the one that came with them

Cheers and kind regards

Leon

EOS GUY said:

il_alexk said:

Esmond_B said:

il_alexk said:

I have two red Baxxtars, both last longer than the original battery from Fujifilm. They don't have the overheat protection circuit, so I only charge them in external charger though.

Click to expand...

Are they labelled NP-126 or NP-126S? The Baxxtar Pro NP-126S batteries are (IME) noticeably better than the OEM battery. A big improvement in battery life, especially holding charge on freezing UK winter days.

Click to expand...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MRFVL8W/ref=pe_3187911_189395841_TE_dp_1

Yeah, much better than the original Fuji ones.

They are labeled as NP-126s because they "report" to the camera that there is an overheat protection in the camera, the camera is fooled to think it's a genuine NP-126S battery and doesn't throw a warning.

There is however no any thermal protection in these batteries or any of 3rd party batteries that I am aware of. The original Fuji batteries have a thermistor that changes it's resistance when the temperature changes. This model and I think any other "NP126s compatible" batteries that I am aware of simply have a 10K Ohm resistor instead and will not be able to tell if the camera overheats.

If a battery overheats inside the camera it might expand and get permanent stuck or can even damage the camera. Not very likely scenario but it does happen.

The risks of this happening are absolutely minimal as long as you charge aftermarket batteries with external charger (outside the camera) and don't shoot long video clips (especially 4K) with these batteries inside.

Click to expand...

Hey Alex. I don't shoo video. But good to know if i do choose to one day, thanks.

Also are you saying I should really charge the Baxxtar Pro batteries in the dual USB charger they came with and NOT my Fuji charger?

Click to expand...

It's all about risk management. Some people take relaxed approach, some are paranoid about unnecessary risks.

EOS GUY said:

I've been using the Fuji charger with no issues for about 3 months now but if you're saying it is not the best idea I'll stick to the one that came with them

Click to expand...

There are many reasons for batteries to swell but overheating makes things much worse. Basically, if internal cells are damaged they leak gas that is gathers in gas pockets. Overheating makes gas pockets expand beyond control, the battery swells and gets stuck. It doesn't happen very often, but I guess often enough to justify the overheat protection added to batteries by different OEM vendors.

--
Cheers,
Alex

deednets said:

One might of course ask what profit margins sit on a NZ$ 150.00 battery?? That's what we pay over here.

Like a NZ$ 49.00 lightning to USB-A cable ;-)

Click to expand...

The question is more taxes and duty than profit! That healthcare isnt really free

kiwidad said:

deednets said:

One might of course ask what profit margins sit on a NZ$ 150.00 battery?? That's what we pay over here.

Like a NZ$ 49.00 lightning to USB-A cable ;-)

Click to expand...

The question is more taxes and duty than profit! That healthcare isnt really free

Click to expand...

True. I am in favour of a solid public system. In NZ there is 15% GST plus either a 30% company tax or a minimum of 17.5% personal tax. So anything from 32.5-45% of that current 158.00 would be taxes. In reality I would think around 40% including both taxes sounds about right.

That's around 94.50 after taxes. So if you then take the cost of the battery off plus an allowance for handling, warranties etc. you might find my 30.00 incl postage and GST sounds about right. Around 64.50 profit after tax would still need to pay for the shop front, rent, heating, electricity etc. So understand a little how this works. Have been self-employed since 1986, so also know that on this occasion the profit margin is disproportionately high by comparison.

Here on dpreview there are a lot of Americans who have on occasion expressed different ideas around taxation. Have burned my little fingers more than once trying to debate the "no sales tax" when you buy from across the bridge. Best not go there here aye?

Deed

I bought a couple of the Patona Platinum NP126s from Amazon UK and have used them in rotation with the standard FUji batteries for about a year. I don’t think they hold as much charge as the Fujis do, but they’re much better than most aftermarket options I’ve tried. I also have a Hahnel which is works well but isn’t the ‘S’ specification. I’d rate them all at about 90% of the original, so fine as a back up and for general stills use. I use the external charger.

Greg7579 said:

So for me, I guess I will abandon my soap box and just buy Fuji batteries, even though it is the single biggest rip-off in the entire camera industry. I give up.

Click to expand...

I have a slew of Nikon and Fuji cameras. I buy DSTE batteries. None so far has blown up or caused a fire since 2004 when I got my first DSLR. I refuse to pay silly money for so-called OEM batteries.

David Lal said:

Greg7579 said:

So for me, I guess I will abandon my soap box and just buy Fuji batteries, even though it is the single biggest rip-off in the entire camera industry. I give up.

Click to expand...

I have a slew of Nikon and Fuji cameras. I buy DSTE batteries. None so far has blown up or caused a fire since 2004 when I got my first DSLR. I refuse to pay silly money for so-called OEM batteries.

