Nikon D3 Batteries EN-EL4

This is probably no help to you whatsoever, but I was pondering getting a 3rd party EN-EL4 for my D700. I then thought that to save £30 or so quid (or whatever it was) to buy a battery of unknown origin in a £1700 camera just didn't seem right. Ended up finding a genuine one on Amazon for a good price. But that's just my slightly risk averse mentality!
 
Some may disagree, but I think it's utter folly to put an unbranded 3rd party battery into something as sophisticated as a D3.
Remember any issues resulting from battery discharge and your Nikon warranty is void.

Just use the EN-EL4a batteries: you'll only need one spare per body as they last so long.
I have 2 spares for each of my three bodies and I realised this week that four of them have never been used since they came out of the box. I'm now rotating them with each re-charge so they keep their condition.
 
Got to agree with Rob. Batteries can, and do, fail in a very damaging way.
Several grand worth of camera + el cheapo battery ???
The phrase "For the want of a nail a shoe got lost" comes to mind.
 
There are people who do use non OEM batteries in the D3 and I've not heard of any D3 or other cameras being killed by a battery. I've used non OEM batteries in all my other cameras including the D700 without any problem other than 2 non OEM Fuji S5 batteries failing to keep charge, but the camera is fine.

However, I am sure there is a very slightly increased risk from non OEM batteries but to put that in perspective how does that compare to the risk that the OEM version is actually a fake.

When I bought my D3s earlier this year I was happily looking at non OEM batteries. However, I couldn't find any with the same or higher capacity so I ended up getting 2 Nikon versions from Amazon (cheapest price out there) and I would agree that you only need 1 spare as they seem to last forever. I've managed to get 2 full day weddings from 1 battery and still have over 20% left.
 
I use non oem batteries in grips for my 700s and 300, never had a problem.
 
I got my genuine Nikon EL4a from Amazon as well....

:thinking:They went down by a £5 2 days after :LOL: but they were the cheapest... totall recommend Amazon - cant go wrong there (y)
 
Arkady said:
Some may disagree, but I think it's utter folly to put an unbranded 3rd party battery into something as sophisticated as a D3.
Remember any issues resulting from battery discharge and your Nikon warranty is void.

Just use the EN-EL4a batteries: you'll only need one spare per body as they last so long.
I have 2 spares for each of my three bodies and I realised this week that four of them have never been used since they came out of the box. I'm now rotating them with each re-charge so they keep their condition.
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Might be urban myth but I was told that the D3 family can recognise a non oem battery and store a warning that it has been used and this will invalidate your warranty, regardless of whether or not there's a battery related issue or not.

Also, have to wonder if the cheap 'genuine' batteries really are genuine.

I just charge mine every time the indicator shows more than 2 bars off full charge and I've never been caught short yet.

They charge so fast you can put it on while you have breakfast and it'll probably be done by the time your going out anyway.
 
ianbarber said:
Thanks for all the comments, I have also seen some OEM ones on ebay but as Simon says, the capacity does appear to be lower. I have found some Genuine ones for £88 on Amazon and it ay be the way to go
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OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer = Nikon, so they should be identical.

The only place where OEM doesn't seem to mean this is on Ebay, where for some reason, some (mainly Chinese) sellers claim it means Other End Manufacturer :cautious:

Oh and be careful where you buy "genuine" Nikon batteries from, Amazon and Ebay are both full of fakes.
 
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Like I said, some will disagree with me.
Others use cheap batteries and have, as yet, suffered no problems.

Thing is, do you want to be the first person writing a post on TP with the title "My cheap Chinese battery caught fire and Nikon won't repair the damage"...?

I'd rather pay extra and laugh at someone else's misfortune ta v much.
 
Arkady said:
Like I said, some will disagree with me.
Others use cheap batteries and have, as yet, suffered no problems.

Thing is, do you want to be the first person writing a post on TP with the title "My cheap Chinese battery caught fire and Nikon won't repair the damage"...?

I'd rather pay extra and laugh at someone else's misfortune ta v much.
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+1 Completely agree, why spend £4-5k on a camera and then save £30 on a cheapo copy that may not be up to the same specs.
 
because its expensive enough to buy the gear in the first place, but then they bend you over for the accessories.

And just because its a Nikon battery it doesn't mean that its 100% safe, every one has issues with quality at some point.

Granted, if money was no object get all Nikon branded gear, but for most of us it is.

I could spend the next 20 year using unbranded copies, have no issues and save a fortune.
 
Harvey_nikon said:
And just because its a Nikon battery it doesn't mean that its 100% safe, every one has issues with quality at some point.
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No, it doesn't, however if your camera melts with a genuine Nikon battery inside it I'd imagine you'd have a fairly good claim against them....
 
Which is the only positive reason but no guarantee they would.

Wonder if it would be covered by insurance?
 
