Generic EN-EL3e batteries.

[alvinyap]

<p>Stick to manufacturer's! I bought my camera used and it came with one 3rd party and one nikon original. Had lots of issues with the shutter not tripping properly with the 3rd party, had me worried, thought it was the sigma lens :P WIth the originals it's been fair sailing.<br>

Alvin</p>

[michael_alger]

<p>After having used two generic batteries I payed less than 10$ each together with the original one (where additional ones would have cost 100$ each) in my D200 for more than two years without problems, I now put them in my D700 without being scared. No problems so far nor did the camera catch fire...<br>

And even if I pay 2000$ for a camera I do care for not being ripped off on the accessories. Do not believe everything manufacturers tell about "original parts"...</p>

 

[bigblue]

<p>I'm also one of many people who use generic batteries in addition to geniuine. As Gogu mentioned, things are a little bit different in Europe that in US. In my last camera, D40, i was using 2 Phottix baterries, EN-EL9 without any issue. They survived hot and humid places (Borneo), dry and cold (Mt. Kinabalu), and still, working as good as the original one.<br>

At this moment, i have D80, and again, one genuine Nikon, and 2 Phottix Titan, EN-EL3e that i bought online for a fraction of the price of the original. I personally, cannot see any difference in using genuine vs. non genuine bateries, since they perform the same.</p>

[gogu]

<p>Thank you all for your help!<br>

It seems I'll go for the genuine ones as I found a good deal on e bay, a UK based seller has them for 32.00 pounds (that's around 37.00 euros)!</p>

[bill_pearce1]

<p>I have had excellent results with the Calumet branded batteries.</p>

<p>Bill Pearce</p>

[david_klaffenbach]

<p>You don't need the grip. Save even more money and don't bother with it. The camera's heavy enough as it is.</p>

<p>Well actually, I don't know whether you need it or not. Maybe you do. I do know that they aren't useful to me, but that's because I'm left-eye dominant and rotate the camera the "wrong" direction for vertical format shots. As for battery life, my experience is that one battery lasts me a LONG time, so despite having shot 50k shutter actuations (hundreds of basketball games plus a variety of other stuff) I never have run out of battery, and I only have one! I've shot as many as 700 shots on one battery before and it still wasn't flat. And if it did run out, I'd rather have another in my pocket or bag than be carrying it on the camera all day long. My experience is with a D50 and a D90.</p>

[sven_felsby]

<p>I also bought original en-el3e at empress_jose for half the european price. <br>

Be aware of fake batteries presenting as the real thing. Some nikon website has a photo of the real and fake boxes and batteries, didn´t bookmark it.</p>

[gogu]

<p>Sven,<br>

I think this is the site you are referring to:<br>

 

<p><a href="http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8119">http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8119</a></p>

</p>

[borgis_karl_johan]

<p>Well,<br>

I just recieved my replacement (Phottix Titan) battery after my supposedly still new Nikon EN-EL3e died on me, probably because I missed reloading it immediately. No way I could revive it! <br>

The generic battery has loaded and shows on the display so I hope there shall be no problems. I will report if anything happens and I am still around to tell... ;-).</p>

[andrew_fedon]

<p>I think buying generic is ok, as long as the buyer knows he's buying generic, but passing off generic as geniune Nikon with fake holograms etc, is wicked. Judging by the pictures in the link posted further up, its a difficult thing to spot the difference between the two. The statement at the EN-EL3 part "<strong>NOTE:</strong> Some of the original Nikon EN-EL3 Rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries are also "MADE IN CHINA", I thought would not help matters very much. Where are these 'fakes' supposed to be sold from ?</p>

[warren_barbour]

<p>Coincidently, I just finished reading an article on another forum that Panasonic just released firmware updates for their cameras that will block the use of 3rd party batteries. This is a link to the article. <a href="http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/3819/284/">http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/3819/284/</a>.<br>

Is Nikon beyond doing the same thing in the future? Panasonic claims it is to protect the camera from substandard batteries. Of course there will be the opposing views that it's just a rip off to force consumers to buy Panasonic. Personally, I wouldn't want to gamble on the aftermarket batteries. In Canada, Nikon brand EN-EL3e batteries run about $75 to $85.</p>

[andrew_fedon]

<p>Of course Warren, that would be a stupid idea on Nikon's behalf because that would mean you could not even use AA's or other such batteries other than Nikon's original. As for the myth of the exploding batteries, I would have to see other factors such as what charger was used, what mains voltage was used and what is the chargers rating, ie, was 240v shoved into a 115v charger by mistake and stuff like that. It happens you know.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<blockquote>

<p> that would be a stupid idea on Nikon's behalf because that would mean you could not even use AA's or other such batteries other than Nikon's original.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not exactly. If you use 8 AA batteries inside the MB-D10, they come through a different set of electronic contacts from those used by the EN-EL3e. 8AA gives you 12V, which is also different from the EN-EL3e's 7.4V. Therefore, it is very easy to distinguish those different power sources.</p>

<p>The bottomline is that if Nikon wants to block a bunch of 3rd-party EN-EL3e equivalents, it should be very easy for them to do so, perhaps simply via one firmware upgrade. Therefore, you are somewhat at their mercy for not turning your 3rd-party batteries into useless ones, as it happend to my Sony battery clone. E.g., there are some reports that certain clones only work on the D200 but not the D300.</p>

[andrew_fedon]

<p>Shun, that also was something I was wondering about. How can the same motorised equipment work from 12v source or a 7.4v source ? (or 9.6v if using rechargable AA's).</p>

[trevans]

