Nikon, I'm still not buying it

KeithF said:

Atahualpa said:

I would never consider 3rd party for something so essential and critical such as battery. Especially, when they are at cost pressure. A faulty battery can brick your camera. That $30 saved can be very expensive.

Maybe buy a powerbank and charge the Z 50 on the go when you are not using it.

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LOL, I never used the OEM battery except the one come with the Camera. Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Insta 360... all working fine except less power depend which company made the battery. oh, it did not blow up my camera in the past 15+ years.

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There is a 3rd party company that last as long as OEM?

I have one Watson and one Wasabi Power EN-EL15, neither last as long as Nikon.

It’s a completely different battery. It’s one of many reasons I’ll never buy a Z50.

I love the Z50. Totally. My feelings about the battery won't change that. I just feel like we're getting burned, with yet another new battery design at a high price.

Why hasn't Wasabi filled this slot? I thought the Z50 was selling pretty well.

Wesley on DPR said:

KeithF said:

Atahualpa said:

I would never consider 3rd party for something so essential and critical such as battery. Especially, when they are at cost pressure. A faulty battery can brick your camera. That $30 saved can be very expensive.

Maybe buy a powerbank and charge the Z 50 on the go when you are not using it.

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LOL, I never used the OEM battery except the one come with the Camera. Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Insta 360... all working fine except less power depend which company made the battery. oh, it did not blow up my camera in the past 15+ years.

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There is a 3rd party company that last as long as OEM?

I have one Watson and one Wasabi Power EN-EL15, neither last as long as Nikon.

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I have four Ex-Pro batteries that have been in use in my D90 for about eight, maybe nine years. They've outlasted the Nikon one that came with it.

I'm not sure that that would be the case with other brands though.

michaeladawson said:

It’s a completely different battery. It’s one of many reasons I’ll never buy a Z50.

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OK, I stand corrected.

So instead of finding the battery discharged, keep the the one battery charged! Stay Safe!

jimhughes said:

I love the Z50. Totally. My feelings about the battery won't change that. I just feel like we're getting burned, with yet another new battery design at a high price.

Why hasn't Wasabi filled this slot? I thought the Z50 was selling pretty well.

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Jim! I feel your pain! I've purchased three (3) Nikon OEM batteries for my Z50. That's almost $220 just for batteries on a $900 camera.

But... I have accepted that this is the price of admission (quite literally) for the use of this fine little camera. It's my main camera for my free online workshops for my book. When streaming video in 1080p I get a little over two hours (as opposed to 1:15 when recording in 4K). My workshops rarely run over two hours and I'm able to switch batteries while streaming if needed.

I emailed Nikon today asking about an A/C adapter which would better serve my purposes. (I originally bought all those batteries because pre-Covid-19 I was shooting client videos on location.) They mistakenly replied about a USB charger for the camera. I clarified I need continuous power - not charging - capabilities.

You may want to reach out to Wasabi directly if they're your 3rd battery provider of choice. Or jangle Nikon's chain - either to reduce prices or provide us with alternative power sources for the camera.

All that said, I love with the video quality for this camera. As good (for my current purposes) as my Z6.

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michaeladawson said:

Holmes375 said:

I'm betting the virus has a lot to do with the lack of third party batteries for this camera.

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I’m not so sure. What other camera takes the same battery? How many Z50 cameras have been sold?

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Thinking further about it, I'm guessing you're right. They gotta sell a grundle of batteries to recover the initial investment and the Z50 is probably not q good candidate.

Holmes375 said:

michaeladawson said:

Holmes375 said:

I'm betting the virus has a lot to do with the lack of third party batteries for this camera.

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I’m not so sure. What other camera takes the same battery? How many Z50 cameras have been sold?

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Thinking further about it, I'm guessing you're right. They gotta sell a grundle of batteries to recover the initial investment and the Z50 is probably not q good candidate.

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The Z50 is the very first, and so far only, camera that uses the EN-EL25 battery. Of course there is no economy of scale yet. I would imagine Covid-19 must have some effects on Z50 sales, and that is certainly not helping.

