1Ds Mk II battery--when to charge?

[Michael Todd]

I recently got a 1Ds Mk II and have read about the battery draining, especially if not in use.

Should I only charge the batteries when they are completely empty, or should I charge on a regular basis, just to make sure that batteries #2 and #3 are charged?

I don't want to be in an assignment, have #1 go down, switch to #2 or #3, and find that they are both dead as well.

--
peace

-Todd
http://www.muskopf.org

 

[AceVentura0212]

I find one in good condition will last me over 2,000 actuations on a full charge. As to when to charge, that depends on what you're doing. If just shooting for chucks n grins, then I usually will take it as is. If shooting professionally, then I'll take several fully charged batteries as you never know what to expect.

Oh, and I try to recondition them every month or so.

--
A signature? A signature! Oh, man, the pressure ...

 

[Tazman0895]

How do you recondition? Is that the refresh button on the battery charger? I have never done this before. Thanks in advance. Ron

 

[jon lake]

The refresh button,yes. Drains the battery completely and then recharges it. Can take awhile. Like overnight.

 

[RGBCMYK]

Remember just being in the camera will drain the battery. Remove if not shooting in a week or so. I have seven batteries and find refreshing every few months helps
--
http://www.christopherbroughton.com

 

[Adam2]

What I don't understand is why with the advances in battery technology why haven't 3rd party manufacturers come out with higher quality replacement batteries? For example, why haven't they released Li-ion instead of the NiMH batteries that we are stuck with? Not only would they offer higher capacity, but better battery life as well. The 1dmkII battery is around 1600 mAhr vs. > 2600-2800 mAhr for a Li-ion in the 1dmkIII Most of the 3rd party batteries on the market are pretty crappy and paying a few more $ for a decent battery would be a no brainer. I get about 6 months out of a NiMH before it starts crapping out (holding much less of a charge) and no amount of conditioning can bring it back.

Has anyone opened a 1dmkII battery cassette and replaced the NiMH with Li-ion cells?

 

[Scales USA]

The batteries are NiMH. you can recharge them whenever you wish without and bad side effects. I would recharge them before doing a long shoot. They do not run down in a few days, but if you haven't recharged a battery in a couple of months, it will self discharge a little.

 

[Eugene Powers]

Voltage is the main problem. 1ds2 is 12-13.2 volts. Li-on is 3.7 so multiples of Li-on required. The problem is Canon is chicken because 3.7 x 3 =11.1 so it is not going to work and 3.7 x 4 = 14.8 which is too much. Canon could have had voltage reducing circuitry build in but......

That is why I build my own external battery based on 13.2 volts with voltage reduction. Something like this:

http://www.batteryspace.com/Polymer-Li-ion-Box-Battery-12V-13.2V-74Wh-4A-rate-w/-Regulator-and-Low.aspx
--
Eugene

The only time a smaller sensor with the same pixel count is superior to a larger sensor (aka higher pixel density) is when you are focal-length limited.

Quote by Lee Jay

 

[Michael_J]

The 3rd party manufacturers I've seen (and tried) for the 1D series bodies, are only interested in putting out cheap products to undercut the OM price.

What I don't understand is why with the advances in battery technology why haven't 3rd party manufacturers come out with higher quality replacement batteries? For example, why haven't they released Li-ion instead of the NiMH batteries that we are stuck with? Not only would they offer higher capacity, but better battery life as well. The 1dmkII battery is around 1600 mAhr vs. > 2600-2800 mAhr for a Li-ion in the 1dmkIII Most of the 3rd party batteries on the market are pretty crappy and paying a few more $ for a decent battery would be a no brainer. I get about 6 months out of a NiMH before it starts crapping out (holding much less of a charge) and no amount of conditioning can bring it back.

Has anyone opened a 1dmkII battery cassette and replaced the NiMH with Li-ion cells?

--
People who merely claim to be open minded never see it my way.