Question about spare battery for Cybershot DSC HX50?

[tomythumb]

Hi everyone, first post in this forum. I have just bought a Sony Cybershot DSC HX50 and am absolutely loving it. I do want to buy a spare battery for this and have a question.

Is it necessary to buy a genuine Sony spare battery? Or can someone recommend one of the myriad of aftermarket ones on ebay? I notice too that ebay also sell separate AC charger units to charge a spare battery so that you can charge it separately rather than loading it into the camera. I don't know if anyone has had experience with an aftermarket battery, so some advice would be appreciated.

On another unrelated note, I am absolutely annoyed at the outrageous cost on an electronic viewfinder for this camera. In fact, more than the camera itself! I don't know how this can be justified, but I certainly won't be spending more than the initial purchase just to get an accessory. But I am very disappointed as for me, this is an important accessory when shooting in bright sunlight. Oh well...

Thanks for your replies.

 

[iPixel]

I went and bought an extra battery and wall charger off eBay. They are only about $ 10, and very worthwhile. Makes charging much easier when doing it outside the camera.....whats more, it came with a 12v cig cable so you can do the charging from your car.

Agreed on the viewfinder, and it really does need a viewfinder - in bright sunlight I find it almost impossible to see what is on the screen. I will be buying a pop up screen shade, which fits onto the back screen, and might help in making the screen easier to see in sunlight - it also folds flat when not in use, giving the screen protection from scratches.

 

[tomythumb]

iPixel wrote:

I went and bought an extra battery and wall charger off eBay. They are only about $ 10, and very worthwhile. Makes charging much easier when doing it outside the camera.....whats more, it came with a 12v cig cable so you can do the charging from your car.

Agreed on the viewfinder, and it really does need a viewfinder - in bright sunlight I find it almost impossible to see what is on the screen. I will be buying a pop up screen shade, which fits onto the back screen, and might help in making the screen easier to see in sunlight - it also folds flat when not in use, giving the screen protection from scratches.

Hey thanks for that. Good to know somebody has bought an aftermarker battery/charger and that it works well. May I ask what the aftermarket battery was like? Was it comparable in runtime to the original Sony battery? I can't see why it can't be, as the original is made in China just like the aftermarket. But if I am missing something, feel free to inform me please. I am certainly no expert in this area. I am assuming that if I buy an aftermarket battery that is CE accredited, then it should be okay.

I really can't see almost anyone buying the optional optical/electronic viewfinder when it's more than the camera itself. I would love to see the stats on the sales of this particular item. I would pay up to (max) half the camera purchase for this item.

 

[johnny 99]

Cheap generic batteries are regularly discussed in camera forums. Bottom line is that the generics never work as well as the originals. You are lucky to get half the capacity and half the life span as a genuine battery. You camera's battery meter will likely not work properly with a generic battery. Generic batteries are more likely to short out when charging (possibly exploding or causing a fire). Generic chargers are also more risky than the genuine charger. Genuine chargers and genuine batteries will have passed safety tests by multiple government agencies, while generics never claim this.

I admit that I do use generics at times, mostly as backups. I buy only from reputable vendors who will hopefully have done some quality checking on the manufacturer. I never buy electronics directly from no-name overseas vendors.

 

[Bodhi-U]

I purchased a second non-sony battery from an ebay USA seller and it has worked out fine. But if you can go with sony battery try. Checkout ebay prices.

 

[iPixel]

tomythumb wrote:

iPixel wrote:

I went and bought an extra battery and wall charger off eBay. They are only about $ 10, and very worthwhile. Makes charging much easier when doing it outside the camera.....whats more, it came with a 12v cig cable so you can do the charging from your car.

Agreed on the viewfinder, and it really does need a viewfinder - in bright sunlight I find it almost impossible to see what is on the screen. I will be buying a pop up screen shade, which fits onto the back screen, and might help in making the screen easier to see in sunlight - it also folds flat when not in use, giving the screen protection from scratches.

