The shutdown of your camcorder could also be a false reaction caused by humidity, but if the problem occurs again, send your camera and battery to Factory Service. Some internal defects may be tricky, resulting with inconsistent and difficult to reproduce symptoms. It doesn't take much, just one loose connection or solder point.

Did you put the battery in the camera the night before your hike? I have accidentally left camcoreders on VCR in a bag overnight which drains the battery. Then I go to shoot... OOPs.

Matt

No. I left it in the charger overnight, Used the AC adapter all morning and then, just before the hike, I put the "charged" battery in the cam.
When I got home and put it on the charger again, it read "0" , 1 blink per second.
I have the battery from that second charge in the camera right now, dubbing a tape straight to DVD and it is working fine.
I've ordered the BP-970 clone from BestBatt.com for $68 along with the $19.50 AC/Car charger. I'll report on how they work.

I've ordered the BP-970 clone from BestBatt.com for $68 along with the $19.50 AC/Car charger. I'll report on how they work.
I got a similar clone for about the same price (the Power2000 bp970 clone, 8000Ah)

Seems to work fine, though its only done a couple of cycles...

Will my BP941H batteries from my old XL1 be ok for use in my XH-A1? No mention of them in the manual. Connections look the same?

Correction...they are slightly different, see picture link below.

I checked out a battery from a friend's XL1, and it worked fine in my XH A1. He's getting an A1 and wanted to be sure the half dozen batteries he has would work.

Thats weird?

I just did what I should have done first, and placed them side by side.

Although physically, the same size, the Canon has extra terminals in the centre.

The supplied Canon BP-950G is rated at 7.4V 5200mAh whereas the BP941H is rated at 7.2V 4350mAh.

Link below shows them end to end.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/old-bugga/batts.jpg

So...I was thinking it was a no-go but...then saw your post?

Looking at the charger, it does not use the extra three terminals only the outisde + and - ones, which are a match on both batteries.

Looking inside the camera, there are definetely extra contacts for the three extra terminals. These are marked T B and D.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y156/old-bugga/XH-A1015.jpg

Can anybody expand on this?

This guy's batteries look just like mine. What you have must be something different.

I tried the "Big Boy" BP941H in and the camera worked.

Then came the heartstopping moment!

Opened the battery cover, flicked the battery release and.....the battery never budged.....ARGH!!!!!!!!!

Cold sweat time.....dont panic....dont panic!!!!!!

Had to hold the camera upside down and give it one solid shake and phew...it slipped out.

These "Big Boys" that fill the compartment look like they may all suffer the same problem. Anyone else brave enough to confirm this?

Are you saying your friends batteries have the three extra connections?

The BP-945's on E-Bay all look identical to the BP-941 I already have i.e. only two connections so....what gives?

I'm not sure what batteries he has, but they don't stick and they work. I'm guessing what you may have is one of the older ones, or a non-Cannon battery. There's been a thread ongoing here about how the non-Cannon batteries are just a bit bigger and will stick and you have to use some double sticky tape or something to get them out.

The large batteries work fine on mine and they don't stick either.

Are they Canon batteries?

No, they are Lenmark

Edward,

The charger always goes back to one blink...

No, they are Lenmark

Strange... I have 2 Lenmar LIC941 6000mAh batteries & both need the gaffer tape pull tab fix, otherwise they are sticky :-\

Which model are you using Pat?

Bill

I've ordered the BP-970 clone from BestBatt.com for $68 along with the $19.50 AC/Car charger. I'll report on how they work.
Just be sure that that clone is an easy fit in the A1's compartment. I've not seen that brand mentioned before. Some clones (not all) are a millimetre or so too wide or too tall, and so don't pop out when you release the catch...!

Thanks, Chris. I must have missed pg. 14. I'm sure I read it but obviously I didn't "read" it.

It's page 16 in the manual I downloaded. I haven't checked about the one that came with the camera.

I was referencing the PDF download. My hardcopy is still sealed in plastic.

Just be sure that that clone is an easy fit in the A1's compartment. I've not seen that brand mentioned before. Some clones (not all) are a millimetre or so too wide or too tall, and so don't pop out when you release the catch...!

I also have the Power 2000 BP-945 Replacement and it works great without any problems. Goes in cleanly and comes out just like it should. :)

For the HV-10 I have the larger capacity Power2000 battery which looses power momentarily at the slightest bump. :-\ Go figure.

The ElipZ 10 K battery is a 10,500 Mah battery. The largest Canon battery is 5400 Mah.

