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The EN-EL15a now listed as compatible for the Nikon D500, D7000 series, etc

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n057 said:
The same battery works in older cameras. Maybe the rate at which the D500 and D7500 discharge the batteries is different and this is where some extra data is supplied by the new batteries. Maybe the D500 and D7500 queries extra data from the battery and the new ones know how to respond to that, while the older ones fail to respond. So the camera takes no chance and assumes the level is lower than what they ask for.

At any rate, does it matter? If you have the correct battery and your camera is in good shape, it does what it is supposed to do.

JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers
Click to expand...
Wow you are saying it doesn't matter what Nikon labels the things they sell? Personally I prefer knowing what I am buying. By sticking 20 on their supposedly new battery and not explaining it, one has no clue what one is buying. Is it the same battery or not? Nikon please tell us!

And not sure what you mean by a "camera is in good shape", but a camera that goes from two bars to shutting off because of no charge at random, is not a great camera to have. And there seem to be a number of people (not just me) who have been having energy related problems with the D500. You appear to be lucky in having a D500 without problems, however not everyone is so fortunate. So there may be some basis for this "urban legend", at least to some of us.
 
Escape said:
n057 said:
At any rate, does it matter?
Click to expand...
My interest was mainly from a price to performance ratio. Most retailers charge a premium for the 15a battery, so I wanted to understand if there is some benefit that it provides in my D7200 or would it be complete waste of money.
Click to expand...
Waste of money I think, just like getting premium gasoline in a car that cannot use the extra energy. If your car mandates the use of premium, get it.

At the time of release of the D7200, there was no problem using the plain old "EL-EN15". The "15a" (same as the "Li20") is designed to meet the demands of the newer cameras but will work fine with older cameras. But because of the premium, you can wait.

I think the premium will go away in time. At this time, because of the "newer = better" syndrome, people who do not really need will get some of the "15a" battery. Therefore, never to miss an opportunity, retailers will try to get a premium. It is up to you to decide if you want to upgrade your batteries now.

Or get a D500 and all your batteries will be upgraded for free, which will not happen if you get a D7500, since you have been warned in advance that you must have a "15a" :-)

JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers
 
Ricardo00 said:
n057 said:
The same battery works in older cameras. Maybe the rate at which the D500 and D7500 discharge the batteries is different and this is where some extra data is supplied by the new batteries. Maybe the D500 and D7500 queries extra data from the battery and the new ones know how to respond to that, while the older ones fail to respond. So the camera takes no chance and assumes the level is lower than what they ask for.

At any rate, does it matter? If you have the correct battery and your camera is in good shape, it does what it is supposed to do.

JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers
Click to expand...
Wow you are saying it doesn't matter what Nikon labels the things they sell? Personally I prefer knowing what I am buying. By sticking 20 on their supposedly new battery and not explaining it, one has no clue what one is buying. Is it the same battery or not? Nikon please tell us!

And not sure what you mean by a "camera is in good shape", but a camera that goes from two bars to shutting off because of no charge at random, is not a great camera to have. And there seem to be a number of people (not just me) who have been having energy related problems with the D500. You appear to be lucky in having a D500 without problems, however not everyone is so fortunate. So there may be some basis for this "urban legend", at least to some of us.
Click to expand...
The more closely the issue is examined (by photographers that know a bit of physics and their gear) the more likely it is that it's just an urban legend that's confusing the issue.

Suppose you're using a battery that's nearly exhausted. Contrary to popular belief Li-Ion batteries don't have flat discharge curves. They're much flatter than alkaline batteries but like alkalines, their voltage can recover somewhat when the camera is powered off (ie, using minimal current). Turn the camera's power on and the voltage can seem pretty good, but all sorts of things can happen that create a sudden need for large amounts of current which the battery may be unable to supply, such as the camera suddenly needing to charge the camera's flash capacitor, which requires a fairly large amount of energy. That alone could reduce the voltage that the battery can supply to the point of forcing the camera to immediately power down.

Or if the battery would be able to supply enough energy to take a small number of photos with the flash using high ISOs and wide apertures, if the aperture used is too small and/or the ISO too low, or if the subject distance is too great, the battery could be fully depleted long before it's able to supply enough energy to supply more than a small fraction of what's needed for a single exposure.
 
Last edited:
Ricardo00 said:
n057 said:
The same battery works in older cameras. Maybe the rate at which the D500 and D7500 discharge the batteries is different and this is where some extra data is supplied by the new batteries. Maybe the D500 and D7500 queries extra data from the battery and the new ones know how to respond to that, while the older ones fail to respond. So the camera takes no chance and assumes the level is lower than what they ask for.

At any rate, does it matter? If you have the correct battery and your camera is in good shape, it does what it is supposed to do.

JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers
Click to expand...
Wow you are saying it doesn't matter what Nikon labels the things they sell? Personally I prefer knowing what I am buying. By sticking 20 on their supposedly new battery and not explaining it, one has no clue what one is buying. Is it the same battery or not? Nikon please tell us!

