Is there a recharchable replacement for the lithium 2CR5?

[johannes_minkus]

I use a EOS 3 and find the price of a new lithium battery (2CR5)

always a bit high. Is there any recharchable alternative you would

know of?

Thanks,

Johannes

[straightarm]

Try this link

 

http://www.2cr5.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Shopping_Rechargeable_2CR5_Batteries_and_Chargers_1.html

 

How much are you paying for 2cr5 batteries.

 

7dayshop have them at low prices approx GBP2.00 each plus postage

 

www.7dayshop.com

[edgreene]

Curiosity question: I own the BP-5 battery pack and use it with my EOS A2. <bR>Why can't I use the BP-5 on/with other EOS bodies?<p>Why can't the BP-5 (A2) and/or the BP-50 (for Elan) be used with other EOS bodies that require 1 2CR-5 Lithium for power?<p>Both Battery Packs <i>crank out <b>more than 200 36 exposure rolls</b> of film</i> (w/50% built-in flash) use, more if you don't use flash.<br>

Even better, 4 Lithium "D" Cells cost less than $8 while 1 steenking 2CR-5 costs $10-$12 and and (with 50% flash use), lasts sometimes fewer than 40 roll of <i>24 exposure</i> film.

[johannes_minkus]

Here in Munich I pay about 12 Euros

[jimstrutz]

<I>"Why can't the BP-5 (A2) and/or the BP-50 (for Elan) be used with other EOS bodies that require 1 2CR-5 Lithium for power?"</I>

<P>

The BP-50 is a battery pack / vertical grip that only fits fits the EOS 50/Elan II, but I know that at least one person has modified to fit an EOS 100/Elan and perhaps other cameras as well. It holds either a 2CR5 or four AA batteries, and unless the 4 AAs are lithium, the 2CR5 generally outlasts them by a substantial margin.

<P>

The BP-5 is a 4 D cell external pack with a coiled wire to a dummy 2CR5. The dummy battery fits the hand grip of the EOS 5/A2. There is also a BP-5B that works with the BP-50, but both are required for this to work with the EOS 50/Elan II. The only difference between a BP-5 and a BP-5B is the inclusion of a slightly modified battery cover for the BP-50. One could easily use a BP-5 with the BP-50 if you just cut a notch in the battery door for the BP-5 wire.

<P>

In a similar way you can modify many EOS camera doors to work with the BP-5, but on most of them you would also have to modify the dummy 2CR5 to get the wire to come out the end instead of the side.

<P>

I think it's easier (and probably cheaper) to order generic 2CR5 batteries than to modify the BP-5, but the external battery pack has a great advantage when shooting in very cold weather, since you can keep the batteries in a pocket while you shoot.

<P>

It's also quite easy to make your own BP-5 type device for external power. A couple of wooden dowls taped or glued together with a a coiled wire and a couple of make-shift contacts for the ends. Attach the external end of the coiled wire to any six volt power/battery pack. You could also make it small enough to attach to the camera via the tripod socket.

[david choo]

Wow, rechargeable 2cr5s really do exist!

[erik_dahlbeck]

How well do they work? Are they reliable?

[jim_simon3]

Here in California the batteries cost about $12 in a photo shop, but $6 mail order. They are used in many other devices and so are more available than most people think. The parking meters, and automatic faucets and toilets use them. The "generic" batteries from B&H are usually Panasonic or Sanyo, so they are high grade. That lower price has taken the sting out of the shorter life with IS lenses for me.

[randy_tamayo]

Jeez, I always complain about that battery on my EOS 3 too. I thought 200 philippine pesos (abt 3.75US dollars) for SANYO was a ridiculously high price...

 

Anyways, I got the PBE1 instead, I found one in a 2nd hand store here for roughly 75US dollars, it uses 8 AA lithium/alkaline/rechargeable batteries. Heavy, YES! but I dont get to buy 2cr5 anymore..although I still have that option. And I get a vertical grip and shutter release, sans the command dial(?).

 

cheers!

[whayne_padden]

With an EOS 3 you should seriously look at a PB-E2. Really your 2CR5 are a joke on EOS 3 and when you look at your battery costs a PB-E2 + NiMH AAs is sensible. Sure Powerbooster is not cheap but you get the added bonus of a better balanced, higher performing camera.

[poul]

FWIW, my old nikon 4500 could use both nikon battery and 2cr5. maybe it's worth a try.

[josh1]

<i>With an EOS 3 you should seriously look at a PB-E2. Really your 2CR5 are a joke on EOS 3 and when you look at your battery costs a PB-E2 + NiMH AAs is sensible</i>

 

<p>i use 2cr5's for my Eos 5's. the eos 3 doesn't have onboard flash like the eos 5, so i bet you can get at least 40 rolls of 36 exposure out of one 2CR5 battery...depending on what you're photographing of course. PB-E2 sells for about $340 at Adorama. Two sets of AA NiMH's will cost you about $20. You can find generic 2CR5's online for as cheap as $4 a pop. Lets see here $360/4 = 90 2CR5 batteries for the price of the booster and NiMH's. 90 * 40 = 3600 rolls of film. 3600 * 36 = 129,600 frames of film. Official (advertised by Canon) shutter life for the Eos 3 is 100,000. Hmmmm, 2CR5's don't really seem like a <i>joke</i> from this math. Guess the booster would <i>almost</i> pay for itself after your shutter wore out.

 

<p>I'm not saying that the PB-E2 won't make your camera handle better. Just not sure if its worth $360 to solve the battery issue alone. Try buying the 2CR5's in bulk online somewhere.

[simon_claessen]

<p>Well, this is a old thread, but i like to contribute my findings.</p>

<p>I own two EOS 5/A2 bodies and my batteries drained overnight because i use M42 lens adapters (i think) this was a expensive lesson for me and on one camera i mounted a hard powerswitch to the + contact in the body. this works fine, but is a bit cumbersome. then today i noticed that the batteries of my EOS350D are almost of the same size as a 2CR5. big difference is the terminal polarity. IT IS REVERSED! so don't pop in a NB-2LH in there -yet-. as of the over voltage(7.2 in stead of the normal 6 volt), the camera works fine.<br>

I took of the bottom of my camera and desoldered the two pins from the battery compartiment and reversed them. as a sidething i also desoldered the wires to the internal flash. i never use them, but they are ALWAYS ON!<br>

anyway, i made a electric change to the camera body and a mechanical change to the battery. the change to the body is reversable, but once you've changed to the nb-2lh batteries, NEVER put in a regular 2CR5 or you kill the camera.<br>

with a dremel i rounded the square corners not available on a 2cr5 and made a shallow curve in the middle where the 2cr5 has a curve as well. I leave the middle contact alone so charing it in a regular charger keeps working. be carefull with the innards of the nb-2lh. while making the curve you can expose the blue coating of the internal li-ion cells. try not to toch that with the dremel.<br>

when done, you need to use a rubber band to keep the NB-2LH in the charger and you still can use them in a EOS 350d.</p>

<p>you can get cheap NB-2LH and universal chargers from ebay. mine where 8 euro a piece.</p>

<p>good luck in keeping the EOS 5 alive!</p><div></div>