RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

I stopped buying OEM Canon batteries a few years ago and went With a company that made Wasabi batteries for many of Canons cameras for the LP-E6 (E6N) battery type, They are long lasting high quality product there specs are of a higher quality then Canons own specifications. The price is even more than half of what Canons are and you get a charger with them and usually you get two batteries in the sale for them.

This is their information on their home page

Wasabi Power FREE Shipping to USA | info@wasabipower.com | 877-268-1235

Let Wasabi Power handle all your power needs!
We offer a full line of products for Canon LP-E6
Our batteries are long lasting and perfect for your next photo shoot -- 7.2V, 2600mAh -- Higher capacity than the Canon original!
Each battery features premium grade A cells for longer battery life with no memory effect.
Safe and reliable -- products include over-charge & short circuit protection.
Batteries work with the Canon original charger.
Chargers work with the Canon original batteries.

Ayesart

I recently ran across a deal on the purchase of a Canon SLR. The previous owner wasn't too attentive about the batteries left in the camera. The top one spilled acid in the top part of the battery chamber. It happened to be a Duracell. It seems that all Duracell batteries tend to powder after a while. A lot of my buddies have lost good camera equipment because of this problem. Stick to specific batteries made for your camera.
Needless to say, if you aren't using your equipment do not leave batteries in them.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Uhh...."WERE common"? Did they go away since yesterday? What are all the rechargeables in every day use...AA, AAA, etc.?

ronskthree

I have found that despite what Consumer Reports has to say ... Costco batteries corroded and turned to crap in a number of my devices ... and yes even the major brands can do that they do it less often ..

No more Costco or BJ batteries for me ...

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

This is Los Angeles. there's fake EVERYTHING here.
We've even had a guy arrested for selling seconds and returns as fakes- false advertising.
My leaky Evereadies were bought at a local Ralphs grocery store, on sale. At other times, this reputable seller also sold me fake "copper ceramic" pans, and fake Oreo cookies.
We even have fake Farmers Market foods. Our reps keep voting down any "resale" rules, so it is perfectly legal for me to buy notso fresh discounted grocery store produce, and sell it as grown from my farm. I don't even have a flower pot.
Buyer Beware.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

A lot of equipment will void any warranty if rechargeables were used.
And a lot of people are just plain simple and lazy. I *know* I need 2 recent full charged batteries to take my camera out. Whether I really need 2 or not. There's a lot of supposed "green" folk who buy the AAs and AAAs by the pound for the convenience factor. They don't do rechargeables.
And batteries are tools, also. The NMH batteries were better for light and/ or intermittent loads and longer intervals; the Nicads were better for larger loads- many cordless drills, etc. still use them.
To kill the memory effect we'd ziptie the drill trigger "on" and let it run out. After it was "dead" for a bit, there was little/ no memory left, and that old battery was like almost new.

Flash Gordon

This thread has morphed beyond my original question. Do rechargeable batteries leak less than alkaline batteries. And why would a warranty be voided with the use of rechargeable batteries. My Olympus point and shoot came with rechargeable AA batteries. If in fact rechargeable batteries leak less why would a warranty be voided by their use? Any facts here or just opinion?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

In my experience over many years, rechargeable batteries are less prone to leak than alkalines, and alkaline batteries are less likely to leak than the old carbon-zinc ones.
I have had nicad batteries that leaked, but so far have not personally experienced leakage from either nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or lithium ion batteries.

I cannot speak to why a warranty would be written in the manner you describe.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Having long experience with photo-electronics and repairs , I can tell you that there is no blanket answer to your question. Obviously, rechargeable batteries have a longer total life span and the undergo many charging cycles. As the get older the may develop weaknesses or internal chemical issues that cause leaks brought on by age or accidental overcharging/overheating. Poor quality "knockoff" alkaline batteries have been known to leak in their original packaging or in the appliances the are meant for just because the are poorly made with a lack of quality control. Since they are expendable and disposable, users may no tend to leave them in cameras or flash equipment unattended. Faulty equipment can also cause good batteries to overheat due to short circuits and the resulting overheating.

