Q My fiancée and I are going to Europe for our honeymoon next month, and we need extra rechargeable batteries for our digital camera. We will take lots of pictures, and the battery that came with it might not last the entire day. I have seen aftermarket batteries selling for much less than the manufacturer's batteries. Given the big difference in price, how do they compare?
A Generally speaking, aftermarket batteries are not as good as the original batteries.
Generic or third-party batteries can be a good value, though. You might get about 75 percent or more of the performance of the original battery, for 25 percent of the price or less.
There are many batteries on the market, and performance varies widely.
Recently, I have been using replacement batteries sold under the Wasabi Power brand and have had excellent results. Its battery and charger packages are an excellent value.
When I wrote about the Samsung TL350 recently, I suggested that anyone purchasing the camera pick up at least one extra battery because its tiny battery might not get you through a whole day of shooting. On Amazon, I found a Wasabi package for the TL350 that includes two batteries and a charger for only $20, and the charger includes a car adapter for charging on the go.
I spent a day in New York City with two Wasabi batteries and the original Samsung battery and took about 700 pictures, as well as a dozen videos. The batteries performed wonderfully, and I could not tell any difference between the Wasabi batteries and the original battery.
An extra charger always comes in handy, too, especially with the TL350, which typically charges batteries in the camera with a USB cable. Now I can use the camera and charge a battery at the same time.