And not sure what you mean by a "camera is in good shape", but a camera that goes from two bars to shutting off because of no charge at random, is not a great camera to have. And there seem to be a number of people (not just me) who have been having energy related problems with the D500. You appear to be lucky in having a D500 without problems, however not everyone is so fortunate. So there may be some basis for this "urban legend", at least to some of us.
Click to expand...
Either you ask Nikon what is going on, you send your camera to be examined or you do some digging and reading.

Remember your first post on this board?

6fa95ba68353494db2305b8d8201a406.jpg

At the time I thought that your use of Live View is what was reducing your battery life, as the User Manual clearly lists that as a cause of battery life reduction. Using the monitor is the first in the list of energy consuming actions, and you cannot do Live View without using the monitor big time:

06bb07d2873549a38199c1a9d14b3e0f.jpg

Then there is some info on how much one can expect in various usage scenarios:

a55f247da7374beb9b75179a20baac72.jpg

After all, at one point hopefully we do not want Nikon to issue warnings like the following:

a94_w10.jpg


JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers
 
photoreddi said:
photoreddi said:
Turn the camera's power on and the voltage can seem pretty good, but all sorts of things can happen that create a sudden need for large amounts of current which the battery may be unable to supply, such as the camera suddenly needing to charge the camera's flash capacitor, which requires a fairly large amount of energy. T
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
The Nikon D500 does not have a flash. And the D7000, D7100 and D7200 all of which have flash units never did this.

 
Ricardo00 said:
photoreddi said:
Ricardo00 said:
Turn the camera's power on and the voltage can seem pretty good, but all sorts of things can happen that create a sudden need for large amounts of current which the battery may be unable to supply, such as the camera suddenly needing to charge the camera's flash capacitor, which requires a fairly large amount of energy. T
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
The Nikon D500 does not have a flash. And the D7000, D7100 and D7200 all of which have flash units never did this.
Click to expand...
That's irrelevant. My comment obviously failed to get you to think. If you assume that the D500 has no other quirks or features or options that can suddenly increase battery power consumption then you know little about the D500 and DSLRs in general.
 
Ricardo00 said:
photoreddi said:
Ricardo00 said:
Turn the camera's power on and the voltage can seem pretty good, but all sorts of things can happen that create a sudden need for large amounts of current which the battery may be unable to supply, such as the camera suddenly needing to charge the camera's flash capacitor, which requires a fairly large amount of energy. T
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
The Nikon D500 does not have a flash. And the D7000, D7100 and D7200 all of which have flash units never did this.
Click to expand...
The D7500 requires the same battery as the D500, has a flash, and the CIPA rating is lower! What a coincidence!


JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers
 
n057 said:
Escape said:
n057 said:
At any rate, does it matter?
Click to expand...
My interest was mainly from a price to performance ratio. Most retailers charge a premium for the 15a battery, so I wanted to understand if there is some benefit that it provides in my D7200 or would it be complete waste of money.
Click to expand...
Waste of money I think, just like getting premium gasoline in a car that cannot use the extra energy. If your car mandates the use of premium, get it.

At the time of release of the D7200, there was no problem using the plain old "EL-EN15". The "15a" (same as the "Li20") is designed to meet the demands of the newer cameras but will work fine with older cameras. But because of the premium, you can wait.

I think the premium will go away in time. At this time, because of the "newer = better" syndrome, people who do not really need will get some of the "15a" battery. Therefore, never to miss an opportunity, retailers will try to get a premium. It is up to you to decide if you want to upgrade your batteries now.

Or get a D500 and all your batteries will be upgraded for free, which will not happen if you get a D7500, since you have been warned in advance that you must have a "15a" :-)

JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers
Click to expand...
There is a thread on the Nikon DX forun for the new 7500 where a owner has used a 2 month old 3rd party battery in the camera and it works, so the independants have changed the chip in the battery, this will probably work with the D500 as well .
 
Ricardo00 said:
According to the Nikon website, the new more powerful ("extended life with consistent power") EN-EL15a batteries are compatible with many other Nikon cameras in addition to the new D7500:

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-CompatibleWith

Is this a tacit admission by Nikon that there were problems with energy consumption with the D500?
Click to expand...
The EN-EL15 (20) version Battery is still being made and available at B&H for $49 but this battery does not work with the new Nikon D7500.

This new EN-EL15a battery was designed to work with the D7500 but compatible with all other Nikon camera which uses the EN-EL15 Battery.

So for any other camera than the D7500 you do not have to spend the extra money, just buy the updated version of the EN-EL15 (20 number on the back of the Battery) for $49

--
Julius
http://www.pbase.com/jkovatch
 
Last edited:
Julius said:
The EN-EL15 (20) version Battery is still being made and available at B&H for $49 but this battery does not work with the new Nikon D7500.

