Ian,
Have no fear of high-quality 3rd-party batteries for your GL2. Power 2000 and Lenmar each make excellent BP-945 replacements that actually have better capacity specs than Canon's batteries (and cost less, too). I've been using Power 2000's for years.

I would, however, be cautious of extremely low priced no-name batteries.

Well, thanks for making me feel a lot better about purchasing the Power 2000 battery.

I just ordered a GL2 with the extra battery and other stuff from B&H earlier this week.

Wasn't sure about my choice of the 3rd-party battery, but the price is like 1/2 and rated higher than the Canon.

<<<-- Originally posted by Ken Tanaka : Ian,
Have no fear of high-quality 3rd-party batteries for your GL2. Power 2000 and Lenmar each make excellent BP-945 replacements that actually have better capacity specs than Canon's batteries (and cost less, too). I've been using Power 2000's for years.

I would, however, be cautious of extremely low priced no-name batteries. -->>>

Totally agree with Ken, I typically purchase most of my batteries on Batteries.com and have never been shipped something that wasn't up to or exceeding spec.

I picked up a handful of Empire BLI-161 batteries a couple years ago, at around $30 each. They worked beautiful for the first year or so, but after that, started to lose power over time. That is, I fully charge them the night before, and sometimes they drop to 50-75% by the next day.

Still... 5 batteries at 75% is better than no batteries at all.

<<<-- Originally posted by Keith Forman : I picked up a handful of Empire BLI-161 batteries a couple years ago, at around $30 each. They worked beautiful for the first year or so, but after that, started to lose power over time. That is, I fully charge them the night before, and sometimes they drop to 50-75% by the next day.

Still... 5 batteries at 75% is better than no batteries at all. -->>>

Yea but that's typical of any rechargable battery, the memory effect is still something that the manufacturers are playing with.

My company (Motorola) deals with batteries for public safety radios. Our best and most expensive battery for the biggest, baddest police radios are good for 12 hours for about the first 8 months then after 1 year we ask the guys to bring them back in for a new one since the prolonged use of charging just kills the cells. 1 year of solid life is excellent.

When you put it that way, I don't feel too bad ;)

I was more or less comparing the Empires, to the original BP-915 that came with my GL1. I've had it slightly longer than the knock offs, and it still performs like a champ. I can always depend on it for at least an hours worth of shooting.

I am considering moving up to one of those multi-hour batteries, but haven't really looked into them yet. I had some choices, but I decided to get a decent wide angle for Father's Day, but my Birthday is only 5 months away :)

We've got a couple of Lenmars and they've been very reliable. Bought the first one three years ago and it still seems to last forever.

Thanks everyone,

I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy the Power-2000 BP-945 replacement battery, here's the link:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=227259&is=REG

Will this battery charge with the charger that came with my GL2?

Thanks again,
Ian

Yes.

I'm using BP945 non-Canon MADE batteries .. . had 2 for nearly 18 months now .. no problems. I bought 2 for the price of one "CANON" BP945 . . . however, the maker does have a "proper" Canon label on its bottom!

The batteries work, they charge as per the the User's Handbook, get back up to levels quick enough ..

Grazoie

Ian

That's the battery I ordered. Can't beat the price on that. Like I said above at first I was kinda worried, but figured I'd take the risk seeing how the official canon one is like $130. But, after reading Ken's post, I wish I would've ordered another one:)

Just bought a Lenmar BP945 from Zotz for 70.00. It claims to have 5 hours. Have not used it yet, but good price.
K.

I should be getting my GL2 tomorrow...B&H sent me my tripod and everything else besides the camera today...don't get me started...

Question:

1. Do I have to charge the new batteries before use?

thanks,

Karl

Yup. So don't count on mugging the UPS driver and unpacking the cam on-the-run to your first shoot. All batteries are shipped in various states of discharge, often near empty.

Personally, I think it's a strategy designed by the camera manufacturers to almost force you to at least glance through the manual while waiting for the battery to charge.

Interestingly, when I was at B&H last week I bought a Power 2000 replacement for the 945. When I went to charge it up it was almost fully charged.

I am looking at some other brand of battery for the GL2 because the original Canon battery is too expensive. I just came across with this brand "Lenmar", they have a battery LIC-924, 7.2V 4000mAh.

