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This question may have been asked before but if so I have been unable to locate it.

My D70 came with a battery pack and charger plus a spare battery holder for I think 3 CR2 lithium batteries.

If one is forced into using the lithium batteries in an emergency, what is their life expectancy? Is it similar to the normal battery pack?

Not for a day use! especially with flash or VR lens.
I knew one of our guy did that while waiting for the battery get charged and weren't happy at all.
Too expensive is another way.

Oneputt - don’t even bother just buy another main battery.

Chris

Yep just grab another main battery mate.
The cheapest I’ve see the CR2’s is around the $18 x that by three & the money would go close to getting another main bat!!!

Cheers
Ray

Thanks guys another battery pack it is.

What the others said!

For EN-EL3 rechargeable batteries to supplement the Nikon one I've bought OEM (not Nikon) from http://www.global-batteries.com.au/product_info.php/cPath/3_85/products_id/549

Prices have just gone up it seems (I Paid $22 last month) but still good value @ AU$35 compared to the genuine article which hovers around the $100 mark. A quick check via Google shows a number of online eTailers have OEM EN-EL3 batteries around the $35 mark.

The CR2's reportedly lasts for a mere 50 shots.

Hardly Normal have genuine cells for $49.95, so I'd check other retailers for more sensible prices or the good ol' online auction site for genuine imitations.

stubbsy are you happy with the purchase after using it? If so I'll oder one myself. (Was embarassingly caught with a flat battery over the weekend. )

has anyone used this
http://www.global-batteries.com.au/prod ... 04988270a5
comes with a car adaptor too... hmmm....

oneputt wrote:stubbsy are you happy with the purchase after using it?

Sure am. I have the Nikon that came with the camera & the 2 x OEM and use the three interchangeably. All last the same as best as I can tell and they recharge as quickly. Apart from the Nikon label they look identical.

MHD, although I cannot give any feed back on that charger, I'm glad you posted it.

I was going to bid on one on ebay that was already $29. I like the car charger idea.

ANYONE


MATT

I Just ordered it... *ducks iron thrown by wife*

I love the idea of having it car compatible... The EN-EL3 is just a normal L-ION battery afaik...

so it should all be good.... at $24 I am happy to guinea pig

Sweet, let us know how it goes.

Do you have to by a new iron now also??

MATT

Nikon has the Multi Charger MH-19, charge two EN-EL3 in one go and with car adaptor same as 240v.

Whats the price on that (braces for the Maxwell premium)

MHD,
It ain't cheap, you have to think about of AU$300.00 for that.

Thats why I will be very interested to see how the 3rd party unit performs...

I think it will be very handy for camping and traveling...

If you want to recharge in your vehicle a good inverter would be the cheapest option. I have one hard wired into the cargo area of my four wheel drive.

MHD wrote:Thats why I will be very interested to see how the 3rd party unit performs...

I think it will be very handy for camping and traveling...

The way it was built for the F5 user as well, it can charge the MN-30 (F5 batteries/ Ni-Mh) and refresh it.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... 515&is=REG

Good for travelling and camping if you have the Power Bank with 900ma from Auto Spare parts, you can fully charge the Powerbank at home on the 240V or 12VDC and carry it along to camping or outdoor use with 12V devices or this MH-19 charger to charge your D70 camera batteries.

Oneputt wrote:If you want to recharge in your vehicle a good inverter would be the cheapest option. I have one hard wired into the cargo area of my four wheel drive.

Yes, it can be done this way, but if you're travelling in short distance, the batteries won't get charges fully, it take at least 3 hour to fully charges the EN-EL3 on DC and 2 hours on AC, so with the inverter 2 hours continuosly charge is required.

Charging output on AC: 8.4V/1200mA
Charging output on DC: 8.4V/900mA

If you're on camping without the car then the PowerBank is the answer.
The Powerbank can jump start the car if car battery is flatted.

It is wired up so that it takes its charge directly from the battery, the engine does not need to be running. I have a dual battery setup and always have plenty of power on hand to charge almost any camera battery. I simply forgot my charger on the weekend

I got one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 56559&rd=1

$US8.80 + $US7.00 postage and works just as well as the Nikon battery. Don't worry if you miss this one, they auction several a day.

I bought one on eBay the other day. It was $3.00US plus $7.49US shipping to me. It was about $12.50 CAD. I'll let you guys know how it stands up.

Oneputt wrote:It is wired up so that it takes its charge directly from the battery, the engine does not need to be running. I have a dual battery setup and always have plenty of power on hand to charge almost any camera battery. I simply forgot my charger on the weekend

The solar panel charger may helps also for camping or in the remote areas without power. Is anyone uses this solution before?

A mate of mine uses a solar panel for recharging batteries but he also uses a regulator to prevent overcharging.

MHD, I have had 1 of those batteries from glabal batteries for couple months now with the car charger, and only differance is thge original battery is 1400 mAh and the global 1 is 1300 mah, not that i have had to use it yet but is charged up and in my camera bag.
Cheers
John

Hello all

I have been thinking about getting a 2nd battery, but it would really be a spare and would probably spend most of its life riding around in the camera bag.

Does the unused battery slowly lose its charge, or is it quite stable?

Cheers
Gecko

Ooops
I spent some time editing my last post before submitting but left a sentence behind at the bottom - makes me sound like a druggie!!!

How do you go back and edit???

Gecko

Gecko,

Go back to your original post and in top right hand corner you will find an 'edit' button. Place the mouse on it and left click. The message will open up and then edit.

gecko wrote:
Does the unused battery slowly lose its charge, or is it quite stable?

Li-Ion batteries self discharge at a rate of approximately 5% per month.

Gecko,

I have a spare 'Nikon' battery (EN-EL3) and over time it will lose power if not used. They can be recharged at anytime. Not like a mobile phone battery whereby it is best to let them totally run down before recharging to extend life.

Thanks Fozzie

I think I'll just leave the sentence fragment there! I have had a good laugh at myself!

5% loss per month seems quite acceptable. I read in the little instruction manual that came with the battery that a fully charged battery should not be charged (this makes sense) so I guess if you charged your spare every 4 or 5 months or so (assuming no use or rotation through the camera) it would be always primed and ready for that 'decisive moment'...

Just realized how late it is - time for home and bed I think

Cheers
Gecko