Harvey_nikon said:
Wonder if it would be covered by insurance?
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Good point, but if not you dropped it down the stairs :LOL: i use these HERE but i got mine from a UK supplier for £30 each, i would love to know the real difference in a £90 Nikon one and one of these :)
 
Nikon actually state that they will only consider repairs if Nikon branded batteries are used - they accept NO responsibility for 3rd part batteries...

That's good enough for me.
You get one battery with each camera. If, like me you have three bodies, you really only need another two batteries - £160 (OK so I have loads, but I'm still suffering nightmares from the days when we used D1x cameras and the batteries lasted about an hour on a cold day).
The chances of all three cameras dying aren't that great - these batteries last for weeks in the bag and at least two days of shooting continuously...
I've been out on a three-week job in Afghan and didn't have to change batteries in either of the two bodies I was using til the penultimate day out on the ground...
 
Arkady said:
Nikon actually state that they will only consider repairs if Nikon branded batteries are used - they accept NO responsibility for 3rd part batteries...
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Short of the camera owner actually putting their hands up to it, can Nikon actually tell if a camera has had a non-oem battery in it?

Somehow I doubt it.....
 
Arkady said:
Nikon actually state that they will only consider repairs if Nikon branded batteries are used - they accept NO responsibility for 3rd part batteries...

That's good enough for me.
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Fair and valid points Rob, but i just wonder if Nikon do this just so they can rip people off for their 90 quid batteries, or is their really a valid reason, i would love to see a side by side technical comparison in the difference in a Nikon and a good third party battery (as i'm sure not all 3rd parties are good) the phottix ones do also have a hell of a life though, and one has also lasted me for days without a recharge :)
 
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Flash In The Pan said:
Short of the camera owner actually putting their hands up to it, can Nikon actually tell if a camera has had a non-oem battery in it?

Somehow I doubt it.....
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We're all only guessing - but the camera identifies each battery individually. If I stick a part used battery in the camera it knows how many shots it's taken since last charge. It's not implausible that there's an encrypted "genuine Nikon" identifier on there.

A 4a in each camera and a spare old school 4 charged and I could shoot for ages. They also last - D3 has about 150K on it and its own battery is still on "1" on the life indicator.

For < £100 I wouldn't risk it.
 
JonathanRyan said:
We're all only guessing - but the camera identifies each battery individually. If I stick a part used battery in the camera it knows how many shots it's taken since last charge. It's not implausible that there's an encrypted "genuine Nikon" identifier on there.
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I agree, but the camera would have to have a facility to record and store the status of several batteries for it to be able to identify the use of a 3rd party battery at some point in the past.
 
Do you all think that Nikon have a factory that produces batteries for their own cameras?
Well, I doubt that very much. I worked for a company that produced packaging for hundreds of companies from Poundland to Harrods and guess what? They were all produced from exactly the same materials.
 
I base my opinion on experience from the company I worked for. Cheap copy batteries might be identical to the OEM one, but they are probably not. Many times the battery cells will be inferior, get hotter when charged, not be matched to the other cells in the battery as well, or in the case of li-po battery tech, just using cheap chemistry. I've actually tested clone batteries ( not cameras I might add ) and we found voltage and current spikes and drops in normal drain situations. This could cause problems to the electronics running off them.

Yes you might be ok, but I have a Nikon EN-EL4 that is still going strong 4 years after I bought it, and can't see it giving up any time soon. Seems good value to me, even discounting the peice of mind from knowing it's built to higher standards than most of the cheap copies.

Pete
 
That's fair comment but you are dismissing the actual probability that the "OEM" batteries are produced in the same factory but just packaged differently and are of exactly the same quality.
 
diggerz said:
That's fair comment but you are dismissing the actual probability that the "OEM" batteries are produced in the same factory but just packaged differently and are of exactly the same quality.
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Some of the 3rd party batteries may well be produced in the same factory as the oem ones.The trouble is, out of the dozens of different copies available there's no way of knowing which, if any, of them this applies to.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Some of the 3rd party batteries may well be produced in the same factory as the oem ones.The trouble is, out of the dozens of different copies available there's no way of knowing which, if any, of them this applies to.
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Yes I accept that but if you have got hold of a 3rd party battery for probably less than 1/8 th of the cost of one from the manufacturer and it performs just as well why not? Besides that, has anybody known of any 3rd party batteries melting down and blowing up any camera?
 
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diggerz said:
Yes I accept that but if you have got hold of a 3rd party battery for probably less than 1/8 th of the cost of one from the manufacturer and it performs just as well why not? Besides that, has anybody known of any 3rd party batteries melting down and blowing up any camera?
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I'm not disagreeing with you on that point, rather the notion that the 3rd party ones are probably produced in the same factory
 
Believe me a lot are, I'm not saying that they all are but probably the majority are. So just don't dismiss them as substandard.
 
