Camera batteries and the need for a spare or spares.

[I @ M]

I have read a few posts lately about people buying extra / back up / replacement batteries for their cameras.

Since 2005 till the present we have 3 models of DSLR that take the same battery. Apart from when a battery grip was purchased secondhand that included a battery we have never bought another battery and all the batteries that we have still give somewhere near the same number of shots per charge as they did when they were new.

Relate your bad or good experiences with genuine or non genuine battery purchases here. Most importantly, why did you have to buy another battery in the first place.

[macmich]

the only reason i use another battery is for the grip and i get a couple of thousand shots out of the pair
and the charge seems to last forever
cheers macca

[ricktas]

I have 2 batteries for my D200 cause the grip happily takes 2 and it gave me a lot more shooting between charges. For the D3 I only have the one battery and it seems to go on forever before needing charge. With the D800 on the way, along with a grip, I might get a second battery for it, to make the most of the grip.

[Bennymiata]

If you do functions, weddings etc., or you go away on holidays where you may not be able to charge your batteries, then you defintely need spare batteries.

If you only shoot casually, then you may not need a spare, but it is stil handy to always carry a fully charged spare with you, just in case.

Personally, I have 5 batteries for my 2 cameras, which luckily use the same battery.

One of my first digital cameras (in the early 1990's) would use up 4 AA cells in just ONE shot using the flash.
Haven't they come along way since then.

[Wobbles]

When I was in Africa back in 2010 I was shooting with a pair of 50D's with grips and had four spare batteries, I'd alternate these and charge overnight in camp. I found the body attached to the EF 500L would have both batteries running low half - 3/4 of the way through the day. The other body with EF 70-200 or 24-70 would generally only flatten one battery. We were out shooting pretty well 12 hours a day and some sometimes I was took over 1000 pics... So really depends on how much you are using them, if you're driving big prime lenses, how close you are to electricity etc... Oh, I used a mix of Canon and Sterlingtek batteries and as a matter of fact the non-genuine ones lasted longer!

Cheers
John

[Mary Anne]

I have always bought a spare battery for my three DSLR cameras and they are still going strong.
Two of those Batteries are non genuine batteries and I have never had any problems with them or the four Canon batteries.

[flashc]

Relate your bad or good experiences with genuine or non genuine battery purchases here. Most importantly, why did you have to buy another battery in the first place.

I still have my original Canon 300D battery (BP511) in service and although it isn't capable of performing like new, it still holds a charge and would easily do 300 images. I bought 2 extra genuine Canon batteries and 2 others off Ebay for the day the original battery failed. I have only charged one of the 2 Canons and used it as a changeover battery if required. (If you've ever tried to take a photo with a flat battery, you probably have already bought a spare battery or a 12volt car charger at least)

I charged one of the non-genuine batteries but have had not much use for it. I think it has slightly higher capacity and is said to be NiMh type.

I don't use my 300D much any more so I sold one of the Ebay batteries. I haven't taken a photo with my 300D for 6 months but I just switched it on and it works with the original Canon battery in it I charged 6 months ago. If a non genuine could last this long, then we should all have one.

The review display on modern DSLR's also would chew a fair bit of battery power along with the autofocus system, shutter, metering, sensor cleaning, top deck display light if you have one, memory card power, the illumination of my 7D focusing screen display and whatever else a modern DLSR uses power for. If you spend 30 minutes reviewing images, then any battery would provide less photo shots.

That's my Canon BP 511 battery experience - A battery still in service after 9 ? years.

[Speedway]

I have a mixture of genuine and after market batteries for both my 400D and 7D which are all rotated through the cameras keeping the usage similar. So far it is the genuine batteries which seem to have lost the most although they all still work well.
Whether out walking around a 35km off road course, shooting a 3 day Go Kart Title event or out in the remote parts of the country spare batteries are an essential part of my kit.

