Off Brand BP-945 Batteries?
 

I recently purchased an off-brand BP-945 series battery from ebay. I think I paid $20. I have used it a few times on my camera and had no trouble thus far. I have heard over time they can possibly damage the camera/battery terminals on the camera? Is this true? The only thing noticable is that the casing feels cheap and I can press it in easily when pressure is applied. Also, it's a bit looser fitting on the camera then the Canon batteries. Basically I'd like to know if I should continue using this battery, or if it will be harmful to my camera. Thank you for your time.

Poor fit and short life-spans are the most common complaints concerning cheap batteries. I don't recall damage being reported. If you shoot anything professionally, or even do critical amateur work, you should reconsider using any battery that does not seat firmly. Sooner or later it will dislodge and turn the camera off, inevitably in the middle of an unreproducible shot.

The best 3rd party batteries are made by Lenmar and Power 2000.

I agree that batteries are a poor choice to try and save money. Nothing will bring your shoot to a dismal end quicker than a dead battery and no backup.

I've had great luck with the Lenmar batteries. Perfect fit on my GL-2. Rob

We use Lenmar too. Great batteries.

I have 2 unbranded batteries for my GL-2 (BP-945 and BP-941) and I had no problems whatsoever thus far.

i have three unbranded (ebay) 945 battiers and no complaints. They fit fine. They have never died on me.

I have two 915 (or what is the code... the smaller ones). One came with the camera. The other I paid 70 euros for it. Now they're "backup" units... :)

I only get to use an unbranded 945 that I paid 50USD for it! No problem at all!

New GL2 Tape / Battery questions
 

Hi,

I will be purchasing a GL2, but I would like to know what is a good DV tape (I have never purchased DV tapes before)

How long does the standard battery last? (I know this is hard to estimate)

What is a good after market battery? / Brand

Any help will be great

Thanks

Hello Clint,
Tape is such a common topic that we have a section dedicated to this subject. You will not, however, find a "best" answer there or anywhere. Panasonic and Sony are generally the leaders offering a variety of tape grades. But many also like Fuji, Maxell and other brands. Despite all of the anecdotal yang yang you'll read the top brands are basically equals. Generally, buy the best grade of tape you can afford and stick with it.

The largest battery available for the GL-2 is the Canon BP-945 or equivalent. Life depends on how you use the camera but you can usually get at least 2 hours of shooting from one.

Do some Searching on batteries here to find many opinions on brands.

Have fun with your new camera and welcome to DV Info.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

I have been looking at this tape. http://www.adorama.com/PCDV60.html Do you know if this will work ok with the GL2?


Thanks

No matter what you choose. Stick with that same brand.

Anyways i use a Sony Premuim (blue) and in the past have used Fuji.

No problems with either

I use maxell tapes, since I can find them everywhere and I hear good things about them. They work fine for me and I've never had a problem.

I had a BP945 battery for my Canon XL2 and it worked GREAT. Very long battery life, I reccomend you get one yourself. Very long recording time and not too heavy. You won't regret it.

I like the Power-2000 BP-945 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack from B&H its worked great for me and its half the cost of an OEM battery. I got four recording hours out of this battery last weekend with juice to spare.

Do Batteries have a memory?
 

Hey folks,

Just a curious question, but do the batteries that come with the Canon GL2 have a memory? What I mean by that is, if you use a battery that has a 4 hour life, but only use it for 2 hours and then put in back in the charger, will it "program" itself to only recharge 2 hours from then on? Thanks.


-Justin