I have seen all kinds of batteries cause serious damage to cameras and flash gear. The best policy is to monitor you batteries care and usage. At the first sign of leakage, remove them immediately. After log duty cycles, I routinely remove alkaline batteries form camera and strobes and use them up in inexpensive flashlights etc. I never leave batteries in equipment in long term storage.

I receive newsletters form major energy storage companies and from what I gather the manufacturing, distribution and branding chain is very complex. It's obvious that camera manufacturers don't make their own batteries nor do the store or othere private brands necessarily make their products- they are marketing organizations. Some of the camera and flash companies buy no-name batteries from various suppliers reconfigure or augment the outer casing to fit their gear. You name brand or original maker NAMED batteries may be made in Asia or in places you never heard of before. There are batteries made by an R&D company in Israel that are mil.spec and used by NASA.

I realize that this thread morphed into a thesis but it is all well meaning. Warranty issues are important because some equipment is sold with warranty LIMITATIONS and may become voided by stipulations in the fine print. If you use the original batteries or exact replacements in you gear, the comapny can not refuse to honor their warranty if everything else is in order.

Everyone who posted in the thread has related their own experience. An exact expert opinion shoud be asked of engineer or chemist in the energy storage field. I am not such an expert and I have no actuarial statistics as to battery failure. All I know about is my experience in the repair business and I have extracted enough battery remains from equipmet to realize that care must be taken as to maintenance. If a battery simply fails and looses power, it is an inconvenience but if it breaches its housing and leaks into you equipment it is a major expense and a whole lot of aggravation.

Tom47 Loc: Gettysburg, PA

I stopped using Duracell batteries because of leakage in flashlights. It is not worth taking a chance on an expensive repair bill.

Flash Gordon

Thanks, Mr. Shapiro,
I did not mean to get testy. My experience has been rechargeable batteries have not leaked, “so far” in any of my stuff. Alkaline batteries of any brand have all leaked at one time or another. I have been replacing the batteries in most of my remotes with rechargeables. Most of my leakage issues have been in flashlights which do not get frequent usage. I typically purchase Costco batteries for the price point. I may continue to do so and just replace the alkalines annually. Thanks for your post.

therwol Loc: USA

In my long experience, all brands of alkaline batteries have leaked on me, but Duracell batteries have been the worst. I've had NiCads leak as well (in an old metal detector). I had one Lithium battery in an iPhone swell up from gas and pop the back off of the phone. I got rid of it before it exploded. There is nothing anyone can do about that situation, but I will say that it's not a good idea to leave any batteries in infrequently used equipment, especially if there is a choice in the matter.

BebuLamar

I do have both rechargeable and alkaline batteries leaked but I must agree that the rechargeable is less likely to leak. I think manufacturers don't want you to use rechargeable for other reasons.
I have 2 experiences.
1. Back in the 70's I had a Vivitar 202 flash. I put NiCad in it and it did recycle a lot faster but it smoked. It still worked after that but definitely can damage the flash. The reason? The inverting circuit of that flash had no current limiting and it appeared like almost a short circuit to the batteries. The designer counted on the relatively high internal resistance of the alkaline batteries to limit the current. The NiCad batteries had much lower internal resistance and thus supplied much higher current.
2. Forward to the 21st century. I bought a new Nikon F5 and tried NiMH batteries in it. It worked, didn't damage the camera in any way but the camera would indicate low battery quickly after a full charge. The reason? The 8 AA alkaline would have a nominal voltage of 12V and the camera designed to indicate low battery voltage when it gets lower than 10V. With 8 AA NiMH the nominal voltage is only 9.6V. Full charged they do get above 10V but only for a very short time.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Interestingly enough I kinda remember someone making soething that allowed the use of 10 NiMH batteries in the F5, although I never had one. I had four (4) of Nikon's battery 'bricks' with the charger for my two F5s. It was the only way to get the full 8 FPS. Best of luck.

BebuLamar

I think the Nikon MN-30 NiMH battery pack has something like 14 cells in it. They are smaller than AA. The F5 battery compartment would hold 9 AA's but not any more. I did put the 9th battery in and it worked better but no 8fps. So I use 8 AA alkaline. Rechargeable isn't worth it unless it gives me higher frame rate. The cost of buying alkalines for the F5 isn't much. With 8 of them it would cost me big bucks for film before I need to replace them.