Extra Battery for G5? What kind of bag?

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery, or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's phenomenal battery life?

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

purpose fanny bag I guess you could call it. I do intend to get a nice case, so I am also interested int he answers here. I know Lowepro has a few models which will work well, DRES25AW and DRES30AW to be specific.

I agree it should accomodate the lens adapter, which my Tamrac case for my A80 does not.

Battery: It makes sense to have an extra. For one thing, it extends the life and functionality. One battery simply won't last for a real long time, as the user is more tempted to top it off before every outing. The topping-off shortens the useful life of the battery. I think it places less stress on a battery to be in rotation with another like-kind battery, and to charge them fully then use them and then switch only after one is discharged. If you did a lot of shooting, even three might possibly make sense, as you would probably never need to top them off. With just one, performance will degrade gradually.

HenryJones said:

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery,
or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's
phenomenal battery life?

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system
complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do
you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

Click to expand...

--
http://www.DForbesRowanPhotos.OrangeCountyandSurrounding.PhotoShare.co.nz
A-Eighty: It's a really neat camera, even if it's not black.

Gee-Five: What a fine camera, too, with some great features -- and it's black!
(There! Now I can't be accused of harming newbie camera searches).
D. F. R.

Anyone else care to weigh in on this? Is it best to rotate batteries, or can the G5 make due with just the one?

Forbes said:

Battery: It makes sense to have an extra. For one thing, it
extends the life and functionality. One battery simply won't last
for a real long time, as the user is more tempted to top it off
before every outing. The topping-off shortens the useful life of
the battery. I think it places less stress on a battery to be in
rotation with another like-kind battery, and to charge them fully
then use them and then switch only after one is discharged. If you
did a lot of shooting, even three might possibly make sense, as you
would probably never need to top them off. With just one,
performance will degrade gradually.

HenryJones said:

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery,
or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's
phenomenal battery life?

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system
complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do
you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

Click to expand...

--
http://www.DForbesRowanPhotos.OrangeCountyandSurrounding.PhotoShare.co.nz
A-Eighty: It's a really neat camera, even if it's not black.

Gee-Five: What a fine camera, too, with some great features -- and
it's black!
(There! Now I can't be accused of harming newbie camera searches).
D. F. R.

Click to expand...

I looked at a few different bags, including the Lowepros, but I ended up going with the Tamrac Digital 6 (5696):
http://www.tamrac.com/5696.htm

The "proper" Tamrac for the G5 is 5694, but the 5696 is perfect for my needs. I was able to comfortably fit everything that came with the camera plus an extra battery and 5 CF cards (in individual cases). It all fits w/o any free space, but it's not cramped.

The main compartment is just the right depth and height to fit the camera with the grip aimed up and the lens aimed inward. The compartment's width is big enough to partition off just enough space for the AC adapter, but you could leave out the divider and it would probably hold the camera with a lens adapter attached. I don't know why I carry around the AC adapter anyway

As I mentioned, I have an extra battery. But I've had the camera for over a month and only switched batteries once. It does have great battery life, but I feel more comfortable having the spare since I can't just pick up some AAs for it at the corner store if it dies.

HenryJones said:

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery,
or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's
phenomenal battery life?

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system
complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do
you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

Click to expand...

Sonan said:

The main compartment is just the right depth and height to fit the
camera with the grip aimed up and the lens aimed inward. The
compartment's width is big enough to partition off just enough
space for the AC adapter, but you could leave out the divider and
it would probably hold the camera with a lens adapter attached. I
don't know why I carry around the AC adapter anyway

As I mentioned, I have an extra battery. But I've had the camera
for over a month and only switched batteries once. It does have
great battery life, but I feel more comfortable having the spare
since I can't just pick up some AAs for it at the corner store if
it dies.

HenryJones said:

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery,
or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's
phenomenal battery life?

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system
complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do
you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--

Forbes' suggestion that a topping off a Lithium-Ion battery shortens its life is not quite correct. Battery experts suggest "do charge the battery often". The battery lasts longer with a partial discharge rather than a full discharge, and even manufacturers recommend a 80% discharge rather than a full one.

