# D5100 3rd party batteries.



## nitris223 (May 9, 2013)

Has anyone tried the 3rd party batteries from Upstart Battery or Ezo Power for their D5100.  Both claim to be decoded.  Upstart claims a lifetime warranty.   They run about $25 a piece on Amazon.ca.  I would buy a factory nikon battery off Amazon.com but they won't sell to Canadians and Amazon.ca is $62 for a nikon .  They claim it is a factory battery but some of the reviews have claimed it to be a fake.  Here in Canada the En-EL14 is $90 + tax ( 1/5 the price of the camera) and in the States it is $40.  Found a few in stock in the States but the shipping was crazy and added almost $30 to the price of the battery. 

I don't know who is reliable anymore on flea bay.  Seems more and more crooks on there then anything else.


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## KmH (May 9, 2013)

Caveat emptor (Buyer Beware)

Or stated another way - Beware of the Walmart mentality of consumerism.



> If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is to good to be true.





> You get what you pay for.





> There is a sucker born every minute.


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## nitris223 (May 9, 2013)

I know it is buyer beware.  that's why I am asking if anyone has tried them.  I am not concerned with the lifetime warranty.  If you get 4 yrs out of any rechargeable batter you are doing good.  The thing is the Canadian price compared to the USA price is a big jump.  Nikon Canada claimed Exchange rate as most CDN companies do. I am sick of the exchange rate BS.  There are stores here that sell nikon cameras and they don't even carry the nikon brand battery.  Only place I found that has a battery is the Source ( Radio Shack) and that is a 3rd party called Lenmar.  Priced at $50, (I can't stand the slack idiots that work there so I won't spend any money there).  That is the going price for the brand name battery in the States.  There has to be batteries out there that are just as good .  Just trying to find a reputable dealer that carries some.


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## jrizal (May 9, 2013)

Haven't tried but I have a Wasabi brand. It worka and has a higher rating than the OEM. You might want. To consider this too.


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## KmH (May 9, 2013)

Nikon batteries have some electronics built in that communicate with the camera.

While 3rd party batteries may reverse engineer the electronics, the communication protocol is usually poses a problem for them.

If a 3rd party battery causes a repair issue with your camera, don't be surprised that Nikon can tell a 3rd party battery caused the issue, and will expect to be paid for a repair even if the camera is still under warranty.


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## sandollars (May 9, 2013)

Why skimp to save a couple of bucks by buying a non Nikon battery?


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## jrizal (May 10, 2013)

sandollars said:


> Why skimp to save a couple of bucks by buying a non Nikon battery?



Why skimp on a few bucks on a non-Canon camera?  BTW, I'm a Nikonian.  But seriously...

In the OEM world, OEM manufacturers are fully aware that margins are highest when it comes to accessories (and even spare parts). These accessories almost always are way overpriced that there is always a good number of people who are not willing to purchase at those prices hence the existence of a thriving after-market economy. As a response OEM manufacturers take great lengths in protecting that segment. Some companies such as Epson will go through litigation and lobbying to protect its accessories/supplies unit - it is illegal to sell compatible ink and also to refill ink in the US. (It is still legal to do so elsewhere but Epson frowns on this practice.) But often, voiding warranty is the protectionist action used by companies.

Sometimes tweaks in the accessories are made so that third-party accessories are no longer compatible. Such is the case of Nikon batteries. And you can argue that OEMs are best and NO OTHER THIRD PARTY BATTERY can have the same performance. Really? But how complicated really is battery technology even if there are "smart" batteries that can communicate with the camera itself that it warrants such an exorbitant cost? In manufacturing pricing especially for accessories is not based on cost considerations but rather more on marketing conditions. By having some sort of "monopoly" power over pricing plus marketing hype i.e. only originals work best, OEMs can make a killing. Take for example the Nikon D3100. Its price has gone down around $200 since production. (And yes, it is still a production model so Nikon is not disposing old stock.) And consider the price of the EN-EL14 which averages $40. And consider compatibles which average $10. There is obviously a huge gap - $30 to be exact. And how much does Nikon earn from a D3100? Or a P7000 which also had a $200 price drop but retails $150 less than the D3100. Margins are relatively less in DSLRs compared to batteries. And how much easier and cost efficient is to manufacture a battery compared to a DSLR? It is more of economics really rather compatibility. (Do you honestly believe Nikon is doing this for free? As a for-profit organization Nikon like most greedy companies out there will try to milk us as much as it can.  Don't blame Nikon for that. It's just the nature of business. (But do blame Nikon if it comes out with a dud. ) But I MUST say that with anything aftermarket, your mileage may vary. In other words there are good Nikon compatibles and there are bad compatibles. And while KmH may not necessarily agree with non-OEMs, he still put it best - BUYER BEWARE.

