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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
How do I get my batteries back to normal?
Michael Stevens, Photographer
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Phoenix | AZ | USA | Posted: 11:17 PM on 10.11.08 |
->> Many years ago I bought my first 1D, the original... no Mark anything. I think I had three batteries for it and all worked as well as could be expected for the 1D body that just loved to drain batteries.
Shortly after the Mark II came out I picked one up along with another spare battery bringing my total batteries to five. The Mark II sees almost all the work and the 1D rarely gets used. As a matter of fact I need to send it to CPS 'cause it actually isn't in working order currently.
On and off I encounter batteries that would drain quite fast in the Mark II. When I first got the Mark II I was amazed that the first use I shot over 1800 frames of beach volleyball on one charge. I only quit because I was done for the day.
About a month ago I went to Zion National Park to hike the Narrows so I used the charger to deplete all five batteries (I've done this maybe 4 times in their life) and then fully charge them 2-3 days prior to the trip. I took one battery in the camera and one spare. When we got out of the shuttle at the top of the Canyon (roughly 5 days after fully refreshing the batteries) and started hiking (it was somewhere around 50 degrees) it almost immediately went to half battery on the LCD and by about halfway through our first day, ~200 frame, 10 hour, 9 mile hike down the canyon it was blinking intermitently. It was so bad that almost immediately I started to take my shot then immediately turned the camera off to save that extra minute of battery before it automatically goes to sleep. The second battery was better but I still did not get even a remotely acceptable number of frames from it.
Wednesday there was a good chance I was going to need to do some shooting so I charged all five batteries (did not refresh them). Didn't wind up shooting that night but this morning (Sat., 4 days after charging) I shot a soccer tournament and burned through 4 of 5 batteries getting maybe 1500 frames combined.
I don't need to say what part of the donkey that sucks...
The original three batteries (no idea how to distinguish them from the others) are probably close to ten years old. The newer batteries I got with the Mark II are probably close to five years old. Keep in mind that I don't do this FT for a living so the cameras and batteries do not see as many actuations as a lot of you guys.
Are my batteries just too old and toast? |
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Bob Ford, Photographer
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Lehighton | Pa | USA | Posted: 11:30 PM on 10.11.08 |
->> Michael, I think it's time for you to buy some new batteries. I'm a Nikon shooter so I can't speak for Canon batteries, but there has been some discussions here about using third party batteries and getting better results than OEM Canon batteries.
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=20150 |
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Kevin M. Cox, Photographer, Assistant
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Galveston / Houston | TX | US | Posted: 11:35 PM on 10.11.08 |
->> It sounds like several of your batteries are probably nearing the end of their life. I have all my batteries labeled so I can keep track of them and suggest you do the same. This way you'll be able to remember that battery "C" doesn't last as long as "A" or "B" etc.
Here is an old thread where I have quotes from Canon about the 1D batteries:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=4619#4 |
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Clark Brooks, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 12:06 AM on 10.12.08 |
->> Michael.
You may want to label your batteries with a sharpie A,B,C... Then keep a log book for a week or two to track the performance of each battery. Replace the batteries with shorter cycles. When you receive each new battery use the sharpie and put the date you received it on the battery. That way in 18-24 months you will have an easier time figuring out if that batt should be replaced or not. |
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Dave Prelosky, Photographer
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Lower Burrell | Pa | US | Posted: 12:34 AM on 10.12.08 |
| ->> I'll second Clark and add a small suggestion - go buy one of the Brother tape label makers and use it on your bateries. And CF cards, battery chargers, lens caps, and so on. Permanent Marker - with regard to Sharpie markers is a goal, not a condition. The things always rub off. |
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Svein Ove Ekornesvaag, Photographer
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Aalesund | Møre og Romsdal | Norway | Posted: 7:50 AM on 10.12.08 |
| ->> If you batteries are five years old I would say you should already have replaced them a couple of years ago. Mine are labeled and it is very big difference in how long they last. My newest last about 4-5 times longer than the oldest. The oldest doesn't even last a soccer game. |
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Alan Look, Photographer
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Bloomington | IL | United States | Posted: 10:44 AM on 10.12.08 |
->> After being in the same boat with some batteries, I've started to put the date on my new ones as soon as I purchase. All batteries have a shelf life whether they are actively being used or not.
5 to 10 years on anything short of a lithium to me is simply amazing! Heck, it's a pretty good trick on a litium. |
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Phil Hawkins, Photographer
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Fresno | ca | usa | Posted: 1:02 PM on 10.12.08 |
| ->> One different thought; my 1D MKII is doing a strange thing. It is showing low power level on the camera after only about an hour of shooting, and then I look again and it shows full charge. Sure enough, I put it on a charger and it starts blinking immediately indicating a full charge. (My camera definitely needs attention.) |
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Curtis Clegg, Photographer
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Belvidere | IL | USA | Posted: 2:28 PM on 10.12.08 |
->> Dating every battery you get the day you receive it is a good idea.
