T2i Battery not holding charge

[mom2rtk]

I could just be losing my mind. In fact, that's probably it.

But my batteries just don't seem to be holding their charge like they used to. I have 2 genuine Canon batteries and a couple of generics. I've had them (and the camera) for 4 years. But all of a sudden whatever battery I put in the camera (name brand or generic) seems to run out of charge noticeably faster then ever before.

I used to be able to put a battery in and it would stay charged for an extended period of time over uses on lots of different days. Now it only seems to last through one outing.

I'm using the Canon charger that came with the camera.

Any ideas? Since it affects all the batteries it seems like the issue has to be with the charger or the camera.

 

[photo_chick]

Sounds like justification to get a new camera to me!

Seriously though,if you bought them all around the same time it is possible they're all pooping out at about the same rate. Buying a new battery and seeing if it behaves the same way would probably be the cheapest way to either confirm or eliminate that but I still think you're right in thinking it's the camera or the charger. And if it is the charger or the camera and there isn't any easy way that I know of to tell which except taking it in to have it checked.

 

[mom2rtk]

Sounds like justification to get a new camera to me!

Seriously though,if you bought them all around the same time it is possible they're all pooping out at about the same rate. Buying a new battery and seeing if it behaves the same way would probably be the cheapest way to either confirm or eliminate that but I still think you're right in thinking it's the camera or the charger. And if it is the charger or the camera and there isn't any easy way that I know of to tell which except taking it in to have it checked.

Well, I've actually been giving some thought lately to a new camera. But honestly, I'd like for mine to hang on a bit longer. I'd like to see what happens with the 7DMii. I'd like to at least feel like I was getting something added to the plate for what I'm spending. And I just don't think the 70D offers enough extra features to warrant the cost (to man anyway, since I rarely shoot video). You know, unless the T2i starts acting up. I'm really scared of getting to DL in December and having it choose then to die. I'm probably way past the expected life in terms of shutter actuations.

Of course, I'd love to hear if someone runs across any of those amazing deals on the 6D again. Of course that would come with the headache of needing all new glass. Oy. Not sure I want to do that either.

I guess I need to put my daughter in charge of running some field tests for me while she's on summer vacation. Maybe try to run down some batteries and see how they do. And maybe I'll dig out the spare or 2 I keep in my travel bag. Those haven't been used as many times so shouldn't be as worn out as the ones I keep out year round.

 

[nbaresejr]

The best deal I think i saw on the 6d w/ 24-105 kit lens was $1999. You may be able to get that deal still through a company called Green Toe. You submit an offer and it either gets accepted, rejected or countered. All the companies that deal with them are authorized retailers. I have seen Adorama fulfill green toe orders.

more info about it here:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1294479

 

[Skywise]

Lithium Ion battery life depends on how many times it was charged but also if it sat uncharged for a long period of time and how it was used plus some other environmental factors.

Wikipedia says companies like Apple assume a 3 year lifespan on these kind of batteries but I think 5 years is probably the typical average which it looks like you're hitting. (Just like a car battery)

Definitely time for a new car...er camera...

 

[mom2rtk]

The best deal I think i saw on the 6d w/ 24-105 kit lens was $1999. You may be able to get that deal still through a company called Green Toe. You submit an offer and it either gets accepted, rejected or countered. All the companies that deal with them are authorized retailers. I have seen Adorama fulfill green toe orders.

more info about it here:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1294479

Thanks! I really need to think on this.

Lithium Ion battery life depends on how many times it was charged but also if it sat uncharged for a long period of time and how it was used plus some other environmental factors.

Wikipedia says companies like Apple assume a 3 year lifespan on these kind of batteries but I think 5 years is probably the typical average which it looks like you're hitting. (Just like a car battery)

Definitely time for a new car...er camera...

LOL, unfortunately we need a new car too.

I suppose I could just buy a cheap new battery and see how it holds its charge. That's not nearly as fun though.

But I do find it really odd that all of a sudden I'd start having this problem in multiple batteries all at once, both generic and name brand.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Well, I've actually been giving some thought lately to a new camera. But honestly, I'd like for mine to hang on a bit longer. I'd like to see what happens with the 7DMii. I'd like to at least feel like I was getting something added to the plate for what I'm spending. And I just don't think the 70D offers enough extra features to warrant the cost (to man anyway, since I rarely shoot video). You know, unless the T2i starts acting up. I'm really scared of getting to DL in December and having it choose then to die. I'm probably way past the expected life in terms of shutter actuations.

