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I too have never had an issue with a battery and I've been shooting Nikon since 2009. I've never checked dates either until this discussion.
Agree, we often get what we pay for when it seems cheap, lower grade or clones. Yet = people get what they want and meets their needs.
Is it again a QC issue ? left to the market ?
A few years ago B&H bought batteries through it's normal channels but ended up getting counterfeit batteries. Apparently somewhere in the supply chain someone introduced counterfeits - and it was not Nikon or B&H. B&H replaced the batteries at no charge to their customers.
FYI. I tend not to buy Nikon products from Amazon for a couple of reasons: 1 I have once or twice found their price is higher than B&H, and 2) it is always obvious where they are getting the products from. The one time I did buy from them the product was from Adorama and I had to contact Adorama directly to get proof of purchase info for Nikon registration. Now I normally go directly to Nikon-USA for most Nikon branded products. Anything not Nikon I will shop for a reputable dealer and often end up at B&H. Nothing wrong with other approaches, this one is just mine. BTW. I haven’t had any issues with my Z8 batteries…LOL!
With you, i buy genuine from Nikon or very reputable dealers.
I wouldn't buy on Amazon from unknown, 3rd party retailers though the Nikon Store which sells on Amazon appears safe.
I'm happy to report that the battery I recently got, dated 2023.03 has worked stellar. I had to charge it when I got it, but it's been good, still in the camera after lots of shots. It was dated more than a year when I got it. I still think there's bad batteries out there, but it may or may not be related to date.
Is this a new camera? With a new battery it takes a few cycles of charging to have normal life. The camera needs to charge the internal battery from the battery you are using, and that affects battery life. It takes 2-3 cycles under normal use. The battery in the photo is a current Z8 battery.
I used the same Z6 camera for both tests. (Internal battery charged up, as I use this camera daily).
That does not look like a genuine -EL 15c battery or one of more recent vintage (last year and a half. I've sent you an image of one as the fewer ones which are out there, the harder it is for counterfeiters to do their job.
Do not have any 2023 EL 15c (all of mine are from 2022) but would you mind clarifying what makes it look like a counterfeit one for the rest of us?
Anyhow, the lithography doesn't look as crisp, the text is different in size, font and content, and the symbols are different. The new batteries don't have a raised bevel where the print surface is. On the genuine batteries, the print surface appears to be integrated into the plastic or adhered differently. I can't see the foil hologram though counterfeiters are making their own. It may be counterfeit or simply is an old version.
Thank you for sending me the photo. I actually compared my original Z8 battery with the new one I received from Amazon and the one you sent. All three seem to be different, even though my two batteries were both produced in 2023.
It's possible, though I looked at all five of my EL-15c batteries and they are identical. Two of them came with the respective bodies, one was a pre-order and then the other body was purchased nearly a year later. The other three batteries were purchased together from the Nikon store on Amazon. Based on this, I think either your purchases are from different regions or are counterfeit if they don't appear similar to the image that I sent you.
