Batteries are the weakness of any Sigma camera. Because of the Foveon sensor, the amount of processing is much more than a traditional camera with the same number of "spatial" megapixels. The original Sigma DP2 (non-Merrill non-Quattro) is rated for ~250 shots per charge.
The Sigma BP-31 cell that I was provided barely lasts ~50 shots before dying. This expected as the battery cell is likely 10 years old. The other issue with the old battery is that the drop off from full battery to empty is extremely quick. Compounding this problem is that the Sigma BP-31 battery cell is shared only with other unpopular camera makers as the Epson EU-94 and Samsung SLB-1237. This makes replacement batteries increasingly difficult to come by.
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| Wasabi Power BTR-BP31-JWP |
Luckily I was able to order 2 Wasabi Power batteries for this camera. Wasabi Power are based in the United States and source their battery cells from Japan. These batteries were manufactured in China, same as the Sigma battery. Wasabi Power started to gain a reputation as a reliable battery manufacturer when the DP Merrill series was released (the high battery consumption led to people looking for better than OEM batteries).
From initial use, the batteries I received appear to be performing better but seem unlikely to get over 100 shots per charge. These batteries have probably been sitting in their warehouse for a while. Although poor this is still exceptional compared to the Sigma DP Merrill cameras.
Other alternative third party batteries include the Kastar SLB1237 and PowerSmart "Replace EU-94, EPALB2, B32B818242" if they can be sourced. The third party battery manufacturers in many cases also sold corresponding battery chargers.
The charging door is a bit flimsy and relies on plastic sliding into plastic to secure closure. However it seems to have survived extensive use on my example.
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| Plastic rails |
The charger is fairly standard and comes with a cable that plugs the charger into the wall. While charging, the charge lamp turns red. After the charging is completed, the charge lamp turns green. The manual states that the charging time is approximately 120 minutes. Remember that for longer term storage, batteries should charged to roughly ~40% instead of 100%.
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| Sigma BC-31 |