I had a Nikon D1x which I just traded in for a D2x. So I read the manual.

One of the problems I had with the D1x was apparrent short battery life. Seems I ended up with short battery life and having to recharge it every time I went shooting. Short battery life meant that I had to buy a new one every 18 months.

Turns out that even with the switch off the camera uses a small amount of power.

So the D2x manual says take the battery out when not shooting.

I am also doing this with Flash units and the battery carrier on my F5.

There is no reason at all to remove the batteries from a D2x. They will hold charge for several months with no use if the switch is off. The D1x batteries were a totally different type of battery construction. You will get even better life if you upgrade to EN-EL4a's. I have 2 D2h's and 2 D2x's and can attest to this as can most of the people on the Nikon forums. That is the only reason I got rid of my D1x's. The batteries would go flat in a couple of days just sitting. I tried converting to a lithium-ion battery but could never seem to build them to the proper spec. It is a sucessful conversion however if your skills are better than mine. I learned about it on the Nikonians forum.

quote:

There is no reason at all to remove the batteries from a D2x. They will hold charge for several months with no use if the switch is off. The D1x batteries were a totally different type of battery construction. You will get even better life if you upgrade to EN-EL4a's

Hey, I just read the manual. Then I thought, what the heck, couldn't hurt.

Sort of like putting the safety on between shots when hunting. My experienced big game hunter Dad insisted on it!

Can't really hurt,of course,just inconvenient and if you do be careful you put the plastic cover over the end because you can short the battery very easily if something gets across the contacts. I think the manual states extended periods and I believe they mean several months by that as they reference taking the camera and exercising the shutter at least monthly. Doesn't hurt to take them out though so whatever you feel comfortable with is what you should do.