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Reviews for Nikon EN-EL3e Lithium Ion Digital Camera Battery

Lithium Ion Li-Ion - MPN: 25334

$11.95 - $42.89   Compare Prices
  • 4
  By member: KWhip - Dec 15, 2006

Nikon quality

Strengths: * Fast charging * compact * Lasts a long time

Weakness: * Expensive * Proprietary shape * Proprietary chip in battery

I have two of these batteries. One came with my D80 camera, and I got the other as a spare (although the dealer added it for free as part of a sale).

The battery is well made; typical of Nikon quality. It charges quickly and lasts a long time in use in my Nikon D80. I'm sure that other cameras and users may suck power faster than I do, but that is not the fault of the battery.

I do not like the fact that I am tied to these batteries. I would much prefer a standard shape (such as AAs), but this is the only one that will fit in my camera. Also, there is apparently some sort of chip in the battery so that the camera recognizes when a non-Nikon battery is used. I have not tried to see if this is true.

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  • 4
  By member: jackm2211 - Dec 13, 2006

intelligent battery

Strengths: Good battery life with D80; Quick chage with Nikon charger

Weakness: very expensive ($50)

Fully compatible with D80 or MB-D80 battery pack. I will provide battery information if you use with the D80. The information includes battery capacity (juice), how many more pictures you can take, and how many the frequency of charging the battery (this tell you when to replace the battery). From my test: If you use with MB-D80, this will give much longer battery life. It can be charged fully withing two hours. Great!

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  • 4
  By member: piku79 - Sep 15, 2006

Hard to find in stock but well worth it!

Strengths: Good capacity.

Weakness: No alternative (third party) batteries available.

The third contact on this battery provides information to the camera body, e.g. D80, to determine the remaining charge, number of shots taken with this battery since last charge, and the overall life of the battery, i.e. when you will need to discard the battery as it is not performing as it should.

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  • 4
  By member: Mr. Film - Jul 19, 2006

Get a few of these batteries!!!

Strengths: Charge fairly quickly.

Weakness: Kind of Expensive, hard to find.

If you have a D-200 then you absolutely have to get at least two of these batteries to go with the camera. I would recommend getting a MB-D200, so that you can use two batteries at once. The Nikon D-200 camera is very unforgiving on energy. You can only get by for so long on one battery. If you are doing any kind of serious photography with the camera you'll need more then one.

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  • 3
  By member: kentaustin - Apr 14, 2006

Nikon EN-EL3e Battery

Strengths: Great battery as as far as I am concerned. Quick charging, has been reliable.

Weakness: Camera sucks power like a straw in a 12 oz Coke if you use viewer much.

Other than the fact that the D200 takes a tremendous amount of energy to use, the battery charges up in about 1.5 hrs and is ready to go. I would recommend this product without reservation. If Nikon could find another battery solution with more power I would grab it in a nanosecond.

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  • 5
  By member: jdywhite - May 16, 2006

Nikon D200 Battery Solid & Long-lasting

Strengths: Nikon-branded and warranted. Quick to charge.

Weakness: Expensive. Can be hard to find for purchase due to demand of Nikon D200 camera.

Although there are no-name, less-expensive brand batteries that fit the Nikon D200, I hesitate to buy them because I have had bad experiences in the past with leakages and warranty voids. This battery charges in less than 2 hours and lasts well in use unless you are constantly using the picture viewer, which is a real power drain. I also purchased a Nikon multi-power battery pack so I can use two of these batteries at the same time on the camera and double the usage time (the battery pack also lets you use AA batteries if the en-el3e's are dead). The camera is excellent in letting you know how much power is left on the battery by the icon on the top of the camera. The battery comes with a stiff plastic cover to protect the bottom and the contact points.

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  • 1
  By member: stevo555 - Sep 20, 2006

EN-EL3e-Rechargeable Lithium Battery

Strengths: If you can find one in stock you are the "Man" oops or Woman

Weakness: Pay double to buy it currently

Great battery, not sure why Nikon should redesign it from the older batteries used on D70, I think I know now ..$$$$$$ that is the business model ..lets add a tab on the same battery we already produce, lets call it something else and then create short supply and we shall rule!!

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  • 4
  By member: craig16229 - Jun 9, 2006

Nikon EN-EL3e battery

Strengths: Solid, quality made a battery that holds a good charge.

