Very interesting battery. So cool it charges with USB c socket. First time Ive ever seen that. Very informative video Joseph. Thanks for making it. Much appreciated. Been subscribed a long time already
Thanks Jo, another fine video! Despite subscribing ages ago, I’ve noticed that RUclips doesn’t seem to recommend your videos to me! I’ve just noticed that there are tons of videos of yours that I have yet to watch! I prefer not to use the bell but I wonder why your stuff if low on RUclipss priority list...
UPDATE: 11/13/23 - From SmallRig "If the 4332 EN-EL15C battery received by the user is not compatible with NIKON ZF, please contact the customer service of the purchasing platform, and we will replace it with a compatible upgraded model free of charge and unconditionally." UPDATE: 11/12/23 - Nikon Z f now listed as compatible on the Small Rig website. Still waiting for confirmation. UPDATE: SmallRig states that the issue with the Nikon Z f has been resolved in their newest batteries. I am awaiting clarification on how one can tell the difference between the new batteries and the ones that are not compatible. Please note that multiple viewers have stated that the EN-EL15 battery will not work on a Nikon Z f at this time. They do seem to work with every other camera that uses an EN-EL15. I have emailed SmallRig and await a reply. There are no reported issues with the EN-EL25.
I bought one of the SmallRig EN-EL25 for my Nikon Z30. So far it works fine for me. But I have heard reviews that are saying that the SmallRig EN-EL15 model doesn't work with the Nikon Zf. Hopefully they fix that soon and offer support for people who already bought the batteries.
The SmallRig En-EL15 Battery Charger says discontinued at B&H now via the link in the description. Just a heads up… Thanks for the video and information.
I have two Nikon cameras and was using third party batteries in one Nikon and Nikon batteries in my second Nikon camera and the Nikon camera with the third party batteries stopped working after about 15 minutes in below freezing temperatures while the Nikon camera with the Nikon batteries had no problems working in the below freezing temperatures.
Great review on this new battery, I may consider getting one. As I do more video indoors, I use Small Rig’s V-mount battery to power my camera and monitor.
Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad that my review could help you. The SmallRig V-mount battery is a great option for powering your camera and monitor during indoor shoots.
Update from last post i have just gotten the el 25 battery for the nikkon z30. I plugged it into a 5v battery charger. Out the box it charged within an hr 30 minutes. The orignial battery takes atĺeast 3 or 4 hrs. The manual says 7. So it drastically reduced the charging time. I am able to charge the battery independent of the camera so i dont have to charge this battery in the camera. The battery works great so far. I just need to see if it holds the charge.
Super cool don't need to carry an added bulk of a charging stand of some sort and just plug in directly to the battery to charge. Very versatile. Although my Zf and how I use it only requires 1 fully charged battery for most of the time. I'd probably consider one of these for it just as a backup. Read the comments. I will wait till compatibility with Zf is confirmed ok before buying one.
I tried it on my new Zf and it does not work. I get the nikon message saying it is an unsupported battery. I will use it instead on my Z6 but not buy any more of these batteries.
I’m wondering if it really works with the Z8? My BM Premium batteries work great in my Z6, but I get a message they aren’t compatible on the screen of the Z8.
Good informational video on the lifeline of a camera man/woman. I'd take a file to the Nikon charger tab to make it work as that's just a small modification to make it happen.
NOT compatible with Nikon Zf, bought two after SmallRig Customer support said they'd work with all EN-EL15c Cameras. But there was an error message and the camera would not operate in any way, would not turn on, after returning both batteries, SmallRig said they were not compatible and that I should have read the small print list of cameras that were supported. Game Changer? maybe if they worked. Annoying waste of time and money if they don't
Yup - of course they need to work. I have asked SmallRig about this issue with the Z f and I am waiting for a reply. They do work with every other Nikon camera.
Have you tried the battery on a Z6/7 to verify it is a functioning battery? I have several cameras that use that format battery and being able to charge way from AC mains is an advantage for me doing events, theater, opera stills for the marketing departments. I usually use the Z6 which is pretty good in frame count on a charge. Saturday I needed to shoot an Casting directors actors master class with where I needed 6-10 images per actor for their portfolio so generally 3-4 are deleted for not being suitable( Blinks etc).. pulse a 1-2 page of dialog for video, for each of the 57 actors, which required an additional take sometimes, so I went through 5 batteries over the 6 hours. Being able to charge two at a time would have been handy.
