t4i battery recharge

[RedskinRobbie]

I purchased a reconditioned T4i almost 2 years ago and love it. My only complaint is the noise form the autofocus during video, but that wasn't why I bought it; I wanted to take good pictures of the dogs, and our exploits with them.

This may seem like a silly question, but I can't find any info on it.

I'm old school so I'm used to having to totally discharge my batteries to prevent "memory", and a loss of charge. But with the innovation of the cell phones and battery operated tools, some chargers have discharging circuits built in to alleviate this, and new composition for batteries has also made this mute.

Does anyone know if the canon LC-E8E charger, {the one that came with the camera}, has a discharging circuit, or if the batteries are such that it isn’t an issue. I have two batteries, and like to have one charged at all times, but don’t want to shorten their lives, and keeping them in the camera to totally drain them is cumbersome at best.

My old EOS Rebel, {a 35mm film camera I purchased when I was a young man}, used camera batteries, so I don’t have experience with their chargers.

Thanks to anyone who can shed some light on this. 

[TCampbell · Accepted solution]

Canon uses Li-ion batteries (Lithium ion).  These batteries don't have "memory" but they will start to lose capacity as they age and with number of charging cycles.   Manufacturers tend to claim the batteries will get about 300 to 500 charge cycles before the ability to store decent capacity is diminished to the point where they should be replaced.

Using a battery "conditioner" to force the battery to drain and re-charge will just burn cycles -- not recommended.

Li-ion batteries do best in extended storage if left at about a 50% charge (neither full, nor drained.)

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@TCampbell wrote:

Canon uses Li-ion batteries (Lithium ion).  These batteries don't have "memory" but they will start to lose capacity as they age and with number of charging cycles.   Manufacturers tend to claim the batteries will get about 300 to 500 charge cycles before the ability to store decent capacity is diminished to the point where they should be replaced.

Using a battery "conditioner" to force the battery to drain and re-charge will just burn cycles -- not recommended.

Li-ion batteries do best in extended storage if left at about a 50% charge (neither full, nor drained.)

---

The high-end batteries that Canon provides for the 7D and the 5D3 seem to hold a charge extremely well. I have six of them for my three cameras, and I always charge as many as I think I might need before any major shoot. Rarely does it take more than a minute or two before the green light omes on. The way I handle my batteries (i.e., not storing them half-charged) may not be ideal in the long run, but my feeling is that the risk of shortening a battery's life is more tolerable than the risk of having a photo shoot come up on short notice and being short of power.

As for conditioners (usually a feature of high-end chargers), they always seem to be portrayed as a last resort, not a maintenance tool. IOW, if your battery refuses to accept a charge, the conditioner is a way of shocking it back to life that sometimes works. In any case, the tactic appears to be applied mainly to NiMH batteries, not Li-ion. That's probably because the worst outcome of using heroic methods on a NiMH battery is that it will give up permanently. If you seriously mistreat a lithium battery, you can run the risk of explosion or fire.

[TCampbell · Accepted solution]

Canon uses Li-ion batteries (Lithium ion).  These batteries don't have "memory" but they will start to lose capacity as they age and with number of charging cycles.   Manufacturers tend to claim the batteries will get about 300 to 500 charge cycles before the ability to store decent capacity is diminished to the point where they should be replaced.

Using a battery "conditioner" to force the battery to drain and re-charge will just burn cycles -- not recommended.

Li-ion batteries do best in extended storage if left at about a 50% charge (neither full, nor drained.)

[RedskinRobbie]

Thanks for the Info,

  I'll feel better not draining it, & thanks for the storage info, I usually keep one in the camera and the other fully charged. I haven't gone more than a month or so before I have to change the battery.

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@TCampbell wrote:

Canon uses Li-ion batteries (Lithium ion).  These batteries don't have "memory" but they will start to lose capacity as they age and with number of charging cycles.   Manufacturers tend to claim the batteries will get about 300 to 500 charge cycles before the ability to store decent capacity is diminished to the point where they should be replaced.

Using a battery "conditioner" to force the battery to drain and re-charge will just burn cycles -- not recommended.

Li-ion batteries do best in extended storage if left at about a 50% charge (neither full, nor drained.)

---

The high-end batteries that Canon provides for the 7D and the 5D3 seem to hold a charge extremely well. I have six of them for my three cameras, and I always charge as many as I think I might need before any major shoot. Rarely does it take more than a minute or two before the green light omes on. The way I handle my batteries (i.e., not storing them half-charged) may not be ideal in the long run, but my feeling is that the risk of shortening a battery's life is more tolerable than the risk of having a photo shoot come up on short notice and being short of power.

As for conditioners (usually a feature of high-end chargers), they always seem to be portrayed as a last resort, not a maintenance tool. IOW, if your battery refuses to accept a charge, the conditioner is a way of shocking it back to life that sometimes works. In any case, the tactic appears to be applied mainly to NiMH batteries, not Li-ion. That's probably because the worst outcome of using heroic methods on a NiMH battery is that it will give up permanently. If you seriously mistreat a lithium battery, you can run the risk of explosion or fire.

[RedskinRobbie · Accepted solution]

Good info Bob, 

  I agree there's nothing worse than running out of battery before ya run out of shots to take and also that canon's chargers are quick, however when you’re out in a field shooting dogs running in square-ish circles, there's not always a receptacle around, Makes you yearn for the old days when you could use a disposable camera battery.

 although not really I don't miss spending the $$$$.

 Btw, Lithium batteries aren’t the only batteries that can pose a serious risk if misused.

  Thanks for the info.