Spare battery really needed for 1DMK2?

[tannoy]

Hi everyone,

I am in the market for a 1DMK2 and am wondering if the second battery is something you find yourself needing or wishing you hadn't purchased. For comparison sake I have a 20D now with the BG-E2 and have never run it out in a 1 day period shooting as many as 1200 shots, that is enough for me.

Thanks for the assistance.

Cheers,

Darrin

[blackviolet]

i have never needed to change batteries during an event - even where there are several games/comps to shoot throughout the day. but because i am a creature of habit - and i like to be prepared, i bought a second battery and rotate through them. i bring the second one when i want that 'just in case' security blanket. it's also nice to have a second one, just in case i'm 'refreshing' the other battery.

as i travel a lot, sometimes to places where there may not be reliable power for awhile, i will bring the batteries and leave the charger at home. i just bought a third battery (this one is a very inexpensive 'generic' brand) for that reason, and because i anticipate ditching the 10d (unless my wife or oldest son claim it) and getting either a used 1d or mk2 sometime as a second body.

you'll find a single battery in the 1dmk2 lasts far longer than 2 batteries in your grip in the 20d.

[neil_r]

A full day @ a track or event 8 fps and an IS lens I have frequently had to swap the battery on the Mk II.


There is, of course, the other argument.... Get one and you won't need it, don't get one and you will!

N

[Huckaback Photo]

Buy the second battery & carry it with you there 12volt , they're big, the chargers even bigger,
on average use in my 1d2 , 2weeks seems about right. I would not travel abroad without spare and certainly the charger goes to.
imagine the scene. you go on hols for a week only take one bat & no charger . there a major incident or big event happens in front your eyes, but unfortunately the battery's dead.
no point in buying this type of gear if you can't use it.

Cheers Martin

[tannoy]

Great points all. I think the $ for the second battery is not what is concerning me but the weight. I have read these are heavy little suckers.

Thanks for the feedback!

Cheers,

Darrin

[Ogrt48]

Er, just buy another battery, its the smart thing to do.
Otherwise don't spend so much on a camera if you're too cheap to buy a freaking battery. ^_^

[Huckaback Photo]

Ogrt48
I like a good laugh now and then.
your Comment above just did it for me , cheers.

And more importantly you are spot on.

Martin

[scottbergerphoto]

**** happens! Buy an extra battery.
nuff said
Scott

[CyberDyneSystems]

I have the second battery for the reason Scott mentions,. I jsut have to have a spare,..

Bottom line,. I would not leave home without the spare!

But I will admit that the damn thing really never seems to run out of juice! :shock:

[mvonditter]

Besides, if you have a second battery, they will both last longer as you can rotate them. All batteries can only be charged so many times.

[defordphoto]

I have three Canon batteries and two cheapo spares. Never used the cheapos yet. Three was a bit of an overkill, but on a long weekend event it's awesome not to have to worry about recharging.

[Huckaback Photo]

Just thought of this one & could be useful to someone about to purchase new 1D2 body.

I bought mine at a local Canon pro dealers, knew i would need 2nd battery and managed to work a deal, and got a spare thown in.
you can but try, these shops no there mark up. at the time the battery would have cost £109 .
Dont no what cost in the states a lot less i guess.

Martin

[Huckaback Photo]

RFM sports
I have 3 canon batteries and 2 cheapo spares

Is there such a thing in the states as a cheapo replacement for the 1D mk 2 battery or were you just refering to the 511 for 20D and 10D.
certainly not seen NP E3 other than canon own brand.

Cheers
Martin

[defordphoto]

RFM sports


Is there such a thing in the states as a cheapo replacement for the 1D mk 2 battery or were you just refering to the 511 for 20D and 10D.
certainly not seen NP E3 other than canon own brand.

Cheers
Martin

Oh yes there is.

[Anders Östberg]

Besides, if you have a second battery, they will both last longer as you can rotate them. All batteries can only be charged so many times.

This is what I do... problem with the Mark II is the batteries last so long you're tempted to recharge them long before they should be - just in case - and thereby shortening the battery's life. I force myself to keep using one battery until it runs low, even if that is over several days, and then switch to the full one while recharging and/or refreshing the empty.

