Replacement Camera Battery

[Garden Manager]

I have a Fuji Finepix f455 digital camera i have had since 2005. I ma still very pleased with it and it still works excellently for its age. However i have noticed recently that the battery/ies (i have 2 on to use one spare) are not lasting as well as they used to. it appears they are wearing out, which given the use they have had is not surprising

So i have decided to get a replacement battery. Its a lithium ion NP-40 3.7v 710mAh rechargeable battery, Fujifilm branded.
Finding the right type was not as big a problem as i though it would be, as i had feared the battery had perhaps become obsolete in the time i have had the camera. The problems i have finding the right battery mainly center on price, which seems to vary greatly depending on where you look (giving the impression some are either over priced or too cheap to be good batteries). Brand; there are some obscure makes of this battery, which i am not sure about. Fuji recommend (obviously) that you go for their own batteries but these don't seem to be as easy to find as others. mainstream battery firms such as Duracell seem to do this battery, which seems a reasonable alternative to Fuji.

The other source of confusion concerns the specification of the batteries. Whilst the NP-40 type appears to be a fairly standard and compatible type, i have come across different batteries for sale where the  'mAh' bit is different to what i currently have (710mAh). Some are numbered higher some slightly lower. Finding A battery on sale with the exact same number is proving difficult, so i am wondering if it matters as long as i get a NP-40 type compatible with the camera?

I know its a bit of a long-shot but can anyone give me some advice here? What sort of price should i be paying for this type of battery, what brand and do i have to be exact with the spec? Any help would be appreciated thanks.

[Garden Manager]

[Hi_Hoe]

Have you tried Jessops..... 

[galina]

It doesn't matter.  And here is explained why:

http://www.batteryspecialists.com/mah.htm

Analogy is whether the petrol tank of your car is 40 or 60 litres capacity - doesn't matter to your car's performance, just that the larger tank will give you longer to drive before the petrol runs out.  The bigger mAh lasts longer per charge.

How often can the battery be recharged is the important question, not necessarily how much it costs. 

[MervF]

Try PicStop - http://www.picstop.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=NP-40
They do not have the Fuji ones in stock but do have other makes.
I have used this company for a number of years - excellent service.

[carolinej]

I always got my spare camera batteries from 7dayshop.com

I think they still do them, and very reasonable too

[Garden Manager]

Thanks for replies. makes things a lot clearer. Interested in 'Picstop' site. Not found them before, looks good, although they haven't got a Fuji equivalent in stock as you say. Will that really matter, could i go for one of the others if i need to?

Looked at 7dayshop. They dont seem to do Li-ion batteries at the moment.

[MervF]

Thanks for replies. makes things a lot clearer. Interested in 'Picstop' site. Not found them before, looks good, although they haven't got a Fuji equivalent in stock as you say. Will that really matter, could i go for one of the others if i need to?

Looked at 7dayshop. They dont seem to do Li-ion batteries at the moment.

I looked at 7dayshop as I have used them for about 25 years but5 forgot to say they didn't have any.   I have got a Canon 550D and have a Canon battery that came with the camera and use a Hahnel compatible battery as a spare when the Canon one runs out.   It cost5 about £20 cheaper than the Canon and I don't notice any difference at all in performance.   It may be worth giving Picstop a ring - they are3 very good for advice.   If it was me, I would be tempted to go for the one made by Ansmann - they are a reputed battery manufacturer

[carolinej]

It cost5 about £20 cheaper than the Canon and I don't notice any difference at all in performance. 

I bought 2 non canon ones. They dont seem to hold a charge as long as the CAnon ones. Saying that, as the Canon ones have aged, they seem to be running about the same as the cheap ones.

I'm still using my antique 300D complete with cranking handle Dying a lingering death, but still vaguely useable ( the camera, not me)