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I just purchased my first DSLR, the D3400. It's not been more than a day and I fully charged the battery before using the camera. I took about 45-50 shots and the battery is dead again. I talked to Nikon and they said the battery is not covered in the warranty. What shall I do and what do you think are the possible causes of this? If anyone has experienced the same please let me know how they resolved it. Thank you

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Is there a WiFi or Bluetooth option active? Can you try a different battery? \$\endgroup\$
    – Alexander von Wernherr
    Commented Nov 6, 2018 at 12:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ The camera doesn't have WiFi and Bluetooth is turned off. I only have one battery. I purchased the camera yesterday. \$\endgroup\$
    – Angad Monga
    Commented Nov 6, 2018 at 12:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ What lens are you using? (Exact name please :) ) \$\endgroup\$
    – Alexander von Wernherr
    Commented Nov 6, 2018 at 12:21
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    \$\begingroup\$ Is the camera new and under a full warranty, or just new to you? \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Commented Nov 6, 2018 at 12:32
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    \$\begingroup\$ I have a d3400 and you should be getting about 1200 hundred shots. I keep Bluetooth on mine. They are correct to say consumables (aka batteries) are not covered under warranty. One way to test this is to get another battery. If the problem persist then you know it is the camera. If the problem stops then it was indeed a bad battery. \$\endgroup\$
    – TheXed
    Commented Nov 7, 2018 at 2:36

4 Answers 4

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This is not right. I'd try Nikon again. Explain that you understand that the battery is a consumable that might not be good in a year, but that it is brand new. If that doesn't work, take it back to the store you bought it from. And if that doesn't work, open a dispute with your credit card company (on the grounds "they sold me a lemon and won't take responsibility").

In a comment, you add:

As far as going back to the store is concerned, I'm afraid that won't be possible since I'm going out of town tomorrow and won't be back for another four months.

... well, it's not like Nikon is going to magically fix this over the phone either. From a practical photographer's point of view, this has a bit of a lesson: always make sure you either have back-up gear, or plenty of time to get things working. You should at the very least contact the store and tell them the problem. If you are planning on taking the camera on the trip, I'd consider changing my plans and squeezing in a visit to the store today.

If you do want to use the camera and don't have time for anything, I'd suggest buying a second battery. For one thing, you want to have that anyway. It'll be something like $50 for a legitimate Nikon battery (recommended) or $15 for a third-party one (probably fine). There's a reasonable chance that the problem is just with the battery, so maybe this will make it work. If not, all I have is the sad lesson to plan ahead better next time.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I'll talk to Nikon about it and try to get it replaced. As far as going back to the store is concerned, I'm afraid that won't be possible since I'm going out of town tomorrow and won't be back for another four months. \$\endgroup\$
    – Angad Monga
    Commented Nov 6, 2018 at 12:39
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    \$\begingroup\$ I have informed the store about the issue, shall visit them today or tomorrow before I leave for the airport. I'll definitely consider what you said about buying a second battery, I'll get one once I reach my hostel. Thank you so much for the help! Happy shooting! \$\endgroup\$
    – Angad Monga
    Commented Nov 6, 2018 at 14:02
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The possible reasons for such behavior can be:

  1. You preview the images you take too much. Using the LCD screen can exhaust the battery
  2. You use too much live view. Again using LCD is not good for battery
  3. Your lens have image stabilization and you half press the shutter too long.
  4. You have defective battery
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  • \$\begingroup\$ It's also possible the battery wasn't fully charged even though OP thought it was. The battery may not have been properly seated in the charger, or there could have been an electrical issue, such as a bad electrical outlet. \$\endgroup\$
    – xiota
    Commented Nov 11, 2018 at 23:19
  • \$\begingroup\$ Another possibility, OP may have been shooting video instead of taking photos. \$\endgroup\$
    – xiota
    Commented Nov 11, 2018 at 23:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ @xiota, yes, there is such possibility \$\endgroup\$
    – Romeo Ninov
    Commented Nov 12, 2018 at 6:39
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Note that new Lithium rechargeables will typically need about 5 charge/use cycles before they show their full capacity, particularly if they have been some time on shelf. How much use they will then endure before deteriorating again depends on their quality: second-market batteries often have a shorter lifetime in terms of recharges. If yours is original, it should have a comparatively long one.

So for now I'd recommend to just grit your teeth, use your battery until it is empty, then recharge. And hope that after a few times of that, the problem will sort itself out for a longer time.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ No way that a battery goes from 50 to 1000 shots after 5 cycles. What you say it's true but it's referring to capacity from 80-90% to 100%, not from 5% to 100%. \$\endgroup\$
    – FarO
    Commented Jul 24 at 7:31
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I think leaving the camera connected by USB to your computer will drain the battery quickly. If you were doing this, try communicating with your computer by using the SD card or Bluetooth.

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