Canon's EOS 5D Mark II displays multiple LP-E6 battery capacities

You may think you know everything there is to know about Canon's marvelous EOS 5D Mark II, but have you heard of this tidbit? Hailed as the first DSLR to "manage" multiple batteries, this here camera includes technology to read up to six separate LP-E6 batteries and display data about them right on the rear LCD. The LP-E6 cell includes an embedded microchip with a unique 8-character serial number; after it's installed once and "registered" in your EOS 5D Mark II body, the camera then displays each cell's serial number, the last time it was charged, the number of shots taken since the last charge, its remaining capacity in 1% increments and its recharge performance. It's a small inclusion, sure, but for pros who go 18+ hours on a single set, we can imagine this coming in handy when trying to select which battery to use on the next excursion.

[Thanks, Peter]

[Nikon @ Oct 25th 2008 8:38AM]

5D2 = bulkier 40D + Video + FF sensor + 21mp + IR detector + way less FPS. That’s it! 40D does ISO 6400 too! Higher ISO is useless. 5D2 is more expensive than the D700 thanks to $200 batteries! Nikon charges $40 for Nikon EN-EL3e (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/409071-REG/Nikon_25334_EN_EL3e_Rechargeable_Lithium_Ion_Battery.html)

5D2 + 3 batteries + tax = $3840 (ripoff!)
D700 + 3 batteries + tax = $2904

Buy Nikon, save $$, get more features.

D700 manual is 472 pages, 5D2 manual is less than half of that. Pay more for Canon, get less than half as much as Nikon.

[KJ @ Oct 25th 2008 9:04AM]

You are just making stuff up. If we are going off of list... The Nikon body alone is $3000 - available online for about $2300. The canon isn't out yet but it's list is $2700 - so we can assume after a similar span that it will be available through the same channels for about $2100 or less depending on margins and things we can't know anything about.

The canon battery is not for sale yet. The only listing I could find was to a Brooklyn scam artist bait and switch site - TV Depot... and it was less than HALF of your $200 price. At $100 your math breaks down and your already flimsy point doesn't make any sense.

Don't be a tool, the 5d2 is a capable camera with many superb features. Compare the ISO 6400 performance of a 5d2 and a 40d and see if you think they are the same... if you do your ability to judge image quality is compromised because YOUR BLIND.

Really, manual pages.... you are comparing the number of manual pages.... who is going to read a 450+ page manual? This is hilarious in every way.

[Jordan @ Oct 25th 2008 9:10AM]

Wow. Considering they are already selling on-line for $99 and will no doubt drop in price, combined with the fact that they have better battery management features and much higher capacity than the Nikon EN-EL3e, you sir are hereby declared a FANBOI!

Plus the 5D Mark II has a lower list price and it's street price will no doubt drop just like the D700 did, in a matter of a month or two you will be able to get either camera with 3 batteries for about the same price. You don't think these companies are just going to sit back and watch the other win, right?

[Jordan @ Oct 25th 2008 9:12AM]

Oops! KJ already covered it for me. Sorry to step in, your comment posted between when I wrote mine and when I confirmed it. Well done, sir :)

[Ben @ Nov 2nd 2008 12:11PM]

Wow! You're a real stud. Please tell me why the size of my manual is important? News to me that having the option to read a 472 page manual is considered a feature. Since I've never seen the Nikon manual I hope it's not because they decided to put all the languages in one book where as Canon separates them.

Anyway, you're a pretty unfortunate individual after looking at your post history.
http://www.engadget.com/profile/1929805/

[Galley @ Oct 25th 2008 8:40AM]

That's actually pretty brilliant.

