How long do batteries stay charged for? at DVinfo.net

Nathan Buck · May 11th, 2016, 02:02 PM

This might seem a silly question but as I usually charge things the night before I've never thought to check!

I'm not shooting until Saturday, but as I have five camera batteries and only two chargers, and a chance of not being able to charge the night before due to travel, I've started the charging process three days early. How long do they hold their charge for?

Also, what about GoPro Hero4 batteries? I know they eat them like nothing else whilst in use haha!

Thank you!

Steve Burkett · May 11th, 2016, 02:09 PM

GoPros I tend to charge the night before, though they tend to hold their charge for a couple of days before you get diminished returns. Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries are terrible. Charge doesn't hold, though I can still get a few hours use from them rather than say 4.

My GH4 batteries are fine; hold their charge well. I can't speak for your camera make. I have 3 GH4s and 11 batteries and 4 chargers. I get by charging after a Wedding and it holds for a week.

Daniel James · May 11th, 2016, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Burkett

. Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries are terrible. Charge doesn't hold, though I can still get a few hours use from them rather than say 4.

You're using the wrong ones then... since we switched over to eneloop's we don't worry about them anymore. They hold there charge really well. The eneloop pro's are 2.5 amp hour and seem to last forever.

I'm current experimenting with some amazon own brand "eneloop", so far so good on those ones too.

Steve Burkett · May 11th, 2016, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel James

You're using the wrong ones then... since we switched over to eneloop's we don't worry about them anymore. They hold there charge really well. The eneloop pro's are 2.5 amp hour and seem to last forever.

I'm current experimenting with some amazon own brand "eneloop", so far so good on those ones too.

Cheers for the info; I'm looking into them now.

Mike Watson · May 11th, 2016, 02:58 PM

I rotate my AAs, using the ones I charged the longest ago, and keeping the most recently charged ones for later. It would not surprise me if I go weeks or even a month with a pair of fully charged AA's without using them. They will power my wireless mics all day and I don't notice any discharge. I'm using the Amazon Basics rechargable AAs, but I think with modern AAs there is not a lot of difference.

GoPros are battery suckers and I tend to power them up the night before if I know I'm going to use them. But I don't think it makes much difference.

Camera batteries I also use the one charged the longest time ago, and have never had an issue.

Stephen Brenner · May 11th, 2016, 03:10 PM

It kind of varies by brand. I've noticed that my Sony np batteries tend to hold their charge for a very long time.

Chris Harding · May 11th, 2016, 06:46 PM

Lithiums are usually pretty good and have no leakage at all so you can pretty much change them the night before and not worry about topping them up. My Lumix cameras have a mixture of Panasonic batteries and Pro-Master batteries and both hold their charge well.

Yep AA's are the worst sadly! I can charge a set in the morning and the charger says they are full and then in the afternoon I can pop them in the charger again and it will take another 30 minutes before they are full again. On my wireless mics and audio mixer I went from "dry cell" 9v cells to Lithium equivalents and they are awesome ... Pity I cannot get lithium equivalents for AA's for the still camera flash units!!

Mike Watson · May 11th, 2016, 08:50 PM

My understanding of Li-Ion batteries is that the low end of the battery (let's call it 0-50%) charges quickly, and the top end of the battery (50-100%) charges more and more slowly, logarithmically. If you have dead batteries and only 15 minutes to charge them, you can often get 10-15% in 15 minutes. If you want a full charge, it might take 3-4 hours. If you charge from 0 to 90% you might be able to do it in 1.5 hours, and it might take another 1.5 hours to get from 90% to 100%. It's my understanding that taking them out of the charger, waiting 4 hours, then charging them again is not a good way to understand capacity. Sadly, other than running them out in a flashlight and timing how long it takes, it is difficult to find another way to measure.

Peter Rush · May 12th, 2016, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel James

You're using the wrong ones then... since we switched over to eneloop's we don't worry about them anymore. They hold there charge really well. The eneloop pro's are 2.5 amp hour and seem to last forever.

