Giving up on Nikon batteries

<p>I am giving up on Nikon batteries for my D300. In one and a half years I have had three battery failures out of four. The batteries were all Nikon originals purchased from my local camera store. I used to ridicule cheapskates that would buy non-Nikon but now figure they can't be any worse and cost less than half the price. How can a company make such great cameras and supply such lousy batteries?</p>

<p>WoW Tim,<br>

In the years I've been shooting digital, going back to my Nikon CoolPix 4500, I've only used Nikon original batteries for my cameras. I have yet to have one fail on me. So - my 4500 that's going back almost 7-8 years & since the D200, D300, D700 & my D70 IR - - all with Nikon original batteries - - no issues....<br>

Are you sure you're not doing anything strange to them?<br>

Lil</p>

<p>Ever thought of blaming the camera? i'd send the three batteries and the body in (free to ship, free to estimate), and have them fix the problem. </p>

<p>Im with Ian</p>

<p>Can't help but wonder if something else is wrong. I have two Nikon batteries for my D300 that I rotate (use one and charge the other). I have heard you should not run the batteries all the way down. So I've been stopping when I get about to about a quarter charge left. Have not had any Nikon Lithium battery failures with the D300 or the previous D100.<br>

Have heard that there are fake Nikon batteries out there. Search this site for details. Seems like they were not as reliable!<br>

Paul</p>

<p>I agree with Ian that it could be the camera that's at fault as well. As for rotating batteries - - I have all my batteries labeled & I always rotate. Then there's the fact that I almost always run them all the way down - - no problems so far....</p>

<p>I hate to repeat a theme but I've had a D50 with two recent Nikon batteries and now I have a D90 with two more recent Nikon batteries. I'm not very careful about when to recharge them and I've never had a problem. So if I had a chronic battery problem I think I would look at the camera or the charger. Most likely the charger. It seems to me that the camera could only discharge the batteries which wouldn't normally cause damage. But if the charger is overcharging the batteries then it could be causing all kinds of havoc.<br /> I don't know what kind of test might indicate whether the charger is the problem but I expect that chargers can be had for about the same price as batteries. Maybe you should buy, or better yet, borrow a charger and see if that solves the problem.<br>

And Tim I can't help this. I loved you in "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre".</p>

<p>Nikon batteries have ALWAYS worked great for me. Maybe the voltage at your place is out of tolerance.</p>

<p>Seems like I'm part of the choir here ;)</p>

<p>I would suspect the charger, the camera, or your local shop before suspecting 3 (!) batteries in a row...</p>

<p>I of course do not know your local camera shop, but would not be entirely surprised if they could be deceived by a bad battery supplier. I remember a discussion here on the forum, where members were trying to establish which bateries were original and which not. Color, stickers, etc sometimes looked awfully similar to original batteries.</p>

<p>I'd contact Nikon, and ask them how they propose to solve this for you...</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>One of the biggest mistakes people do is charging to much, like some always charge even though the battery is still almost fully charged, this will create a memory in the battery so it only keeps a short charge. The older nicads were really bad for it. You can do it to lithium batteries too if you do it all the time. Better to run it down till at least a quarter charge before recharging. That is why it is always good to have a spare. I have never had a battery fail me. Not in all the yrs I have been using batteries. Lithiums will outlast nicads quite easily. There are chargers out there that can fix this memory effect if it hasn't ruined the battery yet...</p>

<p>I think this: <a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Tny7">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Tny7</a> is the discussion that Joris recalls.<br>

I have never experienced a fault with Nikon original batteries, so I'd also check with Nikon Support.</p>

<p>I have been using Nikon EN-ELn type batteries since I bought my D100 back in 2002. So far I have used two EN-EL3, three EN-EL4 and six different EN-EL3e batteries plus additional samples from Nikon. I just went to the sub-Antarctic South Georgia Island and the Falklands for three weeks with five EN-EL3e, shooting under near-freezing conditions. I found that I typically lose about 2 bars on the EN-EL3e after 600, 700 captures on the D700 and D300s (including some video) and a fair amount of chimping, under fairly cold conditions.</p>

<p>So far I have never had any problems with any one of the above Nikon batteries.</p>

<p>Of course, my positive experience doesn't quite help Tim's situation.</p>

<p>Storage conditions also affect LiON batteries. If they are stored fully charged, in a warm environment, they will wear out much quicker than if stored partly charged in a cool one. Worst case is, for instance, a laptop that is usually kept on and plugged in. Battery is fully charged and constantly heated. A charger that doesn't turn fully off when the battery is charged could have the same effect.</p>

<p>I have 7 Nikon batteries, the oldest is 5 years old and all of them still work just fine.</p>

<p>I'm a stubborn guy, I think it's the batteries. I am going to buy some non Nikon batteries and see what happens. I had two Nikon batteries for my D70 and they lasted two years with no problems. "I loved you in "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre"." That was definitely one of my better acting jobs.</p>

<p>I have a pile of Nikon batteries going back to the two I got when I bought my F5 when it came out. I'm still using those batteries and over the years I have bought Nikon battereis for all my other cameras as I got them with never a failure.</p>

