I've been using the Nikon D700 for about 2 years now with over 26k on it. I have TWO of the OEM battery and a generic battery grip.
I just looked at the battery info on my camera and the charge life on both battery seems to be at 0, meaning, still at new. Being 2 years old and with 26k, does that seem normal?
The reason why I am asking is because I want to upgrade my battery to the En-EL4 battery. I am buying the OEM nikon battery but USED from a reliable dealer.
I have 10 days to see if the batteries are good. At what level from 0-4 would be considered still good? Anyone used up all the life of an good battery?
a new 1 year warranteed is about $109.
of course you want as low a number as you can get. i have 3 original batts purchased around the same time. two are at 1 and one is at 2. purchased 2 years ago. the "average" lifespan of a Li Ion BP is anywhere from 2-3 years. depending on abuse and use.
The info on the camera is a guess at best and no way to judge the life left in a battery.
Manufacturers commonly quote lithium batteries have an approximate 4 year life span. The only way to gauge if the capacity has decreased would be to put it on a known load and monitor how long it takes the voltage to drop to minimum specs.
I use Lenmar brand batteries that my local shop carries. After 3 years in my D200 the Lenmar's still test to have the same capacity as the OEM battery but they were only $20 each. I'd look at these before a used battery you don't know the age or condition of, especially if your only means of testing them would be in the camera.
The camera battery info depends in part on the controller circuits in the battery pack. They can be wrong and need to be reset occasionally by refreshing the battery, either in the charger if it allows or by ensuring that it is substantially discharged in the camera (to prevent damage) and recharged. That will give a more accurate estimate of remaining charge.
The battery life indicator is based more on how many charge cycles the battery has been subjected too. There is a limit - perhaps 500 but I'm not sure.
There are various Li battery technologies and the latest and greatest laptop computer batteries last longer but cost more and are bigger. I don't think our camera batteries use that technology.
The Li Ion batteries go bad a number of years - typically 2 to 3 - after manufacture (not after sale or after first use). They may not suddenly expire but they will lose ability to hold and deliver a full charge. This will happen pretty much regardless of how you use the battery. Abuse can shorten its life but tender care is of little or no benefit. It's more to do with the battery chemistry than the usage - more so than for the older battery technologies.
Therefore, if your present batteries are two years old and your replacement battery is not new then you could have all of them go bad on you in a year or so. It is better, I think, to get a new battery now if you really do need an extra battery. Batteries that are not really needed are just getting closer to expiry without serving a useful purpose and are therefore poor value for money.
Nothing last forever, but I don't think the battery life scale tells you much about the health of the battery. I have a well used EN-EL4(not a), I got with a D2H in 2007. Then, the life meter was at "1". I'm not sure how many charge cycles I've put it through, but the life meter is now at "4". Last weekend I used this battery at a track meet, with a full charge, I shot 2200 frames and showed 40% charge remaining.
Yea I know batteries does not last forever. I wanted to upgrade to the en-el4 battery to take advantage of the 8fps. I have the 8AA cartage but I want to cut down on weight a little and have a spare.
The batteries that I bought where pretty cheap. If I can spray 1,500 frames per charge for a year's use I will be happy. I'll use these mainly when I go to the "Spray and Pray" event.
sjms wrote:
The "average" lifespan of a Li Ion BP is anywhere from 2-3 years. depending on abuse and use.
I have a D70 that is over 8 years old. When I bought it, I also ordered a non-OEM battery. The non-OEM battery failed after 6 years. It worked fine one day but not the next. The OEM battery is still going strong. I have 7 Li-Ion Hi-Cap batteries that I bought for my Sony video cameras. Those batteries are over 10 years old. 2 of the seven died around age 6 or 7 years. The others have been carried over to my fourth upgrade in video cameras. Fortunately, they still give decent life.
Update:
I just got the batteries in today. The EN-EL4a battery is at 4, while the EN-EL4 is at 2.
I noticed that the OEM battery charger has a Calibration button on it. What does that do? If the battery is at "4" does it reset it back to 0? I don't have the OEM charger and my charger does not have the Calibration button on it. But I have access to an OEM charger. Should I try and calibrate the battery that is showing "4" before I return it?
Calibration will attempt to restore the ability of the battery to retain a full charge, or at least maximize how much charge the battery can hold. It's worthwhile to do when/if you need it, but it has nothing to do with the age of your battery and will not restore a "4" battery to a "0" or even a "3". Batteries have a finite lifespan measured in cycles, and nothing you can do will change that.
If you got the battery for really cheap, you can keep it and just use it for its remaining life. Test it by fully charging it or calibrating it, then using it until it dies, and compare to a newer battery to see what fraction of the new battery's charge this one is still able to deliver. Then decide whether to keep it or return it, but realize that the amount of charge the battery can hold and the number of cycles the battery may have left in its useful life are two separate and independent subjects.
Thanks, I just thought that the battery was off calibrated because it was sitting in the warehouse for a long period of time. I will contact the vendor where I bought it from and return the one that has a "4" on it.
I was surprised that the one with the "4" was rated at EX+ while the one with the 2 was an EX and it is the older battery. Oh well still got a good price.
Another update. The "4" battery is shot. I tried charging it on my charger and the power light is blinking. According to the charger, it means that the battery is defective. I am going to have to return that.
