Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony NPFC11 InfoLithium Battery for DSCP8, DSCP10 & DSCV1 Digital Cameras

I use this battery in the Sony Cybershot DSC-P8 that I bought 3 years ago. The battery is the original one that came with the camera and after 6000+ shots and three years, the battery still holds a very decent charge. I'd say it's 75% of what it used to be, but these lithium batteries only last for so many cycles, not to mention they have a shelf life. I just used it for an event and every shot had the flash on; I took about 100 pictures over the course of 2 days and there is about 6 minutes of charge still left.

There are little tricks to sustain battery life in these cameras. If you are going to leave it on for a while to wait for a good shot, turn off the display. The display eats juice like nothing else. Shot through the viewfinder with the display off for maximum runtime (not that practical if you are really trying to see what you are shooting). Try not to always zoom in and out, chances are you can just crop the picture later in photoshop so leave it zoomed out. If you know it's going to be a while between shots, turn off the camera. Sure it drives in the lens every time, but it's better than just leaving it on for several minutes.

Lithium batteries like to be stored discharged. NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) like to be stored charged. It's not very practical to store a camera discharged if you are needing to pull it out at the spur of the moment to capture some precious moments, but if you primarily use it for special occasions, events, parties, etc.. maybe it is.

The newer higher megapixel cameras might just be really power hungry. Try using the lower image settings and see what the difference is in battery life.

The only other thing I can think of to justify everyone's bad reviews is maybe look at the source where you are getting the batteries. Are they brand new, and how long have they been sitting around before they were sold? My guess is they are old batteries, not used - but old.

I also had the same problem where I got a brand new one, and it doesn't hold a charge well. Unfortunately, I don't see a clearly better alternative. I ordered another and I'll return the first one...

This was the battery size that fit my model of Sony Cybershot DSCP8 camera. However, this replacement does not hold the charge as long as the original battery that came with the camera when it was new. I don't know if perhaps this is due to the battery or perhaps something with my camera (which is 7 years old at this point, but still works great!) However, the old battery doesn't hold any charge after fairly constant use for 6 years, so at least the new battery is a better option for me right now than buying a whole new camera.

Obviously, the DSCP10 camera (which I own) requires the Sony NPFC11 battery. After reading other reviews (regarding the battery), I became very skeptical of if my camera would ever properly perform again. I had no choice but to purchase this battery in order for my camera to ever function again. I browsed through many web-sites claiming to sell the battery at a very low price (some as low as $20); however, I choose to "bite the bullet" and pay the higher price ($40 through Amazon) and be assured that the new battery was genuine. After the new battery was recieved (package contained the Sony tamper-proof seal), installed, and charged, the camera immediately performed like new. (Throughout this entire ordeal, I constantly had to consider the purchase of a new camera). What a relief. Very satisfied.

My wife and I have used several of these batteries and have found all to be lacking in battery life. Two of the three we own run out of juice after only 15 minutes of shooting time. 15!