Weakness: At the time of this review (June 08th, 2006), it's a hard battery to find in stock.

It's a battery, so there is not much to say other than it is very high-powered and has very good life relative to the very power-hungry camera I use (a Nikon D200).

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  • 4
  By member: jgallman - Dec 31, 2006

EN-EL3e for D80

Strengths: Battery life monitor in D80 and D200 improvement over previous version of this battery the EN-EL3 used in the D70.

Weakness: can be costly.

The Nikon D80 will not take the older EN-EL3 batteries used by older Nikon DSLR models such as the 70. The EN-EL3e allows the D80 and D200 to give a better indication of how much battery life is left. I generally find that one battery in the camera and a fully charged spare are enough to handle a full day of shooting when traveling. Previously I shot with a D70. I recently upgraded to a Nikon D80, and generally find that a single battery gets me through the day, but it's always good to have a backup on hand just in case.

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  • 5
  By member: robsf23 - Nov 16, 2006

Quick charge, long life, accurate battery meter

Strengths: great battery life, the newer "e" disignation gives latest DSLR's more accurate battery gauge reading (remaining life), charges full in about 2-3 hours

Weakness: more expensive, harder to find

I got this battery as a backup battery for my Nikon D80. This battery has a great battery life! It has lasted me a few days before the battery shows "1 bar life" remaining. A full charge should allow you to shoot a full day's (even 2 to 3 days) worth (wedding, parties, travel, etc) even with using an AF zoom lens and the built in flash. It's always good practice to carry a fully charged backup battery. Since I have 2 batteries, I don't have to worry about losing power for a few days! I rotate between the 2 so I get even use between them.

The battery is relatively light and charges fully in about 3 hours. I suggest you get the genuiune Nikon battery vs a 3rd party manufacturer. It's not that much more anyway. Usually you only save about $10-$15 buying 3rd party brands. Also if you use a 3rd party battery and it leaks or damages our camera, Nikon will not honor your warranty. This battery has a special circuit (the "e" designation) which gives you a more accurate battery life meter.

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  • 3
  By member: cshung - Nov 4, 2006

EN-EL3e only for D80/D200

Strengths: --Good back-up for long trips --allow taking over 500 photos

Weakness: --so expensive --limited stocks (few shops have EN-EL3e)

The reason I bought EN-EL3e was because I wanted to have a back-up for taking photos in longer time—especially going to the trip. So that I don’t have to worry whether or not I have enough power while on the trip and daily operation. (Always remember having backup). Also, I hate charging my battery when it is not exhausting. From my experience, En-EL3e can take about 500 photos—this is a very good performance.
It takes about 1 and half hours for full charging.

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  • 5
  By member: jemaerca - Sep 23, 2006

Solid battery life for your Nikon dSLR

Strengths: Solid battery life (but much lower than what Nikon claims), Li-ion technology, compatible with a wide range of Nikon dSLRs.

Weakness: Hard to find, not cheap.

Interesting that some folks have stated that this battery runs out of juice fast. In my experience, I can easily get 500 shots on my D80 with one charge. I'm sure if I fiddled with the menus constantly and reviewed images all the time, the number of shots between charges will very quickly go lower. On the other hand, I've never come close to the 2700 shots that Nikon claims they can extract from a single charge. It's a shooting mode that probably won't be practical for me anyway.

By the very nature of dSLRs (where you use the viewfinder to compose your shot), you will almost always use less of the LCD than a normal point and shoot camera (where you typically compose the shot on the LCD). My point is that anyone switching from a P&S to a dSLR with this battery will be in for a pleasant surprise with the number of shots they can take with one charge.

Another positive for this battery is that it uses Li-ion technology, which means that there is no need to worry about memory effect. No need to wait until the battery is ready to die before recharging.

As with a lot of products in Nikon's portfolio (the D80 being the notable exception), this battery is hard to find at anywhere close to the $50 that is the "normal" price for the EN-EL3e. I can understand the difficulty of making complex cameras and lenses leading to supply chain issues. But batteries? Very frustrating!

Aside from the availability issue, this is a battery that you want (and need, you don't have a generic choice as of the moment) for your D200 / D80 / D70s / D50 etc.

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