The watt hours of each battery is: ah X nominal voltage (7.2)
ElipZ 10.5 X 7.2 = 75.6 wh
Canon 5.4 X 7.2 =38.88 wh

You can expect approximately 2x the runtime out of the ElipZ battery. Or you can power BOTH the AH1 and the 10w ElightZ on camera light for the same amount of time as the Canon battery.

Scott Keyworth
Anton/Bauer

I just did a shoot this weekend with the Impact Canon BP-970 compatible, which I think is 7200 Mah I think. We ran a full 8.5 hour day with the cameras on most of the time, and recorded two full tapes and never had to switch batteries.

That said, the Elipz is a pretty tough sell for the bulk it adds. Certainly the difference may show up on a 12 hour day, I'm not sure.

I got my A1s this week and already have a number of generic batteries from my GL2s that I hoped to use. 2 of the generics worked great and came out easily. I had 4 others that were a little sticky but not too bad but bad enough that I didn't want to use them except as a last resort.

Last night I lay awake unable to sleep and an idea hit me. Velcro!

There is room in the battery compartment when it is closed. I had some heavy duty stuff laying around. I put a little one inch piece on the back of one of my "sticky" batteries. Opened the door and grabbed it with the other side of the velcro....out slides the battery with no problem. Keep a little piece in your pocket and the batteries come out anytime with no problem....I guess I have a few extra batteries I can use now.

Just an idea....sometimes those night time ideas work out.

An excellent tip -- thanks for sharing this, Philip!

Yep...good idea!

If you put the opposing velcro on your lens cap, then it would double as a puller . And...if you put another spare bit somewhere, it would keep you lens cap safe as well.

Even better idea with the lens cap.

Ahhh.... velcro...is there anything it can't do?
:-)

Ahhh.... velcro...is there anything it can't do?
:-)
Well, for the few things that Velcro can't do, duct tape and bailing wire will! ;-)

Can you post images on here?

I think we should start a best lens cap velcro location competition!

Hang on...I just think I won!

If you stuck another piece of velcro on one lens of your glasses, then the cap could pop on there ,and serve a dual purpose, doubling up as a sun shade!!!!!!


Go on....beat that!

I got a couple of Generic non OEM BP-945's off of E-Bay.

They are actually higher capacity than the old ones I first tried, but are physically smaller. The old ones totally filled the available cavity. The new ones leave a gap of approx 1cm at the top, and slide in and out without issues. They measure 71 X 38 X 58.00MM and are 7.2v and 6600mAh capacity.

Hi everyone,

Just bought the XHA1 (amazing camera, very pleased with it btw) after several years using the GL2 (XM2). Same thing here, I had a non canon 941 battery with it which did not fit my XHA1. I almost stick it and began to freak out ! The size is 2 millimeters lager than the battery compartment. Too bad it doesn't make it !


Pascal

I have a generic 970 (power2000 I think) that I got on ebay for about $70

It completely fills the XHA1's battery well, yet slides in and out freely

(I'd heard about batteries becoming jammed before getting it, so I was concerned --- but its worked out.

I can only hope it still will be ok if the battery becomes hot and expands.

It would have been better if the XHA1 had used a rear external battery latch like Sony has, its a MUCH better and simpler design

I have two non canon BP941 Batts that would not fit A1 . Got round the problem by carefully sanding down the two long sides top and the two radius's they now slide in and out perfectly. So if youv'e got the bottle its one solution. if you do try it be patient and sand the sides evenly.

Thanks Alan... but those 941's are antiques, practically... do they still hold a charge for you?

Those go way back, to the original XL1 days. Welcome to DV Info Net,

Hello Chris I am glad to say that they do still hold a full charge and I like to get my money's worth out of anything I buy. I originally bougfht them for my XM2 I will of course be using new ones for my A1. The old ones are still good for backups setting camera up prior to event

Regards Alan

I'd read something about large non-Canon brand batteries sticking in the A1's battery compartment. There is a huge price difference between Impact ($129.99) and Canon BP-970 ($164.99) batteries at B&H.

Anybody have any experience with Impact batteries, specifically the larger-sized BP-970s in the A1?

I ordered a Impact 970 from B&H last week and when it arrived the plastic package it came in was already open and the battery was cracked! I couldn't believe it. I called B&H and they just told me to return it and they would ship me a new one, But please I paid full price for a new one and it's broken.

