Rechargeable Batteries for Nikon F4s?

FilmOnly · Jun 10, 2012

I have an F4s on the way. Are modern rechargeable batteries (NiMH) safe to use with this camera? I believe the owner's manual specifies regular AA or Ni-Cd AA. I imagine some may have tried modern rechargeables in the F4s. If so, I am interested to know if there have been any issues. I gather cold weather performance is better with the NiMHs?

If you have had success with a particular brand or type, please let me know.

Thanks.

CGW · Jun 10, 2012

Several threads here:

http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00Sk7i

FilmOnly · Jun 10, 2012

Thanks, CGW.

Any other information out there?

Chan Tran · Jun 10, 2012

NiMH's are fine I would think

Rol_Lei Nut · Jun 10, 2012

While not directly comparable, the Rolleiflex 2000F / 3001 / 3003 cameras are *very* sensitive to the power being used.
Only Ni-Cds should be used in them: while alkalines and Ni-Mhs normally work, in some particular situations (end of charge corresponding to end of roll), they could jam or even severely damage the camera.

The F3 is certainly a different animal, but I'd make sure it was really safe and not just just listen to "I used Ni-Mh akkus and they worked fine!" type answers.

Gerald C Koch · Jun 10, 2012

In order for you to change to rechargeable batteries the following must match.

o the output voltage of the rechargeable
o the milliamperage of the rechargeable
o the discharge curves for the two kinds of batteries

SafetyBob · Jun 11, 2012

Gerald makes a very good point and as I recall I looked at all of that as I singled out Eneloops for my choice of battery for my F-4S and my other motor drives for the FA and FE that I have. Use them all sorts of gadgets around the house that require AA batteries.

A top quality charger can get expensive but is well worth the investment as I have been able to not loose one rechargeable battery yet in the 4 years I have been using my high dollar hobby charger.

Bob E.

PhotoJim · Jun 11, 2012

I tinkered with NiMH batteries with one of my F4 bodies for awhile - the low self-discharge Eneloop-style, which I figured would be a good match. I ended up going back to alkalines.

If I were using my F4 daily like a film-based pro would, it might make sense to use rechargeables, but one can get non-rechargeable alkaline batteries in bulk for super-cheap prices and recycling facilities for disposable batteries are becoming more common so alkalines make sense.

I do use lithium AAs in my F5 - not only to they have extremely low self-discharge rates but they last a lot longer and weigh a lot less too. I've never tried them in my F4; they're not officially recommended but would probably work very well.

FilmOnly · Jun 12, 2012

I appreciate the replies.

Any other comments on lithiums?

LJSLATER · Jun 12, 2012

FilmOnly said:
I appreciate the replies.

Any other comments on lithiums?

I always used lithiums in my F4 (I used an MB20). They are not recommended for the F4 by Nikon as noted above, and there is still some controversy about their use. But I never had any problems with metering or anything else. While they are much more expensive than their alkaline equivalents, they are lighter and last longer, especially in sub-zero temperatures (it gets extremely cold during the winter here in Utah).

My current main body is an F2S; I use lithium batteries for both the meter and the motor drive.

eldercaribou · Jun 12, 2012

FWIW, I have used lithium AA's with no issues in both the MB-20 and MB-21 configurations; I have successfully used both 2000mAh and 2600mAh NiMH rechargeable AA's in the MB-21, but when I tried the MB-20, the camera did not function. This wasn't surprising, since most NiMH cells have a nominal voltage of 1.2v, compared with 1.5v for alkaline and 1.7v for lithium... or maybe I just didn't have a full charge on the NiMH's when I tested them? I normally shoot with the MB21 so I didn't worry too much about it YMMV

Rechargeable Batteries for Nikon F4s?

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