Did you check your battery contacts? Check the contacts on the camera body too. It could be dirt stuck on it.

Sometimes when I switch the camera on I simply get the empty battery flashing icon on the otherwise empty top display - even with a full battery. I remove the battery and replace it with another charged unit and all is well. I put the original battery back and still all is well. It is not the battery as I have marked it and the problem reoccurred with a different unit. So far the above remedy has worked but I am off to India next year and i don't want the camera to fold on me there.

Anyone ever seen this before?

@AvrahamReiss

If the recall did not cause the shortage, what do you think caused it then?

@kanuck

I was the one who suggested the Eneloops... but you don't have to give the credit to me if you don't want to :)

Very true Tommie, and at a new 30% price increase. I understand these things cost a ton to R&D, but do Nikon really have to re-coupe their investment so quickly?

SkintBrit said:
It's worth noting (I don't know if it's the same with the D4 charger) that although the charger can HOLD 2 batteries at once, it only CHARGES one at a time.

I will at some time answer this question. However, having bought the camera, who can afford a second battery? :-)

OnTheRopes said:
However for those not in the know it appears you can upgrade to the D4 battery (EN-EL18)
To do this however you will need to buy;

1xNikon BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover £24.99
1xNikon EN-EL18 Battery Pack £129.00
1xNikon MB-D12 Battery Grip for D800/800E £379.00
1xNikon MH-26 Battery Charger £299.00

At a total cost of a shocking £831 :0

I bought that list (different part numbers) when I first got my D700, it cost me around £500 in total, a whole heap of money, but the quality and feel of an original MB-D10 on the bottom of the camera is superb. I didn't know they had carried the exact same number of parts over to the 800, but I have no regrets. Also I later bought a D3s so was able to get some of my money back by selling the single battery charger, and using the one that came with the 3s. I got about £100 back, £299 for a charger sounds like they're taking the mick! It's worth noting (I don't know if it's the same with the D4 charger) that although the charger can HOLD 2 batteries at once, it only CHARGES one at a time. If I had known that when I sold the single battery charger I may have kept it. Being able to charge two batteries simultaneously would be helpful to me sometimes.

Teo Morabito said:
Does that mean that if I get a grip with an extra EL15 in it, it won't make it 6fps in DX? I'm a bit confused...

That's right, you need the EN-EL18 for 6fps in DX. And to use the EN-EL18, you need the MB-D12.

The speed increase in only for DX. For FX photography or video there is no added value except for the longer battery life. It should give you about 50% more exposures, but is a lot more expensive. My humble advice is to buy extra EN-EL15's. If you can get your hands on them, that is.

More on this subject: http://photo.vanderkolk.info/photo-nikon-d800-battery-movie.php

Yes agreed the battery is quite disappointing. Compared to the D700 its hard to take sometimes but just pop in an extra battery or shell out for the battery pack with some trusty Eneloops as Msmoto suggests.

To me, it also seems the EN-EL15 is no long runner. So I went from the beginning with the MB-D12, using the same eneloops that make me happy with the D7000. But they were soon indicated as "low battery". I'm confused: the EN-EL 15 is sufficient, but two more AA-cells are not?

One explanation might be: in the MB-D11 settings I chose "LR6 AA batteries", while I set the D800 to the NiMh setting. By changing this setting, the capacity display went without charging the rechargeable batteries to "full" again. This confuses me as well, but if it's indicated properly when I have to recharge them, I can live with that confusion :)

I expected the other way because the voltage of batteries and rechargeable batteries differs and make 2.4 V per battery set.

iris chrome said:
@OnTheRopes

"The reason for the EN-EL15 shortage is that Nikon had just issued a recall for the battery."

Not exactly. Only a certain series of the battery was recalled. This is identified by checking the serial number of each battery, on the back of the battery itself. Where the 9th digit in the serial number is either 'E' or 'F', then the battery is recalled. All others are OK.

They should just make an Hydrogen fuel cell powered grip for the D800, and we will have drinking water as well :)
How cool would it be to refill a camera with an hydrogen cartridge :D

I don't have my D800E yet but have already bought two spare EN-EL15 batteries and an AC/DC charger.

I think I'm ready.

Wow, just read this on the nikon brochure @OnTheRopes posted :
You also get approx. 6 fps continuous shooting speed* in DX format
*When using batteries other than EN-EL15 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery.

Does that mean that if I get a grip with an extra EL15 in it, it won't make it 6fps in DX ?
I'm a bit confused...

The battery life really is my only concern with the D800.
I'm going on a photo trip this week end, and with another camera, I would take one battery and leave the charger behind, but the D800, I'm taking two batteries and the charger with me...
I wish it had the same battery life as the other FX bodies...
It certainly isn't 900 shots, more like 200 with no flash and not much live view.

Maybe one day, someone will come up with a battery that lasts much longer and fits in the D800,
Or, maybe, they really want you to buy the extra grip and D4 battery.

