Batt n Misc Questions.

[syc77]

Hello all.

I'm upgrading to D200 soon n what worries me is the power consumption i have been reading about.I can easily take about 700 odd pics @ 1 event.will 1 batt able to see me thro?or would it be better to get MB-D200 + 2 more spares batts?I usually shoot @ Fine,Large setting.btw how much pics can a 2 gig CF hold?1 more thing.any1 knows the weight of the MB-200?

Nikon SD800 5th Battery Chamber
How much more flash r we talking about if all 5 batts used r Maha PowerEx 2700mAh?
btw does SD800 come with the flash??

[zac08]

Originally Posted by syc77 Hello all. I'm upgrading to D200 soon n what worries me is the power consumption i have been reading about.I can easily take about 700 odd pics @ 1 event.will 1 batt able to see me thro?or would it be better to get MB-D200 + 2 more spares batts?I usually shoot @ Fine,Large setting.btw how much pics can a 2 gig CF hold?1 more thing.any1 knows the weight of the MB-200? Nikon SD800 5th Battery Chamber How much more flash r we talking about if all 5 batts used r Maha PowerEx 2700mAh? btw does SD800 come with the flash??

I shot about 600+ shots on about 75% power of a battery (minimal chimping) If you are a habitual chimper, then I would definitely suggest tat you get the grip and spare batteries.

2gig CF holds about 400 Jpeg at Large Fine setting (quality priority)
at RAW it's about under 200 (when compressed)
and about 100+ when un-compressed

SB800's 5th batt compartment improves re-cycling time. It does not give it more power in terms of flash power. 2700 is the amount of charge it can hold and how much longer it lasts. If you really need faster recycling time, then look at a SD-8A or a Quantum external battery pack. And the 5th batt compartment (SD-800) does come with the flash.

These are the supplied accessories :

Quote: Quick Recycle Battery Pack SD-800 [for one R6(AA)-size battery] Speedlight Stand AS-19 Colored Filter Set SJ-800 (FL-G1 and TN-A1) Diffusion Dome SW-10H Soft Case SS-800

[SilentWave]

The D200 is quite a battery hog. I would advise you to get at least one spare battery if you can easily shoot 700+ photos at an event. Battery usage depends a lot on the way you use the camera. If you use the image preview, AF, and VR often combined with shooting in RAW+JPEG Large Fine mode, the battery will definitely get drained faster. As for getting the MB-D200 or not, again it depends on individual preferences. Some people like it, some people don't. If you are not bothered by the extra weight and bulk or if you want better balance when using large/heavy lenses, go get it. I have no idea of the actual weight of MB-D200. But by feel, I think it's at least 100-150 grams empty.

Regarding your question about how many photos from D200 that a 2.0GB CF card can hold, below is my experience.
JPEG Large Fine: camera display shows 224 (in reality, IIRC approximately 300-350 photos)
Uncompressed RAW + JPEG Large Fine: camera display shows 78 (in reality, IIRC approximately 100-120 photos)
The above figures are what I remember when shooting with mostly ISO 100 - 400 and file sizes are prioritized for image quality. Your results may vary...depending on ISO used plus the complexity of the colors and details contained in your photos.

I'm sorry I don't have the answer to your last question, because I have never really count it myself. All I can say regarding using the 5th battery is that it really helps improve the flash recycle time.

[syc77]

Thanks for the imput guys.

btw,i just found out D200 dont allow the use of wireless remote like ML-L3.
it only allows cord remote?

[Francis247]

Originally Posted by syc77 Thanks for the imput guys. btw,i just found out D200 dont allow the use of wireless remote like ML-L3. it only allows cord remote?

You can still do wireless by using the Wireless remote module ML-3. I think it cost around $250 IIRC.

[syc77]

i checked with TK.was told the wireless unit is about $200 odd.
anyway,bought the D200.quite shocked about the power consumption even tho i was just testing @ home.
any tips how to make the batt last longer?
btw,how long do i need to charge a brand new batt?

[zac08]

Originally Posted by syc77 i checked with TK.was told the wireless unit is about $200 odd. anyway,bought the D200.quite shocked about the power consumption even tho i was just testing @ home. any tips how to make the batt last longer? btw,how long do i need to charge a brand new batt?

The first few times, you need to condition the battery by charging and discharging for a few times. After a few cycles, the batteries last better.

