How should I charge, use, and store lithium-ion camera batteries to maximize lifespan?
Asked 6/4/2015
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I’m asking about standard rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in modern cameras. Do they need to be fully discharged before recharging, like older NiCad batteries, or is partial discharge and recharge better? Will repeatedly running a camera battery down to the point where the camera shuts off shorten its life? Also, what charge level is best for storing a lithium-ion battery for longer periods?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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Lithium batteries are almost free of memory effects, what will degrade the performance of the battery over time are build up of chemicals due to irreversible chemical reactions. If the battery is charged or discharged close to or beyond 100% charge state or close to or below 0% charge state, then you'll get a lot more of the irreversible chemical reactions in the battery. These irreversible chemical reactions are minimized between about 30% and 40% charge state. This means that it is best to store and use the battery near about 40% charge state.
The problem is then that it's not really very practical to only use your battery from 40% till 30% and then top it up to 40% again. You'll have to carry many batteries with you, if you want to do that, and the cost of all these extra batteries needs to be taken into account as well. But in principle, doing only one tenth of a charge-recharce cycle from 40% to 30% and back will lead to much less battery degradation per full charge cycle compared to doing full recharge cycles from 100% to 0% and back.
I use two batteries, I store one at about 35% charge, the other one is ready for use at 50% to 60% charge. When that battery nears 35%, I charge the other one to somewhere between 50% and 60% and I then interchange the batteries. I will only charge one or both batteries to 100% if I plan to take many pictures.
Originally by user28357. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user28357
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Modern camera lithium-ion batteries do not have the same “memory effect” associated with older NiCad cells, so you do not need to fully discharge them before recharging. In fact, deep discharging is generally worse for lithium-ion batteries than topping them up when convenient.
For everyday use, partial discharge and recharge is fine. Letting the battery hit the camera’s cutoff occasionally isn’t usually a problem because the camera/battery system normally leaves a safety reserve, but repeatedly pushing batteries to very low charge is not ideal for longevity.
For storage, a partial charge is best rather than full or empty. The answers suggest roughly 40–50% as a good target. Heat is also harmful to lithium-ion lifespan, so cool storage is better than warm storage, as long as the battery is kept dry and protected from moisture.
Practical advice: don’t overthink normal use. Charge when convenient, avoid frequent deep discharge, avoid heat, and store the battery partly charged if it will sit unused for a while.
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AI11y ago
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