allen_kelly Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Is anyone else disappointed with the staying power of there batteries for the D200. Mine dont last anywhere near as long as the D70, I have thought about the MB-D200 battery grip and wondered if it gives longer life to the batteries or is it best to just stick to having a spare fully charged on standby. If anyone has a MB-D200 do you find it more convenient an how much extra weight does it add to the kit, bearing in mind that I am a landscape photographer & some days carry my kit a long distance. Regards Allen Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_dawson1 Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 IMO if battery life is your only concern then just carry a spare battery. For me the battery grip comes into its own because of the improved handling for vertical pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy_nako Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I agree with Steve. Yes it does make it heavier, but the beneifts are double the battery life and a much more balanced feel to the camera. If you're shooting landscapes and therefore mostly on a tripod however, I'm not sure it would be the right solution. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allen_kelly Posted February 17, 2007 Author Share Posted February 17, 2007 Cheers Steve thats the way I am thinking. Its good to get advice when youre not quite sure. Allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hans_janssen Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Another advantage of the grip is that ypu can put 6 penlight batteries in it in case of a power emergency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam_portera Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Its a heavy camera with the Mb-200 and 17-55 F2.8 If you don't need the vertical grip don't bother. Just get yourself an extra battery, or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam_portera Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Hans, that is only true if you remember to bring the adapter with you! Ive learned this the hard way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louie_bustillos Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 The added weight is not really in the MB-200 but when you place the two batteries in it, then you feel the additional weight. You are already going to feel this additional weight in your bag because you are going to be carrying spare batteries anyways so adding the MB-200 will only add a little more weight. I love the MB-200 because the camera feels better in my hand and its easier to shoot vertical shots. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 With the MB-200 on, the D200 is about as big as a D2X. That can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your preference. I too agree that if all you want is extended battery life, I would just change batteries when necessary. There is no point attach two batteries to the camera and carry the extra weight all the time. Back in the days I used an F5 and an F100, I never bought the grip for the F100 because I wanted my second camera to be smaller so that I had that option. If I wanted a bigger camera, I just used the F5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot1 Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I don't know how many shots you get/got from your d70, but my d200 takes as many or more than my d70 ever did. I guesws a lot depends on how much you are using the monitor to review. If you shut the monitor off, you would likely get over 1000 shots. I typically get 700+ shots per battery with monitor usage, which I think is reasonable, but have on occasion taken 1000+ on one charge. I typically take about 1500+ shots per event I shoot so I love the grip. But there is always a break in the action and changing a battery doesn't take long. I use the grip mainly because I find the camera/grip combiniation much more comfortable to hold. The extra battery life is a 'bonus'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nino Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Yes, my D200 needs charging about three times more than my D70 ever did. Its just a fact of life with a different ccd and larger pixel count, much larger lcd screen and more sophisticated processing algorithms. In my experience if you turn off image review you will, get 60% ish longer out of the battery. plus you will be a better photgrapher cause you wont always be checking playback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ_konrad Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I got the MB-D200 a little over a month ago and it stays on the D200 all the time. Nice balanced feel and the vertical shutter release is great! For tripod use you will need either to remove the grip or use a stabilizing plate or flash bracket. The grip mounted directly to the tripod is almost unusable, but when used with my custom brackets CB junior flash bracket it becomes solid as a rock! Additionally - there seems to be some additive effect with the two batteries in the grip compared to loading the batteries up separately in the D200. I spent a long weekend shooting well over 2000 shots with some use of the on-board flash and the battery indicator was still over 3/4 full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd peach seattle, washi Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 <i> With the MB-200 on, the D200 is about as big as a D2X.</i> <p> It might even be larger. I find that my D200/MB-D combo doesn't fit as well into my Domke bags as my D2Hs. The combo seems taller with a squarer bottom profile. The MB-D does improve the handling though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 No, the MB-D200 DOES NOT extend the battery power or battery life of a given EN-EL3e battery. The MB-D200 does hold two EN-EL3e batteries and, by doing so, allows you to shoot twice as long without recharging. Yes, everyone I know who shot D70-variant and D100 cameras was disappointed by the battery life of the EN-EL3e battery in the D200. The bigger problem was that well over a year went by after the introduction of the D200 when it was very difficult to find spare EN-EL3e batteries for sale. So a number of people were buying the MB-D200 to be able to use the included AA battery pack as a second source of battery power. EN-EL3e batteries are now easy to find, so go buy several spares. No, the MB-D200 does not add much extra weight to the D200 body. Its plastic and fairly light. I use the MB-D200 because I like the vertical grip and vertical controls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 As Shun notes, unless you're traveling without a camera bag and pockets, there is no need to increase the weight of the camera with two batteries. I use the MB-D200 with one EN-EL3e battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Allen, I was stunned by the lack of battery life after I bought my D200. After a couple of months of conditioning the battery, the life is excellent. Maybe give it some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_smith3 Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 It is not fair to make a direct comparison to a d 70's battery life. It is like comparing mpg for a suv to a sedan!. To minimize battery drain on my d 200, I have set certain custom settings to minimize use and time of the display. That has made a big improvement in battery life. Like others I like my mb 200 for the reasons already mentioned. Joe Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpataky Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 Just to forewarn anyone who hasn't experienced this on their own yet. For the first few months I owned this, I loved the battery back. It takes juice from the batteries one at a time, so after a day of work I might only have to recharge one of the batteries. It also provides a shutter release button on the side that facilitates easier vertical shooting. The problem with this item is that there are 2 flimsy little white tabs that hold the batteries in place within the unit. After using this outdoors for several months, the tabs became brittle and broke right off. You can still use the MB-D200 when your tabs break off, but basically you have to force the door closed and twist the latch closed. Upon opening it, the 2 batteries will simultaneously fly out at you. Not what I expected for $170. I sent mine back to Nikon in mid January for repair under warranty and have waited 6 weeks now while its status has remained in "waiting for parts" mode. I am leaving for Spring Training in a little more than a week and it looks like I am going to have to buy another one to use so I will be stuck with two of them. I wish there were other options out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briany Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Turn on RAW compression and your battery life will go up b/c you'll be able to write more images per gigabyte of CF card writing. Your D70 had it turned on all the time, so for an apples-to-apples comparison the D200 should have it turned on too. (you'll also need fewer CF cards, be able to shoot more shots more quickly, etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 1. If you want compression, shoot JPEG. 2. I shot D100s in RAW with no compression. The battery life of the D200 in RAW with no compression is noticeably worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_lester1 Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I've also had the the plastiic white battery stop break off of my MB-200. I glued it back on with Superglue and believe it or not it stayed on for five months before coming off again. That was with with daily use too! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan_cornelius Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I was just recently told -- by a salesman, go figure -- that there are actually 2 different versions of the EN-EL3e. The basic/standard one only lasts around 30 minutes whereas the more "advanced" one is suppossed to last for at least 3 hours (and of course is more pricey). Has anyone else heard of this or was the guy just telling me nonsense? IF it is true, then maybe this could be a potential solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 "I was just recently told ... that there are actually 2 different versions of the EN-EL3e. The basic/standard one only lasts around 30 minutes ..." Nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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