Is anyone know how long is the running time of a 4000mAh battery on the GL2? The website said up to 5 hours but this based on some other types of camera.

http://www.lenmar.com/product_list.asp?product=camcorder&type=batteries&manufacturer=Canon&category=3

Alex,
Lenmar is one of the top battery manufacturers across the board. Specifically, their Canon BP-compatible batteries are excellent performers and values. (Canon does not manufacture batteries, consequently they basically mark-up and remarket others' batteries.) You can be confident with Lenmar's batteries.

Note, however, that run-time ratings of all batteries are purely nominal. Your mileage may vary, depending on how you use the camera.

. . even so Ken . . 7 hours! Wow! . .. Grazie

Is anyone using 4000mAh battery for GL2 and about how long can it last? Cause I want to pick a acceptible battery.

What sort of level - 1 Flash 0%; 2 flashes 50% ; 3 flashes 75% or CONSTANT 100% and how long between shelf charges?

Grazie

Ideally batteries should be stored fully charged. The rate of discharge will depend on temperature and humidity and ranges between 2% and 10% monthly.

The recommendation here (http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/battery/lithium.html) is to store them at approx 50% charge.

The article is over three years old and the current recommendation is to store the battery fully charged if storage is for extended periods of time (over 3 months). Even the author does not recommend discharging a battery before storage.So, does this mean I'm going to partially discharge my batteries before storage? No Way - too much trouble.

So that's 100% true?

Thanks - Grazie

i get around 4, maybe 4.5 hours with my 4000mAh bettery. as said, it all depends on how you are using the camera. i also use the viewfinder primarily rather than the LCD (that's usually where that extra half hour comes in).

keep in mind that when you add on bigger batteries, it's going to stick out the back of the camera. the 4000 isnt too bad, but i also bought a 5500 not too long ago, and while it gets me 5.5-7 hours, i still am usually touching a bit with the viewfinder extended out. i cant use this battery if the viewfinder is in, my face is completely touching the battery. with the 4000, i can use it perfectly with the viewfinder extended. when the viewfinder is pushed in, it's still alright, but touches.

i would get 2 of the 4000mAh. that's $50 more than getting the 6000mAh battery, will be smaller than using one big battery, easy to swap, and will get you 8-10 hours of battery life. good deal.

Has anybody had expereince of the Canon 910 Dual Battery Belt Clip & Charger? It can hold 2 x 945s that must be well over 8 hours use?!?!?!

Here you go http://www.pictureline.com/digital/dvcameras/infoaccess/CH910BatteryCharger.html

Grazie

i havent used this in particular, but i have used a similar one that works with the DVX100... i hated it. it was heavy if you used it as a beltclip (and even fell off often because of the weight), and setting it anywhere else was just not convenient. at all. the cord was also not long enough to set it on the ground (if on a tripod) or anything like that.

i completely dumped the belt clip and just used 2 batteries and swapped when needed.

some of these problems might be differnet (i.e. cord length), HOWEVER the other problems, such as weight, are pretty general, and i suspect this would apply to this belt clip battery as well.

Grazie,

I have got into a habit of charging next day so I always have them at hand incase I get called out for a shoot at short notice. I never thought about any recommended ways of storing (luckily I have been doing it right <g>)

Who's a Lucky Boy Then! . . You deserve everything you get Alan .. you've worked very hard for it . . go get 'em ! ! !

. . . however, for me, I wish to store my batteries and the help has been very useful thank you.

Grazie

Grazie,

thanks for your enthusiasm, it is catching!!

Must put some of my quick learnt experience down to you and the boys from the IOV, where most of my jobs have come from too.

btw - you had the VL3 as a bad buy, mine must be the DM-50 mic. Don't get me wrong it has been excellent for what I have needed to date but now I need to free up the hotshoe so I can use the PagC6 and a microphone. Just can't push for an MA300 and ME66/K6 (any jobs for a £K you need help on <G>)?

I just purchased 2 Lenmar LIc-924 battery but one of them seem having problem. I just open the package, I put it into the charger but it just showing 'fully charged', then when I apply to GL2, the batteries icon showing only 25% power. Is anyone know what happen to it?