@iris chrome
Good idea re the AA's

@msmoto

Further to that I did check with Nikon Support and they confirmed that you need the
list above. I have no issue with the cost of the EN-EL18 or the BD5 (even though you would expect to get one with the grip?)The grip is expensive but that is what it is and you will need one with AAs its the charger cost that puts this out of all proportion I think.

@OnTheRopes
@iris chrome

Hey, guys, thanks. I looked at the grip specs and cold not find it, but once i followed the link to the "system" and the other, I saw how NIKON set this up.

I do like the idea of using the Eneloop rechargeable batteries in the grip rather than a single EN-EL18. I have used the Eneloops by Sanyo and have found them very reliable. The cost would be considerably less as well.

@OnTheRopes

The reason for the EN-EL15 shortage is that Nikon had just issued a recall for the battery. It will take some time for Nikon to manufacture new defect free EN-EL15 and have them distributed to all their dealers world wide. In the meantime have you thought of using rechargeable AA batteries? I use Sanyo eneloops in my D7000's battery grip and they seem to last just as much as my main EN-EL15. The solution you mention seems exuberantly expensive just to be able to us one battery. However, I would consider the MB-D12 as a necessary (or eventual) expense which would put your total cost at £452.

I think that system was designed by Nikon for someone who owns both a D800/D800E and a D4. That way their only added expense would be the £24.99 for the BL-5 battery chamber.

@msmoto

You can see it on Nikon's BL-5 page:
http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Battery-Chamber-Covers/27008/BL-5-Battery-Chamber-Cover.html

On the D800 brochure page 14 - AC Adaptors batteries and chargers
http://chsvimg.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/d800/pdf/d800_28p.pdf

Where does this information regarding the use of an EN-EL18 Battery Pack in the MB-D12 Battery Grip come from? Nikon makes no note of this in the information on the MB-D12 Grip. Also, are the electronics compatible?

Having recently aquired a d800 I was a bit dissapointed with the life of the EN-EL15 battery. On a morning landscape session (and to be fair to the battery)I was using live view a fair bit, but the battery was soon worryingly low.

If you went on a days shoot you would need a fair few spare batteries something that I need very soon, trouble is you cannot get the EN-EL15 anywhere in the UK for love nor money.

However for those not in the know it appears you can upgrade to the D4 battery (EN-EL18)
To do this however you will need to buy;

1xNikon BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover £24.99
1xNikon EN-EL18 Battery Pack £129.00
1xNikon MB-D12 Battery Grip for D800/800E £379.00
1xNikon MH-26 Battery Charger £299.00

At a total cost of a shocking £831 :0

Seeing as this will be my workhorse body for the next few years and I have never been known for common sense I have ordered one.

Hmm never had that happen with mine... I usually get 12-15 continuous Raw off my D90 and then it chokes up. I do like that when the buffer is full it can do about 2fps still with a tiny hiccup every 10 or so shots, whereas my D200 only does 1 if even that with the buffer full...

I am not so sure the two batteries do much. The buffer on the D90 seems to hold maybe four or five exposures when shooting RAW. So it stops firing for a second, then resumes. I suppose if I shot JPEG, maybe the buffer could hold more. I could not find out the data on this from the manual. Basically, the grip is for holding on to the camera and making verticals so much easier to shoot. Of course, at a distance and with unknowing observers it looks good too! The camera mechanicals are what limit the FPS, I believe...

The D90 is a super camera, but so is a car four years old. The technology is so rapidly changing, the newer cameras do more.

msmoto said:
I have the Vello from B & H on my D90 and it has worked very well.......

I think the answer is no, but just wanted to make sure from a actual user:

So do you find a increase in FPS with two nikon or 6 AA batteries installed in D90 Vello grip?

@Adamz I've snapped a few on a plane if that counts. :) I think temperature effects them more than anything else. Let's go to everest and find out though.

Your probably right about the en-el15. Luckily, my Nikon V1 uses them as well. The D800 pretty much blows my photography budget for the next year or two, so the better half will be using the D90 as her backup camera for quite a while. Having to tote around two sets of batteries & chargers is lame... Anyone want to trade their D7000 for a D90?

@willis - I would love to use my d3s battery on d800, though I'm really positively surprised with the performance of en-el15, I had around 1k shots (some with preview and other camera settings) and the battery was still 1 bar - for me it means that I only need 1-2 more spare batteries to cover 1 day of shooting, which is more than good. BTW: does any of You have any experience with battery performance on hight altitude, above 4000m (13000 ft)?

Willis said:
If they can make a battery grip that lets you use D4 batteries with the D800, wouldn't it also be possible to make a grip that lets you use D80\D90 batteries with the D800? I'd pay for that.

Mmmm.... D800 uses 7.0v, 1900mAh EN-EL15 and D90 uses 7.4v, 1500mAh Li-ion battery. Seems kinda hard to get all that worked out to adapt an older battery to a newer camera... unless a clever do-it-yourselfer takes on the job.

@SkintBrit.... I use a small piece of Gaffer tape on the small catch of the D90 battery door on the Vello grip. Just one of those things done when one is used to safety wiring things on race cars, motorcycles, etc.