Hello to you all,

I have now heard from Nikon CS and they have confirmed that the EN-EL4a’s discussed in this thread were indeed counterfeits.


So, please note the discrepancies I have outlined here and be careful…

With Regards

Hi User ID,

Along with my D3s I also have a D700 & D300s.
I once tried Wasabi batteries for the two latter models. I have never felt comfortable with putting ‘cheaper’ third party batteries in my D3s…
My experience with Wasabi was not good at all. They got way too hot when being charged, (even in my a/c’d office), and didn’t last anywhere near the frame count of my OEM batteries. Maybe they didn’t like the high temperatures we get here? Since then I have always vowed to stick with OEM.

I am not opposed to spending the money on the right OEM battery. My biggest issue; I’m finding it very difficult to source them from here in the Far East. Of the ones I have been able to source I have been unable to verify if they are genuine.
If I try to buy from an international source most claim they are unable to send batteries of this nature via airmail. A few suppliers who would send them to me quoted shipping prices amounting to much more than the cost of the batteries!
Apparently regulations on Li-ion batteries of this calibre omit them from being shipped via air?

Thanks for the suggestion anyway…

Thank you Bill_de,

The list is useful.
I will try to see if any can send direct to me, if not, I will wait for another friend to return to the US.

All the best

Hi all,

As promised, here’s the outcome to date…

Having opened the case with Nikon CS I was asked many questions.
I was asked to submit their weights and upload photos of the suspect batteries relevant security markings.
I waited and waited and heard nothing from Nikon.
After around five weeks I sent a chase up email to Nikon CS… and to date I’ve heard nothing from them!

All this time I was in contact with the eBay seller who was very cooperative. He offered a return/refund. By week seven I decided I would take up his offer.
I have now received a refund for the returned batteries.

If they were genuine batteries Nikon have wasted so much of my time. I have lost the opportunity of being able to purchase them and get them back to the Far East.
If they were counterfeit, Nikon have seemingly failed to identify the issue and work to alert customers to the fact there are counterfeits EN-EL4a’s still out there…

Either way - Shame on you Nikon!

For now, I am waiting for confirmation that another friend may travel to the US some time this year and if so, I will order the EN-EL4a’s from either BH or Adorama…

If I ever hear anything from Nikon over this issue I will update this post.

Take care, keep safe.
Regards

Thank You LFingar…

Yea, I read about that when researching counterfeits…

Of the many Nikon batteries that are known to be counterfeited, the EN-EL4a isn’t one of them.
I don’t know why considering their high price?
Having learnt the ‘giveaway clues’ I guess buying over the counter rather than online would be the safest bet…

Hello 11bravo,

Thank you for your post.

I am not from the US so I am not familiar with B+H or Adorama however, armed with your information I can ask my friend in Texas to see if he can source the batteries from there?

I fully appreciate eBay is not the best source for a product such as this but with Amazon not delivering to this part of the world, dealers in my home country would not/could not send to the Far East and a few online sellers who would, were wanting to charge more than the battery for delivery!
I’ve been waiting to get back to my home country to purchase them myself but the pandemic has made that too difficult over the last year.
Dealers here in the Far East run a higher risk of selling a counterfeit so I avoid them.
Nikon Asia don’t sell direct, and only recommended a few dealers…
EBay seemed my best bet at the time. They were the only new EN-EL4a’s listed on eBay and as the seller was making a point of them being genuine Nikon, I tried them…

The details have been escalated now at Nikon so hopefully I will learn the outcome to my suspicions very soon.
If they are counterfeit they will be dealt with and your advice of B+H/Adorama will be my next plan.

Thank you

As I said in my op - Have scoured the Internet and seen these sights. I know the EN-EL4a isn’t listed.

Believe me. I have tried!
I am so restricted here as to where I can buy these batteries. Even Nikon Asia cannot supply.
I’ve been trying to get these batteries for over a year - no luck. I have been unable to get back to my home country, UK, because of the pandemic.
Shipping is a big problem because many sources will not send li-ion batteries by airmail.
This is why I have taken advantage of a friend travelling here from Texas who can bring them with him…

Ok, as suspected, this is going nowhere. I thought I had explained everything clearly enough in my original post?

I have reached out to Nikon CS again and they have agreed to escalate my case to a ‘specialist’.
I will post again when I get a verdict ‘from the horses mouth’.

Thank you all for your time…

Amazon won’t deliver to me here.

If you read my op properly you’ll see the batteries are in the US and I am in the Far East!

I have compared photos that are sent to me. That’s how I spotted the differences… There is not differences between the two except the four points I listed in my op.

[quote=User ID]whatever were you doing on eBay in the first place ?

I explained that in my op!

I have had bad experiences with Wasabi batteries. They just don’t last…

Hi,

I have just purchased two Nikon EN-EL4a batteries from a reputable seller on eBay in the US.
They were delivered to an address in the US and then due to be sent on to me in the Far East. (The seller wouldn’t send to the Far East and I can’t find them here).

The eBay listing showed them as new, genuine Nikon. They were $106 each.

Once they arrived at the US address they were checked against three of my existing EN-EL4a’s and I am slightly suspicious they may not be the real deal?

I have reached out to the seller who cannot reassure me any more than the ad states - genuine.
Nikon customer services seems reluctant to commit to anything?

I have scoured the Internet and found nothing about counterfeit EN-EL4a’s.
In fact, on Nikon’s website, many batteries are listed with counterfeit versions but the EN-EL4a is not listed as having a counterfeit version.

Is there anyone out there who could perhaps comment on the following points I have noticed as being the differences between my old ones and the two new ones?

- Does Nikon produce different coloured protective end caps? All my older Nikon batteries have come with translucent caps. One of these new ones has a white cap and the other is orange!

- Can the codes/batch/lot numbers on the silver panel on the front, be the same on both new batteries?
My existing three batteries all have different codes but admittedly were purchased at different times.

- The new batteries have the four notches on the hologram missing? From Nikon’s website some counterfeit batteries have these notches missing. My old batteries do have these notches but maybe newer batches don’t?

- Finally, do Nikon ever add the code ‘YK22’ on their batteries?
The new ones have this code on the back stamped into the black plastic. My old ones don’t…?

Thank you in anticipation for any help.
With Regards

Well that sounds like good news as I have a Canon printer too!