Reviews |Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP Li-ion Battery review

Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP Li-ion Battery review

Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP Li-ion Battery review
Review

The Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP battery is a replacement for the Nikon EN-EL15 battery that comes with the D850 and promises even higher capacity than the Nikon standard.

The 2000mAh, 7V, 14Wh HLX-EL15HP claims to last longer thanks to this higher capacity, and is built for use in extreme conditions, such as the freezing cold.

The Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP is also capable of more than 500 charge/discharge cycles.

Prior to this test, I’d been shooting a number of timelapse videos with the Nikon D850 and was getting frustrated with the battery running out of charge three-quarters of the way through.

Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP Li-ion Battery review

Build Quality

The Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP built with a shock-absorbing design that makes it withstand drops from three metres.

To achieve this, Hahnel injects each battery with silicone that protects the circuits and adds insulation. So if the battery drops from your hand, everything stays protected.

I did test a few drops, opening the battery compartment door on the D850 while mounted to my tripod and letting the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP fall to the ground. I’m pleased to say it was fine.

Hahnel also offers a two-year warranty on the Extreme HLX-EL15HP.

Performance

Let’s face it: there’s not much to test about a battery. Is it good in all weather? Does it charge quick and last a long time? These are the key questions.

Living here in southern England, we don’t get much extreme weather. However, this is 2018 where everything is backwards and I did manage to use the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP during the freak snowfalls we had back in March. And I’ve been using it in the D850 through the heatwave we’ve had from May through July.

I’m pleased to say that the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP has performed just as well in both conditions. It’s possible I got slightly fewer frames during the colder spell, but if so it hasn’t been noticeable.

I really wanted a longer battery life for shooting timelapse videos, though. I was tired of the Nikon EN-EL15 losing charge three-quarters through when I didn’t have an option to connect the camera to the mains.

The Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP has given me that extra capacity I needed to set up a shot that takes all day. I shot snow melting without a problem, and I shot this timelapse below comprising 500 frames and packed up with half of the battery’s charge still in the tank.

After that timelapse I didn’t charge the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP and took it to a photo shoot in Bristol. The shoot was about three hours, and I left with one bar remaining.

The D850 finally began flashing the battery charge indicator the next day when shooting some images for a Camera Jabber review.

I then slid the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP into the charging cradle and was back up and running in about two hours.

I needed a battery for the Nikon D850 that I could use for long timelapse shoots outdoors. I needed to be able to shoot 500+ frames over many hours, and I’m pleased to say the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP helped me achieve this.

Verdict

If you need to push your D850 further but don’t have the battery grip, the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP is a high-capacity battery that can extend your shooting time, even in difficult conditions.

Over the weeks and months I’ve been using it, the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP has become my default battery of choice over the standard Nikon EN-EL15 that comes with the D850.

If you do a lot of long shoots outdoors or shoot timelapses, you’ll want the Hahnel Extreme HLX-EL15HP Li-ion battery in your camera bag.