I have tested it on a Z 6 and a Z 6II. It works perfectly and it is rated to worked on the Z 7 as well. The only compatibility issue I have heard of is the Z f from these posts, but they do not claim support for that camera. @@stanspb763
@@stanspb763 You might consider a dummy battery if you have access to AC power. I use a Nikon Z6 II as my webcam, when I'm not using it for photography, and I use a dummy battery in it so that I never have to worry about keeping the battery charged. I even have one for my Z30 too, which use as my work-from-home webcam 🙂
Nikon charger has five contacts. This will allow each cell in the battery to be fully charged and balanced (I assume this is why nikon have five contacts) All of these cheap-as-chips chargers only have two contacts, so they can only charge the cells in series, thus they could become unbalanced. The clip in the nikon charger is there for a reason. To hold the battery in the charger! A gentle push from the other end allows the battery to slide out. Shame somebody does not make a better third party USB charger that actually balances the two cells.
@@ShutterSpeak I would love to teardown a nikon & 3rd party batteries. See exactly what is inside. Same with the chargers, to see if the nitecore ones, with five contacts do charge the batteries in parallel & peek in a genuine nikon one as well. If anybody has any dead nikon kit they want to donate, for a teardown, let me know :o) There is much information on 'tinterweb regarding li-po batteries & the need for balance charging & the horrific fires they cause when things go wrong, but little about li-ion batteries.
Don't buy those. Nikon is disabling them in the Nikon Z f, the camera will turn on only to show a warning message that the battery is not supported. It's very likely that Nikon will update firmware on their previously released cameras to exhibit the same behavior. :(
The same could be said with third-party lenses but that hasn't happened. No reason to think they would try to kill innovation for the Nikon Z echo system of cameras. That is bad for business.
I am not a negative person but getting to a stage where "game change", "just shocked the world", "blows the rest out of the water", "just killed the opposition" are past it's sell by date. Lets try something that interest the audience. here is the story, SmallRig is not a battery business, why would I trust it? Nikon new Z bodies especially the Z9/8 etc do not like 3rd party batteries, Damage to your camera by 3rd party batteries cancel the warrantee, go read the fine print..
Actually if you are an event photographer being able to charge your battery via USB is a game changer. The odds of your camera getting damaged by a battery are pretty low - in fact, almost zero. The only real way it could damage your camera is if it swelled in the camera or exploded. And as for the warranty - any third party part - a flash, a filter, a trigger, or a battery that damages your camera would not be covered. Does that mean we should not use them?
As photographer who shoots a few events each year, I don't charge batteries at events, finding it unprofessional and stressful. Nikon's wall charger, taking about 2 hours to fully charge a battery, seems like it would be stronger/faster power source than USB-C chargers, or those USB batterie chargers you can fit in your pocket. After Nikon rendered my Wasabi batteries unusable, I now solely use OEM batteries, avoiding any shortcuts.
@@ShutterSpeak Respectfully speaking, unprofessional, meaning being prepared for the job. Anything that takes away from the task at hand is something that should be eliminated. Seeing that batteries take at least an hour to charge, to waste time charging batteries when you’re hired to photograph an event is just a distraction.
@@ShutterSpeak I kept at them and they've agreed to send me 2 replacements. The two good ones really do perform very well so I'm quite happy to get replacements rather than money back.
I didn't buy a Z6 because it has no in camera USB charging. And I don't care if one can remove the battery and charge it with USB. I want in camera or I'm not buying. I don't know why Nikon doesn't have this simple feature that every other camera I've owned for the last 20 years has.
