The pros are you save money. The cons are that some third party batteries may not be made to the same quality tollerance Canon calls for their name plate.

I use Lenmar betteries with success on my GL1 and XL1. Are they as good as Canon? as far as I can tell there is not a major differnece.

As long as the voltage and current available from the battery is within the normal operating range it should be OK.

Ill 2nd the lenmars, ive never had any problems from them on my gl2 or my parents sony camera.

I've had nothing but good experiences with the Power 2000 batteries I've purchased from B&H. In fact, they have proven to be better than the Canon-branded batteries. The Lenmars would also be an excellent choice. (Note, by the way, that Canon does not actually make their batteries.)

One warning to follow-up on Don's remarks: We've had several people complain about loose fittings with some of the "bought from eBay / bought from a Hong Kong shop for $5" batteries. In my opinion, it's just not worth saving $10-$20 on a battery if it's unreliable or will loose power contact with the camera in the middle of a shoot. Buy the best batteries from reputable dealers.

I also use the Power2000 batteries. I bought them when I bought my camera from B&H and have had no issues.

The big one lasts forever. In fact I've never actually ran one down all the way before running out of tape(s) or stuff to shoot first.

Battery recommendations?
 

I'm looking for a good generic 3-6 hour battery that lasts to buy instead of the bp-945 (they're kinda expensive). Any recommendations out there?

Battery trouble (Canon GL-1/XM-1)
 

Lately I've been having trouble with two Vario batteries I bought for my XM-1 (PAL GL-1). Basically, the last time I tried to use them they only lasted for a couple of minutes.

They're about two years old. The original Canon battery I have is about 5 years old and still going strong. I did use them outdoors at about 0° C, whereas the manual for the new Canon battery I bought today says that it's ideal to use them between 10°C and 30°C.

Does temperature have anything to do with it or can I just throw them in the garbage because they're old?

Sounds like that brand isn't too good. I had some good experience
with Lenmar, although I haven't had them for that long.

The temperature should not really be an issue (at the temps
you mentioned), but they will last a bit shorter at lower
temperatures indeed.

It sounds like they are busted.

GL2 BP-945 Battery Question
 

My BP-945 , even though it registers fully charged on the Canon CA-920 charger both before and after, goes out seconds after I fire up my GL2. My backup BP-915A is working well. I bought them both at the same time, along with the GL2 and other accessories from Zotz. Any ideas on this? I do use the 945 more but I don't understand why it should do what it is doing.
Thanks,
Sandy

The battery's a goner. Don't waste time trying to revive it. Batteries can die early deaths for a number of reasons. Your observations suggest that this one might have suffered a hard bash, perhaps a bad fall. In addition to the power cells, these batteries contain circuitry that regulates their operation and that can be irretrievably damaged by hard impacts.

If the battery has not suffered such a bash and if it's still new (ex: < 6 months) give Zotz a call. Perhaps they can work something out with you.

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

No, you can recharge them from a partial discharge with no problems. Like all similar batteries, however, it is good to completely discharge them every so often to rejuvenate them.

No, the Lithium ion battery is great in that respect. No memory. They actually do better with charging before they're fully discharged.

However, for the camera to accurately report remaining charge, the battery should be deliberately discharged to the point of camera shut-down about once every thirty charge cycles.

Usable battery capacity will decrease with age, though, even if not used much, and will need replacing every couple of years. The best storage conditions to extend life is about 40% charge under cool conditions. The worst is full charge under warm conditions. So charging them up after use with the notion that you want the camera to be "ready" when you put it away is a bad idea.

Here's a nice reference that the above info came from:
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

Power 2000 battery question
 

Hi everyone. I'm new here as I just got a gl2 a few days ago and I love it. It is a HUGE step up from my old jvc hunk of crap of a camera.

When I bought my camera I just ordered the camera, 3 tapes and the canon hard case(I dont really like the harness system but oh well it works). So now I've decided I need a few more things like a tripod, rewinder, uv filter, and another battery. So my question is:

If I order the Power 2000 battery do I need to also order their charger or will it charge in my canon charger?

Thanks,
Patrick

The Power 2000 battery will recharge just fine in the Canon charger, Patrick.

Have fun.

Patrick, if the Canon case is returnable, I'd highly recommend doing so. They are WAY overpriced. Even if money isn't a consideration for you, you apparently don't care for the case. You can get a hardshell Vanguard or equivalent case for about $40 that has a customizable foam interior that will hold everything that came in the GL2 box plus some extras very securely without harnesses. They are also very handsome in appearance.

Thanks Ken that is good to know.

And Fred, I did consider that but it would be a bit of a pain and it would leave me with no case for at least a week. Plus I've been toying with the idea of just adding a couple pieces of foam to the inside to pad the camera a little more. I think I'll give that a try and if it works then I'll just keep the case.

Canon GL2 9 hour battery
 

Hey, if anyone you have a 9 hour battery which is the largest you can get, and the second largest battery too. can you post a picture of it. I wanted to see what it looks like. And does it throw off the balance of the camera.?
Im thinking of buying one off www.canonbattery.com for cheap.

The biggest battery won't affect you or the camera at all, unless you are endowed with a extra large nose, in which case you may have problems getting your eye right up to the viewfinder!!

i just wanna see how far the biggest battery sticks out.lol

Hi Austin,

To my knowledge, the 'biggest' battery is the BP945 and clones.

I have a clone (Power2000 I think - had it a while and there are no brand markings on it) but I think they're rated for about 5 hours use, not 9.

I can't post a picture but to give you an idea, the battery is flush with the rear edge of the viewfinder assembly (not the eyecup) when extended.

It doesn't get in the way at all (but then again I have a cute little button nose) and doesn't affect balance. In fact, I think it helps. I tend to keep the w/a lens on most of the time and without the big battery the camera is a bit front heavy.

Hope that helps.

Ian . . .

5 hour battery
 

Ian is correct , the longest the 945 or 941 clone run is about 5 to 6 hours. I does in fact balance the camera better. I personally do find the battery a bit of an encumeberance filming wild life on the move while using a shoulder steady rig, not so much when free hand.

Dale guthormsen

I have a clone of BP 945 which is 7.4V instead of 7.2V. I bought this from eBay very cheap.
It says 5500 mAh. The battery is Chineese made and I am not sure whether I am safe to use this with my camera!
I do not know how long it is going to last as I haven't done any continous shooting using this battery.
I am not experienced and kindly give me your expert suggestions.
Thanks

James.

Cheap battery will damage your Camera ??
 

I saw here and there lot of diffrence prices about the battery for my xm2
And thought can I give a shot try one of these cheap batteries
But will not take any risk to damage something in my brand new camera which I love so much.

Is there a risk to damage mine camera or is the risk only count for the battery ??

I red some theards and it would me fine if somebody can give a link to a good alternative where I can order these batteries
I know I asking to much now but also conncted buy the information I live in the Netherlands

Thank you anyway

Have you tried Amazon? http://www.amazon.co.uk

They have many replacements for Canon batteries, you can get the BP-945 compatiable battery for under US$40

EDIT: the US Amazon site has many more Canon replacement batteries

"Cheap" of just low cost?
 

I purchased two aftermarket batteries and have had great success with them. So far I've only used the two batteries in the camera and reserved the battery that came with the camera for use in my VL 10i video light. Below is the battery and price that I paid.

Delkin eFilm DD BP-930 camcorder battery - Li-Ion $40.95

I don’t see any issues using aftermarket "Cheap" batteries as long as they come from a reputable dealer.