Nikon D200 User Manual
Page 48
Appendix 2 - Getting Great Battery Life
INTRODUCTION
This isn't about how to get a lot of shots per charge. That's easy: use your LCD sparingly,
spend as little time as possible in the menus or with the meter on, turn off LCD review.
This is how to get years of service from expensive batteries. Some people always seem to
have problems while others have them last for years.
HOW DO I DO IT?
Battery Type
Li-ion batteries need very different care to the old, heavy Ni-Cds and Ni-MH batteries.
These suggestions only apply to Li-ion batteries. These are the lightweight ones that come
with your phone, laptop or camera. They have weird voltages like 3.7V or 7.4V. These are
the dedicated batteries used in all modern digital SLRs
This does not apply to ordinary AA or other standard size rechargeable cells. Those are
Ni-Cd or Ni-MH and want to be 100% discharged before they are charged.
I've never bothered with off-brand batteries. I always use batteries from the original maker.
Charge Often!
Modern Li-ion batteries love to be charged often. They don't like being fully discharged.
This is completely opposite from older style batteries.
I charge my batteries every night. My cell phone goes on its charger at night and comes off
in the morning.
Alternate Between Two Batteries
I have two batteries for my D200.
After every use I put the battery on the charger. I take the second battery and put it in my
D200. When the first battery finishes charging I put it in my bag as a fully charged spare.I
repeat this continuously. This way each battery is used only half of the time and I always
have a full battery in my camera and a fully charged spare in my case.
I don't bother if I've used it for only a few shots or used less than 10% of the charge.
I don't know the exact numbers, but you'll get about four times as many charge cycles out
of them if you only use 50% of the charge each time, and twenty times as many cycles if
you only use 25% of the charge each time.
Even without a second battery I've gotten great life with frequent charging. My D70 only
has one battery, and after over two years and tens of thousands of shots it also runs like
new.
PDF by Paul Deakin - 48 - © 2006 KenRockwell.com