Connecting the Z6 to a computer USB port with a USB cable (WITHOUT AN ADAPTER) would not CHARGE/REPLENISH the battery in camera in "off" position. The Nikon manual is in agreement. What you appear to suggest is running the camera via USB using an adapter. Not the same thing. Maybe that "runs" the camera but that's NOT what I am referring to. My Z50 will charge the battery in camera. The Z6 will not. You apparently are referring to tethering (my guess) not charging. I do not want to carry around an adapter on vacation, for example. @@TheSpiv
Very interesting battery. So cool it charges with USB c socket. First time Ive ever seen that. Very informative video Joseph. Thanks for making it. Much appreciated. Been subscribed a long time already
Thank you for watching and saying hello!
Thank you. Will the battery charge in the camera? (Z8)
Thanks Jo, another fine video! Despite subscribing ages ago, I’ve noticed that RUclips doesn’t seem to recommend your videos to me! I’ve just noticed that there are tons of videos of yours that I have yet to watch! I prefer not to use the bell but I wonder why your stuff if low on RUclipss priority list...
Awesome! Does the smallrig charger work well with the oem batteries, too?
UPDATE: 11/13/23 - From SmallRig "If the 4332 EN-EL15C battery received by the user is not compatible with NIKON ZF, please contact the customer service of the purchasing platform,
and we will replace it with a compatible upgraded model free of charge and unconditionally."
UPDATE: 11/12/23 - Nikon Z f now listed as compatible on the Small Rig website. Still waiting for confirmation.
UPDATE: SmallRig states that the issue with the Nikon Z f has been resolved in their newest batteries. I am awaiting clarification on how one can tell the difference between the new batteries and the ones that are not compatible.
Please note that multiple viewers have stated that the EN-EL15 battery will not work on a Nikon Z f at this time. They do seem to work with every other camera that uses an EN-EL15. I have emailed SmallRig and await a reply. There are no reported issues with the EN-EL25.
Correct my small rig battery shows no data to camera error
@@ModestReaction With which camera?
It’s the Nikon zf that the smallrig didn’t work with
I bought one of the SmallRig EN-EL25 for my Nikon Z30. So far it works fine for me. But I have heard reviews that are saying that the SmallRig EN-EL15 model doesn't work with the Nikon Zf. Hopefully they fix that soon and offer support for people who already bought the batteries.
Thanks for watching and the info, I am going to check with Smallrig about the Z f.
I can concur that it indeed doesn't work with the ZF
I just ordered it thanks
great video, Any chance this battery would work with a Nikon d800 camera? Not listed on there website.
I do not see why not - it uses the EN-EL15 battery. However, I do not have one to test with so I can not say for sure.
The SmallRig En-EL15 Battery Charger says discontinued at B&H now via the link in the description. Just a heads up… Thanks for the video and information.
Thank you - I was not aware of that.
I have two Nikon cameras and was using third party batteries in one Nikon and Nikon batteries in my second Nikon camera and the Nikon camera with the third party batteries stopped working after about 15 minutes in below freezing temperatures while the Nikon camera with the Nikon batteries had no problems working in the below freezing temperatures.
Great review on this new battery, I may consider getting one. As I do more video indoors, I use Small Rig’s V-mount battery to power my camera and monitor.
Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad that my review could help you. The SmallRig V-mount battery is a great option for powering your camera and monitor during indoor shoots.
Update from last post i have just gotten the el 25 battery for the nikkon z30. I plugged it into a 5v battery charger. Out the box it charged within an hr 30 minutes. The orignial battery takes atĺeast 3 or 4 hrs. The manual says 7. So it drastically reduced the charging time. I am able to charge the battery independent of the camera so i dont have to charge this battery in the camera. The battery works great so far. I just need to see if it holds the charge.
My EN-EL25 seems to work and hold the charge with no issues. Let us know what happens.
so how is it going
@@Liljoozy The battery held up. Unfourtunately I moved on to another camera
Super cool don't need to carry an added bulk of a charging stand of some sort and just plug in directly to the battery to charge. Very versatile. Although my Zf and how I use it only requires 1 fully charged battery for most of the time. I'd probably consider one of these for it just as a backup.
Read the comments. I will wait till compatibility with Zf is confirmed ok before buying one.
