pdsilen Loc: Roswell, New Mexico

I have a Canon Rebel EOS T2i which I use as a walkaround camera and photoshoots which require minimal processing. I bought a new battery, a Canon battery less than a year ago. And lately when I leave it in the camera for any extended period of time the battery becomes completely drained of power. I always turn the camera off when not in use. Is the problem in the camera or the battery or both? Your feedback would be appreciated.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Check your manual -- Canon recommends taking the battery out of the camera when not in use -- When in camera there is a small bit steady drain on the battery ---

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I'm a Nikon user so I don't know if it holds true for Canon, but Nikons use up battery power (not always a lot) to maintain my settings in the camera. There was a time when I went for a longer period of time of not using the camera that I lost half of my battery power and, yes, the batteries were fully charged when I put them in the camera.

ricardo00

How old is the battery? An old battery will drain faster. May be worth buying a new one? I have a Nikon D500 and almost random, it sometimes completely drains the battery when left a few days but not at other times. So if this is a consistent observation, could be the battery?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

It at least runs the "keep alive" circuitry for the date and time.
Minimal power consumption, but consumption none the less.

I check my cameras monthly when not shooting and charge accordingly.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

How old is your battery? What do you consider an "extended period of time"? A battery should hold a charge for a month or two if it's in good shape. If it won't last more than a month I would charge the battery and check it after a week. If you have lost more than 10% of the charge in that period of time it's probably time for a new battery. If your battery is less than a year old and loses charge that quickly I would suspect something in the camera is draining it.

BebuLamar

I think it's your camera. You can try to charge the battery and remove it when you don't use the camera and see if you have longer battery life. Cameras when off still draw power from the battery but very little however if it's malfunction it can draw a lot more.

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

I am not intimately familiar with the circuitry in your particular camera model, however, I have long experience in photo-electronics and battery issues and maintenance.

Without knowing the camera and whatever idiosyncrasies it may have as to battery consumption- my guess is the battery and or the charge at fault rather than the camera.

Batteries are chemically driven devices. Even the finest brand-name brand new batteries can fail or begin to fail prematurely. Battery technologies have changed over the years and some of the new formulas are kinda "fussy" as to storage and charging issues.

You could send the camera in for a check-up and service but that may be more costly than just purchasing a new battery and see if the issue persists. Make certain that the charger is the one that is dedicated to the battery and that your charging rate, times and proper procedures are all in place.

In the last number of years, just about everything in my studio and office is electronic and much of it is battery operated. There are 8 cameras and more portable flash units that I can count and all kinds of radio synch stuff. I had to create a computer program for battery maintenance. When battery issues arise, it is usually the battery as opposed to the camera or device. A new battery usually remedies the problem! Crazy- even the pencil sharpener uses batteries. I usually opt for AC corded operated power tool, just so I don't need to worry about more batteries. Only one of my drills has a newfangled Lithium-Ion cell!

If it is an issue with the camera, I don't even know how they would trace out the problem. Most of the repair stations have expert parts-changers as opposed to diagnostic technicians. The cost of creating an estimate for repairs may amount to more than a new battery- it's a bit of a gamble!

I wish I can be more of a help- just my experience with batteries.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

There is (well I'm almost sure) NOTHING WRONG with your camera or your battery ===
I repeat what I have already suggested:

Check your manual -- Canon recommends taking the battery out of the camera when not in use -- When in camera there is a small bit steady drain on the battery ---

RLSeipleSr Loc: North of Boston

Have you ruled out your physical location ... ?

Bob S

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

Why not just take it out of the camera when you put it away. That will let you know if the battery goes down on its own.

charles tabb Loc: Richmond VA.

I feel you might have a problem.
I have a Sony a99II and use Watson batteries.
I put a fully charged battery in my SLR about 3 months ago and its been sitting unused since then.
I just checked it and the battery level is 68 % now.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

As rules of thumb:

Remove batteries from cameras when not in use.
Store Lithium-based rechargeable batteries at about half power charge
Charge Lithium-based batteries a day or less before use
Use plastic bags or boxes to keep Lithium batteries dry and away from metal objects
Use rechargeable batteries often. They deteriorate from both age AND lack of use.
Keep the state of charge between 20% and full during use.
Avoid using hot or cold batteries.

If your camera uses a button-cell or coin-cell Lithium battery to maintain the clock settings and defaults or current menu settings, remove it and clean it occasionally, and change it at least every other year. You'll need to reset the clock/calendar and perhaps default settings you like, after doing that.

Wipe contacts with Deoxit or similar contact cleaner on a cloth, if you have battery leakage.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

If you do, don't be surprised if the clock/calendar stops and it might lose other settings..

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

One more note... I have never had a lithium chemistry or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery last more than five years without pretty serious degradation. I DID unknowingly cook NiMH laptop batteries to death three times, in three different Mac PowerBooks (540, G3 Pismo, and 17" G4). That happened because I used those as my desktop computers most of the time, only unplugging them for road trips or working from home in the evening. Leaving them at 100% charge for days on end while "trickle charging" is not a good idea... They were meant to be used hard, and daily. Instead, after three years, those were dead batteries.