The Sony also can only record 29minutes at a time. I use a Panasonic GH3 for fancier video and a Sony rx10 for casual video. It can only record 29 minutes no matter how large the battery is, only a panasonic GH can record longer. How long does the battery last in the d3200 when recording video? In still images (photos) it is better than most other small DSLR cameras (540 shots). Several other uses posted about other quality control issues. The flexing issue is one I read about on a different forum. In both cases I ended up almost never using the grip. In the case of the DX body, I decided that the Nikon grip was too expensive and so I kept the chinese one, mostly because I bought it in a different country and so I could not return it. I have used a similar one on a different nikon aps-c body and a nikon full-frame body (different grip, different brand) and compared them to the Nikon original grip. Plus, they aren't immune to issues, as the EL15 battery recall proved.I have not tested that chinese grip on your camera model.
![battery for nikon d3200 battery for nikon d3200](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61gDPE81QOL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
I'd wager that the third-party batteries often end up coming off of the same assembly line in a Chinese factory as the Nikon batteries. Battery-wise, as Mike points out, accessories are huge profit margins. Even checking out lenses, I'd put the optical quality of the Tokina 100mm or Tamron 90mm macro lenses up against anything that can come out of Nikon's camp. If you look at bags, Nikon's dinky little bags can't compare to anything from Think Tank, Kata, LowePro, etc. With filters, for example, Nikon filters don't hold a candle to anything by Schneider, B+W, etc. Writing "Nikon" on the side of a battery doesn't increase its voltage or mAh rating. At the end of the day, these are just mechanical, optical, and electronic devices. However, you can get some real gems by going third party. You need to be careful with third-party products, as they exist in many cases just to cater to the lowest common denominator, unwilling to pay demographic. But if you buy a second and can clearly demonstrate that the first is a wimp, perhaps you can get your retailer to swap it out for you.ĭave, I would say that yes, you're a little OCD. Nikon doesn't generally warranty batteries. It will be very interesting to see if your second battery behaves better (I suspect that it truly will). How young is the battery in question? If you've used it well and charged it a few times, you're certainly past that phase. One of its great virtues so far has been its meager appetite for electricity (I can run down the D300's heftier batteries quite quickly, by comparison).Īs with all such batteries, I've found that their capacity improves after the first few usage cycles. I mostly use the D3200 as a backup and as a casual walk-around body. Mind you, I did buy a spare as I'd feel naked without one. so far I'm getting several times the lifetime you're describing while using that battery in that camera. Some VR, some chimping, some video, some pop-up flash. That said, your experience is not consistent with mine. Yes, it's only a $500 camera, but it makes sense not to risk it with a cheesy battery, right?
BATTERY FOR NIKON D3200 SOFTWARE
The camera's software does indeed know when it's seeing the real battery.
BATTERY FOR NIKON D3200 UPGRADE
On the bright side, they hold their value well, so if you upgrade you can always sell the batteries locally for probably at least half of what you paid. It probably going to take some time for the third-party battery suppliers to get around the D3200's chip, so if you need the extra battery life, you really only have one option, and that's to open your wallet. Plus, the D3200 using the smaller EN-EL14 instead of the 15 doesn't help. For example, if you are spending 30 seconds in live view to really carefully choose the plane of focus instead of if you usually take about 5 seconds to take a shot, then that 3-4 times energy usage increases by a factor of 6 to 18-24 times more energy! If you are staying in live view for extended periods of time before taking the photo, I could easily see battery life dropping to sub-200 shots. Then live view uses 3-4 times the energy of the optical viewfinder, but you also have to multiply that number by a factor of the additional time that you're spending in live view for composition. If you relied on it heavily, I could easily see those numbers. Live view will kill your battery life much more than chimping.