[John57]

We bought a second battery ..... and have never needed it - even after nearly 1,000 images without charging - but would take the chance at a wedding! I think not.

[Huckaback Photo]

RFM Sports
manufacturer / supplier ? of said batteries allways usefull input

Anders
I totally agree.

Thanks
Martin

[reggie]

Martin,

I thinks Ace Cameras of Bristol has a Delkin brand listed at about £ 55/60 if my memory serves me

Greg

[CyberDyneSystems]

I haven't seen the delkin,. I suspect it may be of better quality,. but RFM and I both got some from Mydigitaldiscount.com,.. and although I am sure the actual battery celss are fine (they are just NIMH after all) the casing for them is really really substandard and has caused problems with people shooting and the battery just disconnecting because the contacts lost "contact"....

Having "toyed" with the generic battery,. I have never actually used one for fear of loosing images/damaging camera.

Just get ONE spare NPE-3

[defordphoto]

Thanks CDS. I was at work and didn't have my links. The low-priced NP-E3's have been common knowledge for at least 6 months now.

[blackviolet]

i recently got my generic from battery-charger.com.au. (http://www.battery-charger.com.au/digital_camera_battery/canon/dcn009.htm) the lock/latch is a bit different than the standard one - but once you figure it out, the fit is fine. it's definitely better than the digitaldiscount one. the rubber seal fits perfectly and the length and overall fit seem fine. so far i have taken probably close to 2000 shots and that is following 1 charge, 1 refresh. i will refresh it again, shoot a few more thousand and repeat 1 more time.

i haven't seen the delkin in stock anywhere, so i can't compare. anyway, the generic one is really an emergency battery (since i have 2 original batteries). the wife and i are going to africa soon, and i'm sure i'll want to have the third, just in case...

[tannoy]

Er, just buy another battery, its the smart thing to do.
Otherwise don't spend so much on a camera if you're too cheap to buy a freaking battery. ^_^

If you read what I said again:

" I think the $ for the second battery is not what is concerning me but the weight. I have read these are heavy little suckers."

I am not concerned with $ or I wouldn't have this hobby/profession. I just don't wish to carry so much weight around. The pack is already pushing 35 lbs and with walking 15 miles in a day, every pound matters on my back. I was looking for the need vs. weight and usage. I think after most of the comments I will buy one and see how it goes. Since I have not used NiMH before I do not know how the battery memory compares to a Lith -Ion.

Thanks again for everyones input. This forum is incredibly useful, informitive, and best of all, friendly.

Cheers,

Darrin

[Persian-Rice]

During a hockey tournament on the weekend, I went through two complete batteries..........

[dphotomania]

Some might think 2 batteries is enough!! But I order 6 batteries from http://sterlingtek.com/ for the price of 2 Canon Battery and the are 1800 instead of 1390. Which will last alot longer. And with 6 fully charged batteries it doesnt weight more then a pound. Compare to the camera's weight itself, it is nothing.

Imagine you brought the second battery as a backup and it dies on you. Now you ended up with a used up battery and a dead battery. Not if you have a 3rd or a 4th battery. :p

Hope this helps.

[Jon]

Some might think 2 batteries is enough!! But I order 6 batteries from http://sterlingtek.com/ for the price of 2 Canon Battery and the are 1800 instead of 1390. Which will last alot longer. And with 6 fully charged batteries it doesnt weight more then a pound. Compare to the camera's weight itself, it is nothing.

Imagine you brought the second battery as a backup and it dies on you. Now you ended up with a used up battery and a dead battery. Not if you have a 3rd or a 4th battery. :p

Hope this helps.

But you're using a 20D. The discussion is about the 1D Mk II, which doesn't use that battery; it uses a NiMH that's about the size of the battery grip on the 20D (and costs about the same!).

[Longwatcher]

A note on weight of the 1D series battery, since that was the question;
In my case I have a 1DsMkII. Same battery I presume.

It does weigh a bit, but not as much as some of my lenses, picture pad, BG-ED with 2 BP-511 batteries or the knowledge that you could have had that shot.

Since 15 Jan, I am going on almost 3000 images on one charge (more then 2900 less then 3000) and it has not showed a low power indicater yet. I am personally begining to think it may be self charging :-)
I had a TFCD model that didn't show up, otherwise it would probably be over 4500 by now.