A partial discharge produces less wear and tear than a full discharge and the capacity loss per cycle is reduced. A periodic full discharge is not required because a lithium-ion battery has no memory ( according to Buchmann, 2001)

The lifetime of a lithium-ion battery is 2-3 years whether used or not. Keeping the battery in a partially charged state retards the aging process. For storage a charge of 40% is recommended. See also
http://www.batteryuniversity.com for further information.

Sasha

average all the info I've picked up in the past year, I had concluded that the BP511-type batteries were good for a limited number of chargings (maybe 300, but some reports indicate fewer than that).This could easily equate to a couple of years. After reading articles and feedback, I concluded that partial chargings count as a charge cycle. When the camera quits, the battery is no where near being fully discharged, it just won't power the camera anymore. It is ready for a charge but is not fully discharged and no special action is needed prior to charging. My reasoning for having two is that they will resemble optimal performance for a far longer time than if just one is used, continually. Finally, it simply makes sense to have two, if you are doing some heavy shooting and run out of juice, this would be most unfortunate knowing that it could have been avoided.

Regular feeedback seems to be indicating these batteries are optimal for perhaps 18 months or so, maybe two years,with normal use. I am making a basic assumption that two will last much longer than one, and the convenience of a backup is sensible.

Sasha said:

Sonan said:

The main compartment is just the right depth and height to fit the
camera with the grip aimed up and the lens aimed inward. The
compartment's width is big enough to partition off just enough
space for the AC adapter, but you could leave out the divider and
it would probably hold the camera with a lens adapter attached. I
don't know why I carry around the AC adapter anyway

As I mentioned, I have an extra battery. But I've had the camera
for over a month and only switched batteries once. It does have
great battery life, but I feel more comfortable having the spare
since I can't just pick up some AAs for it at the corner store if
it dies.

HenryJones said:

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery,
or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's
phenomenal battery life?

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system
complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do
you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Forbes' suggestion that a topping off a Lithium-Ion battery
shortens its life is not quite correct. Battery experts suggest
"do charge the battery often". The battery lasts longer with a
partial discharge rather than a full discharge, and even
manufacturers recommend a 80% discharge rather than a full one.
A partial discharge produces less wear and tear than a full
discharge and the capacity loss per cycle is reduced. A periodic
full discharge is not required because a lithium-ion battery has no
memory ( according to Buchmann, 2001)
The lifetime of a lithium-ion battery is 2-3 years whether used or
not. Keeping the battery in a partially charged state retards the
aging process. For storage a charge of 40% is recommended. See also
http://www.batteryuniversity.com for further information.

Sasha

Click to expand...

--
http://www.DForbesRowanPhotos.OrangeCountyandSurrounding.PhotoShare.co.nz
A-Eighty: It's a really neat camera, even if it's not black.

Gee-Five: What a fine camera, too, with some great features -- and it's black!
(There! Now I can't be accused of harming newbie camera searches).
D. F. R.

I've found this article on Li-ion batteries really interesting:

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

In summary, it would not hurt to frequently charge our Li-ion batteries, and would in fact be better than deep (full) discharges on the battery. Biggest enemy to the battery is not frequent recharges, but heat and age.

That said, I would still recommend that you get at least a 2nd battery. There was once my G5's fully charged battery died on me when on a whole-day trip. Missed some photos there at the later (quite very late, actually) part of the day. I now carry 2/3 fully-charged BP511's with me all the time, and I should be able to last the whole day of photo shooting.

---

HenryJones said:

Anyone else care to weigh in on this? Is it best to rotate
batteries, or can the G5 make due with just the one?

Click to expand...

HenryJones said:

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery,
or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's
phenomenal battery life?

Click to expand...

Buy a 2nd battery now. I've been on a week trip to London with some friends 2 weeks ago, one of them has also a G5, we had only a spare battery for both and usually one of us went out of battery before the end of the day, sometimes both... Not very funny... I'm going to buy a spare as soon as possible...

HenryJones said:

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system
complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do
you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

Click to expand...

I use a Lowepro DRES40AW for my G5, tripod and CF cards. It still has lot of space, enough to a 420 EX flash and a wide-converter that I will buy shortly...

