Nikon MB-E5700 Battery Pack Coolpix 5700 & 8700 Digital Camera

Rating:
Summary: Do you need this?
Review: Hello, I deal cameras and this battery pack is not necessary but can be useful for long trips without a nightly battery charger for your 5700. First of all, it takes a ton of AA's. Secondly, unlike the D100 battery pack, you cannot use two 5700 lithiums at the same time....only AA's. Thirdly, Nikon has been good about throwing in extras to sell their battery packs and this one isn't different. They have added a wide angle/telephoto toggle button built into the pack to be a bit more ergonomic? So, this may or may not be a waste of money, depending on you.

Rating:
Summary: Do you need this?
Review: Hello, I deal cameras and this battery pack is not necessary but can be useful for long trips without a nightly battery charger for your 5700. First of all, it takes a ton of AA's. Secondly, unlike the D100 battery pack, you cannot use two 5700 lithiums at the same time....only AA's. Thirdly, Nikon has been good about throwing in extras to sell their battery packs and this one isn't different. They have added a wide angle/telephoto toggle button built into the pack to be a bit more ergonomic? So, this may or may not be a waste of money, depending on you.

Rating:
Summary: Nikon Can Do Much Better, They Did Badly On The MB-E5700
Review: I formerly had a Nikon Coolpix 4500, the battery used was Nikon,s usual EL-EN1, was not great as far as capacity was concerned, but was just fine if you bought a second battery as I did, had the 4500 for some years, great camera, unfortunately, in a moment of being clumsy I dropped it on a concrete floor, no more 4500.
I replaced it with the Nikon CoolPix 8700, results are spectacular, this machine uses the same EL-EN1,I bought the MB-E5700 loaded it with Ni-Mh batteries rated at 2300 milliamps, that is a high powered AA battery, it works great on digital cameras, video cameras, etc. The batteries went dead in about 30 shots, tried it again with another brand of the same rating as the first try, results, about 30 shots, its all over.
To make sure all was ok with my 8700, put back the original Nikon battery, the EL-EN1, everthing worked just fine.
In conclusion, I say this, do not even consider this thing, it eats batteries, it makes the camera for all intents and purposes not usable, Nikon did a very bad job on this. Calling Nikon is a waste of time, so in less than 24 hours this product is on its way back to Amazon, and it is not Amazon,s fault.
I cannot believe that Nikon did not know how bad this product was.


Rating:
Summary: Important Option
Review: I have not bought this item yet, but seeing that it is available puts the 5700 back into consideration for my next digital camera. After paying outrageous prices for various proprietary battery packs, I finally decided if it doesn't use AA NiMh batteries I don't want it. These batteries have excellent capacity and only cost about 3x what alkalines cost - and they don't have the problems that NiCds have. I can buy a ton of spares and use them in almost any device I have. Thankyou Nikon, yours looked like a nice camera but I had ruled it out because of the batteries. It is now at the top of my list.

Rating:
Summary: Not so Great
Review: I purchased this battery pack assuming it would yield me more shooting time on my nikon 5700. However,my experience has bee less than satisfying with this accesory . I find the original lithium battery that came with the camera lasts longer than a set of six (expensive) alkaline batteries attached via the MB-E5700 and forget about the rechargable batteries, they last even less. I believe it would be more cost efficient to purchase two extra lithium bateries and have them available when shooting for extended periods. Another minus is that the battery pack adds more weight to the camera and makes it more bulky. I would think twice when purchasing this item. In my opinion it really isn't necesary.

Rating:
Summary: More than just a battery pack.
Review: I rated the product 4 stars because of the price - this is a very expensive accessory. Otherwise, this is a very useful product, if you have the need. If you are out in the field and need lots of battery power, you can either buy a handful of Nikon's special batteries and carry the charger with you, or you can use the MB-E5700 battery pack. So, why get the MB-E5700? Here's a scenario: you are at the Disneyland Park shooting photos from early morning until the park closes at night. The next day, you are going right back again to shoot all day long. Are you going to stay up in your hotel room putting batteries in the charger for the next day's shoot? Instead, you can charge one of the Nikon batteries overnight and load up the MB-E5700 with fresh AA batteries. And, you can buy more AA batteries in the park, as needed. You'll have less stuff in your pockets, too.

You have to remove two parts from the camera to install the MB-E5700. The MB-E5700 has slots to store these parts, so they don't become lost. It takes only a minute or so to install.

The MB-E5700 has a lockable shutter button and zoom control that are intended for use when the camera is held in the vertical position. The shape of the battery pack itself assists with holding the camera in the vertical position.

Finally, the bottom of the MB-E5700 is flat and wide to accommodate placing the camera on a flat surface and being able to take photos with the camera perfectly level. There is a tripod mount as well. The battery pack places the camera a small distance away from the tripod itself - giving more room for handling the camera's controls and looking into the viewfinder.

This is a good accessory for the 5700. I just wish it were lower in cost.

Rating:
Summary: I have to say one thing, this is a must buy!!! Enough said
Review: If you own the Nikon 5700 or 8700 do yourself a favor and get this battery pack. The most important thing it does is not make it possible to use AA batteries that is a bonus and its purpose.

The most important thing, I feel that this battery pack does is add greater grip ability to the cameras. If you use any Nikons for a while, you know the buttons on the side. Can you pressed accidentally over this battery pack that happens way less often! This alone is such a great feature that I think it merits purchase on that fact alone.

Plus having AA batteries available means, you will never be out of juice.

Peace out

Rating:
Summary: My opinion
Review: In the long run, using AA's batteries is always a good investment for digital coolpix 5700 camera since it seems never end production and available just about anywhere; especially, if having wide angle len attached to camera body, it keeps balance holding weight between base and front which stablize position of shooting.