Nikon D1, D1H, D1X Battery problems solved?

[Geoffps]

I have a Nikon D1H in excellent condition, I love the look of the pictures I can take with it but, as has been mentioned here before many times, the batteries are useless. My old original EN-4 batteries and also some aftermarket replacements are now only capable of taking about 10 photo's before they are depleted.

Then I noticed a company called VHBW selling Li-ion versions of the EN-4 on eBay so I bought one to try.

How can they be charged? I hear you ask, well the listing says that it's fine to use the original EN-4 charger. I was dubious about that, my charger says that's it's only for use with NiMH batteries but, with a degree of trepidation I plugged my new Li-ion battery in and it was fine. It went through the stages - charging light then end light. the battery was slightly warm but no more than used to be the case with NiMH batteries.

I put the battery in the camera and the viewfinder showed 'full battery', I went into my garden and have so far fired off 300 random shots, the viewfinder still shows full battery!!

It seems to be the answer I've wanted for a long time, very exciting:-D

 

[threw the lens]

I have a Nikon D1H in excellent condition, I love the look of the pictures I can take with it but, as has been mentioned here before many times, the batteries are useless. My old original EN-4 batteries and also some aftermarket replacements are now only capable of taking about 10 photo's before they are depleted.

Then I noticed a company called VHBW selling Li-ion versions of the EN-4 on eBay so I bought one to try.

How can they be charged? I hear you ask, well the listing says that it's fine to use the original EN-4 charger. I was dubious about that, my charger says that's it's only for use with NiMH batteries but, with a degree of trepidation I plugged my new Li-ion battery in and it was fine. It went through the stages - charging light then end light. the battery was slightly warm but no more than used to be the case with NiMH batteries.

I put the battery in the camera and the viewfinder showed 'full battery', I went into my garden and have so far fired off 300 random shots, the viewfinder still shows full battery!!

I expect it will do, because the battery meter is calibrated for NiMH.

Lithium ion discharge curve is very flat, and by the time the battery meter level drops it could be the same time the camera shuts down, so you have no warning basically.

Some manufacturers made their AA battery trays compatible with NiMH and a lithium CRV3. I'm impressed you can charge the lithium with the original charger.

 

[Paul P K]

I have a Nikon D1H in excellent condition, I love the look of the pictures I can take with it but, as has been mentioned here before many times, the batteries are useless. My old original EN-4 batteries and also some aftermarket replacements are now only capable of taking about 10 photo's before they are depleted.

Then I noticed a company called VHBW selling Li-ion versions of the EN-4 on eBay so I bought one to try.

How can they be charged? I hear you ask, well the listing says that it's fine to use the original EN-4 charger. I was dubious about that, my charger says that's it's only for use with NiMH batteries but, with a degree of trepidation I plugged my new Li-ion battery in and it was fine. It went through the stages - charging light then end light. the battery was slightly warm but no more than used to be the case with NiMH batteries.

I put the battery in the camera and the viewfinder showed 'full battery', I went into my garden and have so far fired off 300 random shots, the viewfinder still shows full battery!!

It seems to be the answer I've wanted for a long time, very exciting:-D

Recently brought back my D1H from hibernation too, basically stopped using it after I got a D2X in 2005

Relegated it to the back of my closet to collect dust soon after that when the EN-4's I had with it died, which at that time still were pretty expensive

However short time ago discover I had a EN-9 AC adapter in the back of the same closet I completely had forgotten I ever bought, and to my pleasant surprise my D1H c powered up without a problem when I connected it

Had to search the internet for 1 and 2 GB CF cards as I had given the ones I had away a long time ago and only had 16 and 32 GB cards left from my D800

In addition to that found the same VHBW Li-on EN-4's you got, and yes, they do seem to hold their charge must better then the old NiMh ones

Must say I'm a bit surprised by your statement the older NiMh batteries would be depleted after only an odd 10 shots

Wasn't my experience in the past with my D1H and D1X, although I must admit those batteries died of a lot faster of old age then eg the Li-on EN EL15 I nowadays use in my D800/850/Z6's.

Never had a EN EL15 die of me yet, the one that came with my first D800 bought in 2012 still hangs on, even of only with a 2 bar battery status

all in a day's work
http://www.pbase.com/paul_k/

 

[BrownieVet]

Good hearing that!
As long as it work, do it!

 

[Geoffps]

Further to my original posting - I carried on taking pictures in order to deplete the battery as a test. I took an amazing 1,200 until the battery indicator showed half full.

I put this new Li-ion battery on my original EN-4 NiMH charger and it charged it up in about 2 hours, no problem.

Anyone who still owns a D1 series camera will appreciate the significance of this, there were many posts a few years ago from people looking for answers to the 'battery problem'. These cameras were capable of taking fabulous pictures but were discarded in favour of newer technology albeit with sadness.

If you've kept one, dig it out and get one of these batteries, it'll get a new lease of life.

 

[fPrime]

I have a Nikon D1H in excellent condition, I love the look of the pictures I can take with it but, as has been mentioned here before many times, the batteries are useless. My old original EN-4 batteries and also some aftermarket replacements are now only capable of taking about 10 photo's before they are depleted.

