Canon LP-E6 Battery Pack for Select Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Retail Package) Review

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(More customer reviews)In addition to the one that came with the 5D Mark II, I also bought a separate one to fill the second bay in the BG-E6 Vertical Grip.
My initial experience with the battery was less than stellar -- if you are currently disappointed with the battery capacity (especially if it's new), hear me out.
After the first charge out of the box, the single battery lasted about a day with maybe 100 RAW shots and a couple of minutes worth of 1080p video. VERY disappointing to say the least. But here's the thing -- it really needs to go through a couple of full cycles (full discharge, full charge) before it reaches its peak capability.
At the time of my last charge, I had shot well over 2700 RAW frames on two batteries -- and both of those batteries each reported 60% charge remaining at that point.
Which brings me to the reporting features. If you are buying this as a second battery, then you are probably already aware of this, but the battery will report its charge level (with a 1% resolution), battery recharge performance, and number of shutter actuations since last charge. The 5D Mark II can then display this information on its Battery Info screen.
With two LP-E6's installed (via the BG-E6 Vertical Grip), the 5D Mark II will register both of the batteries and list their statistics simultaneously in the Battery Info screen. The Shutter Count numbers even operate independently. For example, after a long day of shooting (over 1500 frames), the Battery Info screen told me that Battery 1 was responsible for 806 frames, while Battery 2 was responsible for 746 frames. At this point, the batteries still showed a 78% charge on each one.
Also notable is the fact that the number of shutter actuations for each battery does NOT reset when the battery is removed. Its actuation count is saved, and if you later reinsert the battery (without charging it), the count will still be accurate for that battery. Once you charge the battery, the count is reset.
Finally, as a word of warning: At the time of this review (Jan 20, 2009), the battery prices are ridiculous. Because of high demand, apparently some sellers feel justified in gouging their customers. The current price listed as of this writing is nearly US$200. I bought my second battery before demand went through the roof, and I paid less than US$90 from a reputable Canon dealer. Keep that in mind when deciding where to purchase.

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The Canon LP-E6 Lithium-ion Battery is approximately 30% more powerful than the previous BP-511Awith 1800 milliamp-hours capacity, vs. 1390 mAh for the previous-generation BP-511A.

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