hey sorry the $35 was a long time ago, we only have the $79 ones.. but the $79 ones last 2x as long as the $35 ones if that helps.

jarred's batteries.....
 

are the best bang for the buck! Get'um while you can.

Keep Battery in Cam When not in Use?
 

Greetings:

I just got a DVC30. My only previous experience with a camcorder was with one that is at least 7 years old, and its' manual said that you should not leave the battery in the cam when it was not being used because some of the juice was being used even when the cam was off.

I have not seen this caution in the DVC30's manual. So is this (battery being drained when camera is off) no longer an issue? Can I leave the battery in my cam?

Thanks in advance,

Jonathon,
I've drained my battery a couple of times -- but only because I have the camera set to not turn off in standby mode and I accidently left it on when I put in the case. To be sure, I've been trying to remember to remove the battery -- I don't have a real reason to keep it on there, so it wouldn't hurt to keep it off when not in use.

Jonathan,

Just a personally preference, I always disconnect the battery. Depending on if I'm going to be using it later in the day. If you plan to "store" it for a day or two or longer...I wouldn't leave it on.

I have plenty of rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries. Either they are used or not...over time they lose their juice. I think it's more of maintaing your camera than the battery. Because if the battery is connected, you can always accidently turn it on, leave it on, record while not know...and a gamut of other scenarios.

Tim and Jun:

Thanks for the answer. I guess part of what had (has?) me wondering is that the battery connector on the camera is exposed to dust w/o the battery on, and I was thinking dust might prevent a good connection. But apparently that's not a concern? Or do you make sure to store your cam in a dust free environment?

I appreciate your comments.

I would have to say of course...keep it in clean enviroment. PERIOD.

Having said that...it reminds me....if you plan to shoot at the beach...do it with caution. Getting sand inside your camera can ruin your day.

Jonathan,

Keeping the battery connected, even with the camera off, will slightly drain the batt.

You should keep dust off of the camera by storing it in camera bag. A protective case is one of the most inexpensive and most valuable investments you can make. Dust, smoke and floating "crap" are your worst enemies. These will kill a pro-consumer camera before anything else.

Do a search for camera bags on this site and protect your investment ASAP.

Steph

Stephanie:

Thank you for your helpful input.

Wow! Check out Overstock.com. I just ordered 2 5600mah CTA batteries from them for 59.95 each and only 2.95 shipping!!

The same batteries I saw on other sites were over $100!

If you've got a .....
 

good deal, go for it. I support Jared Land over at DVX users com by buying his batteries because he's a shooter and provides good quality batteries at very good prices. Quality control is a very important point to keep in mind.

thanks Dean.

Just to be clear These arnt the same batteries.. these are the same ones they sell on ebay for $20.. you gotta be careful on some of the cheap batteries because they can throw random voltages to the camera. Also the MAH can be inaccurate, as many manufactures just relabel the cells. Ive even seen 6000mah cells being advertised out there, which is a chemical imposibility at this time.

I'm guessing you mean these ones:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PANASONIC-CGA-D5...QQcmdZViewItem

What about the 4800 mAh ones?

http://cgi.ebay.com/CGR-D54-battery-...QQcmdZViewItem

I've bought 2 of them, should I get rid of them?

I looked at the Ebay ad, it has a major error in the description, calling it a 3.7V battery. There is no way it can be true, as the cameras listed as compatible are all 7.2V cams. As far as capacity rating, you can fully charge the battery first, plug it in, load the tape in the camera, and record non stop.
You will have to reload tape several times, if it lasts longer than an hour. The camera uses about 8w with the LCD open. The battery is rated as 4800ma (that is about 35Wh). So if it truely delivers what it is rated for, it should last about 4 hours. If less than that, do your math. 2 h would be 2400ma.
HTH
Alex Dolgin