GL2 & XM2 Battery / Batteries

[Jim Andrada]

I'm not 100% certain, but I believe Canon buys their batteries OEM. They might even buy them from a variety of makers.

In any case l I think the importance of whose name is on the battery largely boils down to where you go for warranty claims or who you sue if it explodes and burns your house down, or leaks prematurely and ruins your camera etc.

In such a case, I'd rather have "Canon" stamped on the battery!

But I don't usually spend the extra $$$ on Canon brand batteries because I don't think these are statistically likely events.

If I get a brand X battery and it seems to work OK for a reasonable period, I'll buy more of them. If not, I'll write it off to the cost of experience.

[Graham Bernard]

Originally Posted by Jim Andrada

In such a case, I'd rather have "Canon" stamped on the battery!

This was sold to me by my Canon authorised dealer and service agent; it was in a Canon sealed blister-pack but it had this Hahnel logo on the case!

Grazie

[Ben Rushby]

2 yr warranty on the hahnel seems pretty good anyway,

I dont mind paying for quality, but when the same high spec gear is available for a lot less I dont want to pay for a more expensive 'logo' on something.

I'l see how long this battery lasts anyway - just bought a rode videomic so I'll get out and test the thing.

[Jim Andrada]

It's impossible anymore to know who actually makes what. Everybody buys from everybody else, particularly in the computer business. Dell sells tape drives, but they don't make any. Some models of IBM's high end disk arrays are IBM designed, others are pieced together from different suppliers. Sometimes IBM and HP buy the same stuff from brand X and change the front bezels and market the same thing under different names. Bug chunks of HP printers are made by a company you've never heard of - because they don't sell under their own brand name but manufacure only as OEM to other companies. Companies like IBM etc buy tape cartridges from companies like Fuji Film and Maxell, re-brand them, and sell them - sometimes for less than the original maker can sell them. It's really common for companies to by some of their products from their competitors and rebrand them. Everybody wants a full product line, but nobody wants the costs of developing a full product line.

The purchasing companies however do test the stuff they buy and audit the manufacturing processes at their suppliers and stand behind the stuff they sell.

I'm a little surprised that Canon wouldn't have a Canon imprint on the battery, but at the price point we're looking at, the cost of a unique mold for the plastic cover might be prohibitive. Molds are very expensive and it isn't uncommon to spend a half million dollars for one - although a mold for something as simple as a battery shell could be pretty cheap. Molds for front bezels for rack mount or even consumer equipment on the other hand are quite costly.

Anyhow if it came in a Canon pack then it's a Canon battery!

[Martin Redfern]

I previously used a Keene BP941H Li-ion 4350 mAh 7.2v on my old XM1 camera. This battery will not fit on the XM2. Any reason?

Martin

[Don Palomaki]

According the the "Keene Electronics Catalogue 2005" catalog the BP941H should fit the XM2.

[Randy Garrett]

I've got the large battery on my GL2,
charged it fully a few days ago but today it showed it was at 1/2 charge.. The unit has NOT been used and is in a controled enviroment and not subjected to cold or heat.
Is it normal for the camera to have a slight draw, even when shut down?

[Jim Andrada]

I think this is normal - although it seems quite a bit faster drop than I would expect. If I think of it I'll stick a fully charged battery on the GL2 and leave another fully charged battery alongside it for a week and see if there's much difference.

Generally there seems to be some "leakage" when batteries are mounted - they last longer when separated. Leakage rates vary according to charge state and battery technology.

Anton Bauer has a blurb on their web site that describes a bit about the decay rate for different technologies.

[Tim OBrien]

How old is the battery???

Batteries have a limited life span (a few years) and once they start going downhill they start losing their charge rapidly. A dead or shorted cell - which can happen to ANY battery - will also do this.

Rechargeables all self-drain to a certain extent. Nicads are the worst, but lithiums will slowly self-discharge too.

But it may be time for you to just buy another battery and dispose of that one...

[Jesse James]

I've got two of the large GL-2 batteries and sometimes leave them on the cam for a week with no battery level drop noticeable.

Sumpin ain't right with your battery. Disconnect the battery from the cam and let it sit for a couple days and see if it drops in capacity.

[Trond Saetre]

In addition to what has been said already:
I have used a BP-945 battery with my XM2 for 4 years now. Always leaving the battery on the camera. And I have never experienced any significant capacity- or charge drops the way you describe it, Randy.
A slight current draw from the battery when stored is normal and to be expected, but not half the charge in a few days or weeks.

Have you tried to attach the original battery to the camera to see if that one also lose much of it's charge in a few days? If so, it might be something wrong with the camera itself.

[Bill Spearman]

Same here, have not noticed any mentionable drain from the BP-945's I use on my GL, which are almost always mounted.

[Bradley D Barber]

I have put one of our large batteries on the GL2 fully charged and it showed 1/2 right off. I flipped the camera over to Card for stills and it was full. Switched back and it was full on the vid selection. It has happened twice I believe since I have had teh camera. Maybe this will work for you.

Cheers.

[Bruce Pelley]

I'll order online and don't want to get something which may well turn out to be more or less trash because I have never heard of that particular off brand (i.e. not offical Canon issue) before.

Need an BP-945 equivalent.

Any suggestions as to reliable sources/online e-tailers and "brands" that would qualify for a happy solution?

What do you personally use?

Thanks,
Bruce

[Don Palomaki]

I've had acceptable performance using LENMAR batteries. I;e used LIC941 (6000 mAhr rating) and LIC950 (5200 mAhr). But cannot state whether either would give 3-4 hours in a GL2. More important (to me) is getting to the point for a tape change.