I am just going along and shooting until it gets to low power or I feel I have to recharge it because I can't take the risk any more. I carry a fully charged spare for when it does go low. Most of the shots were taken with IS off (if present) and AF on, but not all of either.

Again as always my comment on failure points:
The first most likely point of failure on your digital camera system is the flash cards this is closely followed by batteries. Anything other then this and the odds are your camera is going back to the factory. Always have a at least one spare.

[dphotomania]

Oh, my goodness, I mess up. After reading all the post, I forgot that 1DMK2 doesnt have the same battery as 20d. :p Totally my fault.

But I guess, carring a backup battery is always better then not having 1 at all.

No more from me, One mistake a day is good enough. :p

[Phil Hall]

I used to use a spare battery with the Mk1, I still have it but have not used it on the MkII. Supposed to be good for 1200 shots, the Mk1 was good for 500. Of course with IS the tally was always lower.


Phil Hall

[chris.bailey]

Battery use seems to depend a lot on what lens you are using. If you have a 100-400 and use IS then I would definately buy a spare. It also allows you to leave one being conditioned every now and then.

[Huckaback Photo]

I missed the fact that it was weight being your main concern, in my previous posts.

If the weight is a problem for you do not buy a 1d2 . stick with 20 d use without grip & carry spare batteries loose.
for anyone not aware of size difference ( dphotomania) check out this image. the small one is the 511 and of course the 12 volt NP E3 pack as used in 1D mk2.. etc.

Martin

[tannoy]

"If the weight is a problem for you do not buy a 1d2 . stick with 20 d use without grip & carry spare batteries loose.
for anyone not aware of size difference ( dphotomania) check out this image. the small one is the 511 and of course the 12 volt NP E3 pack as used in 1D mk2.. etc."

I am going to buy a 1DMK2, my question really pertained to how much battery life one could expect out of this camera (since I don't own one yet) and if the second battery was a mandatory item or just a backup. I have gleened the information I needed from the myriad of other posts, thanks.

Cheers,

Darrin

[dphotomania]

But how much extra weight can it be, it looks like 3 X 511 batteries. Shouldnt be that heavy. Would like to know also since I am looking into to get 1DsMK2 sometimes in the future.

[Huckaback Photo]

Hi
Just weighed them
511 is 3oz and NP E3 is 11oz

would not like to guarantee acuracy of my scales though , but anything to help.
at the end of the day its all good imput.
Cheers Martin

[Huckaback Photo]

Tannoy i was not trying to talk you out of getting the 1d2,
its a fantastic bit of kit & to be fair the bat life is unbelievable.
I guess someone somewhere has worked out how many gig of pics you can get with 1 charge.
however there are so many variables. as allready mentioned the image stabiliser lenses use more power. but in comparisson if you used manual focus, no IS and ultra fast CF cards for even shorter write times. your talking a hell of a lot of images.
One most impressive thing with 1d2.. turn camera switch on , move finger straight from switch to shutter release and is ready to take, its that fast.
set to multiple 8.5 frames a sec. just sounds like a machine gun. fabulous.

Cheers Martin

[dphotomania]

1 to 3.6, hmmmmm It is less then a pound. I am sure we can take some stuff out of my camera to make room for the 1 lbs. :p

Thanks Martin, I am sure even if you scale is off, it wont be too off the scale!! :p

Wow, 8.5 fps!! the 20D only does 5 fps and I am very happy w/ it.

[Ogrt48]

Haha, wtf, the batteries don't weigh that much at all, the money excuse would have been better ^_^

[PacAce]

If you think the NP E3 battery is bulky and heavy, you should see the charger that goes with it. Try finding room for that suckers in your camera bag! :mrgreen:

[Huckaback Photo]

Pac Ace
1 week ago i started a thread
"1D mk 2 compact charger or not"
and the only reply from Kenny G more or less confirmed what i allready knew, but its worth a question on here .
answer was no unfortunately..
I totally agree with you the size canon made this charger is stupid, Ok if you travel abroad it go's in the case not camera bag.
What a pity we cant have a feed back direct to Canon. i'm sure a few of you would come up with some interesting ideas/requests etc.

Cheers
Martin