Battery storage

[tdigi]

I was reading the manual and it said not to leave the battery in the camera when not in use. Does this

mean I should take it out when ever its not being used or does this refer to when the camera is off for a

long period ( say 2 weeks )

 

Also does it do anything to the camera to leave it in?

[jimstrutz]

Long periods. Two week is a good limit.

 

If the battery should leak, the camera may become damaged. This is more likely to happen if the camera uses disposable batteries. Also, some cameras keep draining the battery a little even when off, and some lithium batteries cannot revive after a complete discharge. Removing them is a safe practice.

[zigzag]

And don't forget your flash.

[amol]

Tommy,

 

I usually leave my battery in my camera, sometimes for over a month, depending. At the most, the batteries could corrode, but I think that is unlikely, maybe if you kept it in for years. The only other reason might be to prevent the battery discharging faster, though, not sure if they discharge less out of the camera? But I wouldn't worry about it.

[colinsouthern]

I'd suggest not getting paranoid about it either. The only scenario you'll want to avoid is leaving non-rechargeable batteries in a device so long they leak.

 

Keep in mind that modern rechargeable batteries have quite high self-discharge rates, so if you keep the battery in the camera for several months then you'll find it's pretty flat when you do go to use it.

[fanta]

The camera may have a buffer battery for its clock. If you take the main battery out, the buffer battery may run out after a while, and you will need to set the date and time again when resuming usage of the camera. Not a big deal. As Colin, I believe the fear is mostly leakage from a non-rechargeable battery. But I haven't seen a leaking battery since I was a kid.

[tom_christiansen]

Folks,

 

All batteries can leak. I just threw out three NiCd battery packs that sat in my parents' attic for eight years. They were completely dried out. Two of them had leaked. I've also had batteries leak into my camera corroding the top contact of the battery holder. I was able to fix it with a dab of solder, but it could have been much worse.

 

I'd suggest that you remove the batteries if you don't use the camera (or any other piece of electronic gear) on a regular basis. "Regular basis" being at least once or twice per month or so.

 

Based on empirical evidence it seems that mostly discharged batteries leak. I've never had a charged battery leak -- except the one that went in my camera but that might have been close to dead anyway. Note as others say, that rechargeable cells have a fair amount of self-discharge. So before you know it (within a couple of months) you'll have completely dead batteries...

 

But don't be neurotic about it...

 

Tom

[steve_dunn2]

<cite>The only scenario you'll want to avoid is leaving non-rechargeable batteries in a device so long they leak.</cite>

 

<p>That's the only scenario in which they'll damage the <em>camera</em>. My experience is the same as the experiences of many others here: modern batteries rarely leak in normal use. But rarely and never aren't the same, and if I'm not going to be using the camera for a while, I can put the battery in some container that costs a heck of a lot less than the camera, so that if it <em>does</em> leak, I'm not looking at hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage. Oh, and I don't really fancy storing my camera in the fridge (which is at a much better temperature for storing Li-ion batteries than room temperature).</p>

 

<p>The camera will draw some power even when turned off - not very much, but some, and it will run the battery down sooner or later. With a single-use (non-rechargeable) battery, that means you'll be going through batteries in less time, which isn't good for your wallet or for the environment. With rechargeable batteries, the consequences depend on the type of battery; different chemistries react differently to being run down gradually, and it may or may not reduce the lifetime of the battery (how many times you can recharge and use it before it no longer holds enough charge). Since no indication was given of what type of camera or battery this is, there's no single right answer.</p>

 

<cite>The camera may have a buffer battery for its clock. If you take the main battery out, the buffer battery may run out after a while, and you will need to set the date and time again when resuming usage of the camera. Not a big deal.</cite>

 

<p>This may not be an exhaustive list, but as far as I know, all EOS DSLRs (or at least anything remotely recent - anything since at least the early years of this decade) have a lithium button cell to power the internal clock and retain information when there's no main battery installed. When it runs out, you replace it, just as you do with your lithium watch battery. It may well last longer if you leave the main battery in place, but then you run down the main battery more rapidly and will end up reducing its lifetime, and as the main battery is bigger (i.e. the environmental impact of manufacturing and disposing of one main battery is likely far greater than that of a button cell) and more expensive, that doesn't seem a good tradeoff. AFAIK, EOS film bodies with date backs don't have power connections between the date back and the rest of the camera; the date back is powered exclusively by a lithium button cell in the back, and again, when it dies, you replace it.</p>

 

<cite>I just threw out three NiCd battery packs</cite>

 

<p>I hope you didn't simply throw these out, as in put them in your garbage. NiCd batteries constitute hazardous waste (cadmium is toxic) and should be disposed of as such.</p>

[William Michael]

>>> Long periods. Two week is a good limit. If the battery should leak, the camera may become damaged. <<< (JS)

 

Not being cantankerous, nor to pick on Jim particularly: but I bet none of us take the Time / Date battery out of our DSLRs if the camera is in its case for more than two weeks.

 

As mentioned: all batteries can leak.

 

To the question, I am `battery paranoid`, but that kicks in at about the two months period, for the rechargeable ones

 

Happy and Joyous Christmas to all.

 

WW

[zackojones]

Quick solution: Don't let the camera sit for weeks without using it :)