On a side note, the argument over OEM and non-OEM batteries is like a religious debate. A good number will always despise the use of non-OEM batteries stating all sorts of reasons while others will they that they're cheap and they work. But I am wondering why no one really argues much about third party speedlights. The Nikon speedlights  are the most compatible (obviously) but dirt cheap speedlights such as the Yong Nuo YN560 II having no CLS and i-TTL capabilities (Ok let's not argue over TTL! ) is having many rave reviews not only from Nikonians but from Canonites as well. $530 vs $75 or a $455 difference which is the price of a D3100 with kit lens (or T3 with kit lens) or the price of the discontinued D3000 with kit lens with a 55-200mm plus bag and SD card bundle. And might as well include Sigma and Tamron lenses. The difference is not only a couple of bucks but can range from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand bucks. Just wondering. 


To the OP, there are indeed third-party coded batteries available. The most popular in the lower 48 being the Wasabi Power brand due to its higher rating compared to the original and also one of the first decoded batteries if not the first. The brands you mentioned are not known here. Wasabi Power is also available but not in much quantities (like five as of this writing) in Canada.

Wasabi Power Battery for Nikon EN-EL14 compatible with Nikon Coolpix P7000, P7100, P7700, D3100, D3200, D5100, D5200 (Decoded Chip): Amazon.ca: Electronics

But again buyer beware. For those who prefer OEM, nobody's stopping you or saying you're wasting money. Use what you think is best for your camera.


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## nitris223 (May 10, 2013)

sandollars said:


> Why skimp to save a couple of bucks by buying a non Nikon battery?



If I could get a genuine nikon battery from the States, I would. Being $40 USD compared to $90 + cdn. I just have a real problem with CDN pricing and it is not going to change so there fore I try and spend my money State side so I can piss off one or more cdn dealers. I am not trying to buy a $3 battery form china, probably what they really cost to make. It's going to be the dealers downfall if they don't protest to the parent company. Individual complaints don't do squat. Brick and morter stores closeing might do something to their bottom line. The price of the en-el14 battery in canada varies from $90 to $112. Complete rip off. 

I have never bought into the OEM crap. Here is a example of brand name pricing rip offs. Arctic Cat quads use to come with a Suzuki motor. AC sells the filter for $19 , Suzuki dealer sells the same filter, painted white with suzuki name on it for $12. $7 difference. Think I bought my filter there, not a chance. I tracked down the company who makes the filter for them and many other OEM's. Get the same quality filter for $6. Just to see for my self I cut the old factory one apart and cut the replacement apart after it was used. Guess what, turns out the 3 party filter had more filter material in there. 
Here is another for all the OEM faithfull. Do you go back to the dealership for a battery or tires. I don't. I find them to be of the lowest quality and the highest price. Battery from walmart lasted 7 yrs longer then the factory battery that came in my truck. 

JRIZAL, thanks for your post. If it wasn't for Amazon.com restricting their sellers from shipping to Canada , I would already have a nikon battery in the mail. Other place I looked that had reasonable shipping was out of stock. I may wait and get one from there , but I only have a month before my trip and it takes 2 weeks to get stuff from the states. 

If I can get a factory nikon battery from the states for $40, to us in Canada that is a good deal, if not I have to look for a good reliable aftermarket brand. Though it seems that they are just really starting to trickle out into the market so only time will tell. .


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## jrizal (May 10, 2013)

@nitris,

Since Wasabi is limited now you may also want to consider Fosmon a seller of generic no brand products having cheap but working products. No reviews yet but I am just putting this on faith alone due to the reputation of Fosmon. Still Wasabi is best due to the number of reviews and capacity of the battery.

Wasabi - 1300 mAh
Fosmon - 1150 mAh
Nikon and others - 1050 mAh

Fosmon 7.4V 1050mAh Fully Decoded Replacement Battery Nikon EN-EL14 DSLR for Nikon Camera Models COOLPIX P7000 / P7100 / P7700 / D3100 / D3200 / D5100 / D5200: Amazon.ca: Electronics

PS Yeah some compatibles perform much better than OEMs. Aside from my Nikon compatible, my Olympus Li-50B compatible has a 1400mAh rating compared to my OEM Li-50B 925mAh. Performance wise the compatibles leave the OEM far behind and it has been three years since I bought them. $3 against a $39 OEM - well worth the "leap of faith" with a little help from reviews from actual users. BUT THEN BUYER BEWARE. DO YOU RESEARCH BEFORE YOU PURCHASE.


