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Battery mAh differences -- do they matter?
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The battery that came with my new 50D is a BP-511A with a 1390 milliamps/hr rating.
I also have two batteries from my Powershot G3. These are:
* BP-512 1100 mAh
* Third party BP-511 equivalent, 1900 mAh
They're all 7.4V, and all three physically look exactly the same. The only differences are the mAh numbers. Does this matter? What I'm leading up to is, can I use these three batteries interchangeably in both cameras?
Posted at 11:06AM, 14 February 2009 PDT
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I don't think the BP-512 is the same battery as the other two. BP-511 is what fits in the 40D and 50D. The mAh figure tells you how much power is in the battery (it's how long the battery could in theory supply 1 milli-Amp of power for when fully charged).
You'll have noticed that the third party battery has more power in it than the Canon one. If there's one area where Canon really seem to rip their customers off it's with the batteries.
With the difference in power and the difference in cost you'll get about seven times more power per pound with the third party batteries!
Posted 40 months ago.
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Thanks, robbersdog. I forgot to mention that another difference is the 511 vs. the 512 model. And yes, I notice that my third party battery is the one with the largest mAh rating. Interesting!
I'm obviously no electrical engineer, but another part of my question was some minor concern that maybe a certain mAh power would be "too much" for a camera that is expecting 1390 or 1100 or something lower. But it sounds like what it does is just make the battery last longer.
Hmm, here I find an Opteka battery that's 2000 mAh and is a replacement for either the BP-511 or BP-512 (plus some other models). Says it works on the 50D and G3. Innnnteresting...I never really noticed the power ratings but this opened my eyes. Looks like third party is the way to go!
stores.channeladvisor.com/47stphoto/items/item.aspx?itemi...
Also, from this, it looks like all three batteries will work in either camera.
Posted 40 months ago.
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I've used Sterlingtek.com batteries for years now. The higher mAh rating really does make a difference in how long the batteries last. Plus, they are 1/3 the price of Canon's.
Posted 40 months ago.
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The term mAh is a way to measure a battery's capacity. A higher number means more capacity, and in the terms of digital cameras, more photos per battery charge.
so yes, more mAh = better.
Posted 40 months ago.
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No, the mAh rating won't damage the camera; it's simply an indicator of capacity—how long it'll keep going at sufficient voltage to power the camera.
The only thing that could conceivably damage the camera is if you were to get a higher voltage battery in somehow.
Posted 40 months ago.
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And Sterlingtek.com still doesnt have 5dII batteries...whats up with aftermarket ppl these days!!!
Posted 40 months ago.
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I second the sterlingtek BP-511A higher capacity batteries. I've been using them for years and they really do last longer than the Canon OEM batteries and other generics I've tried.
Posted 40 months ago.
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the higher it is,the longer they last..
Posted 40 months ago.
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