EN-EL12 Rechargeable Battery

⭐ 1 out of 5 stars
EN‑EL12: Now You See Me, Now I'm Dead (Now I'm Nothing)

Ah, the Nikon EN‑EL12. Marketed as a "rechargeable battery," but really more of a part-time employee with attendance issues.

Fully charged? Sure. For like 20 photos and one breath of video before it collapses like it’s auditioning for a fainting couch.

Want to film a once-in-a-lifetime event? Hilarious.
Need to capture your kid’s school play? Dream on.
Going on a camping trip in the wilderness with no outlets?
Perfect. That’s when the EN‑EL12 decides to ghost you forever.

Yes, mine chose nature to reveal its final trick:

Not turning on at all.
Nothing.
No blink. No beeps. No life. Just one cold, silent lithium-ion tomb sealed inside my camera.

And the best part? To charge it, you have to turn the camera on.
But the battery is dead.
And you’re in the woods.
With zero pictures.
And one bar of emotional battery left in your soul.

Charging it is a ritual that only works with a Nikon-blessed USB cable and pure intentions. Third-party charger? Nope. Solar charger? Ha. Positive attitude? Doesn’t matter.

If this battery were a person, it would show up late, take an extended lunch, then die of exhaustion before the meeting even starts.

If you’re thinking of trusting your memories to the EN‑EL12… don’t.

Tape a squirrel to your camera. It might run longer.

Ah yes, the Nikon lithium battery – or as I now call it, The Great Disappointer. I gave it one star because sadly, zero wasn’t an option. After two months of loving care, proper charging, and whispering sweet nothings to it during photo shoots, it just… gave up. No warning, no goodbye, just flatlined like a drama queen in a soap opera.

Determined not to let my dreams die with it, I saved birthday money for SIX months (that’s like 30 kid birthdays!) to buy another one. I took it on a camping trip, hoping to capture majestic landscapes and maybe a dear selfie. Instead, the only thing it captured was disappointment. It died on the first night, leaving me with 300 trees and no proof I even went outside.

The camera? Beautiful. Takes crisp photos, makes me feel like a nature photographer. But this battery? Nikon’s biggest betrayal. I’ve had dollar store batteries last longer than this luxury lemon.

In summary: if you want a battery that lasts about as long as a sneeze in a wind tunnel, this is the one for you. Otherwise, run. Or bring a generator.

Just got my replacement battery today, so cannot say anything about longevity, etc. It charged in about 3 hours. Have discovered that the old battery is still working and probably didn't need this new one. Oh well. Will have to get out and take more pictures. What I can say is that I LOVE the Coolpix S9050 which I bought last year at a yardsale for $15. Yes, it's an old camera (2012, I think) but it takes great shots.

I have ( had ) Nikon cameras´ and this battery life span is the worst I´ve had to deal with. Just like that - poof and it won´t hold a charge! I purchased the camera Sept 2018. I have two other Nikon´s bought in 2017 and they are still going strong.

I´ve owned the P330 for 14 months and not used too often. So far I have two dead batteries!! They´re junk. Should´ve bought a different camera.

Have this battery in a P7700. I charged it maybe 10 times and all of a sudden, I went to turn on the camera and...nothing. So after reading some of the other reviews and the overall rating, and seeing that the battery is on backorder (probably because so many people need a replacement), I can only assume there´s a problem with some of these batteries. I´ll order another but this shouldn´t happen, the batteries on all my other Nikon cameras have never failed and some of them are years old.

I really wish that I would have read all of these reviews before I purchased this camera. I bought it for my wife for Christmas 2012. Used it a few times in 2013, June for my daughters graduation was the last time. Now its April 2013 and I leave for vacation to Mexico the day after tomorrow. I plug in the camera to get it ready, and nothing. No power, light won´t come on, nothing happens. I have taken maybe 20 pics with this camera, now I have to pay $37.95 for a new battery. NIKON should refund peoples money or send a new battery! This is outrageous!!

Having taken our Coolpiix AW100 through many countries, in and out of the water, covered in sand etc. we have nothing but good reviews. The EN-EL 12 battery has been of no concern for us, holding a charge well. Many high quality video´s taken throughout the same day with no concerns. The only downfall we had was taking the camera in and out of the water in a warm climate, we found that condensation would get into the lense and caused some blurry pictures. Seal may be broken from us carrying it around and using it to it´s full potential.

I don´t know if its the camera or the battery, but one doen´t work without the other. I have taken 192 pictures, and the battery won´t take a charge through the USB power cord. I think $40.00 to replace the battery after so few pictures is ridiculous. I tried the update, but since I can´t get power to the camera, I can´t update the firmware either. Very dissatisfied! The worst part is I am visiting Hungary where I can´t even find a battery, and would really like to take pictures.