Camera battery ripoff

[Scylax]

The Nikon P7100 camera uses an EN-EL14 battery. Spare batteries cost
about £50, although 'compatible' EN-EL14 can be bought for a small fraction of this price, BUT these batteries do not work in this camera.
Is this extortion by Nikon, or what ?

[hc4361]

The original is £33 on Amazon. High capacity batteries are expensive, and cheap ones are rubbish.

[EcclesCake]

Why is it extortion when the Nikon ones work and the imitation ones don't? Surely the cowboys trying to imitate Nikon are the rip off merchants?

[gingejbee]

The price of spares and replacement parts is always a sore point eg replacement cutters for electric razors which cost almost as much as the new (same model) razor. Ways of making some extra profit, methinks.

[jno]

if they don't work in your camera they're not compatible. But I've used "compatible" camera batteries before without trouble. You might just have got a dud one by bad luck.

[Fitzer]

Most camera manufacturers 'chip' their batteries in order to provide extra functionality and to prevent copying. There are nearly always third party batteries available eventually which provide the same functionality and will work with the camera, that being said, a chipped EN-EL14 does seem to be difficult to find. You do have to consider the fact that the genuine Nikon battery gives you come back should it flake out and blow the circuit board of your camera, the third party doesn't.

[heathfield]

Having read the question, I can't help thinking about printer inks.