Let the battery complete discharge in the camera. Then try charging it again.

Is new battery performing bad in the beginning?

Another question is, can I charge the battery by the Canon OEM charger and Lenmar charger with the same battery? Or is it better just using one charger all the time?

I just try to drain all the power and put it back to the charger and the problem still happen. It still showing fully charge on the charger. It happen to both Lenmar Speed Charger and OEM Canon Charger.

I would try to exchange that battery. It's likely that it has suffered a bad drop or bash that has wrecked its ability to communicate with the charger.

In my experience the Lenmar batteries are not perfectly compatible with the indicator light on Canon's charger. You can't rely on the light at all. If the battery doesn't take a full charge after being left on the charger overnight, I would say it's definitely defective.

I'm looking for a BP-945 (or similar - 8hr, or so they claim), and there are tons on eBay; however, I suspect most are junk.

Can someone recommend an internet dealer that sells the real deal at a good price?

Thanks!

there are TONS of threads here with regards to them.. look it up .. i believe someone mentioned www.batteries.com but am sure there are tons of other places.. as for ebay, a friend of mine bought the 8 hr one for like $30CDN, and is awaiting it.. we'll find out if it's junk or not :) good luck!

Ebay batterys are Junk.

Weird things happen, like the power runs out over time faster. (Like if you bought one and it lasted 4 hours now, a month later it would last only 3 1\2 hours)

This is from personal experience by the way. Best to avoid ebay batteries.

BHPHOTOVIDEO is good, not the best prices, but good service.

Do a search on here. Tonnes of recommendations. I have a BP945 equiv. Power2000 battery. Had it about 18months, no problem at all with it.

Aaron

I've purchased several Power2000 batteries (of various capacities) for my GL2 from B&H. They cost less than the Canon batteries, and work just fine. Only downside is that for some reason they don't come with a plastic terminal cover.

Batterybarn.com
Atbat.com
Planetbattery.com

I bought a Battery from Atbat with ZERO problems.
Ebay would be the last place to buy for me also.
Steve

I have purchased several batteries from sources on eBay and had no problems.

The same Power2000 battery from B&H was half the price on eBay.

It seems that many users on this web site are anti eBay. Have you all had horrible experiences with eBay? I've never had a problem. I'm not claiming it to be the end all be in for online shopping but it's definitely not "the last place" to go when looking for a deal either.

I just stick with the "if the price seems too good to be true it probably is" rule. That true anywhere though, not just eBay.

Anyhow, to stay on topic. I purchased 2 of the Bp-945 equivalents from B&H when I ordered my GL2. They say they are 6000mah. They last a long time. Even when I'm using the LCD screen instead of the view finder.

No real problem with ebay but the freight will eat you up sometimes. $10.00 for a battery shipped is too much for me. The last battery I bought was shipped free, from an online Co. And the price was cheaper for a better battery. Just do your homework.


Steve

For any scandinavian readers here I can recommend http://www.batterier.dk/

I bought 2 batteries for my XM2 at 3700mAh each and with shipping included they were cheaper than buying one BP915 in a store.

If I only use the viewfinder I can shoot all day :-)

They´ve worked perfectly so far.

how long can a Power2000 / Lenmar BP-945 power up a GL2?

Anyone? Planning to buy a couple... how does it compare to the Canon BP-945 in terms of performance?

There is no set answer to your question, Gerald. It all depends on how you use your camera. Reviewing footage in-camera uses more power. Using the LCD consumes more power. Frequent zooming uses more power, too. All I can tell you is that the Power 2000 batteries have generally gotten me through at least a couple of hours. You won't be disappointed with either brand. Both have more capacity than the Canon-branded batteries.

Thank you Ken. Off to order a couple now :)

Hey guys,
I hope I am posting this in the right section, and if not, I am really sorry. My question has to do about the GL2 batteries. On eBay, they sell both the Canon manufactured GL2 batteries (I want the one that last 8 hours, but I forgot the model number) and the batteries which are compatable with the GL2, but not made with Canon. The ones that are not made by Canon are sooooo much cheaper, and I was wondering if buying them would hurt the GL2 in anyway? Are the Canon manufactured ones really worth all the money? What are the pros and cons? Anyways, thanks!

Glen Chua