Longer Life Batteries

[SeaLife Cameras]

As others have already called-out, these high mAh specifications from unknown battery brands are greatly exaggerated. The original 700 mAh battery included with the DC1200 (and DC1400) was made by BYD but discontinued about a year ago. We tested a variety of other batteries and found the LenMar 3.7V, 780mAh to be the best one. Test confirm its a true 780 mAh. You can order this battery from any authorized SeaLife dealer or online at SeaLifePartsDirect.com. Item is SL16134. See attached picture.

Hope that helps.

 

[Steve_C]

Thanks that is helpful. Since I tend to run out of juice just a few pictures short of dive end that extra 11% might do it.

I assume they can be used with the same chargers as the 700 mha. Correct.

 

[fmerkel]

A Lenmar battery that is decent!
Frankly I'm shocked. Most of their batteries are pathetic.
That's good though. Everyone screws up sometimes.

Yes, you can use the same charger.

 

[Steve_C]

Went to the web site. They did not have the number you gave. All I could find was
SL7014 and there was no way to tell if that is the same battery.

 

[DandyDon]

I so miss the days of using AA batteries with 2000+ mAh each in SeaLife cameras. My DC100 took 4, but my DC310 only needed 2. And you can get those anywhere. I bought some at a little shop set up in a hundred year old Army building overlooking the Rio Grande in Big Bend NP once. I'm headed back there tomorrow, and I recharged my NiMH AAs with a SeaLife charger.

 

[fmerkel]

Just do a search for [Lenmar DLO40B]. You'll get a MESS of hits, Target, Walmart, etc. They are $10-13, cheap.
SeaLife would have just quadrupled the price anyway. Nice of them to help though.

 

[Steve_C]

Just do a search for [Lenmar DLO40B]. You'll get a MESS of hits, Target, Walmart, etc. They are $10-13, cheap.
SeaLife would have just quadrupled the price anyway. Nice of them to help though.

It is not that simple. I have seen pictures of the DLO40B with 660, 780, 850 mAh. The pictures often do not match the description. It is easy to find DLO40B's. It is not so easy to find one over 700mAh that you know what you are getting.
I think DLO40B tells where you can use it but does not tell you how much it holds.

 

[fmerkel]

I'd say for a Lenmar you have absolutely no guarantee what it holds anyway. What it says on the label is almost irrelevant. I'm not sure you are truly understanding that. Lenmar doesn't make them, they just slap their brand on stuff they buy in China. They can, and do, put whatever they want on the label. Bigger numbers sell more.
Their actual sources can and often do change over time. That's why they have such an erratic track record and poor reputation.

Unless you get the appropriate equipment you will never know what is in whatever you buy irrespective of what the label says. The best you can do is approximate that with use, a very rubbery standard and the one about 98% of the people are forced to use. It pretty much sucks, but there it is. No guarantees, no standards, none.

 

[Steve_C]

Thanks, but not sure I can bring myself to click "like" for an answer that I am coming to understand but was really not what I wanted to hear. "Numbers do lie" comes as a hard truth to a Mathematician.

 

[fmerkel]

Well, I'm glad you finally understand it. I don't 'like' it either. That problem has bitten me a bunch of times.

Numbers don't lie, marketing people lie. They found out you don't need a technical department or quality assurance branch, they just need a printer. This of course makes it very difficult for the consumer and even more problematic for the companies that still do maintain standards and some integrity. Support them when you find them. Boycott the bastards that deceive you.

BTW, those discrepancies in marketing you are seeing for the battery are dead giveaways that the source doesn't have a clue what they are actually selling and that the product is indeed from China. When you see that be VEWY VEWY careful.
Unfortunately your only option may be to jump and and see what you end up with.

FWIW when I was trying to get new batteries for my Samsung cell phone I kept getting fakes that looked almost, but not quite, exactly like the originals. These were dirt common and all over eBay from hoards of sources.....cheap. The battery that came with the (used) phone was a Ray-O-Vac. When I tested that one it turned out to be as good as the original was supposed to be. Took awhile but I found a new one on eBay for cheap and now have a decent backup. So, with some diligent and careful searching you might find a new old stock original, as long as it ain't too old.