Of course, I'd love to hear if someone runs across any of those amazing deals on the 6D again. Of course that would come with the headache of needing all new glass. Oy. Not sure I want to do that either.

I guess I need to put my daughter in charge of running some field tests for me while she's on summer vacation. Maybe try to run down some batteries and see how they do. And maybe I'll dig out the spare or 2 I keep in my travel bag. Those haven't been used as many times so shouldn't be as worn out as the ones I keep out year round.

Just an FYI from somebody that's been down all these roads. FWIW, the 70D is, at worst, a 2 magnitude leap from where you are. I have a 6D and a 70D on the crop side, I could care less what the 7D MK II brings now. The 70D is all I need in a crop for a long time. To be honest, unless I'm shooting in total darkness, I could care less if I pick up the 6D or the 70D to take a shot. They are both that good.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

BTW, lithiums hate extremes of both hot and cold. Any chance they've all been exposed to extreme heat or cold lately?

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm bumping up this thread because I have not yet solved my issue. We have been on vacation to Utah where I shot a large quantity of frames a day, and didn't experience any issues.

I don't tend to get to use the camera a lot in daily life, just little bits here and there. Take a few shots of the cats, lay it on the dining room table. Take it to my daughter's volleyball game, lay it on the dining room table. Take some shots on the first day of school, lay it on the table.

In the past, a battery would stay in the camera during times of low usage and retain power for weeks and weeks. Now if I come back to the camera in a few days, it's dead again.

To try and figure this out, I ordered a new battery and fully charged it. It lost charge in a couple days with very little usage. I charged it again with a different charger and just picked it up this morning...... and it's dead again.

So something is causing that power to drain, and it didn't used to.

I hate to just ditch the camera because I have to change batteries more often now. But I'm afraid I'm going to get caught at some point without power. Nor do I want to spend the money to send it in to Canon.

Anybody else have ideas or ever heard of this happening?

Just an FYI from somebody that's been down all these roads. FWIW, the 70D is, at worst, a 2 magnitude leap from where you are. I have a 6D and a 70D on the crop side, I could care less what the 7D MK II brings now. The 70D is all I need in a crop for a long time. To be honest, unless I'm shooting in total darkness, I could care less if I pick up the 6D or the 70D to take a shot. They are both that good.

I have given your post an awful lot of thought since you posted it. I have a feeling I will end up with the 70D at some point. I'd just rather that be later instead of sooner.

BTW, lithiums hate extremes of both hot and cold. Any chance they've all been exposed to extreme heat or cold lately?

I appreciate the thought. But they really haven't been exposed to any extremes lately. And I think I have ruled out the batteries themselves being the issues by buying the new one that does the same thing.

 

[boBQuincy]

This seems rare but there are some cases:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3184467

The lens seems to be drawing power even when the camera switch is off (it probably doesn't really switch off all power anyway).

Another (also rare) possibility is moisture/salt moisture in the switch circuit, keeping the power on even when the switch is physically set to off. One way to check would be to connect an ammeter between the battery and the camera contacts but it would be difficult to do (using an old battery for contacts would work).

 

[mom2rtk]

This seems rare but there are some cases:
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3184467

The lens seems to be drawing power even when the camera switch is off (it probably doesn't really switch off all power anyway).

Another (also rare) possibility is moisture/salt moisture in the switch circuit, keeping the power on even when the switch is physically set to off. One way to check would be to connect an ammeter between the battery and the camera contacts but it would be difficult to do (using an old battery for contacts would work).

Thanks for posting that. It was an interesting read. I should register and ask for an update, but the thread is over 2 years old so the odds of them being around to answer probably aren't very high. I'd love to know if any of those people ever figured out the problem. I do know that if my camera was only 5 months old like the OP in that thread, it would have been on its way back to Canon.

I do at least have the perspective of having had the same body and lenses for years. And I know that this didn't used to happen. My camera usually has the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 lens mounted when it's laying on the table between uses. That's what is on it now and over the past few days as the battery drained out again. I got both that lens and the body in 2010. The lens did go back to Canon earlier this summer for an internal cleaning, although I can't imagine anything they did would cause it to somehow start draining the battery.

My battery is charging again. Then I'll start the next round of tests by swapping to a different lens. Then I'll cap the body and store it with no lens attached.