Thanks for watching - I will update the pinned comment as soon as I have a good answer from SmallRig
Thank you 🙏
thank you for the informative video
Thank you for watching (and the thank you ) 🙂
The NEEWER 2400mAh EN-EL15c Replacement Camera Battery for Nikon Zf does the same thing and somehow promises 2400mAh
I tried it on my new Zf and it does not work. I get the nikon message saying it is an unsupported battery. I will use it instead on my Z6 but not buy any more of these batteries.
I am going to talk with SmallRig about the Z f issue. If I hear anything I will update here.
I’m wondering if it really works with the Z8? My BM Premium batteries work great in my Z6, but I get a message they aren’t compatible on the screen of the Z8.
It does work with a Z 8 - I have tested it myself. No issues.
@@ShutterSpeak Thank you! I’m going to have to try these. I love the idea of being able to charge directly to the battery.
I bought one for my D750 and it works great. It means that I can go away from home without the charger.
Thank you for watching
Nikon Zf ?
Thanks man 🙏
No problem 👍
I also just got the Zf and am hoping Smallrig is soon able to do a decode on it.
I have asked them about it and am waiting for a reply 🙂
Good informational video on the lifeline of a camera man/woman. I'd take a file to the Nikon charger tab to make it work as that's just a small modification to make it happen.
I think it is really a problem with the battery - not the charger since it does not happen with Nikon batteries. Thanks for watching 🙂
NOT compatible with Nikon Zf, bought two after SmallRig Customer support said they'd work with all EN-EL15c Cameras. But there was an error message and the camera would not operate in any way, would not turn on, after returning both batteries, SmallRig said they were not compatible and that I should have read the small print list of cameras that were supported.
Game Changer? maybe if they worked. Annoying waste of time and money if they don't
Yup - of course they need to work. I have asked SmallRig about this issue with the Z f and I am waiting for a reply. They do work with every other Nikon camera.
I got one for my Z8. Super affordable
Thank you for watching.
My small rig battery also got stuck in the battery charger.
I mentioned that - USB charge only
Tried one on my Zf. Got a message to say it's incompatible. Had to return it. A shame as it was a spare and I was on my holiday.
SmallRig states they will replace any battery that does not work with the Z f free of charge. New batteries are now compatible.
Not working on the new Nikon Zf. Also cannot charge inside the camera.
Have you tried the battery on a Z6/7 to verify it is a functioning battery?
I have several cameras that use that format battery and being able to charge way from AC mains is an advantage for me doing events, theater, opera stills for the marketing departments. I usually use the Z6 which is pretty good in frame count on a charge.
Saturday I needed to shoot an Casting directors actors master class with where I needed 6-10 images per actor for their portfolio so generally 3-4 are deleted for not being suitable( Blinks etc).. pulse a 1-2 page of dialog for video, for each of the 57 actors, which required an additional take sometimes, so I went through 5 batteries over the 6 hours. Being able to charge two at a time would have been handy.
I have tested it on a Z 6 and a Z 6II. It works perfectly and it is rated to worked on the Z 7 as well. The only compatibility issue I have heard of is the Z f from these posts, but they do not claim support for that camera.
@@stanspb763
This is correct - it must be charged outside of the camera.
@@stanspb763 You might consider a dummy battery if you have access to AC power. I use a Nikon Z6 II as my webcam, when I'm not using it for photography, and I use a dummy battery in it so that I never have to worry about keeping the battery charged. I even have one for my Z30 too, which use as my work-from-home webcam 🙂
Nikon charger has five contacts. This will allow each cell in the battery to be fully charged and balanced (I assume this is why nikon have five contacts) All of these cheap-as-chips chargers only have two contacts, so they can only charge the cells in series, thus they could become unbalanced.
The clip in the nikon charger is there for a reason. To hold the battery in the charger!
A gentle push from the other end allows the battery to slide out.
Shame somebody does not make a better third party USB charger that actually balances the two cells.
Interesting point - I will look into that. Thank you for watching.
@@ShutterSpeak I would love to teardown a nikon & 3rd party batteries. See exactly what is inside.
Same with the chargers, to see if the nitecore ones, with five contacts do charge the batteries in parallel & peek in a genuine nikon one as well.