<blockquote>

<p>I'm also one of many people who use generic batteries in addition to geniuine. As Gogu mentioned, things are a little bit different in Europe that in US. In my last camera, D40, i was using 2 Phottix baterries, EN-EL9 without any issue. They survived hot and humid places (Borneo), dry and cold (Mt. Kinabalu), and still, working as good as the original one.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This is my experience as well with my D40. The OEM is rated 1000mAH and the generics are 1800mAH, but it seems they don't last any longer or shorter than the OEM. I suspect that the price you pay for Nikon brand batteries guarantees that yes, this is an approved, correctly rated battery, whereas the generics are just from resellers who can get the best deal at any given time.</p>

<p>Another example: Ever buy a multi-pack of memory cards? There's a decent chance they came off of different lines, or even from different companies before Sandisk slapped that sticker on there.</p>

<p>Like I said, knowing the manufacturing world, the generics are just the cheapest the distributor can get at the time. The extra you pay is a guarantee.</p>

<p>Would I buy the generics again? Probably not - you guys scare me with stories of batteries exploding in the chargers. Cameras are easy to replace; burned down houses and safety issues is an entirely different thing.</p>

<p>RE: Sony camcorder... typical Sony. Had an old Sony Erricson phone... wouldn't take the generic charger. Proprietary stuff, but people are willing to pay for it, since it says Sony. My mom only buys Sony stuff and then complains why accessories and parts are so expensive. And yet, here I am with one of their cameras... oh well. :) </p>

[stank]

<p>To add to the words of caution in using cheaper generic batteries...<br>

Some batteries boast of higher capacity ie. 2000mAh yet in reality fall quite short of that and even lower than the original battery. Another issue is longevity. I have seen budget lithium batteries initailly work very well for about a year but fail shortly after. <br>

Another note: All rechargable lithium batteries have not only a cycle life, but a calendar life. They will go bad just sitting on a shelf in about 3 years. Therefore, it does not make any sense to stock-pile lithium batteries with the intent to use them later. To get the most out of your lithium batteries, buy only the amount that you will keep in use and use them till their capacity fades significantly.</p>

[andrew_fedon]

<blockquote>

<p>Joseph,<br />it may be "$38.00" for you in the US but here in Europe it's "69 euros or about $100.00" each at my local Adorama store (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.adorama.gr/e-shop/Products.php?CatID=16&SubCatID=255" target="_blank">http://www.adorama.gr/e-shop/Products.php?CatID=16&SubCatID=255</a>)! Two of them...US$200.00.<br />You still find it's ... "not a high priced item"?!</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I just bought a "Genuine Nikon EN-EL3e" from a Hong Kong ebay place for $24.99 with free worldwide shipping. Sounds like a good deal. Is that price possible for a genuine Nikon, with free shipping ? I wait to recieve it.</p>

[joseph_leotta]

<p>There were several Hong Kong dealers wwith the same deal. Their feedback was in the thousands and all positive. Just ordered 2 myself. Got a email within 24 hours with the tracking number, I'll post the results.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Andrew and Joseph, please post your experience with the EN-EL3e from those Hong Hong dealers. I would make sure that those are genuine Nikon EN-EL3e batteries as there are some reports of counterfeit ones.</p>

<p>Again, a main problem with threads such as this one is that people simply lump all 3rd-party batteries into just one discussion. The fact of the matter is that there are quite a few different brand names and who knows how many different manufacturers behind them, and they may have different quality controls and standards. Just because someone has or does not have problems does not mean a whole lot, especially you buy some "no name" ones.</p>

[pete_s.]

<p>I have a couple of Lenmar EN-EL3A that I have used for a couple of years and been happy with. Exactly the same performance as the Nikon EN-EL3A I have (I've analyzed them all with a computerized battery analyzer).</p>

<p>The Lenmar batteries comes with a three year warranty and Nikon's don't. Go figure.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>I should point out that the generic Sony battery my wife bought for her Sony camcorder and eventually became non-compatible with her newer camcorders was a Lenmar.</p>

<p>I have a bunch of Lenmar rechargable AA batteries that I am fairly happy with, so I thought their generic Sony battery was fine ....</p>

[pete_s.]

<p>Yes, I have the Lenmar batteries for Sony as well and they are not as well made as the original Sony. Compatability would not have been a problem within the three year warranty so I guess your battery was an old one. Still sad nevertheless.</p>

<p>Sony is a little different than Nikon though because they really are a Li-Ion manufacturer as well so it is possible that they can make a better product than other battery manufacturers. But in the end it comes down to dollars and yens and neither Sony nor Nikon likes to give away anything for free. And it's a similar situation with Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and Zeiss of course. They will never be allowed access to Nikon information on the lens mount and it's data communication protocol. Why encourage free enterprise?</p>

[photo5]

<p>I ordered a genuine Nikon EN-EL3e from a Hong Kong dealer on ebay...and it never arrived. I was out $23 plus shipping. Never again. I'll only order batteries from B&H.</p>

[bsd230]

<p>I would only use Nikon batteries, at least during the warranty period since if the battery causes any damage it won't be covered unless it's a Nikon battery. Having said that I have owned several 3rd party batteries and had no problems. I would however, stick with a name brand. A lot of the stuff on eBay don't even have a company name on the battery which makes me a bid nervous of its quality. I would buy one of the 3rd party batteries from a place like B&H. At least they are brand name batteries so I would feel a bit more comfortable using them.<br /> For what it is worth you should be able to operate your camera with just one battery in the grip.</p>

[bsd230]

<p>I have had some 3rd party 2000mAh and you do get more shots out of them. So if you go with a 3rd party the additional shots are nice. As I stated before be very careful of the brand. So many of the ones on ebay have no brand name on the acutual battery. You never know what your getting, I have heard of batteries blowing up on people and burning their face and blinding people. Big risk just to save a few dollars.</p>