Something I found out after buying my D800e was that in the MD-D12 battery grip you can use the rather beefy (in both size and capacity) battery EN-EL18. So I had to try.
I would have loved to have Nikon original charger and batteries, but they are crazy expensive, so I ordered third-party alternatives of the brand DSTE. Two batteries and charger for a lot less than one original battery. DSTE batteries were getting good reviews on various websites, so I felt reassured.
You also need the little battery chamber cover BL-5. I got that from eBay, also third-party.
Once I had everything I was eager to try it. Charged a battery and inserted it into the battery grip.
So what is the experience so far?
Well, I’ve been pretty happy with the EN-EL15 batteries, same as in the D7200. But it seems to me the D800e goes through them noticeably faster than the D7200, and that’s perhaps not too surprising.
With the EN-EL18 I’ve yet to use the camera long enough to run out of one charge, which is a good sign. And with two batteries I should be covered for pretty much any task I set for the camera.
It does add a bit of weight to an already heavy camera, but that’s the prize you have to pay, I guess.
And what you might see as a downside is that this only works with the battery grip. I like having my grip on the camera though, so not an issue for me. And I still have several EN-EL15 batteries should I want to go without the grip.
