Need to store a digital camera

[kshapero]

will be on the road for 3-6 months. Need to store one of my digital cameras. Better to leave battery in the camera or take it out?

P.S. It's never been an issue with my battery dependent film cameras.

 

[Dan]

Out, for certain.

 

[Huss]

In otherwise you may lose the internal clock.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Yeah... In. Three to six months, I do that with cameras I don't use.

 

[Dwig]

With modern Lithium battery variants, my vote would be "in" for a mere handfull of months of storage. See that it is reasonably well charged just before you leave.

 

[kshapero]

With modern Lithium battery variants, my vote would be "in" for a mere handfull of months of storage. See that it is reasonably well charged just before you leave.

That's where I am leaning towards. Thx

 

[BillBingham2]

With modern Lithium battery variants, my vote would be "in" for a mere handfull of months of storage. See that it is reasonably well charged just before you leave.

Many cameras have small batteries (like computers and tablets) that keeps the internal settings saved and the date/time accurate. Cameras pull from the main battery first and then the backup (when you are changing the main battery). I'm 98% sure the little batteries in side are not rechargeable so if you drain that battery you get to send your camera into the shop for a swap.

Fully charged battery in would be my two cents.

B2 (;->

 

[Dogman]

While it's not something I make a habit of doing, I actually checked the owner's manuals for the four brands of digital cameras I currently own. Per Canon, Fuji, Olympus and Ricoh: Remove the batteries for extended periods of storage or non-use.

No one currently mentions the use of a backup battery. Maybe the manufacturers now use capacitors that hold an indefinite charge--I dunno.

And I'm surprised by the fact that Fuji recommends batteries kept in storage be stored in a discharged state. I've always heard lithium batteries should be kept charged in storage.

 

[David Hughes]

Well, my watches go months or even years and move hands around on a tiny little battery so I don't see why a cameras back-up shouldn't; especially as it will probably be fully charged.

Regards, David

 

[shimokita]

If you remove the lithium battery from the device be sure to store it properly (i.e. so nothing shorts across the contacts). Some batteries come with a plastic pouch for storage.

"The recommended storage temperature for most batteries is 15°C (59°F). While lead acid must always be kept at full charge during storage, nickel- and lithium-based chemistries should be stored at around a 40 percent state-of-charge (SoC). This minimizes age-related capacity loss while keeping the battery operational and allowing for some self-discharge." - quote from the following link.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batteries

 

[Huss]

My Nikon F6 loses it's settings if I take the battery out for longer than a month or so.
Due to the fact that the internal battery/clock has run down.
With the lithium batteries, leave in. They're not like the old regular (alkaline, silver oxide etc) that can leak.

D850 manual says to take the battery out for storage...

 

[shimokita]

And I'm surprised by the fact that Fuji recommends batteries kept in storage be stored in a discharged state. I've always heard lithium batteries should be kept charged in storage.

If I remember correctly (and often I don't) the Fuji statement is for spare batteries (i.e. not in device storage). Could be a safety concern (?). My original Fuji spare battery comes in a plastic case which "should be used when storing the battery".

In general I understand lithium batteries should be stored at 40% of full charge...

 

[kshapero]

no clear consensus. Yikes.

 

[Tim Murphy]

Sell it now!

Sell it now!

no clear consensus. Yikes.

Just kidding of course but it would spare you the battery concerns.

And for the record in ten years I've never seen a lithium battery leak, either in camera, or in storage.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA 🙂

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Do what manual says.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

The batteries you buy over the counter or take out and recharge are the ones that should be stored apart from the camera.

Inside any computerised device, which has a clock running, there will be a small rechargeable battery that the device charges and that keeps the clock and calendar functions going. They have to run all the time for obvious reasons if you think about it; mostly because they change second by second...

But, the hard wired internal ones don't last for ever and might just need replacing eventually. The Nikon F6's one could be 15 years old and so has died*. It happens with cars, clocks, watches and so on. Most of them can only be charged a certain number of times and then fail and as they age they start to hold only a fraction of their original capacity.

As for lithium batteries, a lot of batteries come in lithium only and I've looked at old cameras that use them and found corroded battery terminals. But that could just be due to cheap and nasty non-lithium fakes...

Regards, David


* I don't know if the F6 has an internal one or a replaceable one. In rough terms digital cameras have internal ons and film ones have replaceable ones, like coins in size and shape. For example the Konica A4 has a CR123A powering it but the clock etc have a CR2025 powering the clock etc. The CR2025 fits in a small compartment in the camera back.

 

[Dogman]

Do what manual says.

Yep. Can't go wrong there.

I've never had a lithium battery leak but I know they will eventually lose a charge. I've had this happen a few times with spare batteries that were stored away for several months without being used. There's no point in storing the battery in the camera if it will eventually go flat and not maintain settings anyway.

I had a Pentax 645 that used an internal battery to hold settings. It was a user replaceable button battery that lasted for a long time. However, a little research indicates to me that more recent cameras use capacitors rather than internal batteries to hold settings. If you have a newer camera and it loses settings when changing batteries, more than likely you have a issue with a capacitor gone haywire. I doubt internal batteries are used much anymore, if at all.

If you store a camera for several months and it loses the clock or settings, it's really not a big deal to reset them. Make a note of what settings you use to remind yourself if necessary.

But to the original question, all the manuals for my cameras tell me to remove the battery for storage or extended periods of non-use. For 3-6 months, I can't see it doing any harm to leave the battery in but I don't see the benefit either.

 

[willie_901]

Also, store in a sealed container with a couple of fresh desiccant packages (lenses too).

 

[Pfreddee]

Is there a fire hazard with the battery in and stored?

With best regards,

Pfreddee(Stephen)

 

[jvo]

up on blocks...

up on blocks...

put it up on blocks, drain all liquids, a little squirt oil in each cylinder, disconnect the battery... your done!

jvo

p.s. (actually just do the last thing)😀