Nikon EN-EL4a Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery for MB-D10 Battery Pack and Nikon D2 and D3 Digital SLR Cameras - Retail Packaging

Okay, I don't understand why Nikon make all these accessories so expensive. Not only do you need this, but, the battery chamber, plus charger. Also.... dun dun dun! Battery grip! Wow, if you're like me that own the mb-d10 battery grip, then every thing else is necessary. Without the chamber, you can't place the battery in, without the charger, you can't use the darn thing. I'm not being a pessimist. Just showing you that this one expensive investment. Yet there are cheaper alternatives to get 8fps. Including battery grip and the choice is yours.This battery last a long time. Unlike the regular batteries as well as using rechargeable AAs which takes 8. Although its decent, one full charge last 3 times longer for me and that in itself is worth it. Some people can sacrifice having more batteries and not to mention that this adds a bit more weight to the battery grip. I'm fine with this as I keep myself in shape. So for those who have an issue with carrying a certain amount of weight, this is another factor to consider. If price and weight isn't a problem then this is a great investment.

The EN-EL4a is the finest battery Nikon has produced to date. It is powerful, reliable, and it holds a charge noticeably longer than any of its predecessors. I view it as the heart of my Nikon D3 system. During critical shoots, I accurately monitor the condition of the EN-EL4a via the setup menu on the D3. It reveals the number of exposures made with it, the percent of charge remaining, whether it needs calibration, and its estimated lifespan. Using this procedure, the EN-EL4a has never let me down. A second EN-EL4a for backup is recommended, as a full charge takes a little over an hour.

I recently purchased this battery for my 2+ year old D3s; it is my 3rd backup and would never consider a '3rd party' brand for a $5k+ camera. $100 is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Since Nikon has 'discontinued' the D3s -- I have stocked up on the few remaining memory cards that I could find that are considered as 'Nikon tested' for the D3s and now my 3rd Nikon battery pack -- before they stop selling those as well. I love the camera and would hate to have to upgrade just because memory cards and batteries are no longer available.My 2 original EN-EL4a are now almost 3 years old -- and although they still hold an incredible charge, I am noticing that they are starting to diminish from what they were new. Not that I'm complaining -- they still seem to last 'forever' and I always have a fully charged one in my bag in the ready -- but now I will have 2 fully charged ones in the bag, just to be on the safe side -- and to prolong the life of the others. Once you start shooting with the D3s, it's hard to put it down!

I bought the name brand battery because every one said the aftermarket ones didn't last so it was worth the extra money. This one died faster then my two old ones so I put it in my bag as a back up after a couple uses. I decided this race season to give it another try. It does nothing now. Wont hold a charge and is dead almost instantly. I should have returned it when I first received it but didn't think it was worth the trouble because it could be a back up. No I'm out $124 and the battery doesn't work at all.

3/25/2022-REPLACEMENT FOR MY d2h CAMARA AND BATTERY PURCHASED IN 2004. YES, ITS STILL WORKING. WE LOST THE CHARGING CORD AND THE CAMARA HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED SINCE 2016. THE NEW BATTERY LIST AS EN-EL4a , THE ORIGINAL BATTERY EN-ELA4. IT WORKS REGARDLESS. IT IS ORIGINAL NIKON EQUIPMENT. INTERESTINGLY, I PURCHASED THE CHARGER AS WELL, AND THE OLD BATTERY STILL WORKS AFTER17+YEARS. TRY TO GET THE NEWER RECHARGABLE BATTERY'S TO WORK FOR THAT LONG. THE CAMARA IS VERY HEAVY COMPARED TO TODAYS CAMARA'S BUT STILL A GREAT CAMARA.

Just as Nikon states, these things last forever. I can go for a full weekend without worry. However I carry a second battery as a backup.But...yes..there is a but. One of my Nikon EN-EL4a batteries just simply died on me. (yes it is a Nikon product). A few months ago, I was in the field shooting and the day had just begun. The battery was charged the night before and showed a full charge on the camera. Within 2 pictures and no warning it died. (sadly this was before I brought along a backup battery).I've talked to Nikon USA service and they have had instances of this happening to others. My rule of thumb is to take 2 batteries with me and the charger for anything overnight.I have not had the problem since then and write this off as perhaps a bad battery.

When I purchased my D3x I also bought 2 of these as extra backup. After using my D3x extensively in Greece I found I really didn't need the extra batteries. On one charge I was taking 700+ photos per day casual shooting and I still had 75% charge left!!! This battery is quite amazing. I calibrated all three during charging and the accuracy is impressive, along with the information display of the number of shots taken on a charge. Highly recommend the quality and performance.

My Nikon EN-EL4a battery is used in a Nikon D3 body. I actually have three of these batteries, but to be honest, I've never even had to switch over to the first backup unit during any of my shoots. My EN-EL4a's will not quite reach the number of shots as advertised by Nikon, but I easily get over 1000 shots with my auto-focus lenses attached and shooting mostly in manual mode.There is a bit of a premium to pay for this original Nikon product, but I would not use any of the 3rd party units on my really expensive D3 body and risk the possibility of damage to the delicate electronics.