Canon 1D Mk II - Battery

Tomnomnom · Feb 27, 2011

Hey Everyone,

So I've had my MK II for almost a month now and have loved every second with it (currently paired with a 50 1.4 and Tokina 10-17, this thing is deadly!). Problem is, I bought it used, so the battery has seen better days. Last event I worked, it lasted 3 hours for about 300 pictures before flashing the empty battery symbol.

I'm trying to find a second battery to use as a primary, while saving this original battery as a backup. I've purchased batteries for digital products in the past and have found that more often than not, the third party options are terrible.

I was wondering if any of you have had experience with buying batteries for this specific camera, or have bought third party batteries in the past and can share your experience/recommend a company. Thanks!

mikehaugen · Feb 27, 2011

I bought a couple third party batteries for my sony camcorder. The battery on that is external so it can be bigger, and while it may be a little optimistic in it's advertised time rating it is still quite more capable than the original battery if you don't mind the bigger size. I also just recently bought a couple spare bp511a's for my 20d but have not yet had a chance to try them out. I paid like 7 dollars a piece for them instead of the 60 for the canons. I think the biggest issue is they may not last quite as long as they claim, they are cheap enough to just buy more of them. I have never had a problem with damaging my equipment with them. Brand probably doesn't matter that much as far as aftermarket batteries go, they are probably made by the same company anyway (if they aren't oem). The other is that I have a problem with sending money to China (I hate doing it) but sometimes you just don't have a choice. I would have to check but I believe most canon batteries are made in Japan.

Tomnomnom · Mar 1, 2011

Thanks Mike, much appreciated. I'll start looking at some more non-oem batteries with less suspicion now.

Has anybody had any experience with batteries specific to the 1D and 1D Mark II line?

gsgary · Mar 1, 2011

Yes i have about 8 third party and 3 canon for my 1D's and the third party last longer, in the summer i can shoot allday events with 2 batteries

usayit · Mar 1, 2011

Since saying "third party" can indicate anything from anywhere from any manufacturer, perhaps we should actually post brands.

My experience from Adorama's brand batteries and a few cheap chinese made ones is utter crap on a Leica M8/M9. For my Epson R-D1, batteries were discontinued so I tried about 5 different third party, none well known, and they were all crap. I had two "Lenmar" branded batteries in an Epson R-D1 that performed pretty well but I sold the camera before I really got to put them through rigorous use. Digipower patteries for my Panny G1 and Olympus was pretty good.

With that said, I think the Canon batteries in the 1DMII were exceptional. I had two that could carry me a couple days of shooting with no issues. I think they are worth the price. Also, keep in mind, that they are NiMH batteries not the now more common Li-ion. They have good life but require a bit of maintenance to keep them healthy. Both were also fairly aged and still performed well.

Tomnomnom · Mar 2, 2011

@gsgary Do you have any idea what brand those are? If they have been successful for you I would want to get the same ones

@usayit How would one go about "maintaing" the NiMH batteries?

Thanks again for the replies.

gsgary · Mar 2, 2011

The last ones i got off ebay but no name on them but they are 2200mAh, some are Powermart 1650mAh

usayit · Mar 2, 2011

Unlike Li-ion, NiMH batteries can develop a memory reducing their capacity if they are exposed to repeated shallow cycles (discharging partially then fully recharge). They also have special instructions for long term storage to prevent damage. They also long slow recharges with an occasional recharge when in storage to keep them ready for use. The NC-E2 charger instructions has all the information in detail. The charger itself also has a function to allow for a complete discharge before the 16 hour recharge (or something like that). It can handle two batteries in sequential order. Also... Never completely discharge them for long periods of time, they can damage the battery. That's all I recall.