No battery icon in viewfinder

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Pete6

New member
I just got my D7500 back from a friend who had borrowed it for several months. I updated the firmware to LD 2.017 and since then (I think) the battery level icon is missing from the viewfinder and I cannnot make it visible.

Can somebody please point me to the way to get it back.

Thanks very much.

Pete
 
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BF Hammer

BF Hammer

Senior Member
I read the firmware change notes. There is no mention of battery level indication. I also reviewed the D7500 online user manual. There is no option I see in the custom settings menu or the photo shooting menu to turn the battery level off in viewfinder.

Like pretty much all of the display in the viewfinder, you should wake up the camera to show the full display inside. Typically you should try a half-press on the shutter release and see if the battery level then shows on the bottom-middle-right area of the viewfinder.

Other options to consider: Aftermarket EN-EL15 battery might be detected on newer firmware and the level data ignored. If you are using an aftermarket battery that is. Did the D7500 have a battery grip option? Thinking remove that if applicable.
 
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Pete6

New member
BF Hammer said:
I read the firmware change notes. There is no mention of battery level indication. I also reviewed the D7500 online user manual. There is no option I see in the custom settings menu or the photo shooting menu to turn the battery level off in viewfinder.

Like pretty much all of the display in the viewfinder, you should wake up the camera to show the full display inside. Typically you should try a half-press on the shutter release and see if the battery level then shows on the bottom-middle-right area of the viewfinder.

Other options to consider: Aftermarket EN-EL15 battery might be detected on newer firmware and the level data ignored. If you are using an aftermarket battery that is. Did the D7500 have a battery grip option? Thinking remove that if applicable.
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That too is what I though. I too read the release notes prior to upgrading. I looked at the manual and, as you say there is no mention of bttery icon options in the toolbar. I even looked and my Nikon D7500 for Dummies book for help.

I removed the battery for a full minute, put it back, powered the camera on and what I see in the toolbar when I take up first pressure on the shutter release button is, from left to right, a white dot indicating focus, shutter speed, aperture, ISP/AUTO [r99]. r99 is a buffer number, I think. That's it. but, the battery is not an OEM Nikon. The original long since died. What is in there now is a Neeweer LiON type. I have two mpre 3rd party batteries on order from AMazon and they will be here tomorrow. I do not have a battery grip option on the camera.

I am puzzled.
 
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BF Hammer

BF Hammer

Senior Member
Only an original Nikon battery is guaranteed to work fully. An aftermarket only might work.

It gets worse on Z bodies. Most aftermarket batteries get rejected with a message on screen. Even if they work without complaints on an F-mount body.
 
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Pete6

New member
Good input. Thanks. I asked Anthropic's Claude AI this morning and it pointed out that the battery icon may only be present in the viewfinder when the battery is running down. Battery status is permanently visible on the LCD screen and on demand on the rear screen. It keeps the viewfinder less cluttered. I am now in the process of discharging my battery to prove what Claude advised.

Your comment about Z bodies only allowing genuine OEM Nikon batteries is pretty much in line with the world today. Companies want you locked into their ecosystem and only theirs. They say that it is about quality and customer experience enhancements. It reality they just want your money. Tesla do the same and Generac, who make home standby generators have now encrypted all their data from their generators so that you have to use their app and their dealer network. I did not buy Tesla or Generac and I probably won't but a Z8 but for a multitude of different reasons.

Edit: It turned out that Claude the AI was absolutely correct. It said that the battery icon would not be visible in the viewfinder until the battery charge was low (I do not know what percentage consttutes low). The two new 3rd party batteries showed up from Amazon and both carried less than 50% charge upon receipt. Both showed the battery icon in the viewfinder. My other battery sits at about 80% (4 bars) and it does not display an icon.

Thanks for all your help.
Pete
 
Needa

Needa

Senior Member
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