Then I noticed a company called VHBW selling Li-ion versions of the EN-4 on eBay so I bought one to try.

How can they be charged? I hear you ask, well the listing says that it's fine to use the original EN-4 charger. I was dubious about that, my charger says that's it's only for use with NiMH batteries but, with a degree of trepidation I plugged my new Li-ion battery in and it was fine. It went through the stages - charging light then end light. the battery was slightly warm but no more than used to be the case with NiMH batteries.

I put the battery in the camera and the viewfinder showed 'full battery', I went into my garden and have so far fired off 300 random shots, the viewfinder still shows full battery!!

It seems to be the answer I've wanted for a long time, very exciting:-D

Thanks for the tip! I have a minty D1X and was about to undertake converting my EN-4's to Li-Ion via Dremel tool and soldering gun.

These old Nikon CCD's have hyper-accurate color reproduction so something like this is a Godsend to those of us who realize what classics these still are today.

fPrime

 

[fPrime]

 

[Bob A L]

Not in us? shucks - was getting ready to dig out my D1H. I still have a 16x20 on my wall from it.

 

[Paul P K]

I got mine from eBay Germany, while eg eBay Belgium, France and Switzerland liste them as well, although prices vary

 

[threw the lens]

I have a Nikon D1H in excellent condition, I love the look of the pictures I can take with it but, as has been mentioned here before many times, the batteries are useless. My old original EN-4 batteries and also some aftermarket replacements are now only capable of taking about 10 photo's before they are depleted.

Then I noticed a company called VHBW selling Li-ion versions of the EN-4 on eBay so I bought one to try.

How can they be charged? I hear you ask, well the listing says that it's fine to use the original EN-4 charger. I was dubious about that, my charger says that's it's only for use with NiMH batteries but, with a degree of trepidation I plugged my new Li-ion battery in and it was fine. It went through the stages - charging light then end light. the battery was slightly warm but no more than used to be the case with NiMH batteries.

I put the battery in the camera and the viewfinder showed 'full battery', I went into my garden and have so far fired off 300 random shots, the viewfinder still shows full battery!!

It seems to be the answer I've wanted for a long time, very exciting:-D

Thanks for the tip! I have a minty D1X and was about to undertake converting my EN-4's to Li-Ion via Dremel tool and soldering gun.

These old Nikon CCD's have hyper-accurate color reproduction

I think not.

First mistake you made was your assumption that accurate means pleasing.

Second mistake is the D1X is not a good example of colour accuracy.

The D1X has the inadequate cut of infra red in the filter, making some colours wrong.

 

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Do that, and you will get an exploding battery. Maybe even a serious fire. Sticking Li-Ion cells in a NiMH pack without the required Li-Ion control circuitry.

This is what the outfit selling them had to do: more engineering than just a straight cell replacement.

And, even then, I won't be buying any Li-Ion packs and then charging them on a NiMH charger. I don't trust their engineering to be correct. Same with 3rd party Li-Ion packs. They are just not trustworthy.

Stan

 

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

The D1X also has the oddball CCD with the rectangular pixels. This, because the original D1 CCD had poor signal-to-noise ratio and so the actual photo sites were ganged in groups of four under each of the CFA filters. The SNR was improved in the second generation and the D1H kept the quad, while the D1X grouped them in twos. The CCD was improved in the 3rd Gen such that they finally singled them up. That went into the D200 and D80.

But, this leaves the images from the D1X with some odd looks within some images from the rectangular pixels. I had the set, D1H, D1X and D80, but eventually passed the D1X on because I never really used it due to the odd look. I still have the D1H and D80 and use them both occasionally.

Stan

 

[fPrime]

I have a Nikon D1H in excellent condition, I love the look of the pictures I can take with it but, as has been mentioned here before many times, the batteries are useless. My old original EN-4 batteries and also some aftermarket replacements are now only capable of taking about 10 photo's before they are depleted.

Then I noticed a company called VHBW selling Li-ion versions of the EN-4 on eBay so I bought one to try.

How can they be charged? I hear you ask, well the listing says that it's fine to use the original EN-4 charger. I was dubious about that, my charger says that's it's only for use with NiMH batteries but, with a degree of trepidation I plugged my new Li-ion battery in and it was fine. It went through the stages - charging light then end light. the battery was slightly warm but no more than used to be the case with NiMH batteries.

I put the battery in the camera and the viewfinder showed 'full battery', I went into my garden and have so far fired off 300 random shots, the viewfinder still shows full battery!!

It seems to be the answer I've wanted for a long time, very exciting:-D

Thanks for the tip! I have a minty D1X and was about to undertake converting my EN-4's to Li-Ion via Dremel tool and soldering gun.

These old Nikon CCD's have hyper-accurate color reproduction

I think not.

First mistake you made was your assumption that accurate means pleasing.

LOL, I never wrote the word pleasing. "Pleasing" color is an entirely subjective call anyway. I happen to love the colors from mine.

Second mistake is the D1X is not a good example of colour accuracy.

