The 7d Battery thread

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Lucian

Carbonite Member
Well my beautiful 7d is here, but it wasn't a healthy delivery, she's missing a battery.
But I still love her.

So, the local store has them for $70 -- it's the stock Canon, the Canon rep will even be there tomorrow.

*ARE* there battery options for this thing yet?
One battery isn't enough anyway, need a second. I don't think there's a battery thread yet. Post your battery knowledge here!
 
I didn't even think that getting a camera without a battery included was possible. You just got REALLY unlucky.
 
My understanding is that any OEM batteries will be "dumb" - in other words, they won't display any information regarding their charge level.
 
The wise thing is to wait as long as you can and make your decision based on the wealth of info that should pop up soon.

Personally, I don't want to bother with batteries any more so I am getting 3 with 2 chargers, and might even get more if necessary to just forget about the darn things. I've had some "battery issues" that I want to stay clear of this time.

I read a lot here and elsewhere and this is what I gathered:
_ The batteries are the same as for the 5D. Chargers obviously are the same aswell.
_ There aren't enough user estimates to say with accuracy how long each Canon battery lasts. And since using live view is the main battery drain, this figure will be significantly different based on your habits. Remember that you get a 100% OVF which can help you save charge by allowing you to work out composition without draining the camera at all. Especially if you have a fully manual lens with an apperture ring, which should also let you work out DoF without having to turn on the camera to change apperture. Exposure could also be done with light meters, but you might want to use the live view even if you are a bad-ass DP. You'll know once you get yours and figure out your workflow.
_ There aren't non-Canon batteries that will give you a % of charge left information in the camera. So the camera just dies on you, suddenly, possibly mid-shot. They are crazy affordable.
_ 3rd party chargers also don't give you any sort of indication of the charging status. They are also crazy affordable.
_ Most of these "dumb" batteries claim larger capacity than Canon's batteries. A list with user gathered info would be useful. Longest operation time, estimated charge time, cycles before dead... but it would be hard to gather if nobody has any sort of way of knowing how long it takes to charge them. But it could be done. just don't expect it to spring up with reliable info any time soon.
_ Canon chargers seem to be generally reviewed by people that bought them as "fast", "well built", "easy to use", and some also call them "reliable". There doesn't seem to be any complaints out there other than about their cost. I just got an extra one that I ordered. It feels solid, but I have no battery to test with yet.
_ It seems that 3rd party batteries (all of them?) don't work on the 5D Canon battery grip.
_ There should be third party battery grips coming out soon.

Here is how I see it for those wanting to shoot non-stop, long days:
If you don't care about possibly ruining a shot or two, or about the possibility that the batteries might not have long a lifespan and your investment may be crap, them maybe just get a pair of cheap chargers and four 3rd party batteries. But don't charge your expensive Canon battery on the 3rd party chargers, just in case.

You would get a feel for them and try to replace them long before they might be getting close to dying on you. Also, try to charge them as long as possible so that you don't risk setting the "battery memory" lower than to full capacity. I have no clue if these batteries have that issue, but I've heard before that if you continuously charge a battery less than full capacity they become unable to hold their full spec charge after a while. But since the are so cheap you could get several to allow you to do that.

I got two extra Canon batteries and a second charger. I think this should allow for long days with uninterrupted operation. This is all just my personal estimation and opinion.

You could also just get two Canon batteries with the one charger and have a back-up dumb battery... that could work well...

...bottom line we just have to wait and see how long they last and take to charge.
 
I'd be there when the Canon rep was and ask him how that can happen. I'd make it wasn't used before you got it and they just forgot to put the battery back in the box


Lucian said:
Well my beautiful 7d is here, but it wasn't a healthy delivery, she's missing a battery.
But I still love her.

So, the local store has them for $70 -- it's the stock Canon, the Canon rep will even be there tomorrow.

*ARE* there battery options for this thing yet?
One battery isn't enough anyway, need a second. I don't think there's a battery thread yet. Post your battery knowledge here!
Click to expand...
 
You know, you could literally get six OEM batteries for the price of one Canon battery.

Currently, I only have one Canon battery, the battery that came with the camera. I intend to get another one eventually, but from the beginning I've had a pair of OEMs for back-up. They work fine.
 
How long have you had them? How many cycles?

And how long are they lasting you and how long do you charge them for?
 
I've had them for months, but I haven't used them very much, sadly. I don't care how long they last (in terms of cycles), since they're only back-ups.

I'd say that they hold as much charge as a real LP-E6, maybe a little less. I would feel confident in saying that they would each be able to do at least a full-hour of continuous live-view shooting. They take roughly the same amount of time to charge as a real LP-E6.
 
ydgmdlu said:
I've had them for months, but I haven't used them very much, sadly. I don't care how long they last (in terms of cycles), since they're only back-ups.

I'd say that they hold as much charge as a real LP-E6, maybe a little less. I would feel confident in saying that they would each be able to do at least a full-hour of continuous live-view shooting. They take roughly the same amount of time to charge as a real LP-E6.
Click to expand...

Any site sponsors that offer OEM?
 
Lucian said:
Any site sponsors that offer OEM?
Click to expand...
I don't think so, but take a look at these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-Battery-Char...3ef7eb8696&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_2904wt_941

http://cgi.ebay.com/2x-1800mAh-Batt...2c50cec48c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_2415wt_941

So you can get two batteries with one charger for only $21 shipped. Or you can get just two batteries (but you'll still need an OEM charger) for $15 shipped. That means that for $63, you can get six batteries with three chargers. And for $60, you can get eight batteries. Even if one battery lasted for well under an hour per charge (which is unlikely), you'd still have more than enough power for a single day of shooting. A single LP-E6 alone costs $60-70.
 
How long do the Canons take to charge though? I don't have my camera yet.

I think I'll pick up one of the 2 batteries plus car charger if the charger also has AC prongs. It seems that it does... does it? That will be a very nice back-up to have. I plan to shoot in below zero temps so it will be nice to have extras and a car charger.
 
I have some of those. They work good. And yes, they usually fail in the middle of something important. If you're a hobbyist, get a pair, and with 3 batteries, you'll never have to think about it again.

If you are a pro, get 3 of them, since the 12v car adapter can save your ass and it's so cheap. Also get a couple extra canons since they work brilliantly, charge really fast and last longer. 3 batteries should be enough in most shooting days, and if they aren't you can go to your 3 backup cheap batteries.
 
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