Canon 60D used battery

[skiddy123]

Hey all, long time reader, first time poster, SO BE GENTLE! :-D ;-)

I recently stepped up to a 60D. Shot canon all my life and came from a rebel t3. I bought it on ebay from a very highly regarded seller with 100% feedback. The camera was used primarily as a video camera and the shutter count was not even over 10K. I went out and shot with it and loved it, HOWEVER...

The battery life is atrocious! I have seen the reviews and know I should be able to expect over 800 shots on a single charge. I am averaging about 60-80. No exaggeration. What is more worrisome is the auction came with a dual battery grip and there seems to be no difference. I got a single canon branded battery and two generic batteries. The grip is off brand as well but not sure if it is the CHEAPER one on Amazon ($49), or the CHEAPEST one listed ($28). So here is my question- where do I start troubleshooting??

I am very cell phone tech savvy and would start with a battery swap, but don't have one to swap! I don't know if I should drop $60 on a OEM battery, if I should just get a couple of STK batteries for the same price and see what happens (They have great reviews, and I could get 3 for 1), if the battery grip is bad, if the camera itself (*gulp*) might be bad itself. If anyone has every had a situation like this, or even know how to test a battery, I would be very grateful.

 

[Aoi Usagi]

Have you tried using the OEM battery without the grip? I have heard of some aftermarket grips have shorts in them.

You also mentioned that the camera was used for video most of its life. If true, shooting video puts more strain on the battery because its being continuously used. The battery(s) could just be at the end of their life cycle.

You may also check the battery's recharge performance in the menu, under battery info.

 

[Photos by MJ]

Great post!

I too have a T3 (which is now my backup camera to a refurbished 60D that I purchased thru Canon Direct). I have an aftermarket battery grip as well as aftermarket batteries for my T3 and cant say I've ever had much trouble with using them.

However, when it came to my 60D - the research I read about the problems others have with aftermarket grips and batteries, I decided to bite the bullet and go with a the Canon grip and Canon batteries. The grip comes with a battery backup cartridge, so I use the two Canon batteries in the grip (which lasts pretty much the whole day of shooting) and carry the backup cartridge in case I run out of power.

The 60D I use for paid work - and I can't afford to have troubles out on a shoot. In this case - you truly do get what you pay for!

 

[Graeme Shiplee]

Rechargeable batteries have a life and will only take a finite number charge cycles.

The LP-E6 battery is able to pretty accurately indicate both it's remaining charge and and how well it is able to take a charge. Look at page 268 of the manual for an explanation of how to get this information.

You may find you need to replace the battery; in theory branded generics are fine but I have to say I only use original Canon ones.

Graeme Shiplee

 

[Spiderau]

I had a problem the a leaking battery charge and it was due to Tamron 24-70 2.8 lens. Sent the lens in for a repair and everything was ok. Try a different lens and see if it is not the lens. Hope this helps.

 

[NancyP]

An OEM battery gets you 800 to 1000 shots, if you don't use live view much and don't chimp much. I bought an aftermarket "spare" but never needed to use it. Same battery for past 4 years with 60D. I don't do video.

 

[Michael Thomas Mitchell]

Hey all, long time reader, first time poster, SO BE GENTLE! :-D ;-)

I recently stepped up to a 60D. Shot canon all my life and came from a rebel t3. I bought it on ebay from a very highly regarded seller with 100% feedback. The camera was used primarily as a video camera and the shutter count was not even over 10K. I went out and shot with it and loved it, HOWEVER...

The battery life is atrocious! I have seen the reviews and know I should be able to expect over 800 shots on a single charge. I am averaging about 60-80. No exaggeration. What is more worrisome is the auction came with a dual battery grip and there seems to be no difference. I got a single canon branded battery and two generic batteries. The grip is off brand as well but not sure if it is the CHEAPER one on Amazon ($49), or the CHEAPEST one listed ($28). So here is my question- where do I start troubleshooting??

I am very cell phone tech savvy and would start with a battery swap, but don't have one to swap! I don't know if I should drop $60 on a OEM battery, if I should just get a couple of STK batteries for the same price and see what happens (They have great reviews, and I could get 3 for 1), if the battery grip is bad, if the camera itself (*gulp*) might be bad itself. If anyone has every had a situation like this, or even know how to test a battery, I would be very grateful.

It does indeed sound to me as if the batteries are just no good. Third party batteries often (though not always) are inferior, and can conk out sooner than OEM. Still, my experience is that they are a good value considering the high cost of OEM. For example, even if they only provide 1/2 the life duration, they are often less than 1/4 the cost.

Sterling Tek (STK) batteries do have a generally good reputation. I have used them for more than ten years quite successfully. I found them to work as good or better than OEM.

Many third party batteries are just cheap Chinese knockoffs that are outright falsely labeled. If you do go third party, stick with reputable brands such as STK.

 

[SteveG66]

I tried an Amazon Neewer grip with 2 newer OEM batteries on my 60d, the camera did strange things it's never done before with the grip. Promptly removed and camera went back to normal, I returned the grip to Amazon.

Id try running without the grip, also try new batteries. My 60d will go forever with a full battery, not sure how many pics I can get on a charge, but 800 would not be hard to get.

good luck.

 

[TTMartin]

One thing to keep in mind, is that 3rd party batteries might not seat properly in battery grips. On my 7D I have to use a genuine Canon battery in the left slot, and can only use the aftermarket battery in the right slot.

Other than that, I've had very good luck with Wasabi Power Batteries. I use them with both my 6D and 7D.