5d Mark 2 Batteries

[B Kennedy]

Anyone know the issue with the lack of batteries for the 5dm2 on the market? I know there's obviously a lack of quantity that canon released/manufactured. But has Canon released any kind of date when they plan to have then recirculated into the marketplace? I usually buy from B&H, and I've had to pay a premium fee to get them elsewhere as they are marking the prices up. I guess people are rebelling against the markups, but unfortunately I have a few full day shoots coming up and I'm pretty sure that 2 batteries in the grip won't last the entire day with no breaks to charge them.

 

[CxThree]

I have used this brand in my 40D and Rebel. 3 years in the Rebel and a year in the 40D. No issues at all so far. You might want to try them out.

2 Phottix Battery for Canon LP-E6 5D Mark II + Charger - eBay (item 200345167752 end time Jun-21-09 18:55:46 PDT)

 

[inTempus]

It's my understanding that the non-Canon 3rd party 5DMk2 batteries lack the necessary chip in them to properly report battery life. They may last as long as the OEM batteries, but they won't show the battery life accurately.

As for availability, the 5DMk2 was far more popular than Canon anticipated. That coupled with their production cut backs in response to the global economic downturn has lead to a shortages in everything from accessories like batteries to lenses. Go to B&H or Adorama and try to find a 50L lens for example. They're nearly impossible to find.

Best bet is to place an order with someone like B&H or Adorama and wait for them to arrive, or give the aftermarket batteries a shot if you can live without the battery life reporting.

 

[CxThree]

That's true, however, I bought several of them. I rotate them out to be safe. I use a battery grip, so I use 2 at a time. This weekend, I used 2 for shots before a wedding, then rotated them out for 2 fresh ones while shooting the ceremony and charged the originals up at this time, then I rotated 2 more fresh ones in when I got to the reception. I did this to be safe. However, each battery charged in 15 - 20 minutes max, so they were not low at all.

 

[inTempus]

I shot for 9 hours straight at a wedding last weekend with my 5DMk2 using OEM batteries and a grip, and I still had 70% battery life at the end of the day.

I would keep the others as back-ups in your bag, but I can't imagine you actually needing to swap batteries during a wedding using a grip.

 

[B Kennedy]

Whats an OEM battery? Is this a Canon battery? Im gonna be shooting around 10 hours this weekend and I just overnighted batteries to come tomorrow because I wasnt sure if I was gonna run outta juice

 

[inTempus]

Whats an OEM battery? Is this a Canon battery? Im gonna be shooting around 10 hours this weekend and I just overnighted batteries to come tomorrow because I wasnt sure if I was gonna run outta juice

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer

Yeah, if you have two Canon batteries in the grip you should be fine for a couple of days of shooting. I can go two days of heavy shooting before I need to recharge mine.

The non-Canon batteries should be great back-ups to keep in the camera bag in case something goes wrong though.

 

[CxThree]

OK. Read what I said. I sawpped them to be safe...

This was my first time shooting with the grip and my first event with my new 580 EXII. Given those 2 variables, I swapped out to avoid problems. As stated, the batteries were nowhere near depleated. They took about 15 mins to charge, if that.

I do not want anyone to think I am saying these batteries do not last. I have left them in my bag for months and taken them out to use for a full day of shooting with no charging necessary. They work great.

 

[B Kennedy]

I shot for 9 hours straight at a wedding last weekend with my 5DMk2 using OEM batteries and a grip, and I still had 70% battery life at the end of the day.

I would keep the others as back-ups in your bag, but I can't imagine you actually needing to swap batteries during a wedding using a grip.

Just as a followup to the dance event I photographed, you were sooo right tharm. I shot for almost 10 hours straight, taking small 10 min breaks for snacks/intermission and the canon batteries were still around 55-60%! Thats awesome how good they are, and now I have 2 more backups just incase.