[stefanjan]

I would like to buy a spare battery for this video camera.

Panasonic batteries are very expensive and I have seen compatible batteries advertised at a fraction of the price.

Are these OK to buy?

[A n d r e w]

There are a number of threads here on clone Panasonic-compatible batteries, but if I were to distill them to their essence it would be this:

The genuine Panasonic batteries may be a bit pricey, but they work. The clones are cheaper, but there is no guarantee they'll work; even if they do, you'll get no battery information in the display. You'll almost certainly have to use a different charger (usually supplied with the clone) and often some kind of device is required to fool the camcorder into thinking you're using an external power supply, not a battery. Your Panasonic warranty will not cover damage caused by a clone battery (though there have been no reports of damage in this forum).

Given that there seem to be tens of different clone offerings, it's impossible to state a blanket rule other than: buyer beware.

Good luck,
Andrew.