Is it my battery or charger? - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

05/08/2007 10:48:25 AM · #1

I went to the beach this morning to take some photos and I went through my three batteries in about two hours!
I had charged them all last night to the point where none of them were blinking anymore (which means they are fully charged).

It certainly isn't the first time it's happened.

I've always assumed it to be the battery.
But a friend wondered if maybe it's the charger?

Anyone have similar problems or solutions or any insight into this?

Thanks.

Telehubbie

Canon EOS-40D

05/08/2007 10:54:33 AM · #2

Was it really cold? The cold will eat up batteries quickly. I keep mine in my pants pocket to keep them warm in cold weather and it helps. You can actually gain some life back by warming them back up. Edit: I just looked at your profile, SC must be nice this time of year so maybe not the cold. I dunno if that's the case.

Bugzeye

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

05/08/2007 10:54:36 AM · #3

This is just a guess, But if it is happening with all three batteries I would suspect the charger to be faulty, That or perhaps something is shorting out inside your camera causing it to drain the batteries much faster than normal.

edit to ask, How many shots did you take during the 2 hours and were you using a flash. however 2 hours for 3 batts seems extreme no matter what. Do you know someone else with the same charger that you could try charging your batteries on?

Message edited by author 2007-05-08 10:57:45.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

05/08/2007 11:02:51 AM · #4

No, it wasn't that cold.
Maybe around 50 degrees.
No flash was used.
I probably took around 120 shots.
And like I said it's happened several times before.

There was supposed to be a storm just off the coast of South Carolina, so I got up at 4:30 and drove 40 minutes to Folly Beach.
There were loads of reports of high surf and wave advisories etc.
Unfortunately, it was low tide, so the waves weren't all that impressive.

Oh well :-)

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

05/08/2007 11:10:36 AM · #5

Are the batteries Canon or 3rd-party? Were they all purchased at the same time? How old are they?
Reason I ask is that I had a similar thing happen. Two batteries (Canon BP-511) died within weeks with similar symptoms as what you report. Charger indicated fully charged, but life was very short. Both batteries were just over 3 years old.

OdysseyF22

Panasonic DC-G9

Olympus 12-45mm f/4.0 Pro

05/08/2007 11:22:24 AM · #6

A lot of batteries these days seem to have a "lifetime" built into them, where they'll take X number of charge cycles, and that's it. I had to replace my laptop battery last year because it had reached it's 300 cycle limit. Annoying as all hell...

Don't know for sure if camera batteries do this to, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

05/08/2007 11:22:56 AM · #7

They are all Canon.
Probably around three years old also.
I have an extended warranty on the camera, I wonder if it also covers the batteries that came with the camera?

Bugzeye

05/08/2007 11:34:23 AM · #8

yeah those batteries have probably seen their better days. Wouldn't count on the warranty covering the battery but read through it, It might. The battery may be viewed as an included accessory and not included in the extended warranty, however if you bought it someplace like a Best Buy, Go raise a little hell with the manager and if you get a few other customers attention, they usually take good care of you..

Message edited by author 2007-05-08 11:34:41.

Rebecca

Nikon D80

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

05/08/2007 11:40:25 AM · #9

I have three EN-EL1 batteries, all different brands, and all purchased at different times. None of them hold a charge past an hour anymore. I was starting to wonder about this myself, since I bought a battery charger last Thanksgiving after I thought the TSA had lost mine.

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

05/08/2007 11:41:03 AM · #10

Three to four years sounds about right for battery life. My old Sony handicam batteries lasted about that long, as well as several other things with NiMh batteries that I have used, like cordless drills ect.
I would try to locate another charger that you can use long enough to charge them up and see if it is the charger.
As they near the end of their useful life, they will take less and less time to take a full charge from the "dead" condition, just an indicator.
The Fuji S3 has a "discharge" function, which completely discharges the batteries, and the manual says to use that function "when batteries only last a short time after being fully charged". Maybe there is something similar with the Canon.
Lucky for me that the S3 Fuji uses 4 "AA" batteries at about $10 per set instead of pricey camera dedicated ones.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

05/08/2007 11:50:47 AM · #11

I do occasionally discharge the canon batteries by reviewing a picture and turning the auto-off feature off.
But I'm not sure whether it has actually ever made a difference.

RayEthier

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

05/08/2007 12:47:33 PM · #12

Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:

Lucky for me that the S3 Fuji uses 4 "AA" batteries at about $10 per set instead of pricey camera dedicated ones.

The price you mention is only slightly lower than what I paid for batteries for my camera and I have used them for the last 3 years.

Ray

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

05/12/2007 12:48:54 AM · #13

Steve, How did this story end? Did you get new batteries, or find something else going on?

Ristyz

Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

05/12/2007 01:29:35 AM · #14

My older CAnon batteries do have a shorter life then my new ones. I also have 2 battery chargers and one of them does not charge fully even tho it indicates the battery in it is full. When I put said fully charged battery on the other charger it will charge for another 20 minutes or so.

I, too, am curious how your story comes out.

TechnoShroom