What about this charger. A lot more $ but from a reputable source. Does a charger really make a difference?

http://www.vistek.ca/details/details...VideoBatteries

I also see factory batteries for almost $250. What about a good charger with an after market battery?

Hi Christopher,

For that money, how about going with Canon? You know it'll work! I found this at B & H:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...rch&Q=&ci=2041
Canon Price : $ 84.99

Shipping Cost

CA-550 Compact AC Power Adapter / Charger - for ES-8100V, 6500V, ES-55V and 50V Camcorders

Mfr # 3026A001 • B&H # CACA550
Availability : In Stock

low battery indication
 

why do I constantly get the low battery indication on my viewfinder even when the battery I am using is new or fully charged? that is really weird.

Which viewfinder? The standard color LCD, or the optional monochrome CRT?

Chris,

I get this indication on my standard color viewfinder. No matter if I am using brand new (fully charged) batteries or even the adapter! Actually the indication I am getting is the one that warns of "backup battery not being properly installed or needing replacement"! isn't that strange?

Frank, have you tried replacing the little hearing-aid style backup battery located under the panel on the camera's right side, in front of the tape transport chassis? This might be your problem. The battery type is a Panasonic CR2025 and it is not expensive, in the U.S. you can find them for under one dollar each, surely the price is just as reasonable in Athens. Try that, and see if it clears up this problem...?

FWIW: I've observed that the life of the back-up battery is onthe order of 1 to 2 years depending on how fresh the replacement battery was.

Canon Batteries XL1S
 

I can not find anywhere the Canon Product of the 945 battery. For some reason everywhere I look genaric batteries have taken over. Does no one sell canon batteries anymore ?

Any help would be great as I need two batteries for two weeks away...

B&H photo has them listed in their catalog, page 221.

I've been running the generic batteries, no problems so far, work just as the real BP-945s, and a lot less expensive. Batteries are mostly just that, batteries. Brand names don't power your equipment, electrons do.

Thanks for the feed back guys.

Gotta agree! I'm using generics bought off ebay with great success! (Four generics cost me roughly the same as one "Canon" battery.) But, yeah, if you really want the Canon brand name, I'd start with B&H.

I've got a couple of generics from different places. The cases on two of them split where they are attached to the 'face' and I had to super glue it back together. So there's probably some build quality issues in the lower priced brands.

Ok so what about the Miah???
The stock canons are 4500miah and the generic range from 5000 to 7000miah.
Which models are you guys using with no problems?

By miah, do you mean the mAh rating? You know that it stands for milliamps per hour right? The easist way to think of it is that a 4500 mAh battery can also be called a 4.5 Ah (Amp/hour) battery. It has a 4500 milliamp capacity, while a 7000 mAh battery has a 7000 milliamp capacity. In this case, the 7000 should give you longer service per charge than the 4500.

To answer your question another way, I don't know the "model", that's why I call it generic. I assume the batteries I'm using are all from different manufacturers since I got them from different vendors. (as always, I could be wrong) I look at what the sellers call "same as BP-945", then I look to see if the mAh rating is roughly the same or better than the original Canon battery. Personally, I don't trust the generic's ratings, just that it was intended to be an equivalent battery.

I hope I was helpful and not confusing.

Oh, and BTW, I keep many spares handy "just in case"!

Good luck!

Mark