(Newbie Question) BP-511 Battery Replacements

[Lagged2Death]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the board. I just got a used G3 from Ebay, and I'm ready to head out into the world and snap away.

I'm considering getting a spare battery or two. I've read through the old battery threads on this board, and I've seen some warnings about cheap BP-511-compatible batteries. Specifically, there was mention of cheap batteries "frying" the camera they're in. (I may be a clueless newbie, but I get the distinct impression that "frying" would be a bad thing.)

Does anyone know specifically if the frying danger (if real) is something that happens during battery charging or during battery use?

If during charging, I won't worry. I'd like to use an external AC/DC charger as well, so the camera itself would be in no danger from charging mishaps.

If during use -- I guess I'd have to get a known high-quality battery. Could anyone recommend a reliable brand of cheaper-than-Canon battery? Pretty much all of the batteries I've seen advertised on the web were either only marginally cheaper than Canon-brand (Lenmar, Energizer, Duracell - about US$50) or rock-bottom no-name stuff ("Phil's House O' Batteries," about US$15), with virtually nothing in between.

Thanks for any tips!

[Andy_T]

Hi lagged2death (hopefully you're not referring to the G3's shutter lag :wink: ) - welcome to the forum!

I don't recall anybody actually frying his G3 with a cheap battery.

I do remember someone, however, pointing out that it *might* happen ... there have been some instances in which Nokia 8210 mobile phones *did* blow up because of cheap batteries ... the batteries exploded, spraying acid around. Not a nice thing to happen to you.

SOME means that there are actually three documented cases in I-don't-know-how-many-million Nokia phones sold. I also think that those mobile phone batteries are more challenged and not as well sealed (they don't have a hard plastic case).

So ... bottom line ... I wouldn't be too afraid about frying the G3. However, if you buy cheap batteries, you might notice that they do not have the same power as the original ones. There are some very good replacement batteries (e.g. Lenmar etc.) that are cheaper than Canon's and may give you more shots.

But the experience I had with some 15$ batteries I bought was that I only got about half as many shots out of a filling than with the BP-511. (I assume it's a lot easier to write '1250 mah' on top of the battery than actually put the power inside :lol:)

So when my original BP511 started to loose some of its power (after about 10,000 shots taken, still has more power than the cheapos!), I bought a new BP511. I'm quite happy with it.

Best regards,
Andy

BTW: How much did you pay for the G3?

[pradeep1]

One good thing about 3rd party batteries, is the good quality ones have a higher capacity than the regular Canon issued BP511. I think the BP511 is something like 1100maH, whereas I've seen one with about 10-25% more capacity on eBay. Personal experience with the higher capacity ones is good. I can get about 600 shots with good LCD usage.

Good Luck.

[Lagged2Death]

Hello Andy! Thanks for your response!

No, it's not a crack of any kind - "Lagged2Death" is an internet handle I've been using for years. Since I don't play Quake any more, it doesn't really mean anything. :lol:

Perhaps I'll look around to see if I can find a good price on a top-name battery. If not, maybe I'll bite the bullet and get the real Canon thing. The whole point of carrying extra batteries is to have so much battery capacity available that I just don't have to think about running out; I guess it would be silly to spend money on low-capacity batteries and still end up worrying.

I paid $445 for the G3 complete with original box and accessories, plus some extras, like a LensMate adapter, some Hoya filters, some close-up lenses, a mini tripod, and a very nice roomy Canon bag. Not exactly the deal of the century, but not terrible either, considering about $100 worth of extras and the G3 itself being in (as far as I can tell) perfect condition. Other G3 setups were going for $350-$500.

[pradeep1]

You got a pretty good deal on your G3. Post some pics when you get the chance.

[Lagged2Death]

Hi, Pradeep. Thanks for your battery comments. Don't worry, I'll be posting some pictures once we have some cooperative weather!

[pradeep1]

Here is a good source for very high quality Maha Powerex Brand BP511 batteries for you G3. They are much cheaper than the Canon variety, but of very high quality and 18% more capacity.

http://thomas-distributing.com/maha_lithium_rechargeable.htm

[Lagged2Death]

Here is a good source for very high quality Maha Powerex Brand BP511 batteries for you G3. They are much cheaper than the Canon variety, but of very high quality and 18% more capacity.

http://thomas-distributing.com/maha_lithium_rechargeable.htm

Hey Pradeep. As it happens, I did stumble on these while looking around the web the other day. And it's certainly true that Maha has a stellar rep.

During my first week with the G3, though, I haven't been able to run the battery down even to the half-way point on the meter yet! (Which is amazing, I've been using it pretty heavily.) So it may be that I don't need a spare battery after all. :oops: If I do decide to get one, I think I'll get the Maha and possibly the Mach 1 charger from Thomas Dist. (and I'll let everyone know how it works out!)

[meow]

I don't get this. Everyone says the batteries last so long. They don't for me. :(

[Lagged2Death]

It's entirely possible that you've been over all of this already, meow, but:

Do you use the flash a lot?
Do you use a micro-drive memory card?
Do you use continuous auto-focus mode?
Do you mostly shoot in RAW mode?
Do you have the LCD brightness set to high?

Doing any these things will probably reduce battery life somewhat. Doing all of them at once will probably reduce battery life a lot. For me, the answers to all of these is no, and so far, I couldn't be happier with the battery life. I was out taking pictures (http://my.en.com/~jwk/photos/sunset_2.jpg) of the sunset (http://my.en.com/~jwk/photos/sunset_3.jpg) the other day. I had the camera and its LCD on for two hours straight, and the battery meter didn't drop off at all. My previous camera would have chewed through 2-3 sets of batteries under similar circumstances.

From what message-board skimming I've done, I get the idea that lithium-ion battery packs deteriorate with time, even if they're not used much - so if your battery is a couple of years old, maybe it's just worn out. (I got my camera and battery used, and I was worried about this, but it looks like I got lucky.) It's also widely believed that lithium-ion batteries work best if they're subjected mostly to relatively shallow cycles, that is, if they're topped off whenever you have the chance. And even Canon says that you should try to arrange to charge the battery shortly before you need it, because they do fade just from sitting around unused.

[Canuck]

You can get a Power 2000 one that is 1500MaH from B&H and costs $35. I have 2 on order for the 10D.

Forgot the link...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=details_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=232733 &is=REG

[meow]

Lagged2Death,

>Do you use the flash a lot?
Nope.
>Do you use a micro-drive memory card?
Yep. The IBM 1GB.
>Do you use continuous auto-focus mode?
Not until lately.
>Do you mostly shoot in RAW mode?
Yes.
>Do you have the LCD brightness set to high?
Yes, but I don't have it on all the time and use the veiw-finder more than most I guess.

Interesting, I didn't know the micro-drive took more power. I guess those that say the batteries last very long could be shooting JPG. Didn't think about that. Thanks. :)

[ixyeos]

cheapest original BP511 1100mAh
$29.9 free shipping !!!
http://sonyhp.com


cheapest generic 511 1300mAh $11.9
http://sterlingtek.com

They looks and used with no big difference, even the generic comes with a battery cover. An original can nearly buy 3 generic or 1 battery + 1 charger.

[tgelston]

Yes the batteries do last along time - one word of caution though - when that low battery indicator comes on you really on get a few more shots. . and I mean maybe as few as two. This is one reason a spare battery is nice - Murphy's digital camera law - your battery will die in the middle of the trip/photo shoot/cutest baby etc.

I also have one of the generics - seems to be working fine.

--Tobias
http://gelstoncafe.com/fiona (< My constant Photo Shoot)