Cheap batteries should be fine for camcorder

Q I have a Canon ZR200 camcorder that I have enjoyed for several years. The battery no longer holds a charge. With replacement batteries selling for $50 to $75 each, I wonder if perhaps I should just spend $100 more and get a new camcorder. What are your thoughts?

TRICIA ETHERIDGE, Ridgeland, S.C.

A Replace the battery, and use the camcorder until it dies. But don't pay $50 or more for a battery.

Manufacturers' batteries are what you usually find in stores. They tend to be the highest quality, but unless you are a serious videographer you can get by with a less expensive option.

Third-party camcorder batteries can be found at extremely low prices on eBay. I recently purchased two batteries for a similar Canon camcorder and paid only $13.85 shipped, less than $7 a battery. Similar deals can be found on Amazon.com.

If you are wondering if these inexpensive options are as good as the manufacturers' batteries, they are not. But they do work fine.

My experience shows my third-party batteries provide about 85 percent of the life out of a manufacturer's equivalent battery, while costing a fraction of the price.

ALAN SCHULTZ, PITTSBURGH

A My No. 1 recommendation for a digital television set-top antenna has been and continues to be the $25 Philips Silver Sensor. It's amazing and has never ceased to impress me with its ability to lock in stations, even in difficult locations.

The Silver Sensor is an unamplified antenna, so all you need to do is connect it to your TV or converter box with the included cable and point it in the direction of the towers. It is directional, so you might need to point it manually when you change channels.

You can visit www.antennaweb.org to learn more about antennas and get other recommendations. As you have noticed, there is a wide variation in claims and prices to go with them. My experience with recommendations from AntennaWeb has not been that good. I've tried amplified antennas two classes above the Silver Sensor that do not work nearly as well.

I'd recommend trying the Silver Sensor and seeing if it works. If you need more, try an old-fashioned roof or attic-mount antenna on a rotor. The old ways still work best in this case.