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## jrizal (May 10, 2013)

Dang the Wasabi there is more expensive there than the original here. The Wasabi is a few bucks more than the Fosmon as is price similarly down here.


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## Alimac1 (May 10, 2013)

I am on another forum (motoring related) that is primarily NZ And Australia, and we often get someone in one country to purchase on behalf and send to someone that wants an item. Hell, we even have people in Ireland getting stuff sent from NZ because it saves them over buying from their Irish Toyota dealer. Is this an option here?


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## nitris223 (May 10, 2013)

Guess I will be trying the Fosmon battery.  Checking the shipping cost and I accidently hit the proceed button when I was scrolling across the page and bought the battery.  Oh well, give it a try and see.


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## sandollars (May 10, 2013)

jrizal said:


> sandollars said:
> 
> 
> > Why skimp to save a couple of bucks by buying a non Nikon battery?
> ...



Hello, My name is Steve and I am a purist....


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## hoppingbuffalo (May 14, 2014)

nitris223 said:


> Has anyone tried the 3rd party batteries ...



Have had good luck with after-market batteries made in Japan, but not made in China.

Lenmar is highly rated on Adorama, Power2000 not so much, and they don't sell wasabi, but wasabi is highly rated on Amazon.  Lenmar has a 2 yr warranty, wasabi a 3 yr, and power2000 no warranty.  Wasabi is actually made in China, they say from Japan in their ads, IMHO a bit deceptive so I have a little lack of trust with wasabi.  The price is still great compared to OEM batteries, the risk of camera damage pretty low, and buy several to mitigate the risk of a non-functionality battery.

Tenergy is great especially for chargers, but don't market to cameras - they're mostly an RC shop.  I love my Tenergy charger for AA and AAA batteries and, using this charger, even crappy AA and AAA work well.


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## hamlet (May 14, 2014)

I considered buying those cheap batteries and they had 90% positive reviews but i just ended up buying nikon. Because i didn't want to have that freak battery that burns either my house down while recharging or breaking my camera. I mean you don't even know if it will hold its charge while in use or after a couple of uses. There are too many variables that cast a big shadow over this and is in my opinion not worth saving $30 over.


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## Derrel (May 14, 2014)

nitris223 said:


> I know it is buyer beware.  that's why I am asking if anyone has tried them.  I am not concerned with the lifetime warranty.  *If you get 4 yrs out of any rechargeable batter you are doing good*.  The thing is the Canadian price compared to the USA price is a big jump.  Nikon Canada claimed Exchange rate as most CDN companies do. I am sick of the exchange rate BS.  There are stores here that sell nikon cameras and they don't even carry the nikon brand battery.  Only place I found that has a battery is the Source ( Radio Shack) and that is a 3rd party called Lenmar.  Priced at $50, (I can't stand the slack idiots that work there so I won't spend any money there).  That is the going price for the brand name battery in the States.*  There has to be batteries out there that are just as good* .  Just trying to find a reputable dealer that carries some.



I have a Nikon D2x with its original Nikon battery. The camera's battery performance and monitoring scale display runs from [NEW] 0 1 2 3 4 [REPLACE]

I bought the camera on May 3, 2005. The battery is 9 years old.

It is currently on "3" in its lifespan. I think maybe you're misinformed about how long genuine Nikon batteries work, or perhaps uninformed about Nikon's proprietary battery monitoring and re-charging and periodic battery re-calibration technologies.

I have owned this camera for NINE YEARS and ten days, and have ONLY this one, single battery for it.


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## hamlet (May 14, 2014)

Though i feel like Derrel is probably right, i would like to point out that this is just a sample of one.


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## Vince.1551 (May 14, 2014)

nitris223 said:


> Has anyone tried the 3rd party batteries from Upstart Battery or Ezo Power for their D5100.  Both claim to be decoded.  Upstart claims a lifetime warranty.   They run about $25 a piece on Amazon.ca.  I would buy a factory nikon battery off Amazon.com but they won't sell to Canadians and Amazon.ca is $62 for a nikon .  They claim it is a factory battery but some of the reviews have claimed it to be a fake.  Here in Canada the En-EL14 is $90 + tax ( 1/5 the price of the camera) and in the States it is $40.  Found a few in stock in the States but the shipping was crazy and added almost $30 to the price of the battery.  I don't know who is reliable anymore on flea bay.  Seems more and more crooks on there then anything else.



I got from eBay. Buy from Hong Kong sellers. Cheap and good 3rd party batteries.


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