[Nikon @ Oct 25th 2008 8:10PM]

My point wasn’t that people will RTFM. My point was that the D700 has way more useful features than the 5D2 and this is evidenced by the size of the manual. Virtual horizon, matrix metering, real spot metering, and more (i.e. non-invisible) AF zones are a few examples. 5D2’s measly 9 AF points cause distraction since you have to keep recomposing shots. Cheapest price anywhere for 5D2 batteries is $150 - 4x price of Nikon D700 batteries to recovery camera manufacturing cost. Nikon doesn’t rip off everyone like Canon does. It’s easy to get a cheap D700 now

[Patriks7 @ Oct 25th 2008 8:47AM]

I am planning on taking a photography class, but they don't give us the cameras and I have to get one myself.
So is there any good camera that is not too expensive? I am not really expert in this.
Any help will be appreciated :>

[KJ @ Oct 25th 2008 8:52AM]

Try a camera forum.

At the very least tell people what you are looking for, price points and what not. To some people $250 is expensive, to some $2500 isn't expensive at all, it's all in the reference point.

Short of that buy a Canon or a Nikon - everything else is niche with limited lens selection.

[Cell Phone @ Oct 25th 2008 10:37AM]

Get a 40D, or a 450D. I'd say the 40D is better than the 450 because it will have some more features that a good photography teacher will show you how to use. You can go back to the 30D, or even the 20D, and still take fantastic images. Buy a 50mm f1.8 for $75, or if you can swing it, a 50 f1.4 for $300.
If you absolutely can't go without a zoom lens, get a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 for $375.

Photography class will teach you how to trade aperture/shutter speed for depth of field. You'll also learn composition. I highly recommend the 50mm f1.4. It is a great portrait lens.

There's always the genius our there that wants the perfect "walkaround" lens. These people want an 18-300, and they care very little about aperture or depth of field. If you want to learn photography, buy a lens with a big aperture so you get the most flexibility. If you want to be a tourist, worry about zoom range. When you get a lot more money saved up, then you can start looking at Canon's "L" zooms.

Some people will tell you to get image stabilization because "it rulez!" It's nice to have, but it's also a crutch. You won't learn proper technique. Proper technique will help you more than IS. IS will allow you to do some things that technique can't, but for the purposes of your class, a tripod will do even more.

Personally, I have a 10D, 40D, 50 f1.4, 24-70 f2.8 L, and a 70-200 f2.8 IS L. I have some more stuff, but that is what I carry with me most of the time.

You can go look at Nikon, however, the lower end Nikon hasn't been as successful as some might have you think. Nikon has limits on some features to make their lower price point. Nikon low-to-mid-grade glass is typically more expensive than Canon. However, if you have local support from camera shops, and/or friends family with Nikon, then I'd put some more consideration into Nikon.

Good luck.

[max andrews @ Oct 26th 2008 8:15PM]

I am a graduated photography major, and I just purchased a canon rebel xsi last month and have been using it daily here in africa since I first took it out of the box. I'm using it with the canon 50mm f1.8 lens as well as the canon 17-40mm 4.0L lens. Why did I choose the XSi over the 40D? Because it takes equally good if not better photos for a lot less money, is brilliantly simple to operate, is lightweightand uses SD cards. I bought the optional BG-E5 battery grip, this makes the grip la bit larger and more comfy, allows you to hold two batteries or AAs if you need to, and gives you another control dial and vertical grip/bottom shutter release button for stealth hip shooting or more comfortable vertical holding.

The only advantages of the 40D over the 450D are the following:
- larger viewfinder
- faster and slightly longer continuous shooting

The viewfinder is fine in the 450D. It is bright and clear. I'm sure it's even a bit better in the 40D but in my eyes not enough to justify the huge price difference. Continuous shooting is often always hyped up - but unless you are a sports photographer or paparazzi you hardly ever use this. And if you do, it's always for a quick burst of shots, and the 450D will pull that off just fine. I've not had an issue yet when it comes to taking multiple shots very quickly in RAW.
I also can't stress the weight issue enough. The 450D is a LOT lighter than the 40D (300g lighter, 2/3 of a pound!). When you add a lens and other gear the weight can really become an issue, especially if you are walking around with the strap around yourself. SD cards are also a bug plus. SDHC cards are worlds cheaper than CF cards, and SDHC is the new standard. So already you can buy an 8GB SDHC card class 6 for $14 or something ridiculous like that - and that's good for 500 RAW shots. So go ahead and by two of them, then when you feel like getting a faster card as new ones come out it will never break the bank. A dead end 8GB CF card on the other hand will cost you $85.

