DSLRUsers.com

Noob question from me. I have one D2x EN-EL4 battery ATM. My camera shows it's at 29%. The battery manual warns about not trying to recharge fully charged batteries, but is unclear about whether they need to be drained first (especially since this is the battery's first charge).

So - Can I charge it now - or should I wait?

Li-ion can be charged anytime, no memory.
I used to charge my batteries whenever I comeback from the shoot.

Thanks Birdy - the warning about not charging fully charged batteries worried me a bit.

stubbsy wrote:Thanks Birdy - the warning about not charging fully charged batteries worried me a bit.

But your battery shows at 29% remaining
Even you don't use the camera for few day, battery is still draining.
After the shooting, battery should drain more.
A recharge is required.

I only charge mine when it get's down to about 30%. I have never let my batteries drain fully since I got my camera.

Isn't there a button on the D2x battery charger pertaining to the memory of the battery?

Nnnnsic wrote:Isn't there a button on the D2x battery charger pertaining to the memory of the battery?

That's the "callibration" button. All that does is discharge the batteries then recharges it ful again. You only use it whent the "callibration" light appears when you dock the battery on the charger.

as Birdy said, it's a lithium ion battery.....treat just as you would a laptop battery....I have recharded mine at anywhere from 75% down to 30% and never had any issues

The battery has a fantastic life

Nnnnsic wrote:Isn't there a button on the D2x battery charger pertaining to the memory of the battery?

No need a button to do it, VOX

Peter,
the warning only pertains to fully charged batteries. If you put a battery on the charger, the charger needs to check whether it is full or needs to be charged. It does that by trying to pump some charge into the battery and sees how it reacts. If you do that repeatedly on already fully charged batteries you may eventually damage them.

I reckon if you frequently recharge only slightly discharged batteries they might need a calibration run more often. The charger keeps track (on an in-battery chip) how much it has pumped into the battery, and the battery keeps track of how much is has delivered. Based on that, the batteries full charge capacity can be monitored, and compared to the nominal full charge capacity. This shows the battery's decline and gives rise to the battery lifecycle display (which is way cool!).

If only small amounts are discharged and recharged, and a large amount of charge remains untapped, this monitoring is less effective, and the charger may need to do a full discharge/recharge to get a good bearing on the batteries present full charge capacity. Same is true if a battery isn't used for extended periods (because it keeps aging).

I've got two EN-EL4's and usually run them down until the camera tells me to change them. I have yet to be asked to do a recalibration.

I think the EN-EL4 is one of the best features of the D2

Cheers
Steffen.

Steffen

Thank you for that detailed and informative reply.