Panasonic Prevents Non-Panasonic Battery Use in Digital Cameras

If you have a Panasonic digital still camera, you may want to think twice before applying any new firmware updates to it.

The company has included a new “feature” in its latest firmware release that renders 3rd-party batteries inoperable in your camera.

The company claims they are doing this to prevent overcharging, internal heating and short circuits, but the bottom line is, of course, that they want to lock you into purchasing only genuine Panasonic batteries.

If you have a Panasonic camera that uses the following battery pack models, then be very careful when downloading and installing firmware from their Web site.

Battery packs affected:

DMW-BCF10, DMW-BCG10, DMW-BLB13