G3 battery. When not in use...?

Ever sinse I got the G3, each time I am not using the camera I remove the battery and place the plastic cover on it. In the G3 booklet it says to do that because when the battery is in the camera, even when the camera is turned off, the camera will drain some of the battery power. I want to get the most out of my battery and don't want to half to buy a new one anytime soon but taking the battery out every time I'm not using it really gets annoying. Does anyone else do this?

Thanks, Dan

P.S. This is my first camera that has a rechargable battery.

I did not see that in the manual...I wonder if they meant to remove the battery when the camera will not be used for long periods of time?
Since a new battery is only $70 or$80 I think I'll just leave mine. I tossed the little plastic battery covers too.

I just bought two spare batteries for $13 ea, but to answer the question, you should either take the battery out if you don't use your camera for a while OR recharge it periodically. If your batteries are close to empty, and you leave them in the camera, they might drop below the minimum voltage and then... you can throw 'em out.

You actually threw out the battery covers?!!
And Yeah it says right there on page 17 at the bottom

"The battery pack continues to discharge a small amount of when left in the camera even when the power is turned off. This shortens the battery life. Remove it from the camera, attach the supplied terminal cover and store it at room temperature..."

A new battery costing $70 or$80? I've seen them go for about $20, and even then I wouldn't want to get another one very soon.

DanyaL

It's OK. The G3 battery is re-chargable. You must have missed a paragraph or two on page 17. After the charge runs down, plug it in and re-charge it. You don't have to buy another battery after the charge runs out. It's OK to leave the battery in the G3 for short periods of time. If you are going to store the camera for a long period, then yes take out the battery. Most G3 users, use their camera daily or at least weekly. Page 18 states the battery consumes power when the camera is on, but I'm not going to leave my camera off all the time to save the battery. I bought a G3 to take photos, you can't do that with the power off and the battery removed all the time.

I agree with ThomasL.

I remove the battery if I don't expect to use the camera for a week or more.

Yes, the battery can be recharged, but as ThomasL indicates, if it is discharged too much it will eventually reach a point where it will not recharge.

I asked someone who knows quite a bit about rechargeable batteries, when I first bought the camera.
If I recall correctly, he said the cells can actually reverse polarity if discharged too much. Some batteries may be manufactured with internal circuitry to avoid over discharge. Not sure about the BP-511 or BP-512.

Bruce

I have used the Canon BP 511/512 for almost two years know between my Canon Digital Video Camera and my G3 on a regular basis. I've taken dozens of hours of video and hundreds of photos. I've run the charge down to empty and re-charged dozens and dozens of times. This is the must durable battery I've used in a consumer electronics product. I use canon brands and generic brands they both work just as good. I have never had one not re-charge becuse your use it until it is empty. My point is go out and focus on taking pictures (or video) the batttery can handle it. It's ok to use it, it will forgive you. Plug it in, and it will happly recharge for your next photo session.

Yeah I've been using it everyday so far. So your all saying that It doesn't matter if I just leave it in?
I didn't miss anything. I read the whole thing. I always want the pack to have sufficient power so that I never miss a shot. It kills the battery if you leave it in there. Thats what I says.

Ok, thanks everyone!! You were helpful. I found what I was wondering!!