--
Twin-G5
http://twin-g5.fotopic.net

A batt which quits is not fully discharged, it just will not power the camera which requires a fairly steady high volt supply to work. When it does quit, I recharge, but usually not before, then I switch to the other battery. The battery university article seems to indicate that the L-Ions have a limited number of charge cycles. Why waste them on a battery which still has a charge, unless it is near the end of its charge cycle? Well, if going out on a shoot, you want to be sure you have two good batts before you leave - that would be one justification. But I would not do it indiscriminately, just to keep them "topped off" unless the planned volume of shots dictates this. Any way you look at it, I cannot imagine being on a trip to Europe or somewhere else and not having two batteries available for use. More than two would be a judgement call and may be a waste of money,as you're going to be replacing them in 2 yrs or so anyway. I've got three expensive batts for my Camcorder - got them before I knew better - and they are slowly dying due to age and I'm not shooting much video now.

twin said:

HenryJones said:

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery,
or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's
phenomenal battery life?

Click to expand...

Buy a 2nd battery now. I've been on a week trip to London with some
friends 2 weeks ago, one of them has also a G5, we had only a spare
battery for both and usually one of us went out of battery before
the end of the day, sometimes both... Not very funny... I'm going
to buy a spare as soon as possible...

twin said:

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system
complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do
you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

Click to expand...

I use a Lowepro DRES40AW for my G5, tripod and CF cards. It still
has lot of space, enough to a 420 EX flash and a wide-converter
that I will buy shortly...

--
Twin-G5
http://twin-g5.fotopic.net

Click to expand...

--
http://www.DForbesRowanPhotos.OrangeCountyandSurrounding.PhotoShare.co.nz
A-Eighty: It's a really neat camera, even if it's not black.

Gee-Five: What a fine camera, too, with some great features -- and it's black!
(There! Now I can't be accused of harming newbie camera searches).
D. F. R.

Great feedback folks. Thanks. I'll definitely be buying a second battery with my G5.

Forbes said:

twin said:

HenryJones said:

Any of you G5 owners compliment your system with an extra battery,
or do you find no reason for an extra battery because of the G5's
phenomenal battery life?

Click to expand...

Buy a 2nd battery now. I've been on a week trip to London with some
friends 2 weeks ago, one of them has also a G5, we had only a spare
battery for both and usually one of us went out of battery before
the end of the day, sometimes both... Not very funny... I'm going
to buy a spare as soon as possible...

Forbes said:

And I'm curious what kind of bag you use for your G5 system
complete with lens adapter, filters, card, battery, flash, etc.

And for just the G5 with a lens adapter on it what kind of bag do
you use? Does anyone just keep it in a fanny pack on their waist?

Click to expand...

I use a Lowepro DRES40AW for my G5, tripod and CF cards. It still
has lot of space, enough to a 420 EX flash and a wide-converter
that I will buy shortly...

--
Twin-G5
http://twin-g5.fotopic.net

Click to expand...

--
http://www.DForbesRowanPhotos.OrangeCountyandSurrounding.PhotoShare.co.nz
A-Eighty: It's a really neat camera, even if it's not black.

Gee-Five: What a fine camera, too, with some great features -- and
it's black!
(There! Now I can't be accused of harming newbie camera searches).
D. F. R.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation - this looks like an excellent bag!

-DC

Sonan said:

I looked at a few different bags, including the Lowepros, but I
ended up going with the Tamrac Digital 6 (5696):
http://www.tamrac.com/5696.htm
The "proper" Tamrac for the G5 is 5694, but the 5696 is perfect for
my needs. I was able to comfortably fit everything that came with
the camera plus an extra battery and 5 CF cards (in individual
cases). It all fits w/o any free space, but it's not cramped.

The main compartment is just the right depth and height to fit the
camera with the grip aimed up and the lens aimed inward. The
compartment's width is big enough to partition off just enough
space for the AC adapter, but you could leave out the divider and
it would probably hold the camera with a lens adapter attached. I
don't know why I carry around the AC adapter anyway

As I mentioned, I have an extra battery. But I've had the camera
for over a month and only switched batteries once. It does have
great battery life, but I feel more comfortable having the spare
since I can't just pick up some AAs for it at the corner store if
it dies.

Click to expand...