Back in 2010, the D7000 was the first Nikon body that used the EN-EL15. A year later the Nikon 1 V1 joined the club, but it wasn't until 2012 when the D800/D800E dual (which were "flying off the shelf") and then the D600 all used the EN-EL15 when that battery became very popular, and of course many third-party clones and counterfeits were widely available.

Give it another couple of years when there are additional DX Z bodies that also use the EN-EL25, and hopefully Covid-19 will be in our rear-view mirror by then, I would imagine that there will be plenty of clones.

jimhughes said:

I love the Z50. Totally. My feelings about the battery won't change that. I just feel like we're getting burned, with yet another new battery design at a high price.

Why hasn't Wasabi filled this slot? I thought the Z50 was selling pretty well.

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I plug mine into a charger on the way home from a shoot. If it's still low, I leave it there until I drive to the next one. I've never run out of battery on mine.

Jestertheclown said:

KeithF said:

I have 4 after market batteries for my Z7, it still working fine.

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I wonder if some makes work while others don't . . . ?

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Yes. I have several Wasabi batteries, my favorite after market brand. They all work fine in my Z7. I had a Watson battery that worked fine in my D750, but caused an error to be reported in the Z7. Newer Watsons might be fine. I don't know if they are or not. The one I had was an older battery.

Jestertheclown said:

I'm hoping that the new 'C' version, which is allegedly more powerful than the 'B' is just that, in which case I'll buy a couple.

"It's good to be . . . . . . . . . Me!"

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Wesley on DPR said:

There is a 3rd party company that last as long as OEM?

I have one Watson and one Wasabi Power EN-EL15, neither last as long as Nikon.

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I've pretty much used Wasabi batteries exclusively for years, in many brands and models of cameras. I don't make a habit of keeping track of the number of exposures on any battery. When it's near exhaustion, I swap it for a fresh one. Nothing has ever stood out as lasting longer or shorter than another until after several years of usage. By then, I've probably traded cameras and the new one may, or may not use the same battery.

I sold a D750 to buy my Z7. They use the same batteries. All of my Wasabi batteries are quite old. The only Nikon battery I have is the one that came with the Z7. It's unfair to compare any of the Wasabi batteries to the Nikon battery. Even so, the Wasabi batteries hold their own. I tossed one of them a few weeks ago because it obviously wasn't holding a charge, even in storage. I can track it back to 2016 when I was shooting a D500. It also used the same EN-EL15 battery. How can you fault a battery that sells for such a cheap price and has lasted 4 years? I'd be happy with an OEM battery that lasted that long.

One thing I do is label my batteries with successive numbers. As I remove a battery, I place the next higher number battery in the camera. This rotates all my batteries so that 1 or 2 don't get used over and over while others sit in the bag. I firmly believe that regular usage is better for battery life than prolonged periods of non use.

Jestertheclown said:

KeithF said:

Atahualpa said:

I would never consider 3rd party for something so essential and critical such as battery. Especially, when they are at cost pressure. A faulty battery can brick your camera. That $30 saved can be very expensive.

Maybe buy a powerbank and charge the Z 50 on the go when you are not using it.

Click to expand...

LOL, I never used the OEM battery except the one come with the Camera. Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Insta 360... all working fine except less power depend which company made the battery. oh, it did not blow up my camera in the past 15+ years.

Click to expand...

Same here.

However, I put an after market battery in my Z7 this afternoon and was greeted by a message to say that 'this battery is incompatible' or words to that effect.

Fortunately, I've also got three genuine ones and the said battery was a spare which I'd bought for my D7200 (and in which it works) so no expense was incurred but I guess that I'll need to buy genuine ones when the time comes.

"It's good to be . . . . . . . . . Me!"

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I to had a older after market battery that I had used for years in my D500 and D800 but it would would not work in my Z6.

Z50 battery life is pretty good being a mirrorless. I'm a casual shooter so I found it to be more than enough, even use flash sometimes. Also I have a USB power pack which we use for our phones but I have not used it yet.

