Does rating of your batteries make sense ?

[jankai]

I have a number of extra batteries for my HVxx:es with different capacity and each in different state.

I find it often frustrating to find out unexpectedly that the battery in my camera is near to it its end of capacity when I have no spare time to change battery.

One way is to solve this problem is to rate the batteries and run each battery fully charged in the camera in recording mode with active display until it is fully uncharged and just note the minutes it can run on a fully charged battery.

Then you know when you pick up a battery in your backpack the expected number of running minutes that you could expect.

Does this make sense or do you have any better idea to keep track of the capacity of your batteries ?

[Daniel Rutter]

Does this make sense or do you have any better idea to keep track of the capacity of your batteries ?

Learn to keep your batteries on the charge until the last possible minute.

[Janke]

Also, the mAh rating printed on the battery gives you an idea of how long it will last, when fully charged. There is even a table of shooting and charging times in the camera manual - the little booklet that came with the camera - you may not have noticed it among the packing materials...

All this only goes for original Canon batteries - eBay stuff can perform differently (or not at all... )

[jankai]

All this only goes for original Canon batteries - eBay stuff can perform differently (or not at all... )

Yes, thats why I have trouble with knowing the exact time I can run the batteries in the camera when shooting.

[jankai]

Learn to keep your batteries on the charge until the last possible minute.

I that really neccessarry?
Should not these of batteries be able to keep their charge "forever" ?

[Janke]

No. They slowly discharge themselves in storage.

However, a week or two won't affect the charge in any noticeable way, so charge them all up a few days before a shoot.

It is recommended to store Li-ion batteries for very long periods about half-charged. Fully charged they will lose capacity, about 25% per year.

Stored totally empty, they may become inoperable in a few weeks/months.

[jankai]

No. They slowly discharge themselves in storage.

However, a week or two won't affect the charge in any noticeable way, so charge them all up a few days before a shoot.

It is recommended to store Li-ion batteries for very long periods about half-charged. Fully charged they will lose capacity, about 25% per year.

Stored totally empty, they may become inoperable in a few weeks/months.

Any way to revitalize them?

[Janke]

NiCd and NiMH can be somewhat revitalized with special chargers, but I doubt that can be done to Li-ion batteries...

[cgbier]

If they were from more expensive cameras (broadcast style) you could re-cell the batteries. A simple camcorder battery is a case for the recycler though.

I was thinking of keeping one of the old analog Panasonic shoulder mounts we just threw away. Would have cost some 600 bucks to rebuild two batteries.