batteries draining fast 5Dc

Hello,
I'm trying to figure out why my batteries are draining on me.
My 5dc seems to eat my 511a's quickly but I'm not sure if its the batteries and their age or if its something in the camera itself. I'm always using the grip with one or two batteries.

The camera will flash the dead battery sign and so I pull it and change it to a different slot and it works for a while longer. I have not tried using the AA trays in it yet or comparing these batteries in my 40D (as it rarely gets used).

Is there any way I can check these batteries with a meter to see if they are holding a full charge or not when I recharge them?

Thanks for any suggestions!

I have found that the 511a batteries wear out quickly. In my experience, after just 150 to 200 charge cycles, they don't hold much of a charge at all. This only gives me about a year from each battery.

One would think that when you buy the Canon originals, you would get much more life out of them.

I don't think there's anything you can do to improve this. I just accept the fact that with my 50D and 5Dc, I am going to have to buy one or two new batteries each year.

On that note, I haven't noticed any difference between my 3rd parties and my OEM Canon batteries.

Checking with a meter isn't enough. You have to be able to test a battery under load. Try them in your 40D, that will tell you if it's a battery or camera issue. If these are original batteries that you've had for several years it's most likely the simple fact that they're just worn out.

Just buy a new battery - they are not expensive and try it out. If it still drains quickly then there is something wrong with your camera.

Old batteries, nothing lasts forever. Replace them and all should be good.

My 5D does the same thing with old worn out batteries, more so than the 20D or 40D I have.

For the record, my original Canon batteries failed after about 12-18 months use, my aftermarket ones lasted between 3 and 5 years (and cost £20 for 5 batteries). My current aftermarket ones are are about 4 years old and all still holding a reasonable charge, although not lasting as long as they used to, so I guess they are due for changing sometime soon.

I would pick up a couple of decent aftermarket batteries (sterlingtek or similar) and see if that solves the problem.

thanks folks, meant to say that using the suspect older batteries one at a time, one lasted theree days in the camera with about 50 photos taken.

Will try with teh 40d and compare with my newer sterlingteks.

thanks again!

Given that it's an original 5D, I'd lean towards the age of the batteries.
BP511's have a life span of around 300-350 charge/recharge cycles.
I have a similar problem with the 511's for my 40D (although four of the batteries I use came from my 10D and two are from my even older d60).
When I charge them, it shows that they're fully charged, but I'm lucky if I get 3 hours life out of each pair.

anyone in Canada have any good bp511a sources? Ive bought sterlingteks in the past but the 20$ shipping kills it for me at the moment.

brit84 wrote in post #13623345
anyone in Canada have any good bp511a sources? Ive bought sterlingteks in the past but the 20$ shipping kills it for me at the moment.

Sterlinteks are junk. I have 6 of them (initially purchased 3) and they are all low capacity even when brand new. I complained to Sterlingtek and they shipped me 3 more pieces of junk.

Brit84, just buy from our pathetic "amazon.ca". They have some oe batteries and 3rd party with cheaper canadian shipping.

Something I've been doing as I purchase new batteries is writing the purchase date on the battery with a Sharpie permanent marker. It's helped give me an idea when a battery is starting to get weak if it's time for replacement. In having the date on the battery I've also been able to make some comparisons on battery life and the Sterlingtek batteries are no better and no worse than the Canon batteries I have.

AlanU wrote in post #13624160
Sterlinteks are junk. I have 6 of them (initially purchased 3) and they are all low capacity even when brand new. I complained to Sterlingtek and they shipped me 3 more pieces of junk.

Brit84, just buy from our pathetic "amazon.ca". They have some oe batteries and 3rd party with cheaper canadian shipping.

Sorry to hear that. I've had 5-6 of them, and they were actually longer lasting than the original Canon ones....

You might want to give DiamondBack a shot if the SterlingTeks aren't working well for you. I've been very happy with mine and they're about the same price.

I got three new Sterlingtek batteries for my 5D classic about six weeks ago. They are working fine so far and an obvious improvement over the worn out Canon units I was using.

BTW, I got a spare Sterlingtek for my 7D about 8 months ago and it has been working fine too.