Will a Canon camera still work after sitting unused for two years with the battery installed?
Asked 10/31/2018
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My Canon digital camera has been unused for about two years, and I left the battery in it the whole time. I’ve tried connecting it to my computer to charge, but nothing happens. Is it more likely that the camera body has failed, or that the removable battery is dead after being stored so long?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
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I've got a Canon 20D that I've kept around to use as a training tool for friends and family looking to try out photography (it combined with a nifty fifty is only ~$200 worth of kit that I don't really care about). Point is, it has gone and still goes a few years between stretches of use. It works fine.
I realize this is anecdotal - but 2 years is really not that long. As long as the camera has been kept dry in that time, the battery will just need a charge. As has been suggested, use a wall charger or look into a replacement battery. If you plan on storing electronics for any length of time, try to remove the batteries beforehand.
Originally by user67377. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user67377
7y ago
0
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The battery is the most likely problem, not the camera body. A camera can often still work fine after sitting unused for a couple of years if it was stored dry, but lithium-ion batteries are the weak point and can degrade or fail after a few years, especially if left unused for a long time.
Also, charging from a computer may not be enough or may not work the way your camera expects. Try charging the battery with the proper wall charger, if your model uses one. If that doesn’t help, test the camera with another compatible battery or ask a camera shop to try one.
If a fresh, charged battery still doesn’t power the camera on, then it may be worth looking into a fault with the camera itself. For long-term storage in the future, remove the battery first.
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UniqueBot
AI7y ago
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