This new EN-EL15a battery was designed to work with the D7500 but compatible with all other Nikon camera which uses the EN-EL15 Battery.

So for any other camera than the D7500 you do not have to spend the extra money, just buy the updated version of the EN-EL15 (20 number on the back of the Battery) for $49
Click to expand...
 
Julius said:
Ricardo00 said:
According to the Nikon website, the new more powerful ("extended life with consistent power") EN-EL15a batteries are compatible with many other Nikon cameras in addition to the new D7500:

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-CompatibleWith

Is this a tacit admission by Nikon that there were problems with energy consumption with the D500?
Click to expand...
The EN-EL15 (20) version Battery is still being made and available at B&H for $49 but this battery does not work with the new Nikon D7500.

This new EN-EL15a battery was designed to work with the D7500 but compatible with all other Nikon camera which uses the EN-EL15 Battery.

So for any other camera than the D7500 you do not have to spend the extra money, just buy the updated version of the EN-EL15 (20 number on the back of the Battery) for $49
Click to expand...
 
Ricardo00 said:
Julius said:
The EN-EL15 (20) version Battery is still being made and available at B&H for $49 but this battery does not work with the new Nikon D7500.

This new EN-EL15a battery was designed to work with the D7500 but compatible with all other Nikon camera which uses the EN-EL15 Battery.

So for any other camera than the D7500 you do not have to spend the extra money, just buy the updated version of the EN-EL15 (20 number on the back of the Battery) for $49
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Julius said:
Ricardo00 said:
According to the Nikon website, the new more powerful ("extended life with consistent power") EN-EL15a batteries are compatible with many other Nikon cameras in addition to the new D7500:

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-CompatibleWith

Is this a tacit admission by Nikon that there were problems with energy consumption with the D500?
Click to expand...
The EN-EL15 (20) version Battery is still being made and available at B&H for $49 but this battery does not work with the new Nikon D7500.
Click to expand...
WHat is the source of this information? according to nikon's own website, en-el15 is compatible with d7500...

 
Ricardo00 said:
Julius said:
The EN-EL15 (20) version Battery is still being made and available at B&H for $49 but this battery does not work with the new Nikon D7500.

This new EN-EL15a battery was designed to work with the D7500 but compatible with all other Nikon camera which uses the EN-EL15 Battery.

So for any other camera than the D7500 you do not have to spend the extra money, just buy the updated version of the EN-EL15 (20 number on the back of the Battery) for $49

...
Click to expand...
Wow that is a bummer! Have you actually tried it? For anyone going on a photographic safari/trip and have a D7500 and another Nikon body (D7200, D750, D500, etc), one would have to keep track of which battery they have on hand to replace any camera where the charge got low.
Click to expand...
You seem to love looking for and then complaining about "bummers". Since you only bought your D500 about 2 weeks ago do you really need or intend to buy a D7500? Or did you find a fatal flaw in the D500 (bummer) so you intend to sell it and buy a D7500?

I noticed that you wrote this several months ago :
Ricardo00 said:
First, I am very jealous of you, getting the new 500mm lens. I like you was mostly shooting the 300mm f/2.8 with the 1.7 TC but to get extra reach, 3 years ago bought the Nikon 500mm lens for about $8200 (which I would gladly exchange for the new one).
Click to expand...
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59215285

.

So here's an idea. Considering the weight and expense of those lenses, for chump change you could buy another 2 or 3 batteries for the D7500 and use them only for the D7500 and anyone that can carry those huge, heavy Nikkors would never notice the weight of a few extra batteries.

Or is this beside the point, irrelevant, not really a consideration because you were only trying to come up with a "bummer" as an excuse for something to gripe about?
 
No they just have to pay attention that the D7500 does not work with any other battery but the EN-EL15a.All the other Nikon cameras also can use the EN-EL15a.
 
Julius said:
No they just have to pay attention that the D7500 does not work with any other battery but the EN-EL15a.All the other Nikon cameras also can use the EN-EL15a.

--
Julius
http://www.pbase.com/jkovatch
Click to expand...
ACcording to Nikon, en-el15 is compatible with d7500. see link in my other response.
 
Escape said:
Julius said:
Ricardo00 said:
According to the Nikon website, the new more powerful ("extended life with consistent power") EN-EL15a batteries are compatible with many other Nikon cameras in addition to the new D7500:

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-CompatibleWith

Is this a tacit admission by Nikon that there were problems with energy consumption with the D500?
Click to expand...
The EN-EL15 (20) version Battery is still being made and available at B&H for $49 but this battery does not work with the new Nikon D7500.
Click to expand...
WHat is the source of this information? according to nikon's own website, en-el15 is compatible with d7500...

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-CompatibleWith
Click to expand...
Surely some SNAFU. That page also says it is compatible with the D500. It sorta works, but the performance is so erratic that Nikon themselves replaces any older EN-EL15 for free if you have proof of purchase of a D500.

Hopefully they will correct that information ASAP!


JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers
 
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