Click to expand...

That is exactly what I said on every battery thread the past several years. You are right and that is what I recommend to all. It's just getting harder to buy knockoffs with my current gear and I've spent so much on it that I guess I'm succumbing to the power of their OEM hypnosis.

Greg7579 said:

I used to be militant about this for many years and argued strongly that my bag full of 15 dollar Watsons were just as good as the way-overpriced Fuji batteries. I believed it very passionately and argued it constantly. I threw a fit when Fuji put that bogus knock-off warning on the XH-1.

Click to expand...

New generation of after-market batteries can "fool" the Fuji camera into believing it's an original battery. See my other thread about the red Baxxtar's that actually hold a better charge than Fuji.

Greg7579 said:

When guys told these tall tales about exploding and swelling non-Fuji knock-offs and how I was going to blow up a plane or start a fire in my camera bag walking down the street, I just laughed and poked fun at them. What a joke....

Click to expand...

I consciously crossed streets without any respect to red-lights or zebra marking thousands of times, nothing bad ever happen. I still teach my kids not to do it though

Greg7579 said:

In fact, the only battery I have ever had swell on me was a Fuji battery (true story).

Click to expand...

Here we go, you just documented your personal experience of a swollen battery. Just curious, was it the older generation without the overheat protection or was it the latest one? I think this is exactly the reason why Fuji added this to their N126s battery,

Greg7579 said:

I am still convinced that they are all made in the same Chinese factories.

Click to expand...

Good batteries use Japanese cells. Cheap batteries use Chinese cells. No Idea about Baxxtar, I think they almost doubled the number of cells inside battery, hence they last 50-90% longer.

Greg7579 said:

The battery for the Q2 is 275 US Dollars!!!!!! I have two of them.

Click to expand...

These were actually reported to sometimes swell and get stuck in the camera.

Greg7579 said:

So for me, I guess I will abandon my soap box and just buy Fuji batteries, even though it is the single biggest rip-off in the entire camera industry. I give up.

Click to expand...

Please don't!!!

deednets said:

kiwidad said:

deednets said:

One might of course ask what profit margins sit on a NZ$ 150.00 battery?? That's what we pay over here.

Like a NZ$ 49.00 lightning to USB-A cable ;-)

Click to expand...

The question is more taxes and duty than profit! That healthcare isnt really free

Click to expand...

True. I am in favour of a solid public system. In NZ there is 15% GST plus either a 30% company tax or a minimum of 17.5% personal tax. So anything from 32.5-45% of that current 158.00 would be taxes. In reality I would think around 40% including both taxes sounds about right.

That's around 94.50 after taxes. So if you then take the cost of the battery off plus an allowance for handling, warranties etc. you might find my 30.00 incl postage and GST sounds about right. Around 64.50 profit after tax would still need to pay for the shop front, rent, heating, electricity etc. So understand a little how this works. Have been self-employed since 1986, so also know that on this occasion the profit margin is disproportionately high by comparison.

Here on dpreview there are a lot of Americans who have on occasion expressed different ideas around taxation. Have burned my little fingers more than once trying to debate the "no sales tax" when you buy from across the bridge. Best not go there here aye?

Deed

Click to expand...

Agreed, this is definitely OT and can only end badly. Let’s please stay focused on the gear.

Hey Deed,

On a camera equipment forum it is considered unwise or at least bad form to talk politics, religion or taxation (which is politics). Plus it is clearly against the rules even if we wanted to.

I'm not saying you did that here or that you broke a rule.

But we can't mention or even hint at (much less actually debate) politics, political systems or taxation here on this international camera equipment forum and website. To do so would be absolute folly and lead to a horrible outcome that solves nothing but to get everyone instantly angry.

Heck, over here in America right now we know not to mention politics to our friends or even in many cases our Family.

--
Greg Johnson, San Antonio, Texas
https://www.flickr.com/photos/139148982@N02/albums

Greg7579 said:

Hey Deed,

On a camera equipment forum it is considered unwise or at least bad form to talk politics, religion or taxation (which is politics). Plus it is clearly against the rules even if we wanted to.

I'm not saying you did that here or that you broke a rule.

But we can't mention or even hint at (much less actually debate) politics, political systems or taxation here on this international camera equipment forum and website. To do so would be absolute folly and lead to a horrible outcome that solves nothing but to get everyone instantly angry.

Heck, over here in America right now we know not to mention politics to our friends or even in many cases our Family.

Click to expand...

Greg, you're right, but this was not necessary. If you read my post just above yours, you would have seen that I requested that this thread be put back on track and avoid further political comments. I think one admonition was plenty enough.