battery removal

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Leica manuals for M10 and Q suggest removing the lithium battery if the camera is not to be used for some time. But what is your understanding of a short period of non-use – a few weeks, or two or three months, before needing to remove battery? Would welcome advice here.

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[HighlandK]

I cannot see the need over weeks or a few months. I never do and have found no issue. Longer than that I do not know what the risk is but I have left a battery in a digital camera until it became discharged and the internal clock also discharged. Charging the battery and inserting it only required the time/date to be reset and everything was fine. No doubt if Leica recommend removing it there must be an element of risk which they are safeguarding against to remove any liability that they fear could arise if they did not so advise.

[jaapv]

As it is wise to store Li-Ion batteries at about 50% charge, I would advise to remove them if you are not using the camera for some time, i.e more than a few days.

[Leica Guy]

I would not remove a battery for anything less than a month of being idle. I am not aware of what the specific risk is that Leica is concerned about. We already charge the batteries outside the camera. I’d be especially alert to any bulging or higher than normal temps on the battery after charging and I’d stop using that battery.

[Guest]

Since moving to Fujifilm and then Leica, I have left both my Nikon D 200s batteries in there power grips and I have never had any issues and we're talking years! Same with my little canon G9. At worst, I had to recharge the batteries. That's all!

I know we are talking about the Q here, but I doubt that this brand would do any less than the major Japanese brands.

[Leica Guy]

Leica manuals for M10 and Q suggest removing the lithium battery if the camera is not to be used for some time. But what is your understanding of a short period of non-use – a few weeks, or two or three months, before needing to remove battery? Would welcome advice here.

I’ve stated elsewhere that I never worry about leaving a battery in a camera for a month and truthfully for 2-3 months. Beyond that time frame I’d consider removing it assuming I knew it would be unused in that time frame. I’ve operated with this approach for many years and never a problem. So far :-).