D800 Battery need fully discharge before recharging?

[geo_lam]

<p>Dear All,<br>

The battery of D800 has to be fully discharged before recharging again?<br>

What is the desired battery level to recharge ?</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>I, for one, tend to keep my batteries fully charged so that they are always ready to go. I don't care whether that is the best for the batteries.</p>

[lornesunley]

<p>The easiest way to handle that is to have two batteries. Let the one in the camera get discharged through regular use ... replace with charged spare battery, rinse, repeat</p>

[rick_m.]

<p>Lithium Ion batteries have no memory effect. They do not have to be fully discharged before recharging to remain fully capable. In fact lithium ion batteries last longer if they are used for shallow cycles and not fully charged in between. I don't know if Nikon's chargers "top off" batteries but it would be best if they did not. For the record it is best to avoid fully discharging lithium ion batteries. </p>

<p> </p>

[ariel_s1]

<p>No, you are thinking of 1980's NiCad battery technology. The D800 uses lithium ion batteries, and don't develop any sort of memory. However, they DO have other shortcomings. They last longest when kept about mid-charge. While Shun's practice to keep them fully charged is the best way to be ready to shoot, it decreases battery life. Still, I think it's worth the trade-off and that is what I do as well. If a battery lasts 3 years instead of 4 or 5, that's fine. Buy a second battery that much earlier, and you end up losing $10-$15 a year due to "poor" battery maintenance. That's not enough for me to even think twice or lose any sleep.</p>

[willy_lorenzo]

<p>As others have said, no, you don't need to fully discharge before recharging, and it may even be bad for the battery if you deplete it to the point where the camera shuts off.</p>

<p>Li-ion batteries represent a significant leap in technology from NiMH cells. But the batteries require careful charging. Discharges are actually limited by circuits in the battery itself and in the camera. The circuits limit the current drawn and they limit the discharge level.</p>

<p>If you want to be good to your batteries, but not spend much time on it, I would suggest simply replacing the battery with a spare as soon as the battery indicator comes on. You can usually use the camera for a bit after the indicator comes on. Don't...just leave that power in the battery and switch it out as soon as you see the battery indicator. That's what I do.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>It's actually recommended to discharge Li-Ion cells to around 30% of their capacity before recharging in order to maximise their life. However they shouldn't be left in a discharged state for a long period either, as they can be permanently "switched off" by the protective monitor chip attached to them.</p>

<p>I'd suggest a sensible approach would be to recharge them at some point between about 50% capacity and promptly when the camera (or other equipment) refuses to operate with them.</p>