[Leica] Third party M8/M9 batteries

[Peter Klein]

Thanks, all.  I've done a bit of e-searching.  Many fewer sources offer 
third-party batteries for the M8/M9 than a few years back. There seem to 
be only two varieties available now.  Mostly I saw the Cameron Sino 
batteries (1600 mah), and another no-name brand (1800 mah).  OEM Leica 
batteries are 1860 mah.

The last time I got batteries was in late 2010.  At that time, there 
were third-party batteries circulating that had a very bad reputation, 
and lower mah ratings (1400-1700) than the OEM Leica batteries.  Also 
available were 1900 mah batteries with blue print on the label, which 
had a good reputation. I bought two of these. Seven and a half years 
later, they still work.  They are no longer available.

My guess is that there was enough business to support both bad 
knock-offs and good knock-offs back then. Today, the M8-M9 family is no 
longer current, and only really cheap, bad ones remain.  So it may be 
that it's best to bite the bullet and pay the Leica price, as obscene as 
it is, and as much as I hate encouraging them.  No small camera battery 
is worth $175, or even $125.

And then there is the vendor.  They sent me the following baloney 
boilerplate when I complained that the batteries had died after only a 
few charge cycles.

     "When a brand new battery is installed and your device is not 
functioning properly, we suggest that you contact the manufacturer of 
your device to see if they can help troubleshoot the problem.

     "The manufacturer of the battery you have purchased is Cameron Sino 
which is different from the original battery, this is the reason it has 
a different quality.

     "If you would like to have the %100 same quality, we suggest you to 
contact the manufacturer of the original battery for additional 
information as to where to buy the original one."

Guess who ain't never gettin' no more of my business.

--Peter



 > Although...that happens with every battery sometime. That said, there 
really does seem to be a difference between Fuji OEM batteries and 
nonOEMs, more noticeable in the more recent cameras. So I’d assume it’s 
true with Leicas as well.
 >
 > Sent from my iPhone
 >
 > > On May 22, 2018, at 7:42 PM, Sonny Carter via LUG <lug at 
leica-users.org> wrote:
 > >
 > > The math doesn’t work when a battery dies just when you want to take a
 > > picture.
 > >
 > >> On Tue, May 22, 2018 at 6:32 PM Frank Filippone <red735i at 
verizon.net> wrote:
 > >>
 > >> Every year this subject gets discussed.
 > >> I postulated, years ago, that the market for the M8 battery type was
 > >> infinitessimal, compared to Nikon/Canon. What correct in the head 
Chinese
 > >> maker would bother for this tiny market?  My conclusion was none. 
So how do
 > >> these batteries get made and sold so cheap?  My thought is that , 
in the
 > >> case of M8 batteries, that there is a reject rate. That the third 
party
 > >> batteries did not meet some Leica spec. These batteries are sold as
 > >> aftermarket items, cheap. It follows they will not last as long as the
 > >> Leica spec ones.
 > >> As time pases, we have some proof they do not last.
 > >> Here is the financial question:  if Leica makes a battery that costs
 > >> 10-20-30 times the cost of the aftermarket brand , but lasts only 
5 times
 > >> as long, which is a better buy???
 > >>
 > >> And the answer is.......
 > >>
 > >>
 > >>
 > >>
 > >> _______________________________________________
 > >> Leica Users Group.
 > >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
 > >>
 > > --
 > > Regards,
 > >
 > > Sonny
 > > http://sonc.com/look/
 > > Natchitoches, Louisiana
 > > 1714
 > > Oldest Permanent Settlement in the Louisiana Purchase
 > >
 > > USA