[etherial]

I have two batteries for each of my cameras (because they fit nicely in the grips). I have bought spares in the past and have never found myself needing them so don't bother any more. The original batteries are brilliant these days.

[arthurking83]

I have 3 batteries for the D70s and only 1 battery for the D300.
They're not fully interchangeable, where the older D70s batteries won't fit into the D300(for obvious reasons).

The three D70s batteries are one genuine that came with the camera and two aftermarket models that were subsequently purchased.
All three going strong as ever, but I think the cheaper aftermarket batteries seem to last a bit longer.

The (now nearly 5 yo) D300 battery is dying. The charge indicator says all is good when charged but after a full charge and then resting for half hour or so, the camera tells me it only has 95% capacity.
I reckon it's done 100K shots by now, so it's only fair that it's starting to fade into the ether by now.

I doubt I'll get 200-300 images out of a full charge now, but once upon a time it used to last me several shoots and about 1000 images easily ... except!
Except when I started using the GPS! :eek:
With the camera connected GPS, I'd struggle to get 200 images, even with the metering set to turn off after 6 sec which also disconnected the GPS.
I thought of getting spare batteries and or a grip too, but in the end my solution was to start again with a different GPS system that didn't rely on the camera for power.(much better).

Even tho a new camera is imminent I'm still going to maintain the D300, so I'll probably get an aftermarket grip and a couple of batteries for it soon.

[Kym]

One of my 3rd party batteries died last week - after 3.5 years. Meh!

[Allie]

I haven't got a spare but am considering it while they are still available for my camera - I won't be upgrading the camera :anytime soon.:)

[William]

Quote Flashc : That's my Canon BP 511 battery experience - A battery still in service after 9 ? years.

Same I'm still shooting with the BP-511 in my 30D, The original is still charged and used as a backup to a generic (Inca) I think , Which is still going strong after 3 yrs so far, Funny I only bought another last week, Just cause I was at the shop and it was cheap$29 , Mainly for just in case, Still have'nt taken it out of the box :D

[brownie]

I ordered a second battery at the same time I purchased my D90 as I did not know how long a charge would last. I was impressed with how long the battery charge did last, so having a second battery seemed a bit of overkill.

Then last month I went overseas on holiday for a couple of weeks. I took the 2 charged batteries with me but left the charger behind thinking one battery would last the two weeks away. It would have lasted, had I not left the camera on for a day. When I discovered this, the battery was nearly 2/3 discharged which surprised me as only the camera was left on.

So I didn’t really need it in this case, but for me, having a backup battery, especially for away trips, provides a bit of security for those unforeseen circumstances.

[Speedway]

For me a 2 week overseas holiday would mean the camera would be working overtime and extra batteries would be a necessity. I have left my 400D on for a week with very little effect on the battery and often leave both cameras turned on overnight with little effect also.
Keith.

[I @ M]

Thanks for the responses so far.
It is good to see a cross section of brands presented and my thoughts behind this were centred around whether one particular make / model battery seemed to die prematurely or whether most batteries held together satisfactorily.
The most compelling need for an extra battery ( or batteries ) seems to be convenience when travelling and during extended photo sessions as I sort of expected.
To me, when you can get quite a large number of years of use from the current style of batteries is rather heartening in this day and age of pretty well planned obsolescence in most things electrical.
I did read somewhere a long time ago that Li-Ion batteries basically had a pre determined life from the moment that they were manufactured till the time they ceased to function and that it didn't really matter whether they sat on a shelf in a store or were used daily they are all going to be dead in the same amount of time.
I also read that recharging them when they were at around 50% capacity as opposed to letting them go till they are exhausted is the better way of prolonging their life.

Please keep any thoughts rolling in. Anecdotal accounts from this thread could make a good library article on the site as a guide for people looking at purchasing extra batteries. :)

[arthurking83]

And whilst on the topic of batteries(being mostly Lithium types in this instance), I was reading the other week an article that was explaining how researches have discovered a new way to manufacture Lithium batteries(I think LiIon, not Lithium Polymer tho) and that this new manufacturing technique will allow them to be recharged(fully) in only a few minutes too .. not hours as per the current manner!

