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Resolved Question

Does it matter on mAhs when buying a lithium battery?

by Aug 30, 2011 2:49AM PDT

I just purchased a new digital camera and my manufacturer is recommending buying ONLY their batteries which are much more expensive. I have found a battery which has the same replacement numbers and the same volts but the mAH and the Wh are different. Does that matter? The manufacturer states that a "different" battery may overheat or explode.

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Tcbtv has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer
3 Posts
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It Depends
by Forum moderator Aug 30, 2011 7:26AM PDT

Some new cameras MUST use the battery made by the camera manufacturer.
The camera can recognize imitation batteries and will refuse to operate with them.
Panasonic is one of those.
Canon has done the same on some of its cameras.

Beyond that, there are many substitute batteries available.
Some offer more capacity (mAH - milliamp Hours).
That means they should last longer on a charge.

All camera makers can show cases where a substitute battery has damaged one of their cameras.
Anywhere from leaking caustic materials to overheating, exploding or catching on fire.
The camera maker will refuse to service such a camera and will not honor the warranty.

Building rechargeable lithium batteries has its hazards.
One is getting contamination into the battery during manufacturing.
I had one HP laptop that had a HP battery that was recalled, because of reports of batteries overheating.
So even the big name players have to watch what their suppliers are making for them.

Just about all lithium batteries are made in China.
Quality control can be very good or it can be very bad.
The major manufacturers of cameras have some or all of their batteries made in China but they have Quality Control people to make sure that the batteries meet their specifications.

The odds are that "no name" batteries will work satisfactorily in your camera.
But, if the odds turn against you, it could result in a ruined camera.

As Popeye always said: "You spends your money and you takes your chances".

..

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Thank you
by Tcbtv Aug 30, 2011 10:52AM PDT

Snapshot, thank you for answering, I have never been very good at "going to Las Vegas", I certainly will take your advice into consideration!

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Answer
Current ratings are important
by Sep 2, 2011 9:21AM PDT

The current ratings are important to proper camera operation. If the batteries are the same physical size and it will fit in the camera, with the voltage ratings the same, current ratings determine how long the charge will last between recharges. Example, the battery current rating is 1000 MAH and you can only find a replacement rated at 800 MAH, then the battery will not last as long as the original before needing recharging. A higher current rating, such as 1500 MAH will give you 50% more photos before needing a recharge. Care must be taken with the litium batteries as they can discharge at much higher rates and get very hot when doing so. Any dust or dirt in and around the battery terminals and inside the camera can cause extremely high currents that will send up smoke signals and seriously damage the camera.

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