Battery charging routine?

swanseamale47

swanseamale47

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wayne clarke
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I've got several different cameras (makes and models) and I'm finding it a PITA trying to keep up with charging batteries. It's more keeping track of which ones I've done, and when. There must be an easier way that just doing them all about once a fortnight or before I use a camera. I've got something like five or six different types, and vell over 25 batteries, plus things like video lights with built in batteries, mics, radio triggers etc etc. Then theres my torches and radios... but lets not go there.
I need some sort of routine to do them properly. Anybody got a simple system??
 
I have a lot of batteries, and have no particular routine, charge about 10 a weekend, so they all get charged about once a month.
Lithium batteries retain their charge well and do not suffer from memory effect, as don't the NiMh AAs and AAAs

If I am taking a camera out, I check the day before
 
I have all my batteries (for several systems) colour coded and numbered eg green dot 1,2& 3 red dot 1, 2 & 3 etc (I generally run 3 bodies when I go out on a shoot 1 wide 1 standard and 1 long). I charge the batteries before I go out and when I get back re-charge and rotare them so they all get used and charged in rotation. If I need to change batteries in the field I just go the next number in sequence.
 
No process. Like you I have several different types. I just pick up the camera and turn it on, if battery shows less than full, fish around for that charger and charge the battery. I try to keep at least one spare with the camera, so while the battery is charging I try the spare - hopefully that will have enough juice for what I want. If not, grab a different camera and repeat.

This is one reason why I love the pro body cameras - the batteries run and run and run.
 
I have a battery pouch with 5 batteries in it for my main camera. A new battery is always taken from the left, the rest moved up and the dead one put upside down on the right. When I get back the dead ones are charged and put back where they were.

That way all my batteries are cycled evenly.

My IR camera has 3 batteries and kept in a separate pouch and cycled the same as above.

Anything else just charge as and when needed.
 
Topsy said:
I have all my batteries (for several systems) colour coded and numbered eg green dot 1,2& 3 red dot 1, 2 & 3 etc (I generally run 3 bodies when I go out on a shoot 1 wide 1 standard and 1 long). I charge the batteries before I go out and when I get back re-charge and rotare them so they all get used and charged in rotation. If I need to change batteries in the field I just go the next number in sequence.
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I have them colour coded, but by battery recharge performance, so I know the new good ones from the older well used. The older ones I carry as spares.
 
So...

I have a battery box for each of my batteries. Holds a single battery. Generally take the one in the camera and 2 or 3 spares with me.

When a battery becomes discharged, it swap it with a full one.

The charged ones are contacts down in the box; the discharged ones contacts up.

When I get back to charging civilization: I charge those that need charging & put the not discharged ones on the leftmost pile of batteries (no more than 3 high)

Once the newly charged batteries are... They get piled at the rightmost pile (again, no more than 3 high).

Next time I go out, I fully my pocket from the leftmost pile.

All that written down looks hideous but realistically its simple.
 
Even though I've got a Fuji XT3 I only have three batteries. So you can tell I'm not a prolific photographer. Actually it was better with two. One out, one in. Having three confuses me. :p
 
I have them numbered to cycle them and aim to recharge after each shoot. For some lesser-used cameras, these usually need a top-up before use.
 
Stick a label on each 'set', listing interval duration between recharge, and a date for start of interval. Keep a spreadsheet sorted by Interval duration. Print out a PDF of that and email to yourself so you have a copy on your phone to consult.
 
I just make sure that I have a few fully charged batteries in the pouches on the strap(s) of the cameras. All 3 bodies I mainly use take the same battery. Once a battery's empty, it goes in a pocket (or loose in the bag) in a plastic baggy and those (along with the batteries in any bodies I've used) get charged before the next outing. Similar with the compacts, although I only have one spare for each of those. They get charged before an outing but I'll take a power pack to plug into the camera as well, just in case. TBH, I rarely need to swap out batteries in the compacts and only tend to get through one or 2 when shooting motorsport (hillclimbing).
 
When I'm working I'm normally using cameras with the same batteries, usually two cameras working and a third back-up. I normally charge up all the batterys in these cameras (6) before a job and charge up 6 spares(all my work cameras have grips). When I return I charge all the used ones next day.
I've tried lables, but two of my cameras use fairly small batteries and the battery compartment in the grips are VERY tight fit, anything more than a small coloured dot and they wont go in, that said these dont get used a lot, and not on jobs.
It's more regular charging the stuff I'm not using every week, without missing stuff out.
Short of numbering them and keeping a spread sheet, or doing what I do now which is work through them every week or so, I cant see any easy way of making it easier.
Thanks all for the ideas.
 
I just take a few spares when I go out and keep them in a side pocket in camera bag and recharge the one in camera and put the newly charged one at the bottom of the batteries in the pocket , means they all get rotated
 
FWIW, to avoid the "BUGGER! Battery's gone flat at the most inconvenient time!" situation (AFTER experiencing it, of course!!!), I keep an eye on the battery level when shooting fast changing situations (motorsport, wildlife etc.) and as soon as I notice that the level's dropped off "Full", I look for an opportunity to swap the draining battery for a fresh one. A gap between runs on the hill is the most obvious break point.
 
Nod said:
FWIW, to avoid the "BUGGER! Battery's gone flat at the most inconvenient time!" situation (AFTER experiencing it, of course!!!), I keep an eye on the battery level when shooting fast changing situations (motorsport, wildlife etc.) and as soon as I notice that the level's dropped off "Full", I look for an opportunity to swap the draining battery for a fresh one. A gap between runs on the hill is the most obvious break point.
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I've been pretty lucky, only once have I had one die while im out and not have a spare (this wasnt a job just a day out) and then I pinched one of my other halfs batteries as she had a spare. I did have spares but for the wrong camera as I'd swopped bags for a smaller one (and missed swopping the batteries Dohhh!) Lesson learned.
 
swanseamale47 said:
I've been pretty lucky, only once have I had one die while im out and not have a spare (this wasnt a job just a day out) and then I pinched one of my other halfs batteries as she had a spare. I did have spares but for the wrong camera as I'd swopped bags for a smaller one (and missed swopping the batteries Dohhh!) Lesson learned.
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I done that once when I went to Castle Combe for a mate's track day. Luckily I didn't really go to take photos, I just grabbed the camera in case I fancied taking some. I think I managed about 20 shots so I had to make them count :ROFLMAO: It literally had about 1% when I switched it on.
 
Funnily enough, it was at Castle Combe that I had a battery die at a crucial moment! A Porsche had been smoking well the lap before and I was waiting for him to come back round on the next lap, not spotting that there was little life in the battery. Sure enough, a burst on a car just in front of the Porsche flattened the battery so when he went past with the back of the car on fire, I missed the shot!
 
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