NWGuy
Well-known member
Tried to use a third party battery, BM EN-EL15c, in my Z8 and it didn't like it. No problems with the same battery in Z6ii. Obviously no problem with Nikon brand battery in Z8. Anyone else finding this?
Z8 Picky as to battery brand
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Yes, there’s been a debate online but the consensus seems to be that the battery doesn’t report its temperature to the camera and, since the Z8 draws more current than the Z6/Z7 cameras, this creates a safety risk. Sounds plausable.
Thom Hogan’s website has a good article on Z8 batteries. He says that most 3rd party batteries cannot be used. He has a lot more detail in the article. It’s a good read.
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This has not been uncommon and is a general trend with Nikon when they are trying to get flagship performance out of a smaller battery.
The Nikon V1 was the first mirrorless. It used the EN-EL15. It was very picky even with Nikon batteries due to the need to power an EVF and LCD. It would refuse to operate at all based on battery age - and the battery age could deteriorate very quickly. Sony was making batteries and there was a major change of some sort around that time period. That led to both battery recalls and premature failure of batteries not recalled.
The D500 was released with most of the D5 capability. There were major problems with some older EN-EL15 batteries while others worked well. This ultimately led to an extended warranty replacement for a large number of EN-EL15 batteries. The issue was trying to get the D500 to use the D5 focus system and processing. It was very nearly a D5 in a DX body - and that required a high performance battery. After this, Nikon began differentiating EN-EL15 batteries as a, b, c etc.
Third party batteries have had problems in a lot of situations over the past 5-7 years in high performance bodies. Most of this comes from Nikon continuing to take advantage of the chip in the battery to deliver higher peak power while still managing battery life. Third parties are choosing their own specs for chips and cells in the battery. From Nikon's standpoint, they can't police every battery. Neither can Samsung who actually makes the battery for Nikon. It simply has to communicate and deliver the power as needed. It can't ever operate in an unsafe manner.
B&H is likely to have a third party battery that will work in the Z8 because they contract to have a third party battery produced to their specs. The Watson battery is a B&H house brand. But that is no guaranty - so call B&H and ask or give it a try. https://www.gradusgroup.com/brands
If you need a lot of batteries, third party options can make economic sense but with them comes the risk of incompatibility. For just 2-3 batteries, it's probably not worth the risk. I will say that I have EN-EL15 batteries that date back to 2016 and are still working as though they were new. So there are some advantages with sticking with Nikon batteries in terms of life and compatibility.
Not to be a contrarian or anything. I always use "camera brand" batteries while the equipment is still under factory warranty. Why give them a reason to refuse warranty service? Even if the battery wasn't the cause of the problem, if you have a mother board fault or other electronic fault (which would be most common failure in these cameras) the first thing they will point to is non-camera specific battery used. Since the camera registers the battery info, I'm sure the tech can tell what was the last battery used in the camera and if it was a "genuine" Nikon or not.
Once warranty is over, then I will shop around. I've done this with the last couple bodies I've bought.
Jeff
Once warranty is over, then I will shop around. I've done this with the last couple bodies I've bought.
Jeff
Jeff -- you are not being contrarian -- just realistic.
I have driven my pair of Z8 to the point of shut down on multiple occasions both during operational testing and for one shoot in the field -- I was REALLY pushing the envelope to try to understand the camera's limits and Boy oh Boy was I pleased that the camera has tremendous thermal monitoring and management. The battery plays a key role in this AND as a result it is not the cheap dumb object that much of this debate would imply. [Head over to the Video part of this forum for details of a few of the test results]
The batteries are a key part of a very smart system -- not just dumb objects.
Ladies and Gentlemen you have invested heavily in a fairly pricey camera. When it is in your hand do yourselves a favour ONLY use Nikon's EN-EL15C batteries in it. The same way I do, like I only use Nikon's EN-EL18D batteries in my Z9 bodies as well.
OR..... choose to cut corners and you will not be rewarded with the best this camera can do.