Batteries: Nikon EN-EL4 vs EN-EL4a vs FAKE VERSIONS..

[Stolky]

Hi all,

Anyone have any experience/s with any, or all 3. Looking to get one or more for a D700 w/ MB-D10 grip, and want to know the difference (first of all), and anything gained or lost by genuine vs fake versions??

Thanks,

Mark

[petermmc]

Hi Mark,

I dont know those batteries specifically but I have had experience with fake batteries. For what it is worth, the genuine article IMHO is just better. I have had a Nikon ENEL3 for my D200 for about 4 or 5 years and it is still going strong. About 2 years into the life of my ENEL3 I purchased 2 phottix batteries of the same size. They were quite good at first but over a long period they just do not cut the mustard. The original Genuine battery still retains its charge much better than these substitutes. I just purchased another new ENEL3 rather than go the fake way. I do realise that fakes are much much cheaper but I think they are a bit annoying. I have a D7000 at the moment and the genuine battery for it lasts much longer than the D200 genuine battery. That has nothing to do with your question but I had to tell someone

So, in short, purely my humble opinion based on a sample size of 4 in total, 'the real thing is the real thing' so dont compromise and buy genuine but look around because there are some good deals out there.

All the best.

Peter Mc

[Marvin]

I have had exactly the same issues as Peter. One of my fake batteries won't even hold a charge, the other is OK but my genuine battery is still going strong.

[Murray Foote]

I read a detailed article once that explained that these batteries havefunctions other than providing power and you may be risking more than you think with a generic one. Unable to find it again, though.

I agree, stay with the real thing.

[ATJ]

It is worth mentioning that back in the days of the D70 there was recall on the genuine versions of the batteries because a small number were catching fire...

Now, while that might sound like a disadvantage of the genuine batteries, I actually see it is a major benefit because Nikon made the public announcement and replaced the potentially faulty batteries for free. I doubt that the clones would even announce the potential for the problem let alone replace them for free.

The risk of fire was caused by some issues Sony had in their manufacturing process and it affected all sorts of batteries in different products from different companies. Those issues have been fixed so it is unlikely that batteries pose a fire risk but given the fakes are somewhat an unknown source, I'm not sure I'd want to risk them.

[aim54x]

I have limited experiences with the batteries mentioned, but the EN-EL4 (old version...I didnt know you can still get these new) has a smaller capacity than the EN-EL4A (the current version). I have used both in a D3, and the EN-EL4 just didnt last all that long (it was an older battery though) wheras the EN-EL4a just kept on going. As for a generic version, there simply are not any good ones around. I have asked around and Phottix actually pulled their EN-EL4A equiv off the market as they could not get them to perform to their standards.

[Stolky]

Thanks for the advice guys (esp about EN-EL4 vs EN-EL4a..)

Also...

I read a detailed article once that explained that these batteries havefunctions other than providing power and you may be risking more than you think with a generic one.

...I really think there's something in that Murray.. ..I've owned both generic and genuine batts for my old D70 (now cactus - see my former thread on my faulty D70 + 'hunting' 70-200mm Nikon, viewtopic.php?f=44&t=41225), and I think having generic (*poorly functioning & charged*) batts in there helped to end the bodies life.. (RIP.. )

I'd be Interested in the article if you find it though..

Like nearly everything - you get what you pay for..