Digi-cam Li-Ion batteries - longevitity?

[GucciBoy]

For say the Canon SD400, which uses Li-Ion, how long should the battery last? I was told only 300 charges. How come camera batteries dont last as long as cell phone batteries since both are Li-Ion. Cell phone batteries, you can charge several times throughout the day. For example, talking on it, then charging for a couple hours, talking again, etc. It wont take a toll on cell phone Li-Ions. But Im guessing this wouldnt be a good idea with a camera? I just dont want to have to buy new batteries every 2 months haha. Li-Ion batteries are meant to be kept topped up for optimal life, but you can't do this with a digi cam battery, or you will be buying new batteries every pay cheque.

[FlySi]

I've had my Li-Ion battery for years now and its worked fine. Decent life but I always drain it before charging.

[FiveFreshFish]

My Canon S230 is 32 months old and the original Li-Ion battery still holds a decent charge, like over 50% of its capacity when new. Over such a long a period and considering how many times I've charged and discharged it, it's done quite well IMO.

I definitely CAN'T say the same for the two generic batteries I bought off eBay that cost less than $10 each. They started to lose their ability to hold a charge maybe when they were a few months old. But for the price, I can't bitch. The next digicam I buy, I'll get OE spare batteries.

Don't know why camera batteries don't last as long as cell phone batteries. My guess would be that high-drain devices eat through batteries faster, and at the same time reducing their ability to hold a charge. :dunno:

I normally don't "top up" my batteries until they need it.

[GucciBoy]

Originally posted by FlySi
I've had my Li-Ion battery for years now and its worked fine. Decent life but I always drain it before charging.

serious? how ironic, cuz li-ions last longer when topped up. hmm wierd

[GucciBoy]

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish
My Canon S230 is 32 months old and the original Li-Ion battery still holds a decent charge, like over 50% of its capacity when new. Over such a long a period and considering how many times I've charged and discharged it, it's done quite well IMO.

I definitely CAN'T say the same for the two generic batteries I bought off eBay that cost less than $10 each. They started to lose their ability to hold a charge maybe when they were a few months old. But for the price, I can't bitch. The next digicam I buy, I'll get OE spare batteries.

Don't know why camera batteries don't last as long as cell phone batteries. My guess would be that high-drain devices eat through batteries faster, and at the same time reducing their ability to hold a charge. :dunno:

I normally don't "top up" my batteries until they need it.

so you drain yours alot? how i see it, is if you drain it everytime, it should last the longest. But then you dont want your camera dying on you when you're out lol. hmm. Maybe just charge it when you are going to take it out?

Thats good to know. I plan on using my cam at least 5/7 days of the week, so if I charge it everyday and drain it completely at the night, it should last me 10months hmm. Maybe if the Orig canon batteries werent $7000, then it wouldnt be so bad, but them in bulk.

[Weapon_R]

On my s200 the battery has held up for years now (since 2002 iirc). I also drain the whole thing because I don't ever remember to charge it until it dies on me :D

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by GucciBoy


so you drain yours alot? how i see it, is if you drain it everytime, it should last the longest. But then you dont want your camera dying on you when you're out lol. hmm. Maybe just charge it when you are going to take it out?

I take it out to charge when I see the low-bat warning indicator. I usually have a spare battery with me because I've got 3 (1 OE and 2 generic) so I'm okay most of the time. I've run them dead on occasion too.

Li-ion batteries don't have a great shelf life. Yeah, if the camera's been sitting for a week or more, I'll charge them up if I know I'm going to take lots of pics, or not if I take it out just for the sake of having it.

Do you have the SD400? I'm thinking that might be my next camera. I had a chance to use an IXY 55 back in April when friends visited from overseas. It's the JDM version of the SD400.

[GucciBoy]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
On my s200 the battery has held up for years now (since 2002 iirc). I also drain the whole thing because I don't ever remember to charge it until it dies on me :D

Ya I think I will go continue this route too. I have only had to charge my battery about 5 times so far since I got it, and ive killed the battery completely everytime. It might be a bit of a pain draining the battery everytime and worries me that it could die when you're out with it. Gee it feels like Im using a Ni-Cad haha. :thumbsdow

[GucciBoy]

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish
Do you have the SD400? I'm thinking that might be my next camera. I had a chance to use an IXY 55 back in April when friends visited from overseas. It's the JDM version of the SD400.

Ya I bought it about 5 weeks ago. I havent been using the cam as much as I would have liked since I got it (still learning), but Im lookin to carry it around with me more often. Im so cautious with this cam, because the SD ELPH series has one of the most fragile LCDs - alot of users claim theirs have cracked just out of the blue from temperature changes, etc. So even if its only 20d out, I wouldnt even keep it in the car for 10mins.

5 weeks - 5 charges LOL.

[FiveFreshFish]

My buddy says he can't shoot as long with the SD400 when compared with his previous camera, the S400. Besides being fragile, the big LCD must drain a significant amount of power.

The LCD should be covered under warranty as long as the crack isn't caused by impact. :dunno:

[GucciBoy]

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish
My buddy says he can't shoot as long with the SD400 when compared with his previous camera, the S400. Besides being fragile, the big LCD must drain a significant amount of power.

The LCD should be covered under warranty as long as the crack isn't caused by impact. :dunno:

I can shoot 8 mins of video on 1gig card. Continous...

Thats the thing, Canon does not cover LCDs, believe it or not, same with the famous E18 error. But when the LCDs go bad, thats right they crack. :(

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by GucciBoy


I can shoot 8 mins of video on 1gig card. Continous...

Thats the thing, Canon does not cover LCDs, believe it or not, same with the famous E18 error. But when the LCDs go bad, thats right they crack. :(

To clarify, I meant that my buddy's old S400 lasted longer as in being able to take more pics on one charge than with his new camera. I think the new NB-4L battery is physically smaller than the NB-1L.

Anyway, 8 minutes of video is incredible! My S230 does something like 30 seconds max, and the file size of even a 10-second clip is already huge.

Shitty they don't warranty the LCD. I'm pretty careful with my camera, so it's not a big deterrent. And they're getting cheaper all the time!

[GucciBoy]

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish

Shitty they don't warranty the LCD. I'm pretty careful with my camera, so it's not a big deterrent. And they're getting cheaper all the time!

Ya this is why you have to baby this model more so than others. :(