NikonGear'23

Gear Talk => Camera Talk => Topic started by: elsa hoffmann on December 20, 2016, 15:52:20

Title: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 20, 2016, 15:52:20
My D800 died. Dead. Not showing anything - anywhere - battery is still almost fully charged. And even so the internal battery should still show the info in the top viewing window
I noticed yesterday that the viewing button acted up - you press to review the image and it just didnt react.
Now the whole thing is dead

Anything I should be checking?

EDIT:

checked the battery in my other D800 - also dead.
The battery was fully charged yesterday - do I suspect then there is something wrong with the battery - and that it is faulty.

Eish. At least that is a cheap fix

BUT

does the D800 have an internal clock battery??
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Mike G on December 20, 2016, 16:13:41
Elsa, that is bad news! Do you have a known good battery to try in the duff budgie, if you have tried that does the camera still appear to be dead?
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 20, 2016, 16:15:47
Sorry Mike I should have added in the edit that another battery revived the D800.
So it must be the battery that died and not the D800

I was under the impression that there is an internal battery for the clock etc
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: armando_m on December 20, 2016, 16:42:08
Good to hear is just the battery
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Andrea B. on December 20, 2016, 17:04:59
The D800 does not have a removeable/replaceable clock battery. Instead it is a fixed internal battery. The D800 clock battery is charged off the main battery or by using a power adapter. If the clock battery is completely discharged (unlikely if the camera is in active use), then you would see a flashing "clock" icon.

Hope this helps. It's in the manual on page 28. But that page num is for the manual as viewed on my iPad so I don't know if those are the page numbers for the actual printed manual? The iPad has a Nikon Manual Viewer app which you can get from the App Store. Then you have to download the specific manuals you want to see. But once downloaded the manuals remain on the iPad. It is rather handy and I've come to use it quite a lot. Easier to search through and so forth.  ;D
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: PedroS on December 20, 2016, 17:23:13
Normally such catastrofic events are power related.

Good to know that your D800 is ok
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 20, 2016, 17:24:32
PedroS - you and me both!

Thanks Andrea - that is very helpful about the manual!
I also read up re the internal battery not being able to be replaced as you said. Thanks for confirming it
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Mike G on December 20, 2016, 18:18:56
I can hear the PHEW from here.  ;)
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 20, 2016, 18:27:36
I can hear the PHEW from here.  ;)

a blond one though haha

made me realise again why I opted for 2 bodies. You just never know
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Andrea B. on December 20, 2016, 19:58:32
Well it is danged scarey when a camera just quits on you like that!!
I had a bad battery thing once in an older model (D300 I think but it's been a long time so memory has faded.) Took me a while to figure out it was the batteries and not the cam.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 20, 2016, 20:00:16
Especially as I charged it the day before.... I might have taken 10 shots - so it should have been basically full. Oh well so we learn.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Akira on December 20, 2016, 22:25:42
Good to know that it was just the battery that died.

I've heard about the battery failure more than I'd like to.  Even the genuine batteries can fail.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 20, 2016, 22:37:51
First time for me. And the battery isn't that old either.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Akira on December 20, 2016, 22:47:05
A battery can fail regardless of its age.  :(
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: pluton on December 21, 2016, 05:59:22
First time for me. And the battery isn't that old either.
Check to see what the warranty period is. 
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 21, 2016, 06:29:02
Battery purchased via a friend from B&H. Nikon locally won't want to know my troubles :)
I am quite happy to wait for one of you to come visit to bring me a new one from there again -  ;D ;D
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: David H. Hartman on December 21, 2016, 07:25:20
Glad the camera is fine!

Dave

---

I forgot a battery in my D2H. It ran totally dead. In that state a special charger is needed as there is no residual power for the CPU is the battery so it can't be charged in the normal way. I think I took the camera out and shot a few frames then forgot to take the battery out again. I don't know how many months it took to kill the battery. I normally store batteries out of the camera with a 40-50% charge.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Bernard Delley on December 21, 2016, 10:04:37
I am curious, was this an original Nikon battery or a knock-off ?