Just to add to the discussion - most people with broadcast TV cameras don't use the manufacturer's batteries due to the high cost, they use batteries from reputable 3rd party manufacturers instead. e.g. Sony recommend the BP-GL95A for their high-end cameras - it costs around £470 plus vat (and you'd need at least six of them). Most people use alternatives from PAG, IDX or Hawk-Woods, the latter costing around £298 plus vat. I've never heard of any problems with any of these makes - and they're used all the time on cameras costing £50k and more.

The trouble with 'cheap' batteries for stills cameras is there are a lot of dodgy manufacturers around. There are obviously good ones too - I'd probably trust this manufacturer for Canon/Nikon alternatives http://www.amstron.com/about.asp.
 
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diggerz said:
Believe me a lot are, I'm not saying that they all are but probably the majority are. So just don't dismiss them as substandard.
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Sorry, but in Nikon's case I know that not to be true.

Otherwise you wouldn't get the problems with non-compatibility that you do with 3rd party batteries when Nikon release a new model......
 
diggerz said:
Believe me a lot are, I'm not saying that they all are but probably the majority are. So just don't dismiss them as substandard.
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Explain to me please why I should take your word for this?
Have you been to the factory in question? Did you take photos showing Nikon or Canon batteries on the same physical production line as other-branded batteries?

Sorry but I'll take heed of the manufacturer's advice (especially if there's even the remotest possibility of any resultant damage costing me money) over an internet pundit any day.

It's been proven that they are substandard. Issues have arisen - not many, but some.
Even if they are made in the same location, assuming what you say is true, there's still no guarantee that apart from the plastic casing the components used are of the same quality.
From the little that I do know about Chinese manufacturing practices, it's likely that a number of factory complexes in the same town or city all make the same or similar products - this is a typically communist approach to manufacturing. All the required raw materials and components can be shipped by rail to one location (bearing in mind the size of China, this makes even more logistical sense) and the finished products are shipped out by rail to the nearest shipping port. The workforce are housed in dormitory accommodation provided by the state and work there for life or as near as dammit makes no difference.
How else do you think they remain competitive on the world market. Centralised production, relatively poor wages and a virtual slave workforce (by our standards, that is - they're probably quite cheerful about having a guaranteed job), that's how.

It's quite possible that several of the factory complexes also make 'knock-off' items to a similar standard, but in all liklihood it will be using componentry that fell just short of the required Japanese-mandated QC checks for OEM-branded products...

Look at the market for cheap Chinese wireless triggers: bet they're all produced at the same location as well: you going to tell me that they're all the same quality just because they're all made in the same town?
 
Used loads of batteries, OEM and non OEM. Result? No problems with either.

2 year old D3 - Currently has an OEM and non-OEM. OEM - On 1 from 0-4 battery scale. Holds little charge. Non-OEM.Same age. 0 on 0-4 scale. Holds more charge. Works perfectly.

Had many many D300 and D200 non genuine batteries. Some OEM batteries hold very little charge (whilst still reading '0') . Third party phottix lasts many times longer. And unsure that a battery inside the camera can catch fire if thats what people are implying...

Not had any OEM or non OEM camera batteries leak or damage anything yet over the last 8 years either..
 
Cheng said:
unsure that a battery inside the camera can catch fire if thats what people are implying...
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http://www.mobilemag.com/2005/09/26/fake-nikon-batteries-explode/

HTH ;)

I'm pretty sure there was one printer that if you ever put a non genuine ink cartridge put a message on screen asking you to agree that you were violating your warranty. Rumour has it that a membrane in a MacBook will tell them what liquid you spilled on it (and if it's alcohol then they may not honour warranty). No reason to doubt that Nikons are less sophisticated.
 
Rob, I'm not trying to preach to the converted as you obviously feel sceptical of the quality of third party batteries and prefer to go with OEMs which is fair enough, my point is that just because third party batteries are a fraction of the price of OEMs it doesn't mean that they are always of a poorer quality and risk damaging you equipment. I can only speak of my experience of the 6 that I have and have noticed absolutely no difference from the Nikon batteries supplied with the camera.

Paul
 
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I think that it all boils down to personal preference... Me, I prefere to have the Nikon own brand...

Its the same with the grips as some prefere the 3rd parties & others prefere Nikons own....
 
Just wondering if you used a non branded battery from a reputable dealer like HERE or HERE would you then not have a claim against the company if it were to explode/fail, not sure how far you would get but just a thought :)
 
TG. said:
Just wondering if you used a non branded battery from a reputable dealer like HERE or HERE would you then not have a claim against the company if it were to explode/fail, not sure how far you would get but just a thought :)
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I'd be a lot happier with buying from those, even though the batteries themselves probably still come from 'Battery-Town, Wung-Shu Province'...

The problem I have is that most people here are talking about cheap ebay direct-from-manufacturer Chinese batteries coming in at £30. You have no idea what QC inspections are performed unlike the links above where there will be some form of recognised inspection process and some form of redress if things go wrong.
 
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