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5D Classic always low battery

werdn
Apprentice

I have a early production 5D Classic (original owner), and the battery display always shows low battery, even thought the battery is fully charged and can be used for many hours. Sometimes it shows up as fully charged, sometimes it shows up as low battery (one bar). This happens on three of my batteries. 

 

Do you guys think that it is becasue I need a new battery, or is the the camera's problem? Thanks in advance!

10 REPLIES 10

Peter
Authority
Authority
Old batteries?

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

If the batteries are as old as when the camera was being sold as new, then they have exceeded more than twice their list life expectancy.  It is possible that there is an issue with the battery compartment, or how the camera reads the batteries.  But if the issue is not consistent with all batteries, then suspect the batteries.

 

[EDIT] I do not know if the 5D battery is still being produced, but I would doubt it.  So, be aware that any "new" batteries are probably just as old as the ones you have on hand.  They have simply never been used before.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

Yeah, I think it might be a battery problem. Haha, I have had my batteries since 2006! I am going to try out one new battery first. Should I get a OE Canon one, or are third party ones OK? Also, should I get 1390mAh (original capacity) ones, or some 2000mAh ones I see on amazon?

 

Thanks!


@werdn wrote:

Yeah, I think it might be a battery problem. Haha, I have had my batteries since 2006! I am going to try out one new battery first. Should I get a OE Canon one, or are third party ones OK? Also, should I get 1390mAh (original capacity) ones, or some 2000mAh ones I see on amazon?

 

Thanks!


Stick to using only genuine Canon batteries, and only purchase them from factory authorized dealers.  There is a lucrative market of counterfeit camera batteries and memory cards on sites like Amazon.  It is buyer beware over there.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

Ok, ill probably buy from B&H, but **bleep** $50-60 for a battery is a lot 😂

 

Edit: Are watson batteries good? It is also a choice on B&H


@werdn wrote:

Ok, ill probably buy from B&H, but **bleep** $50-60 for a battery is a lot 😂

 

Edit: Are watson batteries good? It is also a choice on B&H


I have never tried Waltons in my cameras.  I do have AA rechargeable Watsons in my 600EX III RT flash.  No issues.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."


@werdn wrote:

Ok, ill probably buy from B&H, but **bleep** $50-60 for a battery is a lot 😂

 

Edit: Are watson batteries good? It is also a choice on B&H


The only camera battery that I can recall outright failing on me was a Watson. OTOH, it had cost me nothing, because it was included with a camera I bought from B&H. Would I buy a Watson battery? No. Would I take one and use it if it were effectively free? Sure. Would I use it as an event photographer at a shoot that really mattered and where things were happening fast? Probably not.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

My only experience with Watson batteries was several years ago with my 1D Mark II.  B&H was back ordered for the Canon battery and I bought a pair of Watson batteries from Amazon and they sort of worked.  They would perform properly unless I took a sustained RAW burst (and the 1D Mark II didn't have a very deep burst in that mode); after 6 or 7 frames the camera would lock up.  With a burst of less than 6 it would never lock up but you could see the battery indication for a fully charged battery jump from the "near dead" indication back to fully charged when you released the shutter button indicating that those particular batteries couldn't sustain the current needed by the 1D Mark II during a burst causing supplied voltage to drop below a critical level.  I replaced them with Canon batteries.

 

I have a Watson charger for my XF-400 and it works beautifully so no complaints about it.  And the batteries were OK in my camera in the single shot mode and I found they held a charge sitting on the shelf longer than the new Canon batteries I bought to replace them but they weren't good for sourcing a sustained higher current draw and definitley weren't good for shooting sports.  I never turned on IS when I was using them which would have probably created an immediate fault between IS and servo AF.  But it is likely the Watson batteries are fine for other applications and as I recall the cases and locking mechanism were well made so they weren't just a poorly thrown together knock off.

 

Rodger

EOS 1DX M3, 1DX M2, 1DX, 5DS R, M6 Mark II, 1D M2, EOS 650 (film), many lenses, XF400 video

Estimated recoverable capacity
@werdn wrote:

Yeah, I think it might be a battery problem. Haha, I have had my batteries since 2006! I am going to try out one new battery first. Should I get a OE Canon one, or are third party ones OK? Also, should I get 1390mAh (original capacity) ones, or some 2000mAh ones I see on amazon?

 

Thanks!


A lithium ion battery stored at 40% of charge at 25 degrees Celsius will have an estimated recoverable capacity of 96% one year later. Stored at 100% of charge it will have an estimated recoverable capacity of 80% after one year. After 14 years there will not be much left.

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