Generic batteries with the X70

[Dave Zavetsky]

Hi all -- new to the forum and new to the X70.....just got mine recently and loving it so far.

That said, the fact that it does not come with a pro charger for the battery pack is a bit off-putting for me....it should be a combo power/charger pack like so many other pro cameras do.

I have been looking at generic brand batteries that claim compatibility with the NP-FV70/100 batteries.

Anyone try any yet and if so your experience and what brand works for you? I was considering Wasabi power......

Anyone?

[Dan Tolbertson]

I guess they may work for some people but over the years I have decided to stick with Genuine Sony Batteries. I have some knock off batteries that never display the correct time left and things like that. Never had any real issues with a genuine battery and face it, a battery that doesn't do its job can ruin your whole day.

[Gabor Heeres]

With my X70 I have ordered the Sony ACC-V1BP kit:

http://www.sony.nl/pro/product/broad...v1bp/overview/

It was originally targeted for the NX70 and therefore little outdated. Some resellers therefore do price it very attractive. Though, battery and charger work more than excellent with the X70. The charger also charges the original NP-FV70 battery that came with your X70 and provides external power as you requested. Original Sony pro stuff at a very reasonable price. B&H asks $200.

[Noa Put]

I also had mixed results on non sony batteries like one day one of my camera's switching off just like that because the camera saw I was using a fake battery eventhough it let me record for over an hour straight without any issue. Luckily I was monitoring the camera and I saw a warning like "no original battery, shutting down" and *poof* it stopped recording.

Since then I always use a original battery, my generic ones get used on videolights now.

[John Nantz]

It seems like "smart" batteries that help the equipment manufacturer control things, and possibly extract information on customer usage, is the wave of the future.

Equipment manufacturer OEM batteries have had some kind of circuitry in them for some time that allows the camera and the battery to communicate. With regard to printers, the equipment manufacturers have started having the ink cartridge and the printer communicate. For me this has been frustrating because with my old laser jet I'd run it dry before replacing the cartridge, taking it out and rolling it around to get every last bit of toner out of it. That doesn't work with ink cartridges.

To add insult to injury, now the printer quits printing if it determines the cartridge is out of date! With multiple cartridges this is becoming a real problem. I'm sure that the printer communicates information to the manufacturer. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if this "out of date" issue started happening with one of the printer software updates.

In the case of camera batteries, I'm afraid the handwriting is on the wall. Hadn't thought about the battery part of the camera purchase equation before so after reading Noa's post it's an eye opener.

Noa's post: "I also had mixed results on non sony batteries like one day one of my camera's switching off just like that because the camera saw I was using a fake battery eventhough it let me record for over an hour straight without any issue. Luckily I was monitoring the camera and I saw a warning like "no original battery, shutting down" and *poof* it stopped recording.

Since then I always use a original battery, my generic ones get used on videolights now."

It will be the same here. I've standardized on the Sony battery and except for one, they're all generic.

It wouldn't surprise me if future camera software "security and user improvement" updates will no doubt incorporate some user feedback information.

On the manufacturers side, though, I'm sure they're taking a hit from slip-shod aftermarket battery manufacturer equipment that causes damage to the equipment that they wind up having to repair. That doesn't mean I have to like it, though.

So, I agree with Noa, like it or not (and I don't), OEM batteries will be on my camera.

[Mike Griffiths]

Just to say, I've been using generic batteries for about 2 months, they work fine and give an indication on screen. One problem I've had is that it indicated about 20% charge left which I calculated would last 30 minutes ( recording a play) and would get me to the end which was 10 minutes away. It stopped 5 minutes later and a screen came up telling me to change the battery. Luckily there were 2 other cameras recording, so I've only lost one angle for a few minutes. Now I know that i'll be much more cautious and change batteries earlier. but otherwise worth buying and using as supplementary batteries

[Tim Akin]

I've been using generic batteries since the VX2100 days on all my cameras (XA20, GH2, G6, AC90, FX1000, X70) with very good results, can't tell the difference between them and the originals. Guess I've been lucky.

[Christopher Young]

Originally Posted by Gabor Heeres

With my X70 I have ordered the Sony ACC-V1BP kit:

Using the same Sony AC-VQV10 charger here and very happy with it. Picked up a used one off eBay for $85. They pop up every now and again.

I have both Sony and aftermarket VF100 type batteries and don't find a massive difference in performance or durability. Early days yet though! The generic ones are the Vivitar NP-F100's, have four of them, and so far so good. The only observable difference is when you put them on the charger they indicate 99% in the top right corner of the LCD regardless of their charge state. The rest of the LCD display functions like 'battery life', 'time to chg normal' and 'time to chg full' all seem to work as per the genuine Sony NP-FV batteries. I run them down to 12-15% in the viewfinder and then I chicken out and change so can't speak to how fast they fall off the cliff when really low to flat.

Vivitar NP FV100 4200mA Battery for Sony DCR SR68 HDR XR150 NEX VG10 HDR XR550V 681066336434 | eBay

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

[Mike Griffiths]

Bought these about 2 months ago from 'Lucky Robot' on Ebay NP-FV50 NP-FV100 NP-FV30 NP-FV70 2800mAh Battery For Sony HDR-CX116E HDR-CX115E, amazingly cheap and working well except for 'fall off'

[Mark Fry]

I think the point is that not all generic batteries are the same. Some work well, but others don't. I've used generic batteries from Keene Electronics in the UK on various Canon cameras over the years. All have given good service until the latest one. Previous items carried Keene's own brand on them, so I don't know where they actually came from. The latest one is branded "Energizer", a well-known battery brand, but it seems to hold less charge (runs the camera for less time) than previous items, and has started to lose its capacity rather earlier in it's life than I'd expected. On the other hand, it was less than half the price of a Canon-branded battery. You pays your money and takes your choice...