Hey thanks for that. Good to know somebody has bought an aftermarker battery/charger and that it works well. May I ask what the aftermarket battery was like? Was it comparable in runtime to the original Sony battery? I can't see why it can't be, as the original is made in China just like the aftermarket. But if I am missing something, feel free to inform me please. I am certainly no expert in this area. I am assuming that if I buy an aftermarket battery that is CE accredited, then it should be okay.

I really can't see almost anyone buying the optional optical/electronic viewfinder when it's more than the camera itself. I would love to see the stats on the sales of this particular item. I would pay up to (max) half the camera purchase for this item.

Yes, the battery lasts just as long as the Sony one...perhaps slightly longer. The thing to check is the current rating. My Sony battery is rated at 1240 mAh at 3.6v, and the el cheapo off eBay is rated at 1350 mAh at 3.6 v. So as you can see it has slightly more capacity in the same size. Buying an extra battery or two together with the wall and car charger is a no brainer at $ 10.00 - really convenient.

Yes, that viewfinder price is extortion. I look forward to my pop-up shade for the rear screen to arrive. I think that cost me about $ 15.00 off eBay

 

[Allan Rossmore]

I have both a Sony HX50v and the older HX20v. I have bought off brand chargers and batteries for both and have had no problems. I hate having to plug in the camera to charge, when I can just swap out batteries easily.

For viewing I also refuse to pay the outrageous price for the Sony LCD. I use the Clearviewer for the HX50v which is an optical magnification system and find it works pretty well and is very compact and much less expensive. You put it right up to your eye so it is easier to see and to hold the camera steady compared to holding it away from you to view the LCD screen. It helps in bright sun and for long telephoto shoots where you want to hold the camera steady.

Allan R

 

[tomythumb]

Bodhi-U wrote:

I purchased a second non-sony battery from an ebay USA seller and it has worked out fine. But if you can go with sony battery try. Checkout ebay prices.

Hi all. Just an update. I normally am the sort of person that always looks for the genuine spare/accessory first and aftermarket second. If a genuine Sony NP BX1 battery was (maximum) $30, then I wouldn't touch the aftermarket, regardless of the fact that there are a myriad of sites selling them for under $10. From ebay to DX to other sites such as better batt etc.

But this is one of the rare occasions that I said no and bought aftermarket. I cannot justify a whopping $60-70 for the genuine Sony article. And don't get me wrong either, I can afford to buy the genuine article. I have determined in my own mind that this price does not reflect quality, just an outrageous markup. In the same manner as I mentioned in my OP, the ridiculous price of an optical viewfinder that is more expensive than the camera that it was designed for. No one will ever convince me that an optical viewfinder is more expensive to produce than the compatible camera.

I am a bit of a torch freak and am well used to lithium ion 3.7v batteries. I have a heap of 18650 batteries for various high end torches. Even the very best ones only go up to about $30. Li ion batteries with about 3 times the capacity of an NP BX1. As all NP BX1 batteries are Chinese made, I figured that an aftermarket can be just as good if not better than the original. But I am positive that $60-70 does not reflect any genuine cost related quality, just excessive profit.

I bought what looked like a good quality aftermarket NP BX1 and charger from ebay. One poster mentioned how an aftermarket battery would not register on the battery meter on the Cybershot camera. Well, my one did. The battery works excellently, and the battery charger works superbly with the charging led status flashing alternately green and red when 90% charged and constant green when fully charged. I am charging the aftermarket battery in the camera as I am typing this post just to test it out, and the charging status led in camera is displaying-just like the genuine Sony battery. Also, the in camera charging status led turned off displaying full charge. Again, like the Sony battery.

I love my Sony Cybershot HX50 camera. But the next time I buy a dedicated camera, I will take into consideration the cost of spares and accessories. I doubt I will buy again from any brand that sells outrageously marked up genuine articles. I am no expert, but I see nothing wrong with a good quality aftermarket battery/charger.

 

[iPixel]

Yes, my eBay battery works as good, if not better than the genuine Sony one. That for $ 10 including the wall charger - much easier now charging the batteries outside the camera, rather than needing the camera to charge a battery