If this is the case, then spare batteries(or more than one) will then become a thing of the past too.

That is, if you have the ability to recharge a battery in only 5 or 10mins, then it'd be feasible in many instances to have a single battery(or maybe another one for a single body) where you'd recharge it whilst on a 5 or 10 min lunch break or something.

Hoping to see this sort of technology soon! :th3:

[EdanTrevethickPhotography]

I have my original canon battery which i use 100% of the time, however!! i have 2 cheap eBay battery which cost me $10 that stay in my case (i will charge them occasionally) as back ups. i have only used them a few times and i am so glad i had them as otherwise i would have been sent home packing, if they only last a year so what? buy another one.

so my suggestion to anyone considering a non genuine cheapy is only as a back up


@arthur that sounds too good to be true, however i think a spare battery would still be needed by a professional shooters because you never know what might happen.

[OzzieTraveller]

G'day Andrew

Besides camera batteries there are the ubiquitous AA batteries ...
In the motorhome I have lots of stuff powered by AAs > 2x cameras, torches, tranny, reading lights etc etc
The oldest set of AAs still in regular service were bought in 1986 > a set of 4x 1350mAh from Radio Shack [Tandy in those days]
Best AA performers are Sanyo eneLoops, worst are (N)Eveready energisers > got given 2 sets and never again will I have 'em near my equip't

Camera battery wise - I get jacked off when a camera maker changes the battery dimensions between models by 1mm in width / length whatever so that the new camera's battery won't fit into the previous model's battery charger - so 2 chargers are needed where one 'should' do the job

Regards, Phil

[bricat]

I don't shoot on a regular basis so I have a charged battery on standby. Nothing worse than going for a shoot to find the battery dead and an hour or so to wait for the charge. And the cost? Well that's just part of the process and piece of mind. cheers Brian

[Rattus79]

You should always have a spare for days like my own wedding when I forgot to charge my only battery.

It went flat in under 10 shots.

[Analog6]

I did manage to kill the original Canon battery that came with my 300D! I use both genuine & aftermarket and have no problem with them. Whenever I get a new battery it gets a sticker on it with date of first charge. This lets me (a) rotate the batteries & (b) know when they're getting a bit long in the tooth.
With the med format digital backs genuine batteries start at$130, so I do use aftermarket - about $30 by comparison. With both the Pahse One & Leaf I found they are a bit 'loose' and can lose connection so I carry the high- tech solution - thick rubber bands - in the camera bag.
I like to have at least two betteries per body / back.

[ScottM]

I have four batteries, both Nikon and third party. Strangely, the third party ones have a higher rating than the Nikons, but it's not really noticeable. All have been going strong for three years or so.

Similar to Odille, I put a sticker on mine and record the date of charging. Although just an indication of age, it lets me rotate around the least used batteries.

Only once I've had a battery run absolutely flat out in the field, but I did have a spare with me. I've left the camera turned on and plugged into the computer overnight. That ran the battery flat; presumably as the USB controller on the camera was drawing power.

[Bennymiata]

I have a big shoot coming up soon where I will need to use 3 bodies, so I went out to Master Instruments in Marrickville (who used to be customers of mine) and bought a couple of batteries for my Canons.
Cheap too at $33.00 each, and when I got home, I put them into the Canon chargers, and they do have a chip in them as the charger and the camera recognises them just like original Canon batteries.
If you have an ABN, they will also sell to you.
I also bought some Sanyo Eneloops from them, as they are the importers, and saved around 30% on retail.

[wardiej]

I bought Sterlingtek batteries for my 30D & 40D and they are reliable as. I shoot airshows a lot and a set of Sterlingteks in my grip will run my 100-400L all day using IS and AI Servo focusing without going flat and they are 4 years old.