I'm current experimenting with some amazon own brand "eneloop", so far so good on those ones too.

Daniel do you have a link to those Amazon batteries? Do they require a special charger?

Nigel Barker · May 12th, 2016, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

Daniel do you have a link to those Amazon batteries? Do they require a special charger?

I'm not Daniel but these are the Amazon 'Eneloop' batteries that I use plus the charger. They hold their charge for months & are much cheaper than Panasonic branded Eneloop

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The capacity of the Amazon AAs is claimed as 2500 mAh which is the same as Eneloop Pro & a lot more than standard Eneloop (1900 mAh)

Vince Pachiano · May 12th, 2016, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Watson

Sadly, other than running them out in a flashlight and timing how long it takes, it is difficult to find another way to measure.

The charger below has a test mode:
1. Charges the rechargeable battery to full capacity
2. Then discharges completely to measure rechargeable battery capacity for display in mAh or Ah
3. Recharges battery to full battery capacity.

Amazon.com: La Crosse Technology BC-700 Alpha Power Battery Charger: Electronics

Jeff Harper · May 12th, 2016, 07:52 AM

Boxes of Duracell high quality AA batteries are so inexpensive I am surprised that anyone uses rechargeable AA batteries. Run times are lower than disposables, and the hassle of recharging just don't make it worth it to me.

I have enough to worry about the night before an event, let alone being concerned whether my rechargeables are fully charged. The hassle is not worth it, let alone the lower performance of the disposables.

For my zoom recorders I often get two events, sometimes three, out of a brand new battery.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DURACELL-PR...l+aa+batteries

Daniel James · May 12th, 2016, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

I'm not Daniel but these are the Amazon 'Eneloop' batteries that I use plus the charger. They hold their charge for months & are much cheaper than Panasonic branded Eneloop

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The capacity of the Amazon AAs is claimed as 2500 mAh which is the same as Eneloop Pro & a lot more than standard Eneloop (1900 mAh)

Yeap, them the ones :-)

They require a NiMh charger, so your existing one will do, I also have one of these chargers, which allows you to alter the current if required, also gives good feedback on the charging status.

https://www.7dayshop.com/battery-cha...-aaa-batteries

We were going through regular AA batteries at a rate of knots, however I haven't brought any since we switched over to these.

Peter Rush · May 13th, 2016, 02:58 AM

Regular Duracell type batteries are not hugely expensive - I use 6 AA and 4 AAA batteries per wedding - but I was using fresh ones every wedding as it was a hassle to keep track and change every few weddings - at least with rechargables I know they are fresh every wedding (I charge them 2 days before so I can pack them into recorders the day before) plus the cost saving is just one of the things that helps me keep my cost and therefore price to customers down

PEte

Mike Watson · May 13th, 2016, 08:51 AM

Rechargables actually hold a charge longer than throw-away alkalines, and hold a steadier voltage. They are better for high-drain devices (cameras, flash units). This is in addition to not slowly filling up the landfill every time I use my microphone.

May 11th, 2016, 02:02 PM	#1
Nathan Buck Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 134	How long do batteries stay charged for? This might seem a silly question but as I usually charge things the night before I've never thought to check! I'm not shooting until Saturday, but as I have five camera batteries and only two chargers, and a chance of not being able to charge the night before due to travel, I've started the charging process three days early. How long do they hold their charge for? Also, what about GoPro Hero4 batteries? I know they eat them like nothing else whilst in use haha! Thank you!

May 11th, 2016, 02:09 PM	#2
Steve Burkett Trustee Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Romsey, UK Posts: 1,261	Re: How long do batteries stay charged for? GoPros I tend to charge the night before, though they tend to hold their charge for a couple of days before you get diminished returns. Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries are terrible. Charge doesn't hold, though I can still get a few hours use from them rather than say 4. My GH4 batteries are fine; hold their charge well. I can't speak for your camera make. I have 3 GH4s and 11 batteries and 4 chargers. I get by charging after a Wedding and it holds for a week.

