IFBR1B batteries

[seth]

Is anyone using non-lectrosonic Li-50b batteries in their units?

Seems kinda wild the lectro brand are so much more expensive. 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

I've been looking into this for the ZMT-4, but I haven't tested anything yet.  I'm about to try these Fujifilm branded batteries: http://www.economik.com/fujifilm/np-50/ (Note that Studio Economik is Canadian, so the price is cheaper than a direct comparison may appear).

The UL number is different from the Lectro-branded ones, but as far as I can tell they are the same form factor.  Both the Fujifilm and Lectro UL numbers trace back to different subsidiaries of Panasonic, which makes me think they should be fairly similar in performance and reliability.  Panasonic is an excellent OEM for batteries.

I would note that both batteries appear to have very similar packaging design (note the broken left-pointing arrow at the bottom, and the general layout of all the information).  I've found several other "off-brand" batteries that share this design, but I couldn't say whether they share the design because they are genuinely coming from the same factory of if they are simply knock-offs that have copied the design but come from a different factory.

I haven't tried them yet, but I'll report back when I do.  But, I can't say how useful I can be:  I don't have any Lectro batteries for direct comparison, and I'll be using them in ZMT-4s, not R1Bs.

For reference, this is the UL listing for the Lectro model:  https://productiq.ulprospector.com/en/profile/2998381/nwgq7.e341239?term=NWGQ7&page=138

and this is for Fujifilm:  https://productiq.ulprospector.com/en/profile/10566/bbfs.mh27866?term=BBFS&page=2

[mono]

4 hours ago, seth said:

Seems kinda wild the lectro brand are so much more expensive. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thenannymoh]

5 hours ago, seth said:

Is anyone using non-lectrosonic Li-50b batteries in their units?

Seems kinda wild the lectro brand are so much more expensive. 

 

It may not be what you want to hear, but the Lectro batts are worth the cost in the end.  They're consistent, dependable.

 

You know where my fuji or off brand batts are? In the back of the drawer. Some work ok for a while. Others are sketchy out of box.  When I can't rely on them, they just cost me more in the end. 

[Wandering Ear]

+1 for the lectro batts, they are worth the money. 
 

When I transitioned to the zmt’s i started trying both the lectro and fuji batts. The only batts I’ve had fail so far are the fuji. Couple won’t take a charge and some have puffed up which always freaks me out. 
 

On the outside they may look like the same design, but the internals, quality control, and testing can very greatly.  I seem to remember a post from Larry lamenting about how far lectro goes (aka $$) in testing an QC, and in the 50 or so batteries i keep in rotation it has shown.

That’s been my experience. 
 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

I just discovered another possibility thanks to Audiosense:  https://www.audiosense.be/en/zaxcom-np-50-battery-zax-np50
 

It looks like Pentax uses a version of this form factor for one of their cameras, which they identify as LI68, so that's another search term to look for.  The photo of the battery on Audiosense (and also on B&H) shows the same UL number as the Lectro LB50 (and therefore coming from Panasonic under the same certification), so they should theoretically be comparable.

That said, I found a LOT of Pentax-branded knockoffs (at least, judging by the photo) which did not have a UL certification, so I would say this one is buyer-beware, and if it's at a too-good-to-be-true price, it probably is.

But at least it gives us another thing to look for that is potentially trustworthy.