Disagree, it has a first generation CFA that is based very closely on the original Kodak CFA spec and it has a well regarded reputation within the Nikon community for its color quality.

The D1X has the inadequate cut of infra red in the filter, making some colours wrong.

Almost all of the first gen CCD cameras had weak IR cut filters including the D1 series and the Leica M8. Despite that, both are still considered as color kings to this date... hmmm.

Others may disagree but here's my take on the matter: IR contamination in general is overhyped and if there's a real threat of it in the scene them an IR cut filter over the lens resolves that issue completely.

fPrime

--
Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding to a bride with a paper ring,
And half of my heart is the part of a man who's never truly loved anything.

 

[fPrime]

Hi,

The D1X also has the oddball CCD with the rectangular pixels. This, because the original D1 CCD had poor signal-to-noise ratio and so the actual photo sites were ganged in groups of four under each of the CFA filters. The SNR was improved in the second generation and the D1H kept the quad, while the D1X grouped them in twos. The CCD was improved in the 3rd Gen such that they finally singled them up. That went into the D200 and D80.

Hi Stan,

All true, but I would add that there were obviously also CFA changes as Nikon moved from Gen 1 to Gen 3.

But, this leaves the images from the D1X with some odd looks within some images from the rectangular pixels. I had the set, D1H, D1X and D80, but eventually passed the D1X on because I never really used it due to the odd look. I still have the D1H and D80 and use them both occasionally.

Interesting that the rectangular pixels were a problem, personally I have never been able to single out a D1X photo based on the "look" from its pixels. Maybe this was somewhat dependent on the RAW converter used back in the day but within Lightroom these days its seamless. See here, can you identify any rectangular artifacts?

The Rolls-Royce of the digital cameras

Fantastic. Thanks. They're pretty close though I like the skin tones on the D200 a little better. I have a comparison for you, between the D2X and the D200 Just https://www.flickr.com/photos/maoby/albums/72157680624427005 Nikon D2X (2005) / Nikon D200 (2005) 100% Nikon D2X (2005) / Nikon...

www.dpreview.com

fPrime

 

[fPrime]

Hi Stan,

Let's hope the engineering was good, I guess only user experience and time will tell. Geoff's and Paul's reports so far sound encouraging. I hope that those of us buying these batteries will keep each other updated if there's any trouble.

fPrime

 

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

Yes, I hope they did it right, too. But, even the Big Boys tend to get it wrong way too often....

I recently bought a new pack for my D1H and went for a NiMH one. I wouldn't take a Li-Ion one if it were given to me for free. But, then, I rarely use my D1H these days so the number of shots a NiMH pack can give is sufficient.

Stan

 

[ssepan1]

I bought a couple D1H's a few years ago off Ebay, and when I saw how the accompanying OEM batteries were dying, I picked up a pair of PowerSmart DNK004.21H (Ni-MH) batteries.

Have been very happy with them, and much safer than Li-ion without the right circuitry.

 

[fPrime]

Thanks to my good friend Primeshooter in Scotland, who went through the trouble of ordering them for me on eBay UK and then shipping them to the US, I just received two new VHBW batteries. Here is one of them next to an original EN-4 and replacement DSTE EN-4 battery.



Interestingly, the VHBW is rated at 7.4V 1800mAh whereas both the EN-4 and DSTE batteries are 7.2V, the former at 2000mAh and the latter at a whopping 2700mAh. I guess from earlier reports here that the D1 series can tolerate the higher voltage.

I will be charging up the batteries this weekend and following up with a short review thereafter.

fPrime

--
Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding to a bride with a paper ring,
And half of my heart is the part of a man who's never truly loved anything.

 

[fPrime]

These VHBW batteries are incredble. They recharge in under half an hour and have fantastic shot capacity. Fit and finish are excellent when mounted in the D1 bodies.

I was able to get a total of 919 shutter activations out of a fully charged battery on my D1X. When I hit 417 shots the camera’s battery indicator showed “half-battery” which was a fair estimate of remaining capacity (plus suitable safety factor).

Recharging the VHBW batteries via Nikon’s MH-16 quick charger is flawless. The MH-16 shows both charging and completion status with all indicator lights glowing exactly as if an EN-4 were attached. The VHBW batteries get warm during charging like any Li-Ion battery will during charging but never approach anything even remotely close to hot.

Count me impressed!

fPrime

--
Half of my heart is a shotgun wedding to a bride with a paper ring,
And half of my heart is the part of a man who's never truly loved anything.

 

[ssepan1]

I bought a couple D1H's a few years ago off Ebay, and when I saw how the accompanying OEM batteries were dying, I picked up a pair of PowerSmart DNK004.21H (Ni-MH) batteries.

Have been very happy with them, and much safer than Li-ion without the right circuitry.

Someone posted the same topic in a D1H forum on Flickr, so I referred them back here for a look at the issues.

Nikon D1H

D1h... underrated. Seriously overlooked D-SLR. It's an insanely fast D1x with half the pixels. The D1h is possibly one of the best, or actually the best nikon D-SLR ever. Well, that's a loaded statement :D there are many reasons I stated that, and you may not like that, but most people who...

www.flickr.com