Battery Question at DVinfo.net

Les Yosek · September 6th, 2008, 09:29 AM

I purchased a JVC Brand BN-VF823U extended battery from Best Buy the other day and charged it up. Turned on the camera, an HD7, and it shows that it is fully charged but also shows only 110 minutes recording time! The packaging states "Up to 4.5 hours". This again is the JVC battery and not an after market battery. I've tried charging it a couple of times, swapped batteries, still the same. 110 minutes is a lot less than "4.5" hours, is this battery defective or is this normal? Thanks

Les

Waldemar Winkler · September 6th, 2008, 04:59 PM

The battery could be defective, which would be an issue for either JVC or the retail outlet where you purchased it.

However, I believe most camera manufacturers state in their manuals that it will take a few charge/discharge cycles before your battery actually stores an honest full charge. If this is so, you should see increasing minutes each time you recharge. Just be sure to almost drain the battery before you recharge. In my experience draining a battery before recharging is a much healthier process for the battery.

Personally, I never pay much attention to what charge indicators say in terms of minutes. I always pay more attention to the icon displays. I've been disappointed too many times by forgetting to pay attention to informational displays in my viewfinder (particularly the flashing REC).

Alex Dolgin · September 6th, 2008, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Les Yosek

I purchased a JVC Brand BN-VF823U extended battery from Best Buy the other day and charged it up. Turned on the camera, an HD7, and it shows that it is fully charged but also shows only 110 minutes recording time! The packaging states "Up to 4.5 hours". This again is the JVC battery and not an after market battery. I've tried charging it a couple of times, swapped batteries, still the same. 110 minutes is a lot less than "4.5" hours, is this battery defective or is this normal? Thanks

Les

Les, the packaging claim has no meaning, it is just a marketing thing. You need to know capacity of the battery in WH, and your camera power drain. Check our FAQ for more info, and how to calculate run time. Cycling a Li-Ion battery does not do it any good, just wears it out.
FAQ

Les Yosek · September 6th, 2008, 10:15 PM

Thanks Waldemer and Alex for responding. I certainly wasn't expecting anything close to the 4.5 hours, (270 minutes) but more than 110 mins. from the VF823U. I have exchanged it for another and am charging it up now. Will let you know what it shows after charging.

Les

Manuel Correa · September 7th, 2008, 06:58 AM

Hello Les

What Alex has told you is correct. The claim of up to 4.5 hours of recording is under a controlled rate. If you look closely you will see this is calculated on a load of 3.2 watts. I believe only the smallest JVC cameras consume at that level. Remember, these batteries are used across several different models.

JVC states the consumption on the HD7 as 7.1 watts with LCD and 6.7 watts with the viewfinder. Notice these numbers do not state the operational condition the camera is in, essentially the camera is on that's all. The HD7 operates at 7.7 watts when recording, and based on the previous numbers, I will take it they are factoring in the LCD is also being used. Under these conditions, the best you can expect is about 2 hours of use before the battery is drained.

My experience using the JVC VF815 and VF823 batteries has yielded about 1 1/2 hours and around 2 hours respectively with the LCD on and the camera recording. I do not believe your battery is defective. This is really a case of supply and demand. The maximum supply is set, the HD7 demand is twice what was calculated, thus, you can expect about half the duration that is stated on the battery package.

It seems most of the manufactures always calculate run times under the most ideal conditions which hardly ever happens in the real world. This is why it is always a good idea to carry one or two extra batteries with you, fully charged, whenever you go out.

Alex Dolgin · September 7th, 2008, 10:26 AM

I just placed an instant online run time calculator at Video Camera Run Time Calculator

September 6th, 2008, 09:29 AM	#1
Les Yosek Tourist Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2	Battery Question I purchased a JVC Brand BN-VF823U extended battery from Best Buy the other day and charged it up. Turned on the camera, an HD7, and it shows that it is fully charged but also shows only 110 minutes recording time! The packaging states "Up to 4.5 hours". This again is the JVC battery and not an after market battery. I've tried charging it a couple of times, swapped batteries, still the same. 110 minutes is a lot less than "4.5" hours, is this battery defective or is this normal? Thanks Les

September 6th, 2008, 04:59 PM	#2
Waldemar Winkler Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Durango, Colorado, USA Posts: 711	The battery could be defective, which would be an issue for either JVC or the retail outlet where you purchased it. However, I believe most camera manufacturers state in their manuals that it will take a few charge/discharge cycles before your battery actually stores an honest full charge. If this is so, you should see increasing minutes each time you recharge. Just be sure to almost drain the battery before you recharge. In my experience draining a battery before recharging is a much healthier process for the battery. Personally, I never pay much attention to what charge indicators say in terms of minutes. I always pay more attention to the icon displays. I've been disappointed too many times by forgetting to pay attention to informational displays in my viewfinder (particularly the flashing REC). __________________ Waldemar

September 6th, 2008, 10:15 PM	#4
Les Yosek Tourist Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2	Battery Question Thanks Waldemer and Alex for responding. I certainly wasn't expecting anything close to the 4.5 hours, (270 minutes) but more than 110 mins. from the VF823U. I have exchanged it for another and am charging it up now. Will let you know what it shows after charging. Les

September 7th, 2008, 10:26 AM	#6
Alex Dolgin Contributor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Lexington, Ma Posts: 286	I just placed an instant online run time calculator at Video Camera Run Time Calculator __________________ Alex Dolgin Dolgin Engineering Camera DC Power accessories, Fast 4 position Battery Charger http://www.dolgin.net

September 7th, 2008, 06:58 AM	#5
Manuel Correa Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: New York NY Posts: 35	Hello Les What Alex has told you is correct. The claim of up to 4.5 hours of recording is under a controlled rate. If you look closely you will see this is calculated on a load of 3.2 watts. I believe only the smallest JVC cameras consume at that level. Remember, these batteries are used across several different models. JVC states the consumption on the HD7 as 7.1 watts with LCD and 6.7 watts with the viewfinder. Notice these numbers do not state the operational condition the camera is in, essentially the camera is on that's all. The HD7 operates at 7.7 watts when recording, and based on the previous numbers, I will take it they are factoring in the LCD is also being used. Under these conditions, the best you can expect is about 2 hours of use before the battery is drained. My experience using the JVC VF815 and VF823 batteries has yielded about 1 1/2 hours and around 2 hours respectively with the LCD on and the camera recording. I do not believe your battery is defective. This is really a case of supply and demand. The maximum supply is set, the HD7 demand is twice what was calculated, thus, you can expect about half the duration that is stated on the battery package. It seems most of the manufactures always calculate run times under the most ideal conditions which hardly ever happens in the real world. This is why it is always a good idea to carry one or two extra batteries with you, fully charged, whenever you go out.