Battery recharging system for Nikon D5100/AAA/AA batteries: I am going into the back country for a few weeks and will need to recharge Nikon D5100/AAA/AA type batteries. The D5100...

dave sproul Loc: Tucson AZ

I am going into the back country for a few weeks and will need to recharge Nikon D5100/AAA/AA type batteries. The D5100 currently requires an AC source. Nikon does not even make a car charger system for the D5100. Where I am going, a solar recharging system seems to be the solution. Needles to say, the less the system weights -- the better. Does anyone have experience with a specific manufacture's make and model equipment?

bobmielke Loc: Portland, OR

dave sproul wrote:

I am going into the back country for a few weeks and will need to recharge Nikon D5100/AAA/AA type batteries. The D5100 currently requires an AC source. Nikon does not even make a car charger system for the D5100. Where I am going, a solar recharging system seems to be the solution. Needles to say, the less the system weights -- the better. Does anyone have experience with a specific manufacture's make and model equipment?

Buy a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL14 spare and charge it before leaving. I get over 250 shots from the battery in my D7000. I carried two spares on my trip this Summer to 5 national parks. I only needed two batteries for 900 photos. I shoot in RAW.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

bobmielke wrote:

quote=dave sproul I am going into the back countr... (show quote)

I agree. In fact I already have a spare which I keep charged. If your traveling with your car, you can get an inverter and plug in.

jeffknapton Loc: meridian, id

dave sproul wrote:

I am going into the back country for a few weeks and will need to recharge Nikon D5100/AAA/AA type batteries. The D5100 currently requires an AC source. Nikon does not even make a car charger system for the D5100. Where I am going, a solar recharging system seems to be the solution. Needles to say, the less the system weights -- the better. Does anyone have experience with a specific manufacture's make and model equipment?

I have a car charger for the enel14 battery. found it on ebay. I have a D3100 but the 5100 takes the same battery

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

I have a car charger for the enel14 battery. found it on ebay. I have a D3100 but the 5100 takes the same battery[/quote]

Which one/who'd you buy it from?
TIA

jeffknapton Loc: meridian, id

Indi wrote:

I have a car charger for the enel14 battery. found it on ebay. I have a D3100 but the 5100 takes the same battery

Which one/who'd you buy it from?
TIA[/quote]

the seller is multi-function1002 there is no brandname on the box

MtnMan Loc: ID

Hi, Dave

The D5100 battery life is awesome. I recharge about once a week after several hundred pictures and the battery rarely shows more than one bar down. If you don't use the USB you can get thousands of still pictures.

To extend battery life you can minimize using the screen. Turn off the automatic picture view and turn it around and use the info in the viewfinder most of the time.

Live View would sap the battery also. Unless you are taking a lot of video one spare battery should get you through several days if not weeks.

Regards,
Larry Leach

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

jeffknapton wrote:

Indi wrote:

I have a car charger for the enel14 battery. found it on ebay. I have a D3100 but the 5100 takes the same battery

Which one/who'd you buy it from?
TIA

the seller is multi-function1002 there is no brandname on the box[/quote]

Couldn't find the seller by name but I bought one from another vendor. Under $10 w/shipping.
Thanks.

dave sproul Loc: Tucson AZ

Thanks for the info about car charger possibilities, I can use that while traveling. But, maybe I should have been more specific. I plan to be in the back-country for 6 to 9 weeks using llama pack animal(s). We will have to drop down for resupply intermittently; but, we are not planning to stay "down" nor necessarily at places that will provide "battery re-charging" capabilities. I would appreciate additional comments. Thanks for your time and effort.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

dave sproul wrote:

Thanks for the info about car charger possibilities, I can use that while traveling. But, maybe I should have been more specific. I plan to be in the back-country for 6 to 9 weeks using llama pack animal(s). We will have to drop down for resupply intermittently; but, we are not planning to stay "down" nor necessarily at places that will provide "battery re-charging" capabilities. I would appreciate additional comments. Thanks for your time and effort.

You can plug it into the camel's...
Seriously, either get several batteries or buy a solar charger.
Just did a quick search for solar chargers. Look here...
http://www.google.com/search?q=solar+charger+for+camera+batteries&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
My 2 cents.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Ah, that amount of time is more demanding.

I guess one needs to match the power to the amount of storage card space you plan to bring.

The solar things look neat...appreciate that link. Didn't find the one for my D5100. I think its about 1100 ma but didn't check the voltage. It appears the right voltage smallest one (300 ma) should charge it in a few hours.

They are a bit pricey. And of course you need the sun to shine and may have other issues with using them; e.g. rain/snow or dust.

You can get three batteries for the prices of the smallest one. Those plus the one in the camera should last the duration unless you plan lots of video or other reasons to use the view screen.

Just some ideas to trade off.

Regards,
Larry Leach

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

lleach wrote:

Ah, that amount of time is more demanding.

I guess one needs to match the power to the amount of storage card space you plan to bring.

...
Regards,
Larry Leach

The 5100 is a pretty new model but it's the same battery and charger for the 3100.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Hi,

Yes, I have the 5100 and my daughter-in-law has the 3100.

The battery is an EN-EL14, which is also pretty new because my local Batteries Plus doesn't carry them yet. It is 7.3 v and 1030 mAh...(milli-amp-hour). Your charger needs to match the voltage. They cost about $39 on Amazon.

The 1030 mAh means a 300 mA (milliamp) charger, such as the smallest solar, would need about three hours to charge a nearly empty battery. That's not bad as a the 5100 is very miserly on battery consumption.

I don't know how the output of the solar chargers vary with sun angle and intensity (clouds, altitude). In general with where it sounds like you are going (high altitude dry climate?) you may do better than they promise.

You probably don't want to have to fuss around figuring out which pins to connect to so need one with a recpeticle tailored for that one. It wasn't there in the list from the link. They promise an update soon.

Regards,
Larry

liv2paddle Loc: Wall, NJ

I used this site..bought the MAHA charger \plus the powerx batteries..absolutely the best product on market..I am a golfer..use them for my golf GPS unit..and they last forever..get eight or 12 batteries and charge them up before you leave..then get an extra nikon battery as well and you should be set. Have fun.

http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/Index.asp

MtnMan Loc: ID

Hi,

I followed the link recommended. They have a really cheap price on the batteries. They are evidently no-name replacements but could be fine if they work. I am going to get one and the charger they sell.

You can get 8 of the batteries for the price of the solar recharger.

http://stores.ebay.com/multi-function1002/_i.html?rt=nc&_nkw=nikon%20battery&_sid=1001025334&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1581&_pgn=2

Regards,
Larry