Nikon D3 Batteries EN-EL4

[itsdavedotnet]

I use the 7dayshop EN-EL4a's. If I had gone for the nikon ones, the full setup (4 batteries and a dual bay charger) would have cost almost as much as another second hand camera. That'd be an expensive insurance policy against just one particular type of failure.

I've also yet to see an actual report, anywhere, ever, of a 3rd party battery actually damaging a camera. And in my case, even if it did leak, worst case, I could just chuck the grip and buy another.

If I had D3's, which come with the right charger etc, I'd probably have just bought another nikon battery though, if only for consistency.

 

[ianbarber]

As I was the OP here thought I'd better say something.

Very interesting comments from everyone and having weighed it all up, my final decision was to go with Genuine Nikon from Amazon at £88 as the capacity was 2500mah and with my recent luck I would be the one that got caught out with a cheapo China import

 

[Trig's]

As I was the OP here thought I'd better say something.

Very interesting comments from everyone and having weighed it all up, my final decision was to go with Genuine Nikon from Amazon at £88 as the capacity was 2500mah and with my recent luck I would be the one that got caught out with a cheapo China import

Nowt wrong with that matey - even if it was for your piece of mind....

 

[diggerz]

Or even Peace of mind.

 

[TG.]

And in my case, even if it did leak, worst case, I could just chuck the grip and buy another.

That was part of my reasoning on it.

my final decision was to go with Genuine Nikon from Amazon at £88 as the capacity was 2500mah

The Phottix one's are 2600mah which i thought was a plus, and as i said i sourced mine from a UK supplier, the phottix one's do come in proper packaging and look the part (unlike some of the ebay ones just wrapped in bubble wrap) of course proper packaging wouldn't stop it exploding lol, but i think you know what i mean

 

[JohnMcL7]

I use the 7dayshop EN-EL4a's. If I had gone for the nikon ones, the full setup (4 batteries and a dual bay charger) would have cost almost as much as another second hand camera. That'd be an expensive insurance policy against just one particular type of failure.

I've also yet to see an actual report, anywhere, ever, of a 3rd party battery actually damaging a camera. And in my case, even if it did leak, worst case, I could just chuck the grip and buy another.

If I had D3's, which come with the right charger etc, I'd probably have just bought another nikon battery though, if only for consistency.

Which charger did you go for?

Like you I've never seen a third party battery kill a camera and rather laughably when there were the problems with the Dell laptop batteries and others it was official Sony manufactured batteries that were there problem, not the third party ones.

John

 

[itsdavedotnet]

Which charger did you go for?

Like you I've never seen a third party battery kill a camera and rather laughably when there were the problems with the Dell laptop batteries and others it was official Sony manufactured batteries that were there problem, not the third party ones.

John

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Charger-Nikon...es_Chargers&hash=item4aa410eef0#ht_7063wt_907

power supply for it is a wee bit dodgy, I couldn't find myself trusting it, and the UK adapter was one more thing to forget. I use this now, goes much faster too:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....07843&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_2717wt_1141

 

[Dave Pickett]

always good for a debate this subject! All I can say is I have many years experience playing with batteries of all types with a lot in radio controlled boats and cars where the batteries take serious abuse (very high charge and discharge rates).

I still use cheap ebay batteries and havnt yet had a single problem. Those who wish to pay daft prices for a battery that is no better than one at 10% of the price are very welcome to.

No doubt the same people pay huge amounts for genuine inkjet cartridges, more money than sense in my book!

 

[Trig's]

.....No doubt the same people pay huge amounts for genuine inkjet cartridges, more money than sense in my book!

Oooops Then again I get better prints :razz:

 

[Dave Pickett]

Then again I get better prints

Do you, if you only use genuine you have nothing to compare to! Personally I havn't noticed any difference, each to their own!

 

[Trig's]

Do you, if you only use genuine you have nothing to compare to! Personally I havn't noticed any difference, each to their own!

Only genuine after using the non-genuine ink... Then again the price I get my genuine ink for isn't that much dearer than the cheaper non-original...

Then again like to say - each to their own....

 

[itsdavedotnet]

Ink is involved in the image making process directly - batteries aren't, unless they fail and you don't have a backup.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

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

I don't know if it applies to camera gear, but when it comes to fake watches the majority aren't produced in factories at all, but assembled from kits of parts in people's homes....

 

[Arkady]

I don't know if it applies to camera gear, but when it comes to fake watches the majority aren't produced in factories at all, but assembled from kits of parts in people's homes....

But probably in the same town or city still...remember, China is still a communist state. Our ways of doing business don't apply.

Take the motor industry:
Rubber-town makes tyres - all tyres for all vehicles. If they're really efficient, there may be a Wheel-town located nearby, but don't count on it.
Engine-town makes engines - all size engines for all types of vehicles.
etc.
etc.
etc.
Those towns may be thousands of miles apart in different provinces.

The completed and assembled components are then shipped by rail (usually) to:
Truck-town where trucks are built (maybe in several different factories with different brand-names, but all controlled by the same committee).
Car-town where cars are built.
Tractor-town where tractors are built...etc. etc. etc.

The electronics industry is slightly different, but not much - you'll have centres of production knocking out very similar products from pre-assembled parts made in other factories maybe thousands of miles distant.

Look at the problems Russia had when the Soviet Union broke up: all the manufacturing had been spread all across central asia. Factories in Belarus and Russia suddenly couldn't get engines or tyres as they were made in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan (for example).
Half the old Soviet Navy was in Georgia, which siezed it all...

China is no different.

 

[Nod]

Most of my spare batteries are 7dayshop's own brand and I've never had any problems with them. In fact, the only battery related problem I've ever had was shortly after I bought my D70, when a load of GENUINE NIKON batteries was recalled due to a manufacturing fault. Can't remember the exact details and the e-mail is on my old (now dead) computer but they did replace anj EN-EL3 with an EN-EL3e, so when I upgraded to a D200 and then a D700, the battery was still correct for my current body.

 

[andephotographic]

Just bought a 3rd party battery (photix) for my D200.
Found it a much easier decision to make than whether or not to buy a 3rd party battery for my D3.
Partially due to the fact that the D200 is a much older and cheaper camera so I'm not as worried about damaging it but mainly because a decent (according to posts on here) 3rd party en el3e was £9.
If it doesn't hold charge etc then I've wasted less than a tenner.
3rd party D3 batteries are available for about £20 but IMO there's gotta be a reason they're that cheap, if you look at Hahnel ones or the like your looking at £50-60 which while it's half the price of the genuine one, is still a lot of money to risk on gettin a naff battery.