BG-E2N and Batteries on 50D

[Ralph]

I just got my BG-E2N for my 50D today (got tired from carrying 24-70 + 580 EXII in portrait, hopefully I'll still get tired, but a lot less strain on my forearms).


From the manual, it states that "two BP-511As with different charging levels are ok to be used simultaneously", I need advices from real world shooters here. Does two different charged batteries matter that much compared to simultaneously drained batteries? Do they die faster or something?





Also, does keeping the "ON" button on the BG-E2N drain a significant amount of battery life while in transit?

[neuroanatomist]

I can't speak for the 50D and BG-E2N but with my T1i and BG-E5, I have used batteries with different charge levels, or just one battery, with no difficulties and no noticeable effect on the batteries. I leave the grip 'ON' almost all of the time - that really has no effect on battery life; the purpose of the on-off switch on the grip is not to conserve power, but to disable the controls on the grip when you don't want to inadvertently activate them.

[peety3]

As far as I know, the BG essentially ties the two batteries together in parallel. I'm sure there's more to that since they're LiIon batteries, but the basic idea seems to be right. If you insert batteries of mismatched charge, they may equalize, but it's saying that you shouldn't lose any relevant charge in the process.


The ON switch on the side of the grip merely tells the grip whether to ignore or listen to the shutter, wheel, and button inputs on-grip. Some people buy the grip ONLY to carry two batteries (or use the 6xAA tray) and don't want the grip's controls to be active, and that's why the switch exists. I know that I've accidentally shot because the camera bumped into me and "I" pushed the shutter button. I also seem to hit the FEL button on my 1D3 often, triggering a test flash at the most random of times.

[Ralph]

Thanks a lot! I'm enjoying the beef of my 50D right now. But somehow I can feel the weight sideways []

[btaylor]

Hmmm if the weight is off to one side then maybe you do have one battery with more charge in it than the other [:P] (that was a joke btw - please don't explain to me that batteries with different charge don't have different weights)


At the end of the day, unless you're firing off a few thousand photos a day you'll have a very long battery life with the grip on.

[neuroanatomist]

(...please don't explain to me that batteries with different charge don't have different weights)

I would, but I don't have time... [:P]

[btaylor]

Depends how deep we go... are we talking about mass or weight?

[neuroanatomist]

I don't know. I would think you'd have a longer wait for the one with less charge to recharge. In any case, speaking of depth, don't forget to factor in altitude when you calculate the difference between mass and weight.

[Dallasphotog]

Battery grips don't seem to care and I certainly don't try to manage the various charge levels. I think you can put 'em in, use 'em up and recharge at will, with not much consideration to balancing or manageing anything.

[ShutterbugJohan]

Battery grips don't seem to care and I certainly don't try to manage the various charge levels. I think you can put 'em in, use 'em up and recharge at will, with not much consideration to balancing or manageing anything.
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