REPLACEMENT BATTERIES FOR YOUR CAMERA, WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW?

Are you looking for a spare battery? Not sure which battery to buy? Maybe your budget is tight but you don't want to risk it? You may have looked and dizzy a little. Or that you have had doubts about whether or not to buy a second battery. Or on whether to buy it original or compatible . Normal, these doubts usually arise before any type of purchase. That is why today I bring you some clues to clarify the ideas on this topic. You already know that in the Photographer's Blog we like to make things easier for you;).

WHY IS A REPLACEMENT BATTERY NECESSARY?

Before continuing, I will tell you why it is convenient for you to have a second battery. Let's see, nobody likes to be in the situation of going to shoot and that the screen of his camera turns black and dies momentarily, right? Can you imagine what happens to you in the middle of your child's birthday because with the preparations you forgot to load it? Or you go on a trip and since you have nowhere to charge the battery you miss that wonderful sunset next to the Taj Mahal. Or almost worse, you want to immortalize your baby's first smiles and it turns out that your camera's battery is more than depleted. Small clicks, right? Some people are so farsighted that this would never happen to them (or yes, because you still break the battery and you have not been able to anticipate it except having a spare; P). Others, however, are more than putting out fires, we have a thousand things in our heads and see each other in many similar situations. Therefore, it is best to have a second battery at hand, so you do not run out of your photo / s.

IN WHAT SITUATIONS IS IT MORE NECESSARY TO HAVE A SPARE BATTERY?

There are those who work with only one battery and do not have any problems (until I hit it, of course, but just like the camera can hit you at the end of its days;)). However, for some types of photography or some types of photographer, it becomes almost essential. What are these cases? Let's see them:

Travel photography : when you travel you do not know how many situations worth photographing you will find (you expect many, but do not know ) or what possibilities of loading you will have before returning to your accommodation. And that considering that you have planned your trip well and brought a suitable adapter for the electric current.
Event photography: in these cases it is not to reach a site and shoot one or several photos, it is to portray a lot of stories, gestures, moments. It is a non-stop firing, very likely that the battery is terminated before the event;).
Photography long exposure : with this kind of pictures a lot of energy is consumed. If you are going to do a lightpainting session , or look for the silky effect of water, for example, you will have to carry a spare battery or very likely the session will end sooner than desired.
Video recording: that's right, the video consumes a lot of battery, so if you use it more to use your camera to record video you will have no choice but to have extra batteries or pull this trick that I tell you below as an alternative .

In addition to these types of photography or recording, there are functions that require a lot of energy, these are:

Live View mode
Wireless connections (Wifi, Bluetooth and GPS)

Finally, the weather also influences. With the cold your batteries will last much less. If you live in a very cold place, you will spend a long season in a Nordic country, or you will dedicate yourself (for whatever reason) to photograph in the snow, do not hesitate, always have a spare battery at hand.

CLONE OR ORIGINAL BATTERIES?

This is another eternal debate. Maybe we should consider making a second part of photographic dilemmas . Some people are clear that they would not risk even the slightest in buying a battery that was not the original brand. There are also those that even crazy people would pay what an original is worth to have it as a spare. But, luckily, there are also those who see gray tones;). Sometimes, it is better to see all the possibilities and analyze.

Clone or compatible battery for Sony cameras

There are experiences of all kinds, there are those who have failed an original and never had problems with a compatible brand, and there are also those who have had the opposite experience. It is clear that this is not a fixed rule. Advantages of the originals: the guarantee. If an “original” brand battery fails you, you know who you have to turn to, there is a renowned brand behind to respond. Advantages of compatible: the price. In some cases even much cheaper but, more or less, they are always cheaper. Everyone decides how much they can risk or how much they can spend. There are compatible brands that are known and that, in principle, do not have to give any problem and are cheaper than the originals offering a very similar result. Here are some brands that usually work well:

Duracell: For Canon , Nikon , Sony , Fujifilm , Pentax ...
Patona: For Canon , Nikon (or this other premium ), Sony , Fujifilm , Pentax

You also have, for example, these that have very good ratings on Amazon:

Powerextra LP-E6 (Canon): € 22.99
Powerextra EN-EL14 (Nikon): € 19.99
Newmowa NP-BX1 (Sony) 2 batteries and charger: € 12.98

Important note: Even if they are for certain brands, always check that it is compatible with your camera model;).

ALTERNATIVE TO THE REPLACEMENT BATTERY

If you record a lot of video indoors (or outdoors but with an electrical outlet by hand), you have this alternative to avoid changing the batteries, it is a power source that allows you to record while it is plugged into the power. As, for example, it is compatible with some Canon models (also for Nikon, Sony , Pentax ).

WHEN NOT TO PLAY IT?

Like everything in life, everyone makes their own decisions. But as the idea is to advise those who are more lost, I will give you very clear advice. If you have a very expensive camera in your hands, whether professional or not, do not play it. If you have paid 2000 euros, for example, for your SLR, wouldn't it be better to pay about 80 euros for an original battery and not put the camera at risk? I understand that if you have a reflex of 350 euros, it seems excessive to pay almost a quarter for a battery, but in the other case ... I would think about it. Another story is the brands that are so cheap that they make you doubt. Just as I wouldn't buy a twenty-cent gel a liter for my skin, I wouldn't put a battery of laughing price in my camera. They are personal decisions, of course, but ... sometimes cheap is very expensive.

TRICKS TO MAKE YOUR BATTERY LAST LONGER

Well, you know that we are very generous in the blog, so I will also give you some tricks to stretch as much as you can your battery and that, when you see that you only have one hairline left and many hours ahead to photograph, no panic;).

Turn off the flash: better use it only in strictly necessary cases, the flash consumes a lot of energy. Try raising the ISO, approaching any light source, etc., but avoid shooting with it.
Turn off your camera only when you anticipate that you will be more than 10 or 15 minutes without using it: being continuously turning it on and off can spend more energy than save.
Minimize or avoid the use of Live View : as I mentioned before, this function uses a lot of battery.
Think about the shots: it is not necessary to measure the shots again as when you were carrying a reel of 36 and each shot cost you a little money. But it is convenient that you control the greed of your finger when shooting and reflections before pressing the button. Better less shots now and have a chance to shoot later than get excited and keep zero battery.
Turn off everything you can: image stabilizer, autofocus, sensor cleaning ... Everything that the camera does extra consumes extra battery too. Better disable all automatic functions and those you don't really need.
Avoid recording on video: what has been said, video is another function that consumes a lot of battery. If it is not very necessary, forget about it.
Say goodbye to wireless connections: disconnect bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS. Unless you have to send your location in some way so that Salvage will rescue you urgently, turn them off . Or you will see how you lose shot possibilities along the way.

TRICKS FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF YOUR BATTERIES

And since I tell you some tricks to maximize the battery life at your outings, I also tell you others for maintenance:

Try to buy batteries of the same power as the original.
If you use a grip with two batteries try to be the same, or the two clones or the two original, but like batteries of different charges, better not to mix them, for some reason it does not usually work well.
Protect them from the cold. When it is very cold, the batteries last much less. In these cases, save the spare ones attached to your body. And, if you're going to be a long time without shooting, the camera too.
Organize your batteries well: to avoid mistakes and confusion, if you have several batteries, I recommend you label them in some way.

And here today the article on batteries, I hope I have clarified the doubts. And if I have created new ones, do not hesitate to leave them in the comments. We will be happy to solve them. If you found it useful, remember that some of your contacts may also look like it. Display your generosity and share this information. Thank you, I hope to see you here soon!