Should i get a en-el4 w/charger or should i stick to en-el3e with only one charger,for light travel.
And is the en-el4 worth the price (three times the en-el3e)
And is the en-el4 worth the flexibility because it can only be used in the MB-D10 and not in the D700 itself.

Thanks
Nikolaj Freiesleben

You want the En-el4a and it is worth every penny. It can be used in the MB-D10 on the D300 and D700 if that was your question.
I use the 4a in my D2Xs and D300. You will never have to worry about running out of battery with the EN-el4a it is that good. For your light weight travel kit take the grip off and use the EN-el3e.
Many people have complained about the cost of the larger battery and its charger. When you spend $10,000 or more on camera gear $500.00 for the battery system is a small price to pay.

Dan Berg
www.bergscanvasgallery.com

When I ordered the 700 I also ordered the MB10 and the BL-3 door for the -el4's. I also ordered the Markins MB10 plate from the Pro Shop so that I can actually use the camera on my Arca system until L brackets are available.

I have a couple of questions. Do you have to have an ENL3 in the camera for it to work with the MB10? Does the MB-10 stick in to the existing battery slot like the D100's battery pack does?

Luckily I have several el4's and a charger for my D2X.

Regards,

Don Kesler

http://www.donaldkesler.com

Through the judicious use of adjustment layers, no pixels were actually harmed in the processing of my shots..

>I have a couple of questions. Do you have to have an ENL3 in
>the camera for it to work with the MB10? Does the MB-10 stick
>in to the existing battery slot like the D100's battery pack
>does?

No and no. The MB-D10 fits the D300 (or D700) without having to remove the in-camera battery. On the other hand, the combination still works with a single battery in the grip, or with a single battery in the camera.

Brian
Welsh Nikonian
Check out the Nikonians Team pages

Personally I'd just try AA's in the grip initially and then decide later if you want to go for the en-el4 + charger. I assume you probably already have some AA's and a charger so it will be cheaper than the en-el4. Also if you need 8fps on a regular basis you either need an extra en-el4 or 8xAA's for backup anyway. You will also need to buy the BL-3 battery chamber cover for the en-el4.

Cheers
Leigh

My Nikonians Gallery

Hi Nikolaj,
I only use the EN-EL4/a in my D300 and MB-D10 and have been very pleased with their performance. Leigh makes a good point. Try the AA battery holder and see how well it works for your shooting style. You can always add the EN-EL4a and charger later. Good Luck and Enjoy.
Best Regards,
Marty

Only you can judge whether the additional cost of the EN-EL4a battery (along with the charger and battery tray) is justified. If you don't need the much longer battery life or higher frame rate, then it probably isn't going to be worth it.

Brian
Welsh Nikonian
Check out the Nikonians Team pages

Thanks all.
Yes i have AA`s (sanyo eneloop 2000mah) batteries for the SB800 and a hyperdrive HD80 as a charger so i dont have to bring an extra charger.

I will be travelling in africa in longer periods of time and i want everything to have multible purposes because i will be carrying everything on my back.

But if AA`s only give me less than 500 shots (???),then i have to charge all the time unless i bring tons of AA`s.And there is often light-offs in that part of africa so i might not have electricity all day.
Thats why i was wondering about the en-el4, because if that gives me x-thousands of shots,and would last a couple of days, then its a pretty good solution compared to AA`s and even the en-el3e.
If the en-el4 are superior to the others i wouldent mind using the MB-D10 most of the time.

Anyway,do we know how the D700 performance is,im really dissapointed with the D200 with en-el3e.How does the D300 perform,better than D200?

Can anyone give me a distination to some comparising of these 3 kind of batteries.

I will test the AA`s as soon as i get the camera/grip ,i hope they perform well because they can be used in my SB800 too.

PS: I dont need higher frame rate only looong lasting/less weight batteries.
Thanks
Nikolaj Freiesleben

>How does the D300
>perform,better than D200?

Yes. I'm finding I get maybe 33-50% more shots from each charge of an EN-EL3e in my D300 compared to the D200.

Brian
Welsh Nikonian
Check out the Nikonians Team pages

I think you answered your own question. I would get the setup to use the en-el4 batteries.

Shoot nature with respect and don't trample it or startle its inhabitants.

I would recommend the following for your (sanyo eneloop 2000mah).

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2357330&cp=&fbn=Brand%2FTripp+Lite&f=Brand%2F1001093%2F&fbc=1&kw=inverter&parentPage=search

Tripp Lite PowerVerter® PV-375 375W Power Inverter

$49.99

It plugs into any cigarette lighter in a 12V system. I have one for when I am out in the field.

Since you are going to Africa find out if the vehicles you will be in are 12V or 24V. I haven't tried to locate a 24V inverter but I am sure they are out there.

Good Luck

Michael P. Meyers

http://www.artizencreations.com

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>But if AA`s only give me less than 500 shots (???),then i have
>to charge all the time unless i bring tons of AA`s.And there
>is often light-offs in that part of africa so i might not have
>electricity all day.
>

If the D300 is any guide, the AA's should give you 1000+ shots (I've heard of some people getting over 2500 just on the AA's). I use 2500mah Energizers in grip but unfortunately my D300 is new and I don't have it at the moment to tell you what the battery use is.

Cheers
Leigh

My Nikonians Gallery

Thanks a lot Leigh for the information,i hope the D700 will perform as the D300 , but i doubt it.

I just found this article about D700`s battery-performance.
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/prodtech/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003822672


Nikolaj Freiesleben

Be carefull with such review numbers, they don't mean much unless you know the testing regime. Here's a link to the battery test procedure used by CIPA.

http://www.cipa.jp/english/hyoujunka/kikaku/pdf/DC-002_e.pdf

One very obvious reason why CIPA and Nikon's test numbers vary so widely for the D700 as compared to the D3 is because the D700 has an on-camera flash. CIPA require a full illumination flash exposure every second frame. That causes a lot of draw on the D700. The D3 hasn't got an on-camera flash so it's battery last twice as long. So the D3 numbers probably more closely reflect what you'd see from a D700 using the MB-D10 and EN-EL4a with an SB800 fitted instead of the on-camera flash.