May 11th, 2016, 02:58 PM	#5
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Re: How long do batteries stay charged for? I rotate my AAs, using the ones I charged the longest ago, and keeping the most recently charged ones for later. It would not surprise me if I go weeks or even a month with a pair of fully charged AA's without using them. They will power my wireless mics all day and I don't notice any discharge. I'm using the Amazon Basics rechargable AAs, but I think with modern AAs there is not a lot of difference. GoPros are battery suckers and I tend to power them up the night before if I know I'm going to use them. But I don't think it makes much difference. Camera batteries I also use the one charged the longest time ago, and have never had an issue.

May 11th, 2016, 03:10 PM	#6
Stephen Brenner Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brownsville, OR Posts: 116	Re: How long do batteries stay charged for? It kind of varies by brand. I've noticed that my Sony np batteries tend to hold their charge for a very long time.

May 11th, 2016, 06:46 PM	#7
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: How long do batteries stay charged for? Lithiums are usually pretty good and have no leakage at all so you can pretty much change them the night before and not worry about topping them up. My Lumix cameras have a mixture of Panasonic batteries and Pro-Master batteries and both hold their charge well. Yep AA's are the worst sadly! I can charge a set in the morning and the charger says they are full and then in the afternoon I can pop them in the charger again and it will take another 30 minutes before they are full again. On my wireless mics and audio mixer I went from "dry cell" 9v cells to Lithium equivalents and they are awesome ... Pity I cannot get lithium equivalents for AA's for the still camera flash units!!

May 11th, 2016, 08:50 PM	#8
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Re: How long do batteries stay charged for? My understanding of Li-Ion batteries is that the low end of the battery (let's call it 0-50%) charges quickly, and the top end of the battery (50-100%) charges more and more slowly, logarithmically. If you have dead batteries and only 15 minutes to charge them, you can often get 10-15% in 15 minutes. If you want a full charge, it might take 3-4 hours. If you charge from 0 to 90% you might be able to do it in 1.5 hours, and it might take another 1.5 hours to get from 90% to 100%. It's my understanding that taking them out of the charger, waiting 4 hours, then charging them again is not a good way to understand capacity. Sadly, other than running them out in a flashlight and timing how long it takes, it is difficult to find another way to measure.

May 12th, 2016, 07:52 AM	#12
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: How long do batteries stay charged for? Boxes of Duracell high quality AA batteries are so inexpensive I am surprised that anyone uses rechargeable AA batteries. Run times are lower than disposables, and the hassle of recharging just don't make it worth it to me. I have enough to worry about the night before an event, let alone being concerned whether my rechargeables are fully charged. The hassle is not worth it, let alone the lower performance of the disposables. For my zoom recorders I often get two events, sometimes three, out of a brand new battery. https://www.amazon.co.uk/DURACELL-PR...l+aa+batteries __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

May 13th, 2016, 02:58 AM	#14
Peter Rush Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: UK/Yorkshire Posts: 2,069	Re: How long do batteries stay charged for? Regular Duracell type batteries are not hugely expensive - I use 6 AA and 4 AAA batteries per wedding - but I was using fresh ones every wedding as it was a hassle to keep track and change every few weddings - at least with rechargables I know they are fresh every wedding (I charge them 2 days before so I can pack them into recorders the day before) plus the cost saving is just one of the things that helps me keep my cost and therefore price to customers down PEte

May 13th, 2016, 08:51 AM	#15
Mike Watson Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,082	Re: How long do batteries stay charged for? Rechargables actually hold a charge longer than throw-away alkalines, and hold a steadier voltage. They are better for high-drain devices (cameras, flash units). This is in addition to not slowly filling up the landfill every time I use my microphone.