07-21-2010, 08:41 AM
[quote name='adifrank' date='20 July 2010 - 12:29 PM' timestamp='1279654153' post='1173']
With laptops I've been told that it is a good idea to completely drain the battery and then charge it up to full again every month or two. As I've understood, if you don't do this the battery's capacity slowly diminishes.
[/quote]
I'm not well versed in battery technologies, and we don't yet own the 5DII, but from what I have read most of the memory effects are from impurities in the batteries. And today the "highest-quality" LiIon suffer very little from this apparently. With our Canon batteries (different models from yours), we've really not seen this effect in several years of use, even when changing the batteries before they're dead. Our LiIons will hold a charge for months without use. But when our batteries finally drain they do so very quickly, so the warning indicators on our cameras are close to silly.
[Note: NiMH batteries are a totally different beast designed to give high bursts of power but suffering from rapid draw-down. NiMH are great for flash units, but can't hold a charge over time and also lose a charge quickly if cooled. You wouldn't want that behavior in a camera body battery. Sanyo's development of Eneloop batteries was a response to their shortcomings and intended as a replacement for NiMH technology.]
We carry spares with us always (and chargers!). We have an accessory plug/extension cord setup that allows us to recharge them in the car via the cigarette lighter, which is handy for longer trips. But as I recall, when we shopped to buy the spares, many folks on Amazon and elsewhere were warning about memory effects in the off-brand replacements. Consequently, we bought only Canon batteries. We're happy with them.
My experience with an Canon accessory grip that takes two of the Canon LiIon batteries is that I get about 60-70% more shooting time than with a single battery, but that's a very rough guestimate. How much you dither at the controls will affect things considerably. I'm more of a ditherer than my wife is partly because I do a lot of macro work.
Lastly, I don't know how critical it is to remove the battery when the camera is not in use. I would find that annoying when I am hurrying to grab a shot of some cool bug. ;-) The only Canon item we have that drains its batteries if they are left in is the Macro Ring Flash MR-14EX, and that vampire will suck AA's dry overnight! We wonder if the flash has a manufacturer's flaw, so note that your camera could vary from the experiences of others.
Hope this helps...
Scott
With laptops I've been told that it is a good idea to completely drain the battery and then charge it up to full again every month or two. As I've understood, if you don't do this the battery's capacity slowly diminishes.
[/quote]
I'm not well versed in battery technologies, and we don't yet own the 5DII, but from what I have read most of the memory effects are from impurities in the batteries. And today the "highest-quality" LiIon suffer very little from this apparently. With our Canon batteries (different models from yours), we've really not seen this effect in several years of use, even when changing the batteries before they're dead. Our LiIons will hold a charge for months without use. But when our batteries finally drain they do so very quickly, so the warning indicators on our cameras are close to silly.
[Note: NiMH batteries are a totally different beast designed to give high bursts of power but suffering from rapid draw-down. NiMH are great for flash units, but can't hold a charge over time and also lose a charge quickly if cooled. You wouldn't want that behavior in a camera body battery. Sanyo's development of Eneloop batteries was a response to their shortcomings and intended as a replacement for NiMH technology.]
We carry spares with us always (and chargers!). We have an accessory plug/extension cord setup that allows us to recharge them in the car via the cigarette lighter, which is handy for longer trips. But as I recall, when we shopped to buy the spares, many folks on Amazon and elsewhere were warning about memory effects in the off-brand replacements. Consequently, we bought only Canon batteries. We're happy with them.
My experience with an Canon accessory grip that takes two of the Canon LiIon batteries is that I get about 60-70% more shooting time than with a single battery, but that's a very rough guestimate. How much you dither at the controls will affect things considerably. I'm more of a ditherer than my wife is partly because I do a lot of macro work.
Lastly, I don't know how critical it is to remove the battery when the camera is not in use. I would find that annoying when I am hurrying to grab a shot of some cool bug. ;-) The only Canon item we have that drains its batteries if they are left in is the Macro Ring Flash MR-14EX, and that vampire will suck AA's dry overnight! We wonder if the flash has a manufacturer's flaw, so note that your camera could vary from the experiences of others.
Hope this helps...
Scott