bbradford Loc: Wake Forest NC

Hi all, I recently purchased a d610 and don't seem to be getting very good battery life. I do shoot all raw but still seems off. With full battery charge I can take about 50 pics and battery drains 20%. Does this sound normal? I can't find any setting that should affect battery this much. Any ideas?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I sounds like you need a new battery. My Nikon and generic DSLR batteries seem to last forever between charges. The small Sony batteries - not so much. When I pick up a Nikon, I know the battery will be good. When I pick up a Sony, I assume the battery will need charging soon. I've used generic batteries in everything for years.

Silverrails

Sorry, I am just an Advanced Amatur having approximately 3+ years shooting with my Nikon D3300, I use, as per advice, all OEM designated EN-EL14a batteries in my Camera. My Batteries seem to last a long time. I also keep 3 Batteries charged and ready to go.
Yes, I have read advice saying ONLY USE BATTERIES THAT ARE SUGGESTED BY THE CAMERA MANUFACTURER.

Also, it has been suggested by some that "Off-Brand" Batteries might possibly harm or damage your Camera. ( Not sure if this is an accurate statement.)

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Could be an old battery, replace

Dannj

Sounds like you got a bad battery, replace it and always carry a spare or two.
I’ve used off-brand batteries on Panasonic and Pentax cameras and they work fine.

Dannj

Sounds like you got a bad battery, replace it and always carry a spare or two.
I’ve used off-brand batteries on Panasonic and Pentax cameras and they work fine.

bbradford Loc: Wake Forest NC

Thanks will try a new battery.

LenCreate

Is your battery an ENEL15 or an ENEL15a? I had the same problem when using an ENEL15 with my D500. I switched to the ENEL15a and the battery lasts longer.

The Nikon EN-EL15 was replaced as a battery pack for newer Nikon digital cameras by the EN-EL15a. Both types operate at a similar voltage and are fully interchangeable, so that the EN-EL15a can also be used with the Nikon D610. The main difference between the two packs is their internal circuit design. The newer battery pack has less internal resistance and, thus, less energy loss from internal heating. It will therefore last longer on a single charge and be less prone to overheating.

BigDaddy Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Don't know what normal is but, if 250 is not normal for this camera, it could be a bad/old battery, or, it could be a cheap battery with low mAh. When replacing the battery, you don't need original equipment batteries but, be sure to check the mAh as this is what determines life between charges.

My Photive battery packs for my Nikon are 1500 mAh, and they work great. Often with batteries, you will get a bad one that quits working much faster than the others. I have 2 original batteries with my Nikon and one started discharging faster than the other for no apparent reason. This happens with all batteries of all makes and all sizes. It's a fact of battery life.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Get new batteries. Don’t fool around. I just went on vacation and forgot my charger. Didn’t panic as I have three batteries and would be visiting friends with chargers. Three thousand pics, three batteries, never needed the chargers, and still have juice in all three. Get a new battery.
...Cam

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

The standards around measuring and projecting battery life are developed based on a number of assumptions around how the camera will be used. They have been revised a couple of times in attempts to make then more accurate and reflective of reality. But the simple truth is that we all use our cameras in different ways and do different things with them while we are shooting and between shooting sessions. As a result, these estimates are just that...estimates that may or may not reflect our own actual experience. Reviewing photographs on the monitor or frequently checking histogram data each require power, and that power has to come from the battery even though the shutter is not being released. Similarly, burst shooting places a sustained current draw on the battery, which has a significantly greater impact than taking individual exposures with battery recovery time in between. Shooting in cold weather reduces capacity, and much of that capacity remains lost even after the battery returns to more normal temperatures.

There are many other factors that affect battery life. As mentioned above, any of the wireless functions will put large demands on the batteries, sometimes even when the camera is switched off. Another is VR. I don't have VR in many lenses, but the ones I have are mostly older models, and I find that they really impact the battery. The other unknown is how the previous owner treated the batteries and managed them. There is a "Battery Age" scale on the battery display. Does it show significant age on the batteries?

Keep in mind that a camera that was sold used may have been stored or otherwise "out of action" for a while. This can impact battery performance when the camera is put back in service. Sometimes this will gradually self-correct, and sometimes it needs a little help. I've had some success rejuvenating batteries (and getting them recalibrated to the condition indicator) by using them all the way down to 20% (or even a little bit lower, if the camera will allow it), then immediately putting them on the charger for 18-24 hours and repeating this process for 3-5 cycles. It doesn't work every time, but sometimes it will.

BebuLamar

Just replace the battery. They get old and don't hold charge well. Batteries that are of the same type that is can fit the camera their mA rating don't vary by much. Since they the mA rating don't vary by much it's not a good indication of how long the battery last.

therwol Loc: USA

Just replace the battery. Batteries go bad. I've had this happen several times in laptops, phones etc, so I know what I'm talking about.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

All things fail eventually regardless of brand...some sooner than others.

Let me tell of my experience. I won't say what industry I was in but we competed with the OEMs. And some brands actually purchased our product and labeled it as their own. They told their customers our product was inferior and to stick with their brand. Many customers accepted that story, some didn't.

True story...I'll let you figure out the point and how its relevant.

Bill_de Loc: US

You can't judge a battery if you recharge it every time it drops 20%. Those meters are not all that accurate.

Go out and shoot until you get the battery charge very low and then let it fully charge. Do that a few times before you write it off. Sometime it's the camera not reading the charge properly.

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