EOS 5D Battery Grip BG-E4

It's just two days that I've bought the battery grip for my EOS 5D and I must say that it does give a great grip when attached to the camera and the positive attributes also include the ability to take vertical photographs with ease.

The attachment of the battery grip does make the 5D a bit bulky, though there are no complains here.

I've two Li-ion Canon batteries that I use with my 5D, the BP-511A & the BP-514. Now that I can use 2 Li-ion batteries with the battery grip is is okay if I use the 511A & 514 together or should I use similar ones together?

I've noticed that there isn't sufficient power when 6 freshly charged Sanyo 2100 mAh Ni-Mh batteries are inserted into the battery grip with the battery level blinking [EMpty]. Why is this, as my battery level indicating meter shows a good level? Which batteries are recommended?

Thanks in advance.

Derek

yonders wrote in post #5019691
It's just two days that I've bought the battery grip for my EOS 5D and I must say that it does give a great grip when attached to the camera and the positive attributes also include the ability to take vertical photographs with ease.

The attachment of the battery grip does make the 5D a bit bulky, though there are no complains here.

I've two Li-ion Canon batteries that I use with my 5D, the BP-511A & the BP-514. Now that I can use 2 Li-ion batteries with the battery grip is is okay if I use the 511A & 514 together or should I use similar ones together?

I've noticed that there isn't sufficient power when 6 freshly charged Sanyo 2100 mAh Ni-Mh batteries are inserted into the battery grip with the battery level blinking [EMpty]. Why is this, as my battery level indicating meter shows a good level? Which batteries are recommended?

Thanks in advance.

Derek

Well, from what I can tell the 514 is a camcorder battery and it NOT the same as the 511 or 511A... I would NOT try using those two together. Are you sure its a 514 and you didnt mean 511? There is a 511 and 511A and those two AFAIK can be used together.

Second your AA rechargeables should work just fine in your grip. I have used my Sanyo Eneloops several times (just to try it out). I preferred to just buy more 511A batteries, but in a pinch I just wanted to know that it worked and to have to option. How old are your batteries? perhaps they need to be refreshed. Might be time for you to start looking into a high quality smart charger like the Maha C9000 is you dont already have one.

The only difference between the BP511A and the BP514 is the shape. You can use the two interchangeably or paired.

Jon wrote in post #5019920
The only difference between the BP511A and the BP514 is the shape. You can use the two interchangeably or paired.

Huh, I did not know that. Thanks Jon!

Thanks Jon and Ben_r.

I was sure about the two different batteries, ber_r, as I bought the BP-514 as it was recommended on the 5D user's manual.

What recommendations do you have for the AA batteries? Does Sanyo have chargers with 'Refresh facility'?

Derek

Yeah - BP512 and later BP514 are the battery shapes for Canon's video cameras; they're connected externally so the exterior smooths over the "groove" between the cells you have on a BP-511/BP511A. But they're the same capacity as their respective BP-511 family batteries.