I feel very lucky with my (original) battery samples, the camera menu only indicates minimal signs of age after several years.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 21, 2016, 10:37:41
Nikon original battery - :)
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Fons Baerken on December 21, 2016, 10:43:56
Which battery version of the en-el15 the li-ion 00 or -20?
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 21, 2016, 10:46:33
Fons - I dont see anyone that - what I see is :

Li-ion01
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Fons Baerken on December 21, 2016, 10:49:12
Yes, the 01 my mistake, nikon gave buyers of the d500, same battery, the possibility of changing 01 types for 20 version, as the 01 was discharging too quickly.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 21, 2016, 10:52:39
thats pretty interesting....
No reason why I cant check that with Nikon when I next go there..
I should check all 4 my batteries then
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: PedroS on December 21, 2016, 10:59:51
Did register your Nikon products, including batteries, in their site?

I did, and received a warning to chnage the batteries, 01 to 02, as well warnings to update firmware and the like.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on December 21, 2016, 11:14:58
Nikon had a major battery recall with the D500 and older 01-type batteries. All for free. I delivered a stack of old batteries and got new ones still in their factory box.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 21, 2016, 11:35:09
Thanks Bjørn. My blond moment post turned into a useful post in the end hey
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: David H. Hartman on December 21, 2016, 11:56:12
I am curious, was this an original Nikon battery or a knock-off ?

I feel very lucky with my (original) battery samples, the camera menu only indicates minimal signs of age after several years.
.

I have read that some devices that report battery health do not consider a discharge to less than 50% and recharge to be a charge cycle. Depending on the device and the way one charges its batteries the battery life indicator may be useless. I'd like to know how various Nikon cameras determine Battery life.

Dave Hartman
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Erik Lund on December 21, 2016, 15:32:33
Basically the camera is just guessing at the % left, they have no real way of knowing!
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Akira on December 21, 2016, 15:50:30
The recall is only for D500.  I think it was the compatibility issue.  The free battery exchange service was only offered to D500 owners, which means that the -01 should batteries work without problem on other bodies.

I believe that Elsa's particular battery was faulty.
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Bjørn Rørslett on December 21, 2016, 15:55:03
Nikon Nordic did not limit the replacement of '01' batteries to D500 users only.

I think they replaced at least 8 or 9 old batteries, most of which had seen use on D600 and D800.

The recall might have been issued to known D500 users originally, though. Thus all Elsa needs to do is get herself a nice D500 ...
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 21, 2016, 16:24:05
The recall might have been issued to known D500 users originally, though. Thus all Elsa needs to do is get herself a nice D500 ...

Of course. Simple solution haha
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: Lorne on December 21, 2016, 20:59:42
Hi Elsa,

Nikon Canada has a page devoted to their voluntary recall of certain EN-EL 15 batteries. As Bjorn says, it applies to all affected units.
Here is the equivalent Nikon SA page:
http://www.nikon.co.za/en_ZA/service/service_advisory/nikon-en-el15-rechargeable-li-ion-battery
Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: David H. Hartman on December 21, 2016, 22:05:29
Basically the camera is just guessing at the % left, they have no real way of knowing!

I would guess that Nikon camera's have a way of counting the discharge/recharge cycles. What that is I don't know. I've never seen it published. My friend's vintage 2008 D300 still shows 100% battery life. She only has one battery. Bad guess? I think so.

My 300s (2 batteries) and D800 (3 batteries), all batteries show 100%. I don't believe it. This may be because I try to recharge at 40-60% charge remaining.

Dave Hartman

---

General practice I think is when a battery can store only about 50% of what it did when new it's time to replace it.

Paid work, better be more careful than above and carry at least a couple of spares or at least 2x what one thinks they will need. Is this careful enough?

Dave

Title: Re: Deceased D800 help please
Post by: elsa hoffmann on December 21, 2016, 22:18:46
thanks Lorne - I will be seeing Nikon early in the new year and remind them of that recall. Have to check the whole serial number tomorrow