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Batteries for A7ii

karlfoto

New member
Hi Forum

Any idea which alternative battery and battery charger system would be good for the a7ii. I see b&h is providing the watson system.

Any views on this? Is it better to stick with the std sony option?
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
I think quite a few people around here use the Watson with great results. I usually go for OEM but Watson is actually one of the side brands I'd use.
 
I've had good results with the inexpensive Wasabi Power batteries (and chargers). As far as I can tell, they work just as well as Sonys.
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
I use all three (Sony, Watson, Wasabi). They're all equally ... what's the word? ... terrible.

They drain so fast you can hear the whir of the charge percentage numbers changing. After the UI, it's my biggest complaint about the A7II. Well, those are my only complaints, really, so that's not too bad. I just carry a bunch of the little suckers.

--Matt
 

karlfoto

New member
Hi Guys

Thanx for all the answers. Given the price of the sony, and the numbers of batteries it seems are needed, perhaps the watson or wasabi will be the way to go. Can the wasabi batteries be charged on the watson charger?

Speaking of power, does the a7ii draw more power than the a7? Is this because of the IBIS system, and if so, can one switch it off if you are using manual lenses?

Thanx
Karl
 
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GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
My experience is generally that the batteries are s%%%%ty on all cameras. That said, I've stuck with Sony chargers (I have 3) since I prefer the status/shut off indication, but I will buy the clone batteries.
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
The M9 batteries last forever. It's almost as if it's part camera and not all computer! :ROTFL: I hear the S does pretty well, too.
 
Can the wasabi batteries be charged on the watson charger?
Yes, they can all be mixed.

Speaking of power, does the a7ii draw more power than the a7? Is this because of the IBIS system, and if so, can one switch it off if you are using manual lenses?
Yes to all three questions.

In my experience, the biggest power drains are: shooting video, and using the LA-EA4 adapter with screw-drive lenses. But as long as you've got a spare or two, it's never a problem.

There's also the battery grip available which hold two batteries, if you really need to shoot a lot without swapping batteries.
 

dandrewk

New member
If you need to have your photos with accurate time stamps (critical with gps loggers, e.g.), you'll need connectivity.

Keeping the camera in airplane mode saves battery, but it's only significant when the camera is off for a long period of time. It uses a small amount of power to stay connected. Even so, a full battery should last several weeks.
 

joe_leads

New member
Is there a big difference between Sony OEM and third party batteries? Yesterday I've been shooting still life in the studio, with the A7R tethered to my laptop, for more than 3 hours until I had to change the battery. That is nothing to complain about, my 'old' D800E would run even shorter with live view on one battery, I guess.
 

karlfoto

New member
Thanx for the advise.

I got the watson batteries and charger. They take a bit longer to switch the camera on, but no big deal.

Bonus is that with three different saddles, i can charge the sony, my canon 5dii and my wife's G16. And with the figure eight cable, I can charge it practically anywhere in the world.

Great buy.
 
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