I'd love to hear any other theories or tests anyone wants to suggest. I just can't imagine giving up and buying a new camera without at least getting a better handle on what's wrong.

I suppose an internal short of some sort that's causing something to stay on is probably the culprit. And it's just killing me that I'll probably never know.

 

[SkaGoat]

Are they draining when sitting outside of the camera? or only draining when sitting in the camera?

 

[mom2rtk]

Are they draining when sitting outside of the camera? or only draining when sitting in the camera?

They are holding their charge outside the camera. They are draining when they are in the camera with it turned off.

 

[SkaGoat]

They are holding their charge outside the camera. They are draining when they are in the camera with it turned off.

My guess is it's the camera, but it's probably not worth the cost of fixing, I'd try storing it without a lens, and if it still drains, then start storing it with no battery in it... or just always assume the battery in the camera is dead, and use one of the other batteries you have.

 

[mom2rtk]

Which lens do you leave attached?

I leave the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 on. I'm starting to get a little nervous about that lens though. I sent it to Canon in April for internal cleaning and I first noticed this problem in early summer.

I just did a reset to factory settings and will see if that makes any difference.

I did some more reading online and have seen a variety of reports of similar issues, but nobody ever seems to post a resolution. Some have suggest cleaning the contacts in the battery compartment so I'll pick up some q-tips and give that a try after I see over the next couple days if the factory reset helped.

If that doesn't help, I'll try leaving it with different lens.

 

[SkaGoat]

I leave the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 on. I'm starting to get a little nervous about that lens though. I sent it to Canon in April for internal cleaning and I first noticed this problem in early summer.

I just did a reset to factory settings and will see if that makes any difference.

I did some more reading online and have seen a variety of reports of similar issues, but nobody ever seems to post a resolution. Some have suggest cleaning the contacts in the battery compartment so I'll pick up some q-tips and give that a try after I see over the next couple days if the factory reset helped.

If that doesn't help, I'll try leaving it with different lens.

This is a pain in the butt!! I know what it's like to want to have the camera ready so you can just grab it when you need it, not to fumble around with batteries and lenses!

I did a little Googling myself and searching on POTN and I didn't find a solution either. All I know is it's not normal, my Canon 7D can sit with a battery in it for weeks at a time, and it will be at the same charge level it was when I last used it.

 

[mom2rtk]

This is a pain in the butt!! I know what it's like to want to have the camera ready so you can just grab it when you need it, not to fumble around with batteries and lenses!

I did a little Googling myself and searching on POTN and I didn't find a solution either. All I know is it's not normal, my Canon 7D can sit with a battery in it for weeks at a time, and it will be at the same charge level it was when I last used it.

If I can't find a fix, I'll have to buy a new camera. I really don't envision myself being happy with storing the battery outside of the camera. But I'd really like to figure this out. If it's a lens problem, then buying a new camera wouldn't help.

Hmmm...... I do have an old Xsi in a drawer. Maybe I'll draft it into service to see if it behaves any differently with this lens attached.

Up until just a few months ago, I could leave mine lay for extended periods of time and it would retain the same (or very close) level of charge. Certain times of the year it could sit for a month or longer and maintain its charge. This is definitely a change.

 

[Skywise]

Up until just a few months ago, I could leave mine lay for extended periods of time and it would retain the same (or very close) level of charge. Certain times of the year it could sit for a month or longer and maintain its charge. This is definitely a change.

Even while off the camera is still probably drawing a small charge to refresh the clock - Maybe there's something in the circuitry or software causing more current to be drawn out. I doubt the lens would be the problem unless the IS motor in the lens is somehow still active but I'd think turning the camera off would disable that (but that's just speculation on my part - If it works you'll have to let us know!)

Good luck and keep us apprised here.

 

[mom2rtk]

I did a factory reset on Thursday and put in a fresh battery again. Friday AM...... all bars showing on battery charge level. Checked again yesterday morning...... all bars still showing. This morning? Dead again.

I am now putting on a different lens, one without IS and charging the battery again. I'll be curious to see what happens this time.

I guess I could live for a while knowing if I leave the camera more than a few days I'll have to put in a fresh battery. But it really makes me wonder if there's a short of some sort in there that's going to show up somewhere else when I least expect it.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

This camera needs to either go into Canon for service or on eBay. If it were mine, I'd put it on eBay.