Battery Recharging

[Samerr9]

Hi all..

I am trying to take good care of my camera and its accessories. So I was wondering if it is OK to recharge the battery before it is totally dead. I have always heard that you should recharge the batteries if they are half charged.

I have 22% now, 680 shutter counter and I am going to the beach tomorrow so I am wondering if I charge it or just enjoy the 22%?

Thank you.

 

[ghache]

i shot 1500 shots on my last battery , 3 full session. I recharged it and it was still at 25%+-. it doesnt really matters.

this is why i have 2 batteries and a **** load of rechargeables that fits the grip AA holder.

 

[Samerr9]

i shot 1500 shots on my last battery , 3 full session. I recharged it and it was still at 25%+-. it doesnt really matters.

this is why i have 2 batteries and a **** load of rechargeables that fits the grip AA holder.

It is on the charger now Thanks

 

[ann]

A friend of mine who is an expert with batteries, design them etc. told me that with today's batteries it really doesn't matter.

At one time re-chargeable batteries had issues, but that was a long time ago.

 

[ghache]

Even my eneloop batteries for my speedlights,

I recharge them right after every shoot (got like 4 chargers on the basement walls hahaha) and if i dont use them and wait like a couple of weeks before using them again, i still recharge the full batch the day before the shoot just to make sure they are at full power.

I initially bought 12 eneeloop batteries like 2 years ago and i've been doing this since and they are still going strong.

 

[Big Mike]

I've found that lithium batteries, the type in most cameras, don't have a memory and can thus be charged any time with no adverse affects.

NiMH batteries (AA that I use in my flash) are supposed to be the same...and for the most part I think they are...but I've also found that many of them aren't up to their rated capacity....which may or may not be a result of how & when they have been charged. When I have the time, I prefer to set my charger to fully drain the batteries before charging them up again.

 

[Samerr9]

Thank you for the clarification

 

[Trever1t]

Exactly. NiMH batteries will perform better if fully drained before charging. I have a charger that can do that. Also NiMH batteries will perform better if charged and discharged at a particular rate dependant on the capacity. I usually discharge at 200mah.

Lithium batteries don't have a memory and can be charged at any time.

 

[Robin Usagani]

I buy generic batteries that are darn cheap so I dont really care. I just charge it whenever it is empty or the day before a big gig (wedding) because I want to make sure I have a couple of full spare for weddings. If I go for just a 1-2 hour session, i just leave it on until it is dead because i have spares.