Thanks for response. Yes, the new battery is a "jumbo" compared to the the one the camcorder had. I suppose I'll have to test it by turning it on and clocking how long it lasts.

Leaving a Li-Ion battery in a fully discharged state is not recommended.
It does harm the battery.
The battery can on rare occasions catch fire, we've had two do that.

If the battery is holding charge well enough to run the camera for several hours I wouldn't rate it as "terminally ill", you may well get many years use out of it. I'd also add that from my experience the cheap Chinese generic batteries perform as well if not better than the genuine ones.

Bob.

just to add to bob's observation....

i have three sony npf970 and three ebay knock-offs - i consistently get double the time from the knock offs than i do from the sony batteries.

i was, of course, very wary about buying the ebay ones (think they're called powermart), but i had my old v1p as a second camera at the time and thought it'd do as a test bed.

i shoot almost exclusively on battery, long hours in (sometimes) hot weather and rarely turn the camera off. sony bats give me maybe 2.5 hours, powermart min 3.5....

i also store my cameras with a battery in them (powered off!). that way if they're unused for an extended period i don't lose camera settings by flattening the internal battery.

Thanks for your additional input. Not sure my jumbo is actually Canon brand or not (and I don't want to disconnect it at this point to find out). The flip side of this is what I mentioned in the last sentence of my opening post:

"... and does keeping it plugged in for recharge longer help or hinder its already iffy lifespan?"

The reason I'm asking this is because I'm keeping it on stand-by charge (camera off but charger on) for a couple of days. A lame attempt to "fix" it (I doubt it will). I just don't want to harm it either.

I've read in the Canon manual (I think) that overcharging is a problem -- but it would seem that the charger that came with the cam would have some kind of regulator or top-off shut off. My cordless phone's battery is constantly being recharged/maintained when not in use and I'm pretty sure it's LI Ion or at least Li phosphate. Ditto on my Philips/Norelco cordless shaver.

Leaving a Li-Ion battery "on charge" should do nothing. Li-Ion has a complex, unique charging requirement, the final phase is holding the cells at a fixed voltage for 1 hour then no more current into the battery.

Most portable appliances such as cordless phones and shavers use either NiCd or NiMH batteries which are WAY easier to charge.

Bob.

" the cheap Chinese generic batteries perform as well if not better than the genuine ones."

I don't know whether the batteries I bought were "cheap Chinese" or not. They were certainly cheaper. Altough advertised as "Sony NP-FH100", they were actually labeled "FOR NP-FH100". They were slightly lighter in weight than the genuine product and held less charge.

I finally got one response at the HDDV forum for my camcorder:



So according to this, this battery is terminally ill, so to speak. But I'll have to test this for myself to see how long the camcorder stays on.

[I]"But I'll have to test this for myself to see how long the camcorder stays on."[/I]

Try to make the camera do some work i.e. open the LCD screen, have it recording if possible.

PS, you cannot really deep discharge a Li-Ion battery. The protection circuit inside the battery stops the battery going below a certain voltage.

Bob.

I had a frightening experience a few months ago.

Anyone familiar with the Sony PMW-EX1 knows about the power switch on that camera. It is the type you might find on a cheap flashlight made in China. A tiny switch that moves very little and (from left to right) is Camera - Off - Media. When you shoot and have it in camera mode you have to gently ease it to the center (off) position to avoid accidentally switching it over to Media. Media is the PLAY position like on a VCR.

I always take the battery out after I turn the camera off, but It was late and I was in a rush so I left the battery in and thought I had turned the camera off, but it was accidentally in the Media position. I packed it up (plastic bag) then into case.
A few hours later (was up late) I decided to take the camera out to check the footage. The camera was hot enough to fry eggs on.

I thought I had destroyed the camera, but fortunately the camera has been fine. I learned a valuable lesson.
Always remove the battery from a camera when finished even if it has a decent power switch.

John

Further to craftech's experience, when I recently attempted an online checkin for an airline flight (Qantas, New York to Melbourne via LA), I was amazed that listed among the dangerous goods was "spare batteries". On checking further, it said,

"All Spare Batteries for Consumer Electronic Devices

All spare batteries for consumer electronic devices must be carried in carry-on baggage only. They must be individually protected to prevent short circuit using one of the following:

- In original retail packaging;
- Taping over exposed terminals;
- Placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch. "

That's been the case for some time now.
It's believed at least one plane crash was caused by Li-Ion batteries in the hold.
With the batteries in the cabin if something does happen then it can be dealt with before it gets out of hand.
There is/was also a restriction on the mass of lithium per battery that roughly equates to a battery under 100WH being OK and anything bigger is no fly. So the big V-Lock and AB Li-Ion "brick" batteries are out. The NiMH ones are OK.

Bob.

Reminds me of the time I burned my leg. I'd tossed a 9v battery in my pocket, and it came in contact with some change. Couldn't believe there was that much energy in a regular old 9v battery.

Any of the Li-Ion devices that I've had will turn themselves off before the battery fully discharges.