[westwest1]

Originally Posted by syc77 i checked with TK.was told the wireless unit is about $200 odd. anyway,bought the D200.quite shocked about the power consumption even tho i was just testing @ home. any tips how to make the batt last longer? btw,how long do i need to charge a brand new batt?

haha...i hear from a very reliable source that each batt only last 250 shots...thats all..

[Cheesecake]

Originally Posted by westwest1 haha...i hear from a very reliable source that each batt only last 250 shots...thats all..

D200?


and who is ur reliable source?

[Liew]

i fully test my D200 battery consumption last week on a 8+ hour event.

almost about 500-600 shots, conservatively. 200+ shots happened to me before, but that's because i stopped halfway, load pictures into my com, shoot again, load, shoot again. i like the battery grip but i think it's makes the camera too heavy and too big. it adds on at least 200-300g to your load and it's not a good thing. i'm using it though.

[Cheesecake]

Originally Posted by Liew i fully test my D200 battery consumption last week on a 8+ hour event. almost about 500-600 shots, conservatively. 200+ shots happened to me before, but that's because i stopped halfway, load pictures into my com, shoot again, load, shoot again. i like the battery grip but i think it's makes the camera too heavy and too big. it adds on at least 200-300g to your load and it's not a good thing. i'm using it though.

i've 2 ENEL3e of which i use on a regular basis. when i first started using, each battery can barely hit 300(RAW+ Large JPEG Fine). as i condition the batteries due to more frequent usages, i can now hit 600+(RAW Uncompressed and JPEG Small Basic) with little chimping.

by the way, EastGear brought in their 3rd pary ENEL3e of which they are selling @ S$45 per pc but u mux buy two at a time.

i can't help but wonder why 2 at 1 go? (Nikon's ENEL3e costs around S$80+/pc)
2 EastGear ENEL3e = 1 Original Nikon ENEL3e in terms of power consumption and usage?

[SilentWave]

Originally Posted by westwest1 haha...i hear from a very reliable source that each batt only last 250 shots...thats all..

Your "reliable source" must be using the camera more to do other things (e.g. playing with the settings menu, browsing through the photos a lot, etc.) than shooting in order to make the battery last only 250 shots. By the way, it is true that the battery will improve after a few cycles.

[Cheesecake]

can i use the battery charger for ENEL3 for charing ENEL3e?

i see EastGear selling at an affordable price and i wanna try out their batteries(ENEL3e) and charger.

this one

[westwest1]

Originally Posted by SilentWave Your "reliable source" must be using the camera more to do other things (e.g. playing with the settings menu, browsing through the photos a lot, etc.) than shooting in order to make the battery last only 250 shots. By the way, it is true that the battery will improve after a few cycles.

just view photo after taken...then retake...after 10cycle of recharge the 2 batt its still like that...

[lsisaxon]

Originally Posted by Cheesecake can i use the battery charger for ENEL3 for charing ENEL3e? i see EastGear selling at an affordable price and i wanna try out their batteries(ENEL3e) and charger. this one

I think should be ok although I haven't tried. I did try the other way round, using the MH-18a to charge EN-EL3. The circuitry for MH-18 and MH-18a is supposed to be the same.

[zac08]

Originally Posted by westwest1 just view photo after taken...then retake...after 10cycle of recharge the 2 batt its still like that...

Hmmmm...

do you drain the batteries flat? Or do you recharge each day?

[Cheesecake]

Originally Posted by lsisaxon I think should be ok although I haven't tried. I did try the other way round, using the MH-18a to charge EN-EL3. The circuitry for MH-18 and MH-18a is supposed to be the same.

alrite\

wll ask the eastgear ppl.


anyone using eastgear ENEL3e?

[AxeLa]

Originally Posted by Cheesecake alrite\ wll ask the eastgear ppl. anyone using eastgear ENEL3e?

The Eastgear ppl will be bias...

[Cheesecake]

Originally Posted by AxeLa The Eastgear ppl will be bias...

ask them abt the battery charger issue only la..


as for their ENEL3e, its like 2 for the price of 1 original. maybe i'll buy the 3rd party and see how they line up against the Nikon ones.

[westwest1]

Originally Posted by zac08 Hmmmm... do you drain the batteries flat? Or do you recharge each day?

i recharge the batt at 0% power....

but i still get around 250 shots...the best i seen was 280...thats all...

and its from both batt...