3rd Party NP-FW50 Battery Recommendations

piticoto said:

I got Neewer batteries based on reviews, but they don't last as long as Sony original NP-FW50. Lately I don't trust any battery that shows capacity way more than 1020 mAh as the original. I'm not going to buy original for $53. Eventually the Sony's I have will get to the end of live. I'm still on the fence about what battery to buy.

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The problem I had with my aging FW50 was that when it degraded to a large extent, it wasn't obvious to me at first. I grabbed it for a trip, and it quickly drained, but it took a couple of occurrences for me to realize that the battery just wasn't lasting long. Another reason to have a backup battery -- your current one may be fully charged, but old and not able to last that long. In a way, it would have been better for it to give out completely or at least for the camera to warn me that it was an unusually short charge. I think I did buy a charger that will tell you how much mah it puts in, so I could determine whether or not my batteries were good, but not sure what the ideal target number is.

As I purchased SONY NP-FW50 batteries and their counterparts, I assigned them sequential numbers.
I took notes:
When I first started using them, I kept track of how many shots the camera was capable of producing. This allows me to make a rough comparison with brand new batteries. Never paid attention to the capacity labels. I measured the monitored cross section to match the width of the battery compartment.
For example, two SONY NP-FW50 batteries manufactured in Japan in 2012 lasted until 2018, after which they were 19.4 and 19.5 mm in cross-section.
In terms of energy output they could still be used. But information on photo forums advised of batteries stuck inside the cameras, which were very difficult to remove.
For reference, the width of the battery compartment on my copy of the ILCE-6100 = 19.17mm. The Sony NEX-C3K and ILCE-6000 are slightly wider, but it's a difference of hundredths of a mm.
It is advisable to control the dimensions in your camera yourself.
When choosing a third-party, it is advisable to pay attention to the feedback about the geometric dimensions.
You will come across feedback about the battery becoming loose or too tight, contacts bending, and a pungent plastic smell. These are rejected straight away.
One indirect indicator is the ratio of sold goods to the feedback received.
You can immediately reject options where the number of reviews is less than 50-60%.

GaryW said:

One year doesn't seem worth it to me.

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You can easily compare the cost of a branded battery based on 6 years of use.
This varies from country to country.
If you take the value outlined in this thread of $53
per year that would be $8.8
The kits I gave you are US $16.55 and US $23.33
That's a dual charger and two batteries. Subtract the cost of the charger. Divide the remainder in half and you can easily work out whether the cost is reasonable.
Set Model: RP-PB056BSPF is now sold out on Aliexpress.
Another set with Probty NP-FW50 two batteries and a charger.

Bought the RAVPower charger + 2 batteries as spares when I bought my Sony RX10 iv in 2019/20. Have been using and rotating my original Sony NP FW50 with those that came with the RAVPower kit.

Have been photographing in Cambodia for 2 and a half years now. Original Sony battery still going strong (although I do not keep a check on the number of shots I take). The RAV batteries started getting difficult to remove from the battery compartment after about 2 years of use. At first I thought that it had something to do with the high humidity and perhaps sweat and grime in the battery compartment. A few days ago I tried to insert one of the batteries only to find that it wouldn't go into the battery compartment. Discovered that both RAV batteries were "swollen".

I thought it may be as a result of the the dodgy electricity supply here in Cambodia, but I've charged the Sony battery in the same charger and it still slips in and out of the battery compartment with ease. Bottom line seems to be that you can expect around about 2 years worth of hard use from the RAV batteries

DerekLC said:

Bought the RAVPower charger + 2 batteries as spares when I bought my Sony RX10 iv in 2019/20. Have been using and rotating my original Sony NP FW50 with those that came with the RAVPower kit.

Have been photographing in Cambodia for 2 and a half years now. Original Sony battery still going strong (although I do not keep a check on the number of shots I take). The RAV batteries started getting difficult to remove from the battery compartment after about 2 years of use. At first I thought that it had something to do with the high humidity and perhaps sweat and grime in the battery compartment. A few days ago I tried to insert one of the batteries only to find that it wouldn't go into the battery compartment. Discovered that both RAV batteries were "swollen".

I thought it may be as a result of the the dodgy electricity supply here in Cambodia, but I've charged the Sony battery in the same charger and it still slips in and out of the battery compartment with ease. Bottom line seems to be that you can expect around about 2 years worth of hard use from the RAV batteries

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Thank you very much for your comment. My batteries are numbered and periodically measured.
Battery RAVPOWER NP-FW50 No. 11 section 18.40 mm 12/24/2021, after eight months 18.60 mm
Battery RAVPOWER NP-FW50 No. 12 section 18.45 mm 12/24/2021 in eight months 18.65 mm
Battery Bay Width on ILCE-6100 = 19.17mm

Two proprietary Japanese-made SONY NP-FW50 batteries worked from 2012 to 2018. Six years. First with the NEX, then with the a6000. Swollen to 19.40 mm
and 19.50 mm

Wasn't able to find a Sony replacement battery here (or one of the more popular generics). Local camera shop got me a HP-FW50 generic for 24usd. Its a DBK brand from China. Not much info from the internet apart from the fact that they also sell a charger + 2 batteries as a set. It was a stop-gap emergency purchase for me, but will be interested in seeing what it's performance is like.

DerekLC said:

Wasn't able to find a Sony replacement battery here (or one of the more popular generics). Local camera shop got me a HP-FW50 generic for 24usd. Its a DBK brand from China. Not much info from the internet apart from the fact that they also sell a charger + 2 batteries as a set. It was a stop-gap emergency purchase for me, but will be interested in seeing what it's performance is like.

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Hello. If it doesn't make it difficult, take a picture of the kit approximately as per the link.
You can just use your smartphone. It will be interesting to see how this brand develops.

Will do so.

I didn't buy the charger, just the battery. Am using the RAVPower charger for this and my Sony original battery.

By in early 2020, I bought a couple of 3rd party battery bundle with the charger for my A6000/A6100 to be used as a backup battery for my Europe trip. However due to the pandemic, the trip was cancelled. So I test it out at home (Toronto) for a few month. This was what I have found:

- It does not hold charge for more than 3-4 month. Where the original Sony battery hold charge for more than a year.

- It drained very fast. When fully charged, after about 50 shots, battery level down to half say 50%.

I try to rationalize with the purchase. OK since I intend to use it as backup battery and it is cheap, I will settle for the lack of performance. BUT here come the worse part.

The battery swollen. I left it in the camera for 6 months (home condition, no extreme temperature). When I tried to take it out, it got stuck inside the battery compartment. I have to plied it out. If one of the battery swollen, I still got an excuse of saying one battery was defective, but 2 of them swollen !!

Meanwhile my original A6000 battery still going strong after 7 years.

I am not saying there is no good 3rd party battery out there. But you will have to try your luck.

My verdict: It is not worth the saving. You get what you pay for. The 3rd party from (I don't want to mention the country), the QC is lacking.

Below are scans from the battery manual. The red line highlights how to properly store batteries. In short, they cannot be stored fully charged for a long time. And it is desirable to leave for a long time in the camera.