D300S w/Grip battery question

zx7dave

Senior Member
So the battery in the grip on my camera eventually died today as I was shooting, and then turned the camera off without ever using the battery power of the battery inside the camera..is there a setting I am missing? My understanding was it would use the battery in the grip..then when that reached a certain level it would switch to use the battery inside the camera...
 

blueiron

New member
Which grip do you have? Aftermarket or Nikon?

My understanding is that when the auxiliary batteries deplete, the camera stops until the grip is removed or the batteries recharged/replaced.
 

Joseph Bautsch

New member
The aftermarket grips work just fine with the camera. I use one with my D90. The problem is with aftermarket batteries. The ability of the battery to communicate with the camera is contained in a proprietary "chip" built into the battery by Nikon. Aftermarket batteries don't have this chip. As a consequence when the right hand battery dies it doesn't tell the camera to switch to the left one.
 
Have you checked your settings on the camera menu?

I know that in the D300 menu, you select what order the camera uses battery power, in what order it uses the battery power, what kind of batteries are in your grip (alkaline, ni-mh, lithium, etc.).
Custom Menu>d (Shooting/Display)>10 (MB-D10 battery type)

Should get you there.
 

zx7dave

Senior Member
Yea this part is set right..but does it auto transfer to the battery in the camera after the battery in the grip is exhausted?
 

zx7dave

Senior Member
Perhaps I didn't let the grip battery completely die...I am using a factory grip from Nikon now..will let the grip battery completly die and see what happens..all my setting are right...
 
btw, on the D300, the setting for battery order is d11 on the custom menu settings.

Perhaps yours is on Use D300 battery first - which it would, then when the battery pack kicks in, and is exhausted, you're out of power.
As far as your other question on a charging unit? http://nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Power-Adapters/25364/EH-5A-AC-Adapter.html

Available from Nikon - and on power accessories - I'd advise to NEVER EVER go aftermarket. Just my .02
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
I use the grip on my D200...with aftermarket batteries from Digipower. When one dies, the other kicks in. Never had a problem with these batteries.....or the grip, for that matter. The grip is pure Nikon. :)
I refuse to pay $80 - $90 for a battery! That's just insane!
 

ardensphotos

New member
Just my opinion but-(Never, Ever use aftermarket or other than NIKON batteries in your Nikon cameras. They simply are NOT worth the risk. NIKON batteries comunicate with your NIKON cameras. Aftermarket DO NOT !
 
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