Wasabi Power Battery (2-Pack) and Charger for Panasonic DMW-BCG10, DMW-BCG10E, DMW-BCG10PP and Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1, DMC-SZ8, DMC-TZ6, DMC-TZ7, DMC-TZ8, DMC-TZ10, DMC-TZ18, DMC-TZ19, DMC-TZ20, DMC-TZ25, DMC-TZ30, DMC-TZ35, DMC-ZR1, DMC-ZR3, DMC-ZS1, DMC-ZS3, DMC-ZS5, DMC-ZS6, DMC-ZS7, DMC-ZS8, DMC-ZS9, DMC-ZS10, DMC-ZS15, DMC-ZS19, DMC-ZS20, DMC-ZS25, DMC-ZX1, DMC-ZX3

Like many other reviewers, I spent a lot time researching Amazon.com and other sites to determine the best alternatives for a battery/charger that would work properly in my new Panasonic DMC-ZS20 compact camera. I own several Panasonic cameras and have been lucky enough not to have any that prevent the use of non-Panasonic certified 3rd party batteries. The panasonic.jp support site lists about 20 cameras that have firmware downloads that can be installed and will prevent use of "non-approved" batteries. The site also states that there are NO 3rd party batteries certified to date, so if you purchase a 3rd party battery for cameras with the battery lock-out, you could be in trouble unless it has embedded circuitry that "spoofs" the camera firmware. Remember, as stated by Panasonic, this "feature" is for YOUR protection!!! (they say nothing about how reducing 3rd party competition will protect the obscene profits they make by selling their batteries at HUGE mark-ups).Before buying a 3rd party battery, remember to check your Panasonic camera model and firmware version against the list at [...]. If your camera is listed and your firmware version isn't earlier than what is listed, you will probably have a problem. Even if you camera is not listed or you have an earlier firmware version, a problem as still possible because the list is probably not complete and previous updates could have contained the battery "fix" too.Unfortunately most of the reviews I have seen that say certain batteries are OK do not include the camera's firmware version. I took the chance and ordered the Wasabi Power Battery and Charger kit and am happy to say the batteries work great in my ZS20 with firmware version 1.0. Version 1.1 was just released in September 2012 as a "hand-held night photo" mode fix, but my camera won't accept it as a necessary update, so I don't know if this version contains the battery "fix". The batteries are rated at 1200mAh compared to the Panasonic's (DMW-BCG10PP) approximately 900mAh - a 33% increase. I have not had time to determine if there really is a difference in capacity. The Wasabi batteries were received nearly fully charged, but topping off the charge on one with the external Wasabi charger and the other with the Panasonic supplied in-camera USB AC adapter took about the same amount of time. The Wasabi charger is rated at 500ma output and the Panasonic AC adapter for in-camera charging is rated at 800ma.Both the batteries and charger appear to be well made with good external finish. The batteries are the same dimensions as the Panasonic original and fit the camera and charger properly. The batteries did not "swell" when fully charged (some cheap ones do!) and neither the batteries or charger became excessively hot by the end of charge. The batteries also came installed in simple plastic holders that protect the batteries from physical damage and cover the terminals to prevent accidental shorting when stored - this is a great feature. So far I'm well impressed with the quality/value of the Wasabi battery/charger kit, but only time will tell if they will provide their rated capacity and have a long operating life in my rather battery hungry Panasonic ZS20.

I ordered this battery and charger kit for a Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS20 that I recently purchased. The only charger provide by Panasonic is a cable that connects directly to the camera and can be plugged in to either an a/c outlet (with the provided adapter) or to a USB port. So, that means you can't use the camera while the battery is charging. What's up with that? Not only that but a fully charged battery is only good for about 260 pictures or about 1.5 hours. That just doesn't cut it if you are on a trip or shooting some kind of event. So first order of business was to get an a/c charger and at least one extra battery. Panasonic thinks a lot of their batteries for what they want for them so I looked at what else was available on Amazon. Then lo and behold I found this Wasabi package with 2 batteries, an a/c charger AND a 12 volt car adapter for a price that was way below buying just the Panasonic battery. Seemed like a no brainer. Ordered it on Tuesday, showed up in my mailbox on Friday. Pretty darn quick! Opened it up and everything was exactly as described. The batteries are identical in size to the original Panasonic BCG10. Tried them in the camera and they worked just like the original. Not only that but they were fully charged! No security issues either. I was a little concerned about other reviewers comments about the battery not fitting the charger very snugly. But my batteries seem to fit the charger just fine. The contacts in the charger are spring loaded which puts enough pressure on the battery to keep it in place. The original battery is 895 mAh while these are 1200 mAh so I expect a little longer use time before charging. The real test will be how long they last. But for the price its well worth the try! So 5 stars to this product.

These batteries seem to last as long as my original panasonic battery. The included charger performs well and the European adapter is nice. I have not used the car charger. I wish it had a USB adapter. The charge time is decent and it has an LED indicator to let you know when it's finished charging.

A few camera generations ago, when Panasonic implemented the technology that checked the battery for something-or-another that prevented the use of 3rd party batteries, I had some batteries that wouldn't work with my latest generation Panasonic camera. They worked fine in my older Panasonic cameras, but not the new one. As a result, I was really skeptical when I saw that these were not Panasonic brand batteries. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about because they work just fine in my ZS-20, ZS-10, ZS-7 and ZS-3.Of course, the low price is why you would buy these batteries instead of Panasonic-branded batteries. In that regard, this buy is remarkable. I can't tell the difference in the number of pictures you can take on one charge between these and the Panasonic batteries so I consider them to be equivalent. These batteries turn out to be about a quarter of the price of the Panasonic batteries. The fact that you get a charger is just a bonus.I've got chargers from my earlier cameras, but my new ZS-20 didn't come with an external charger. Panasonic expects you to charge the battery in the camera with a USB cable they provide. That is completely unworkable if you take a lot of pictures. You need a separate charger, so if you don't have one, that makes this an even better deal. I do agree, however, that this charger is not as good as the Panasonic brand because the battery doesn't fit as well. But that is a minor inconvenience. At least you will have an external charger.I think everyone should have an extra battery to prevent the disappointment of not getting the shots they want. These batteries fulfill that need for the Panasonic compact cameras. This package deal is a great buy because of the substantial discount and included charger. As a result, I highly recommend these batteries.

Got in one day and works perfectly