<p>Because they are getting really old, every time I charge the batteries for the F5 I think it might be the last time but they keep on going.</p>

<p>I'm with the choir here and I'd check those cameras that demonstrate battery problems.<br>

Conni</p>

<p>First thought I had was an issue with the camera or charger. Could also be a problem with his household electrical outlet- excessive spikes or noise on the line? Just a thought.</p>

<p>As for LiIon batteries - there is no memory problem with them. I charge mine whenever one gets below about 60% - I'm a light user. I use the MB-D80 grip and check them when I am done shooting or the night before a big event. I've had the same two in the grip since April 2007 and they both show as new on the camera meter.</p>

<p>I have used after market battries, yes most of the time they have higher Apmres than the OEM and cheaper then OEM but they only last about a year or two at the most. After going through couple of them, I find them complete waste of money..... from Now on I am sticking with OEM ... You can get it cheaper from Ebay!!</p>

<p>I should also point out that there are a lot of counterfeit EN-EL3e batteries; recall that a few months ago we had several threads on that topic:</p>

<ul>

<li><a href="../nikon-camera-forum/00Tny7">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Tny7</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Tx0p">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Tx0p</a></li>

</ul>

<p> Some of those counterfeit batteries look very similar to the genuine ones. In one case Matt Laur apparently received a counterfeit EN-EL3e in the box along with a brand new D200 body he purchased. We have no idea exactly how that happened, but potentially someone might have swapped out the genuine battery somewhere down the distribution chain.</p>

<p>Therefore, I would suggest that Tim double check his batteries. All EN-EL3e batteries are made in Japan. Some of the earlier EN-EL3 (not e) were made in China while some where made in Japan.</p>

<p>I've never had a problem with the batteries in my D300, D50 or an earlier D100. The fact that you had no trouble with your D70 batteries seems to reinforce the possibility that your D300 has some sort of problem. Given the feedback here and the number of batteries you have tried, it definately sounds like a camera problem. The only other possibility is that your local store got a whole batch of bad batteries. If that was the case, however, I think they would know it by now and alert their customers.</p>

<p>One more point: some of the initial D300 bodies have the "false battery low" problem that was fixed with firmware version 1.2. I would also upgrade the D300's firmware to the latest, which I think is now 2.0 or something like that: <a href="../nikon-camera-forum/00OT2O">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00OT2O</a></p>

<p>If the firmware vesion and batteries are all fine and genuine, it could well be a problem with that specific D300 body.</p>

<p>The use of Nikon Li-ion battery is a relatively new experience for me. Prior to that, I was using Ni-MH AA with the vertical grip. I carry a Li-ion spare with me. However, I read an article from a popular website that is not acceptable to this forum, therefore cannot be quoted about the proper use of Li-ion battery.<br>

Essentially Li-ion battery usage. according to his recommendation, is radically different than alkaline, Ni-Cad, Ni-MH, etc because it carries no memory. He advocated that "Li-ion battery likes to be frequently charged". He went as far to suggest that his cell-phone battery still acted like new since 1991. I am experimenting with one of the Nikon battery with frequent charge, perhaps at 25-50% discharge while the other one perhaps at 75% discharge before recharging to see if there is a difference. I like to hear more opinion also in this regard.</p>

 

<p>My experience with generic EN-EL3e purchase was posted in the following thread, and repeated below. Here's an update after five months and about 5,000 shutter releases. The two generic and one original Nikon batteries were used equally, and charged with the Nikon charger after each shoot of about ~150 to ~200 releases. They all behave the same in terms of battery level in the menu, number of releases and charge time, etc. In a blind test, I would not be able to tell them apart. I consider the generic ones great value, and would order them again if they don't last for more than a couple of years. BTW, does Nikon make any claims how long their batteries would last?<br>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Tx0p">http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Tx0p</a><br>

======<br>

After reading these threads, I came across other helpful links:<br>

<a rel="nofollow" href="http://sportsphotoguy.com/nikon-d300-battery-compatibility/">http://sportsphotoguy.com/nikon-d300-battery-compatibility/</a><br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://thoughts-on-film.blogspot.com/2008/04/review-phottix-battery-for-nikon-en.html">http://thoughts-on-film.blogspot.com/2008/04/review-phottix-battery-for-nikon-en.html</a><br />I ordered two D300 compatible Phottix batteries for $24 including US shipping from eBay seller etefore. Received them within a week. After charging, my D200's menu shows all the battery info, including 100% charge. So far they both work fine.<br />The batteries have no Nikon reference on them, only Phottix. There is no hologram. I only want batteries of good value. Genuine Nikon parts, Nikon logo and hologram mean nothing to me.</p>

 

<p>I am getting ready to buy my fourth Nikon battery for a spring trip. No problems in the past three years of use. I don't take great care of my batteries but I don't over charge them either. I use batteries in other hobbies and have learned that LiPo's do not have a memory, they do not like over charging which is common and LiPo's don't discard as much as other types of rechargable batteries. How long do you leave the batteries in the charger?</p>

<p>D300 firmware version is now at 1.10</p>