Canon cameras use a range of batteries for main camera functions and back-up. This info page contains camera battery types and associated information.

Hope it helps if you are looking for a replacement camera battery...

The four battery types

Canon uses four ranges of batteries for EOS Digital SLR cameras.

Older camera batteries use nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) technology, whereas new cameras use Li-ion (lithium-ion). Li-ion batteries tend to weigh about a third less than NiMH and are completely free from the memory effect. This is one way batteries gradually lose capacity after successive recharge cycles (but see Memory Effect below)

2008 News. There are new US regulations for carrying lithium batteries on planes

See here for detailed listings (see below for lithium values for LP-E4 and BP511A)

"The following rules apply to the spare lithium batteries you carry with you in case the battery in a device runs low: Spare batteries are the batteries you carry separately from the devices they power. When batteries are installed in a device, they are not considered spare batteries. You may not pack a spare lithium battery in your checked baggage. You may bring spare lithium batteries with you in carry-on baggage. Even though we recommend carrying your devices with you in carry-on baggage as well, if you must bring one in checked baggage, you may check it with the batteries installed."

The following batteries used in Canon equipment are fine for air travel:
Equivalent lithium content of these batteries is not over 8g:
BP-85, BP-208, BP-208DG, BP-214, BP-218, BP-2L12, BP-2L13, BP-2L24H, BP-2L5, BP-308, BP-310, BP-315, BP-406, BP-407, BP-412, BP-422, BP-508, BP-511, BP-511A, BP-512, BP-514, BP-522, BP-535, BP-608, BP-617, BP-808, BP-809, BP-819, BP-915, BP-930, BP-945, BP-950G, BP-970G, LB-50, LB-51, LB-60, LP-E4, LP-E5, LP-E6, NB-1LH, NB-2L, NB-2L14, NB-2LH, NB-3L, NB-4L, NB-5L, NB-6L, NB-CP1L, NB-CP2, NB-ES1L
Lithium-metal batteries bundled with Canon products:
The Lithium content of these batteries is not over 2g:
LITHIUM 3V CR123A, LITHIUM 6V 2CR5, CR-2025, CR123A, CR1616 PIRO, CR1616, CR2, CR1220, CR1220-PM, CR2016, CR2032, CR2450

Battery Type	Features
NP Series	Large high capacity NiMH batteries for 'professional' level cameras
BP Series	For consumer and semi-pro cameras (Li-ion)
NB Series	Smaller, lighter version of BP for consumer cameras (Li-ion)
LP Series	Li-ion range for latest cameras

Battery types

BP511	7.4V 1100mAh Li-ion (milliamp hours)
BP511A	1390mAh higher capacity version of BP511 10.286 watt-hours 0.82288 grams lithium content
BP512	Same spec as BP511, but with a flat back (designed for camcorders) Can't be used in D30 and D60, due to physical shape, but OK for other models that use BP511
BP514	Flat back version of BP511A
NB-2L	7.4V 570mAh Li-ion
NB-2LH	7.4V 1390mAh Li-ion
NB-E3	NiMH pack designed for 1D series (not Mark 3 versions)
NB-E2	NiMH for power drive booster PB-E2 (EOS 1V and EOS 3) - won't work for 1D/1Ds
LP-E4	Li-ion pack for 1Ds Mk3 and 1D Mk3 25.53 watt-hours 2.0424 grams lithium content
LP-E5	Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (7.4 V, 1050 mAh) new for EOS 450D/XSi and 1000D
LP-E6	Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (7.4 V, 1800 mAh) new for EOS 5D Mark 2

Which camera uses which battery?

	Main Camera battery						Back-up battery
	NP-E3	NB-2L(H)	BP-511	LP-E4	LP-E5	LP-E6	CR2016	CR2025	CR1616
EOS-1D	√							√
EOS-1D Mark II	√							√
EOS-1D Mark IIN	√							√
EOS-1D Mark III				√				√
EOS-1Ds	√							√
EOS-1Ds Mark II	√							√
EOS-1Ds Mark III				√				√
EOS-5D Mark II						√			√
EOS-5D			√				√
EOS-10D			√					√
EOS-20D			√					√
EOS-20Da			√					√
EOS-30D			√				√
EOS-40D			√				√
EOS-50D			√				√
EOS-300D			√				√
EOS-350D		√					√
EOS-400D		√					√
EOS-450D					√		√
EOS-500D					√		√
EOS-1000D					√
EOS-D30			√					√
EOS-D60			√					√

Which charger charges which battery?

Battery	Charge Time	Refresh time	Charger
NB-2LH	90 mins	N/A	CB-2LW or CB-2LWE (CB-2LT/2LTE for 350D)
BP-511A/514	100 mins	N/A	CG-580 or CB-5L
BP-511/512	90 mins	N/A	CG-580 or CB-5L (CA-PS400 for D30, D60)
NP-E3	2 hours	8.5 hours	NC-E2
LP-E4	2 hours	10 hours	LC-E4
LP-E5	? TBA	? TBA	LC-E5
LP-E6	? TBA	? TBA	LC-E6

Refreshing batteries and the memory effect

Sometimes a problem with older NiCad batteries, and much more rarely so with NiMH types, this is not a problem with Li-ion types.

It's worth noting that the 'memory effect' in rechargeable batteries was rarely as common a problem as many posts on camera forums might suggest - many people forget that they do have a limited lifetime :-)

With NiMH cells they are often helped by a full discharge and subsequent recharge. With NP-E3 cells you can press the 'refresh' button on the NC-E2 charger

Current lithium-ion batteries are very different from the Ni-cad or Ni-MH batteries used in cameras from 5 or 10 years ago. Previously, it was often a good idea to drain a battery fully before recharging it, to insure good battery performance. This is not needed with higher-performing lithium-ion batteries. You should not need to – and should not – recondition batteries “just to be safe”. The reason for recalibrating the battery pack after 20 or so recharge cycles? It’s to calibrate the information display, so that the percentage of remaining battery power indicator remains accurate

The new LP-E4 and LP-E6 packs can also be refreshed, which although not to fix any memory effect, does help maximise battery performance.

If your charger doesn't have a refresh option then you can safely fully discharge a battery pack by turning off the auto shutdown feature of your camera and leaving it switched on until it shuts down.

Replacement batteries

There are a lot of cheap camera batteries available from places such as eBay. Be very careful if you buy cheap replacement batteries off the net. At best, many have much less capacity than advertised, and at worst they may represent a fire hazard. To see the sort of variation you can get in camera battery performance see the second link below.

More battery info

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/
FAQs and loads of other useful battery info

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM
Test of many different makes of AA rechargeable batteries

http://www.steves-digicams.com/nimh_batteries.html
Charger and NiMh battery info from Steve's Digicams

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM
Comparisons of different makes from a serious battery tester

The views in this article represent those of Keith Cooper. Keith is always happy to discuss matters raised in his articles. You can Email Us

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