D700 batteries, OE or generic?

[Guest-004]

Just got done shooting for a day(7hrs of shooting) and I went thru 4 1/2batteries . Shooting the D700 in commander mode, connected to my PC(which makes the camera metering constantly) on a tripod(no VR) used flash on most of the shots. I only shot around 300 pics.
I see on ebay there are newer generic batteries out that are rated at 2000 mAh rating which should give longer shooting per battery. Anyone have any luck with any generic batteries in the D700? By the end I had to turn the camera on and off all the time to conserve life. I'm looking at buying at least 4 more batteries so actual Nikon are quite a bit more than generics. Any input is appreciated.

 

[User]

You could get an AC adapter for it.

 

[AEDigman]

Just a personal bias, but I wouldn't buy a battery for an expensive camera body from an eBany vendor. On the other hand, I have purchased generics (Promaster) from my local mom & pop shop and have been pleased with the performance on my D90.

 

[hotrod4x5]

Amazon has the Nikon batteries for $37.10 and free shipping. Pretty cheap if you ask me. http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-EN-EL3e-Rechargeable-Battery-Digital/dp/B000BYCKU8

Did you have the rear LCD on? Try turning it off. I am really surprised you got such poor battery life.

 

[Guest-004]

I was surprised how fast the batteries died, I was shooting inside at mid 50's temp. Is that cold enough to drain the battery? I would start charging the battery that just died and another would go before the first was finished charging. The back LCD was off. I'm leary about batteries from Ebay, just curious if anybody had any luck with any aftermarket batteries.

 

[Guest-004]

Forgot all about the AC adapter...could have used that for half the shooting. Gonna look into that, thanks!

 

[User]

Mid 50s is not cold enough to cause noticeable battery drain. I generally don't notice a difference with that til close to freezing or below.

 

[pirahnah3]

i only buy the nikon origionals, anything elsei find work great for a few months and then dramaticaly go downhill.

 

[photonAL]

In my experience the Nikon originals keep on going for years and the generics have to be thrown out because they die.

 

[dspeed]

It is unlikely that an aftermarket battery will have a much greater capacity than an OEM unit. It is likely to have a shorter life and could cause problems.

Tethered shooting may be a part of the battery drain issue; I've not done it more than briefly. So far, I've found the D700 to be very easy on batteries. I'd go with the AC adapter if you plan to do this again.

I would keep an eye on the temperature of the camera. No idea if they have built it for being 'on' for an 8 hour stretch. I seem to remember something about high temps in a D3 with very long exposures, but that may not apply here.

Dave

 

[Guest-004]

Thanks for the input, I'll keep the temp. in mind too, never knew there could be an issue.

 

[Max Power]

My D700 is not easy on batteries, and I don't do anything special. I don't even have any VR lenses.

I thought about sinding it in, but the fine folks in Melville were very non-committal on whether my battery life was normal or not. I have decided to just live with it.

 

[RickW]

"My D700 is not easy on batteries, and I don't do anything special"

I suspect that the fault lies not with the D700, but with the smaller capacity battery for that body. I own both a D700 and a D3 and the D3 battery (En-El4A) capacity is nothing short of amazing. I have shot an entire party over 5 hours (a lot of shots and a LOT of chimping) and didn't even dent the
En-El-4A.

One solution of course is to buy the MB D10 grip for the D700 and install a D3 battery in the grip and the D700 En-El 3E in the body and you will solve your D700 drain problem. Expensive solution, but it definitely works.

It is way less expensive though, to just to buy extra En-El 3E's. I totally agree that with the reasonable pricing on the Nikon OEM's, why screw around with aftermarket? I might push harder for the grip if you need some of the other positives that it offers (like vertical shutter release/wheels and faster fps rate). But spending all of that on a grip and the more expensive #4 battery just to get longer battery life is probably not cost effective. Not to mention the drawback of increased size and weight. I use a grip on my D700 since I use the body as a second while shooting sports. I need the fps.

 

[Lurker]

How new are your batteries? If I recall correctly the EN-EL3e's need a couple of load/discharge cycles before coming to complete capacity. It definetely worked that way with my D200. It's still a power hog but compared to when I first got it the batteries last a lot longer (and I shoot more, too :smile

I also understand that NiMh (AA) batteries give better performance than the EN-EL3e and are a very economical alternative to the EN-EL4 (not comparable maybe but far better than the EN-EL3e). Aside from a little hassle with the batteries you'll have the additional advantage of being able to charge your batteries in the car (most AA chargers have a car adapter)

 

[SP77]

I see on ebay there are newer generic batteries out that are rated at 2000 mAh rating which should give longer shooting per battery.

Except that these generic battery companies often play all sorts of games with their rating methods to advertise a higher number, even though in all likelihood they'll have less capacity than what you've already got. Get the MB-D10 grip and use Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable AA's. That's by far the most cost-effective way. You can get an AC adapter also, but I think it's pretty pricey.

 

[Guest-004]

thanks, I've been researching it when I can and I think I'm just gonna buy anoth el3's adn see how that works out. I have 2 older ones I used w/ the D80 and one that came w/ the 700. I'll see how that works out, otherwise it looks like I'll be looking for the battery grip and el4 battery. Seems that battery is just plain great. I don't need the fps but I'll need the grip to hold AA's so may as well just go the little bit more.

 

[Max Power]

"My D700 is not easy on batteries, and I don't do anything special"

I suspect that the fault lies not with the D700, but with the smaller capacity battery for that body. I own both a D700 and a D3 and the D3 battery (En-El4A) capacity is nothing short of amazing. I have shot an entire party over 5 hours (a lot of shots and a LOT of chimping) and didn't even dent the
En-El-4A.

One solution of course is to buy the MB D10 grip for the D700 and install a D3 battery in the grip and the D700 En-El 3E in the body and you will solve your D700 drain problem. Expensive solution, but it definitely works.

It is way less expensive though, to just to buy extra En-El 3E's. I totally agree that with the reasonable pricing on the Nikon OEM's, why screw around with aftermarket? I might push harder for the grip if you need some of the other positives that it offers (like vertical shutter release/wheels and faster fps rate). But spending all of that on a grip and the more expensive #4 battery just to get longer battery life is probably not cost effective. Not to mention the drawback of increased size and weight. I use a grip on my D700 since I use the body as a second while shooting sports. I need the fps.

Agree and considered all of that. I just carry two backup batteries in the kit. Easier and cheaper than the grip, which offers benefits that I don't really need.

 

[pl_silverado]

My vote goes to the Nikons, i have 4 spares myself.

 

[Ronald M]

Risk a 2/3000 grand camera to save 15 on a battery? You know my answer.

 

[gadgetguy11]

Nikons!