If anybody has any dead nikon kit they want to donate, for a teardown, let me know :o)
There is much information on 'tinterweb regarding li-po batteries & the need for balance charging & the horrific fires they cause when things go wrong, but little about li-ion batteries.
Some of my Nikon batteries get a bit stuck in the Nikon charger as well. Annoying design.
Thank you for watching.
They don’t work on the Zf unfortunately
too bad that you didn't read the comments to see that I already said this.!
@@gosman949 I wish I had a gold star to give you
@@BoomerBapstonIV thank you Boomer.
The only concern here is weather proofing. Anyone taking their cameras in conditions where it could be exposed to rain and moisture.
The small rig battery will work in the Z8 but not the Zf. Too bad
SmallRig will replace the battery free of charge with a battery that will work in the Z f should you have one that does not work.
Hmm... works on my Zf
@@RejeRush They have updated the battery
Don't buy those. Nikon is disabling them in the Nikon Z f, the camera will turn on only to show a warning message that the battery is not supported. It's very likely that Nikon will update firmware on their previously released cameras to exhibit the same behavior. :(
The same could be said with third-party lenses but that hasn't happened. No reason to think they would try to kill innovation for the Nikon Z echo system of cameras. That is bad for business.
it doesn't work with my ZF...but it works with my Z8
Thank you for watching.
For me they are not cheap enough to buy them. I like Nikon batteries. I don't plan on buying unless they go down in price. Peace
Thank you for watching.
I am not a negative person but getting to a stage where "game change", "just shocked the world", "blows the rest out of the water", "just killed the opposition" are past it's sell by date. Lets try something that interest the audience. here is the story, SmallRig is not a battery business, why would I trust it? Nikon new Z bodies especially the Z9/8 etc do not like 3rd party batteries, Damage to your camera by 3rd party batteries cancel the warrantee, go read the fine print..
Actually if you are an event photographer being able to charge your battery via USB is a game changer. The odds of your camera getting damaged by a battery are pretty low - in fact, almost zero. The only real way it could damage your camera is if it swelled in the camera or exploded. And as for the warranty - any third party part - a flash, a filter, a trigger, or a battery that damages your camera would not be covered. Does that mean we should not use them?
As photographer who shoots a few events each year, I don't charge batteries at events, finding it unprofessional and stressful. Nikon's wall charger, taking about 2 hours to fully charge a battery, seems like it would be stronger/faster power source than USB-C chargers, or those USB batterie chargers you can fit in your pocket. After Nikon rendered my Wasabi batteries unusable, I now solely use OEM batteries, avoiding any shortcuts.
@@MichaelSeneschal I'm not sure how changing a low battery is unprofessional - however, not every product is for everyone. I respect that.
@@ShutterSpeak Respectfully speaking, unprofessional, meaning being prepared for the job. Anything that takes away from the task at hand is something that should be eliminated. Seeing that batteries take at least an hour to charge, to waste time charging batteries when you’re hired to photograph an event is just a distraction.
@@ShutterSpeak just carry three batteries...why bother about charging...just added stress
aliexpress sells them for the last few years...
I bought 4, 2 died within months and they're refusing to refund me.
I'm sorry to hear that. What reason did they give for not refunding? I have one but it still works great.
@@ShutterSpeak I kept at them and they've agreed to send me 2 replacements.
The two good ones really do perform very well so I'm quite happy to get replacements rather than money back.
I didn't buy a Z6 because it has no in camera USB charging. And I don't care if one can remove the battery and charge it with USB. I want in camera or I'm not buying. I don't know why Nikon doesn't have this simple feature that every other camera I've owned for the last 20 years has.
Connecting the Z6 to a computer USB port with a USB cable (WITHOUT AN ADAPTER) would not CHARGE/REPLENISH the battery in camera in "off" position. The Nikon manual is in agreement. What you appear to suggest is running the camera via USB using an adapter. Not the same thing. Maybe that "runs" the camera but that's NOT what I am referring to. My Z50 will charge the battery in camera. The Z6 will not. You apparently are referring to tethering (my guess) not charging. I do not want to carry around an adapter on vacation, for example. @@TheSpiv