I am unsure of the Impact Batteries, but TapeWorks provides Lenmar batteries as an option other than the Canon. Check them out at http://www.lenmar.com/
I have customers that have purchased the LIC970G 7.4V 7200mAh
Lithium-Ion battery instead of the Canon BP970 and they mentioned that the Lenmar battery works just as good if not better than the Canon Version. And they purchased the Lenmar at a better price ($99.95 from TapeWorks)

Scott Cantrell
TapeWorks Texas Inc - HDVinfo Sponser
866-827-3489
scott@tapeworkstexas.com

I have the Lenmar LIC-941's & they're made just a tad too big & do get stuck. The easiest remedy though is to place some gaffer tape on the back & use enough to make yourself roughly a 1/2" pull tab. I'd amagine the LIC-970G's are the same. It takes maybe a second longer to extract it. Big deal :)

It's a goofy fix, but I'd rather the small inconvience than to pay a lot more for a Canon brand.

Bill

There are places to go cheap, and batteries and tape are not the ones. Be smart and spend the money on Canon batteries.

Jim Martin

I'd read something about large non-Canon brand batteries sticking in the A1's battery compartment. There is a huge price difference between Impact ($129.99) and Canon BP-970 ($164.99) batteries at B&H.

Anybody have any experience with Impact batteries, specifically the larger-sized BP-970s in the A1?

I got two of the larger ones from B&H and boy they seem to last for ever!

I do not see any problem with the fit as reported by some others when using the larger batteries.

One bat. did arrive cracked but it is too much of a hassel for me returning from West Coast Australia. I super glued it up with no problems. Two of these cheaper high capacity batteries plus the camera original will give you days in the field away from power. I am not sure how many cycles they will last, but at the price...

I ordered one of the large Impact batteries with my camera. It just about fills the entire cavity in the A1 but slides in and pops out just like the stock Canon battery. We'll see how it lasts.

One thing the puzzles me a little is that the Canon battery that comes with the A1 has five contacts on it. The Impact battery only has two. So far it seems to work and charge the same but I'm curious what the other three contacts are for on the Canon battery. Anyone know?

-Dan

I always thought that extra contacts on batteries like you mention are for diagnostics, such as capacity, more accurate time remaining, voltage, etc. But even though the A1 itself has these contacts in the battery compartment, there's no indication anywhere that they are implemented.

Bill

I always thought that extra contacts on batteries like you mention are for diagnostics, such as capacity, more accurate time remaining, voltage, etc. But even though the A1 itself has these contacts in the battery compartment, there's no indication anywhere that they are implemented.

Thanks, Bill. I also thought they might be for a fast charger since the contact pads are larger. In any case, the battery works great. My impression so far is that the A1 does not go through batteries like my DVXs do. This battery and the stock Canon battery should be enough to cover most events I do. Time will tell as to how many charge cycles it will handle.

-Dan

Thanks for this thread, and for the message about the gaffer's tape. Just bought a Lenmark battery, used it tonight for the first time, it went in a little weird, and got stuck. Just got it out with the gaffer's tape, and am taking it back on Monday. I have the Canon battery and an Impact knockoff, which has worked fine since I got the camera. But I will not be getting another Lenmark battery...

The Impact BP-970s work perfect for me and are $40 cheaper than the Canons at B&H.

For tight batteries, get some ScotchBrite, not the cheaper dollar store stuff and lightly sand down the housing until it slides in more smoothly. It's smoother than sandpaper.

The original Canon battery that came with my XH A1
died after just 2 months of use, will Canon replace it?
I probably only used it 4 or 5 times, as the back-up
to the other two large batteries that I have... It won't
charge, and my voltmeter indicated 0.0v... which is
kind of odd. (the other big batteries all showed the
proper amount of voltage)

I'm asking becasue I can still remember a couple of years
when Canon refused to replace my old GL-2's battery.
(but it was already 1 year and 1 month after purchase)

Just wondering if I should bother at all...

Thanks!

It seems like you're having poor luck with Canon lately... you're the one who returned an HV20 after only an hour of using it. Nevertheless, the warranty on the battery is the same as the camcorder... twelve months... so they should replace it. There's only one way to find out, and that's by contacting Canon USA directly, at 1-800-OK-CANON.

Since you're in the best position to answer your own question, perhaps you can report back and tell us what you find out. Good luck,

Hi:

I have searched the forum, the question has been asked, but no one seems to have monitored the battery lifetime. The only numbers are Canon's official claim of 5 and 7 hours for the BP-950 and 970 respectively.

On a normal day, how long can you go without a recharge?

I know, that on a normal day, you likely do not shoot continuously, depending on the project, it may be more interesting: How much footage do you get on a full battery.

Thanks, Erik