M system spare battery?

[jdlaing]

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From TechRepublic:

 

3: Allow partial discharges and avoid full ones (usually)

Unlike NiCad batteries, lithium-ion batteries do not have a charge memory. That means deep-discharge cycles are not required. In fact, it's better for the battery to use partial-discharge cycles.

There is one exception. Battery experts suggest that after 30 charges, you should allow lithium-ion batteries to almost completely discharge. Continuous partial discharges create a condition called digital memory, decreasing the accuracy of the device's power gauge. So let the battery discharge to the cut-off point and then recharge. The power gauge will be recalibrated.

4: Avoid completely discharging lithium-ion batteries

If a lithium-ion battery is discharged below 2.5 volts per cell, a safety circuit built into the battery opens and the battery appears to be dead. The original charger will be of no use. Only battery analyzers with the boost function have a chance of recharging the battery.

Also, for safety reasons, do not recharge deeply discharged lithium-ion batteries if they have been stored in that condition for several months.

[pico]

50 minutes ago, Peter Kilmister said:

Thank you, @pico, you have confirmed what I have always suspected. Lithium-Ion batteries do not have a brain.

Well, I am not sure that some batteries have no brain. As mentioned, I do not know where the charge regulation occurs - in the battery (likely) or the charger or do they collaborate. It sure is not simple, Peter. Perhaps someone can help us. Thanks for being here.

 

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[52K]

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 10:36 PM, _Michael said:

With apologies for what is likely to be a question asked elsewhere, I'd like to hear thoughts on this. I did try to do a search and didn't really find a clear answer/leaning. 

I'm pretty new in the M world with my fairly recently acquired M262. I find the battery life to be outstanding, and I have never dipped below 75%. That said, I have also not had any real extended shooting sessions. What are your general thoughts about keeping a spare body. I don't have video or EVF of the 240 to worry about. I'm leaning towards getting one "just in case" but also don't see a point on buying something that won't be used. 

For those that carry an extra, do you find you actually use it?  For those (rare) times when I'd be on an extended trip with little access to power or something I'd obviously want/need extras. Do you ever need it in a long day of shooting with some chipping along the way? 

In the end this really is a silly question because only I can decide. I ask simply because of the lack of experience with this little battery. Other small mirrorless systems I've used I find extras (stressing multiple extras), here I'm just not sure. 

Only once have I flattened the battery on my M240, I'd fitted a soft release to the shutter. I'd been carrying the camera in a bag with the camera switched on and ready to go as I usually do. The contant pressing on the shutter release by accident had shot a bunch of black photos but more importantly killed my battery which was at 30% to start with. I immediately threw the soft release in the bin and haven't had this happen since. Other than this occurence, I've never got close to needing a spare battery even on extended trips or long photoshoots. 

The battery on the M is outstanding. The only real need to carry a spare body is if you are a working pro.... or want to switch quickly between two focal lengths.  

I travel a lot so my spare body is a second hand and much less blingy black version which is about as discreet as it comes with a small piece of black tape over the red dot. 

Video, I like having it on the camera but never have and am never likely to use it. 

[nwphil]

On 10/19/2018 at 2:36 PM, _Michael said:

With apologies for what is likely to be a question asked elsewhere, I'd like to hear thoughts on this. I did try to do a search and didn't really find a clear answer/leaning. 

I'm pretty new in the M world with my fairly recently acquired M262. I find the battery life to be outstanding, and I have never dipped below 75%. That said, I have also not had any real extended shooting sessions. What are your general thoughts about keeping a spare body. I don't have video or EVF of the 240 to worry about. I'm leaning towards getting one "just in case" but also don't see a point on buying something that won't be used. 

For those that carry an extra, do you find you actually use it?  For those (rare) times when I'd be on an extended trip with little access to power or something I'd obviously want/need extras. Do you ever need it in a long day of shooting with some chipping along the way? 

In the end this really is a silly question because only I can decide. I ask simply because of the lack of experience with this little battery. Other small mirrorless systems I've used I find extras (stressing multiple extras), here I'm just not sure. 

nitecore has a nice  usb charger for the m240 battery  - yes, I have one; displays temperature, voltage and mha

get a powerbank, and then you can rely on a 2-battery system, with minor weight penalties

[_Michael]

I appreciate all of the great responses to this thread. It's honestly been more active than I anticipated but that is fantastic! In the end, I have secured a second battery. This gives me some peace of mind with the system. 

 

[jeff_m]

I always carry at least one spare battery. Nothing sadder than having a Leica and not being able to take photos because of no power. 

[jto555]

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I just had a battery that I got in 2015 go bad today. It is showing full charge on the charger and in the camera. But after a couple of frames I get a Low Battery warning. Put it back in the charger and it is showing full charge. Swapped batteries and the camera was working as normal. So a swift visit to my local Leica drug dealer tomorrow to rectify the situation and buy a new battery. A €144 for a battery ouch, my car battery is chaeper than that...   😆

[35mmview]

One of the first things I bought was a spare battery and extra cards. Now I shoot without a care in the world.

[bocaburger]

I've got 2 bodies and 4 batteries:  the originals that came with the cameras, and spares which I bought second hand.  The M240-generation batteries have enormous capacity compared to the ones I had with M8 and M9  (perhaps also partly due to power management improvements in the body) and last me an entire 10-day trip easily, albeit I have auto-review switched off, rarely chimp, scroll through menus, use LV or EVF, and never use "advanced" metering or shoot video.  And I try not to travel to climates where the temps dip below 50F as my own body slows down in the cold even more than the camera's :D     The reason I carry spare batteries is in case of malfunction.  Obviously the camera is a doorstop without a battery, and except in major cities it's highly unlikely to find a store that stocks M batteries. 

[pgk]

On 2 November 2018 at 11:45 PM, pico said:

Well, I am not sure that some batteries have no brain. As mentioned, I do not know where the charge regulation occurs - in the battery (likely) or the charger or do they collaborate. It sure is not simple, Peter. Perhaps someone can help us. Thanks for being here.

 

From memory (I can't remember the source) and based on how Canon cameras and batteries 'co-operate' I think that some batteries 'identify' themselves to the camera/charger at least and probably transfer some data. A log of their charge/discharge cycles against known outcomes might help both camera and charger determine load levels and % of power left in the battery. On the 5D2 a battery which the camera has been set up for a body to use, yields information about both its existing capacity and its recharge performance, so I suspect that there is minimally an identification information transfer but whether there is much else I do not know. It makes sense that there is some data transfer or recharge performance would be tricky to assess?

[glacierparkmagazine]

Long exposures will drain a battery, other than that, I've gone days in the backcountry with just one battery, unlike the M9, where the batteries would die without warning.