I don't label my batteries individually, but I do keep an eye on their longevity. If I am shooting with a battery and it seems like it isn't lasting as long as it should, I'll put a single line on it with a Sharpie before I recharge it and put it back in rotation. Nothing scientific, but if you know your equipment well enough you'll get a feel for how long a battery should typically last.
Sure enough, more often than not, when that battery gets used again, it will again not last as long as it should. If a battery gets two Sharpie dash marks on it, then it gets recycled (at Best Buy usually, they have a recycling drop-off in the foyer of the store by me).
The Brother labels on every piece of equipment is another bit if good advice that I have taken to heart from threads past. The only problem I have had with them is that if the labels are left in the hot sun for too long (weeks or months, not hours) they will turn black. |
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Michael Stevens, Photographer
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Phoenix | AZ | USA | Posted: 10:38 AM on 10.13.08 |
->> Labeling the batteries is a good idea. And, to be honest, as I was writing this I'm thinking, "Wow, five and ten years old? Time flies." I definitely should have replaced them by now. I do have a couple that I marked with a "?" because I thought they might be going bad. Turns out they lasted the longest...
The off-brand batteries just seem to have so many issues that I can't bring myself to pull that trigger. I'll stick with Canon batteries. When I pay for something, even if it's discounted heavily, I expect it to work right out of the box. I don't want to have to worry about wiggling the latch or replacing an endcap to get it to seat properly. |
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Nik Habicht, Photographer
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Levittown | PA | USA | Posted: 12:39 PM on 10.13.08 |
->> I bought a 1D with 3 batteries in 2002, was issued another one in 2003 with 5 batteries and had none of the 1D battery issues that others were complaining about --- unless I made mistakes. My batteries were numbered and dated on acquisition and in accordance with Canon's instructions were deep discharged/conditioned for the first three charge/discharge cycles. After that the first three were conditioned on a monthly basis --- that roughly corresponded to every ten charge cycles. When I went to eight that stretched to every 60 days --- I scheduled the conditioning in my calendar.
Using two chargers made that happen relatively efficiently. The only time batteries failed me early was when they rode around in my truck for a week in sub-freezing temperatures and were then asked to power a 300/2.8 during ice hockey. Even there --- I managed to get through the game by rotating/resting the three batteries I had with me. You can either put the time in on equipment maintenance, or the equipment will force you to take the time during assignments --- which would you rather do? |
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Mark Peters, Photographer
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Highland | IL | USA | Posted: 2:20 PM on 10.13.08 |
->> Michael,
The Lenmar NP-E3 replacements in my experience are quite superior to both the other third party ones and the Canon one's that I've had. They fit tight and last longer.
And they're about $40. |
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Michael Stevens, Photographer
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Phoenix | AZ | USA | Posted: 2:40 PM on 10.13.08 |
->> So it is a written Canon policy that the first three times you use your battery you should "refresh" them completely? I did not know that...
According the Adorama's reviewers the Lenmars aren't any better than the others. At best it's spotty... like buying a Mark III :(
Still can't see how it's worth the risk... |
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Daniel Bates, Photographer
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Fayetteville | NC | | Posted: 4:12 PM on 10.13.08 |
| ->> You can also try buying aftermarket batteries and then switching the endcaps with your dead Canon batteries. Then you will get the best of both worlds - good charge performance and OEM sealing. |
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William Maner, Photographer
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Biloxi | MS | USA | Posted: 5:18 PM on 10.13.08 |
| ->> Ditto what Mark Peters said about the Lenmars... They are probably the best of the third party substitutes for the Canon NP-E3 batteries.. I have two of them and they perform better than the Black Diamonds I have. |
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Nik Habicht, Photographer
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Levittown | PA | USA | Posted: 8:48 PM on 10.13.08 |
->> Michael --- I don't know about "Written Canon Policy," but I seem to remember reading something to that effect in either the Camera manual or the battery/charger manuals/instruction sheets. (they're too skinny to qualify for owner's manual, aren't they?)
If I didn't get the idea from there it had to have come from Galbraith or one of his acolytes --- as they were the folks who had written much of the workflow considerations when I took the plunge in early '02....
Others in the office had issues with their batteries after the Times bought us gear --- I didn't. AFAIK, the conditioning/charging/numbering and rotating bit was the difference between my batteries and theirs.... |
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Jeff Martin, Photographer
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wellington | OH | usa | Posted: 8:57 PM on 10.13.08 |
| ->> Michael, Yes. The 3 refresh cycle is in the manual for the camera. |
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