Supposedly if you take tons of pictures on all day then it is a different matter but it's not for me as I'm not a pro and do not even have time to post-process images. Pro shouldn't have a problem forking out for 2nd battery or even cheaper USB power pack.

Flash? SB-500 would preserve the battery life greatly if you shoot a lot on flash.

paulski66 said:

I'm seeing $54 on Amazon and B&H.

I have spares for all of my cameras. All of my spares are Nikon-branded. Seems like a smart investment, like having an extra memory card in your camera bag, just in case.

Doesn't seem that outrageous a cost to me.

ETA: Seeing that the z50 uses a different battery, and the cost is indeed $70.

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Does anyone know why the Z50 battery is more expensive? More amperage or?

paulski66 said:

Sorry about that. The rest still applies, though...

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I emailed Nikon about the AC adapter, this is what they said:

Response from Angela M.

Thank you for contacting Nikon.

As per your email you want to know if there is an AC adapter for the Z50.
At this time there isn't an adapter and we don't have a date for when one will be available or if there will even be one. Keep an eye on our website it will post any updates as they come available.

If there are any other questions or concerns please email or call back at xxxxxx.

Thank you,
Angela M.
Nikon Tech Support

If 3rd party can churn a battery out for a small amount , why do camera manufacturers have to charge an arm and leg for basically the same thing. Is it profiteering ?. It wouldn't surprise me if one factory makes ALL the batteries for Canon/ nikon etc AND 3rd party people. No way on this planet would i pay 6 times more for basicaly the same thing. I have lots of 3rd party batteries and up to now (after years ) none have let me down.

michaeladawson said:

Holmes375 said:

I'm betting the virus has a lot to do with the lack of third party batteries for this camera.

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I’m not so sure. What other camera takes the same battery? How many Z50 cameras have been sold?

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Exactly! It’s the only camera on the market to take this battery, not a very large return on investment.

For all the time the OP has spent telling us he won’t spend the money for the ONLY battery, they could have scrapped coins from couch cushions to make the difference!

shuncheung said:

Seriously, how much does one expect the EN-EL25 to be, $50, $40? Yes, I totally agree that $70 is pretty pricey for a camera battery, but is it worthwhile to spend so much time talking about a $20, $30 difference? I wouldn't necessarily buy a bunch of spare batteries, but having one extra is beneficial. Buy more when there are cheaper alternatives.

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Yet another thing to consider is that the genuine battery is actually a pretty good deal. I used to shoot Pentax, the K-50, and it actually has the option of using AA batteries. So, I used Eneloops for a couple years. 4 AAs don't give you as many shots as the original camera battery, and after 2 years, they basically lost charge really quickly. The original camera battery lasts way longer, probably 5 years at least, and after that it still is usable.

My D500 battery lasts an insane number of shots, powering the Tamron 150-600 G2, also. And the new price is only 54USD.

From my Pentax experience, I would say that a typical modern camera battery is at least 3, if not 4 times better than 4 Eneloops, which cost $20. Seems like the price is right.

Gary Barnett said:

Z50 battery life is pretty good being a mirrorless. I'm a casual shooter so I found it to be more than enough, even use flash sometimes. Also I have a USB power pack which we use for our phones but I have not used it yet.

Supposedly if you take tons of pictures on all day then it is a different matter but it's not for me as I'm not a pro and do not even have time to post-process images. Pro shouldn't have a problem forking out for 2nd battery or even cheaper USB power pack.

Flash? SB-500 would preserve the battery life greatly if you shoot a lot on flash.

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It's not an issue for me either, but for a different reason. I'm a hiker and only take one camera on a hike; so I always have in my camera bag an extra battery and an extra memory card -- especially if the camera has only one memory-card slot. When I bought my Z-50, I bought an extra battery at the same time -- also bought some extra SD cards. I'd rather buy them and have them in my camera bag than have to think (or worry) about them. At my age I'm also paying for peace of mind and a lower blood pressure.

Lawrence