So my recommendation get the canon xsi with the bg-e5 grip, the 50mm f1/8 lens, and a good wide angle zoom - I hear the tamron 17-50mm is about as good as the canon 17-40mm and it costs a lot less.

[aris @ Oct 27th 2008 8:03PM]

PENTAX dSLRs are nice and cheap. They have some new gear out at the moment so have a look at last season's stuff. Will leave you some cash left over for some nice software too!

[Peter @ Oct 25th 2008 9:07AM]

How is 76% full? They should have put 3 out of 4 bars; or put more bars.

[iEye @ Oct 25th 2008 9:18AM]

my cheapo camera has the same bar scheme
0-24% 1 block
25-49% 2 blocks
50-74% 3 blocks
75-100% 4 blocks

would have been better if they had a more detailed abttery icon , like on the iPhone...

[Tony @ Oct 25th 2008 12:33PM]

Wtf? The purpose of this is to give you an idea of how much juice is left in the battery at a glance. For the more accurate estimate you so greatly desire, read the percentage—IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO THE BAR.

[Taylor @ Oct 25th 2008 1:56PM]

i would imagine that 4 bars would be anything above 75%, which is what 76% is... Doesn't seem like that big of a deal really.
-Taylor

[ssam @ Oct 25th 2008 9:17AM]

Is this a sneaky move to prevent 3rd party batteries? With the old BP-511 batteries, canon ones cost over £50, and respectable 3rd party ones are around £20, questionable generic ones can be £10.

So what happens if you give the 5DII a battery without a chip?

[Cell Phone @ Oct 25th 2008 10:37AM]

I've bought almost 2 dozen batteries in the past 5 years. 20 were 3rd party. I pay an average of $13 each for them. I don't get nearly as much life out of these batteries as I do batteries from Canon. However, Canon's batteries are expensive. The 3rd party batteries will show full capacity, and 3 shots later, they're dead. At that point, they start to become extremely inconsistent, and within a week or two, I throw them in the recycle bin.

My point? There is a tradeoff. I have several Canon batteries that lasted over 2 years. I have 3rd party batteries that didn't last 3 months. Most of them last 10-12 months.
If Canon wants to ruin the 3rd party battery market, they're going to need something more than a serial number. Within days, a very, very large Asian country will have ripped apart Canon's batteries and duped these batteries, and you'll see them on eBay for a couple bucks more than the 511's. My question is what does the camera do when 10 batteries have the same serial number? It will definitely ruin Canon's battery tracking feature. I hope the knockoff batteries are available with sequences of serial numbers.

[Ethan @ Oct 25th 2008 9:23AM]

Hope you can nickname them or something.

[Horrible Comments @ Oct 25th 2008 12:23PM]

Nicknames, thats genius.
They are more than batteries now.

[Horrible Comments @ Oct 25th 2008 12:24PM]

more than *just* batteries now.

[Ethan @ Oct 25th 2008 1:15PM]

Well, I was planning on 1, 2 and 3 but I suppose Steve, Fred and Jane would work too.

[notpeter @ Oct 26th 2008 4:34PM]

According to the docs, it doesn't look like you can yet. They basically suggest you sharpie on a 8 character hexidecimal code to your batteries to match with the camera. That should be an easy firmware tweak to allow battery name aliases.

[giuliop @ Oct 25th 2008 9:42AM]

I always wonder why they put this weird limits. Granted, six batteries should be enough for everybody (like 640K should be), but each entry probably takes up something like 15 bytes. Don't they have a little more space to spare and give the user the oh-so-wonderful impression that the camera could manage an *infinite* number of batteries?

[404 @ Oct 25th 2008 9:49AM]

Oh gee, a81a5900 is running a little low, guess I'd better swap it out for c9612200 seeing as I forgot to charge e2501301 last night.

Nifty idea but really, if you're going to go to all that bother in the first place is it much harder to let you rename them to something more easy to remember? Like Battery A, B, C, etc.? Even if you just save it on the camera so it reads the serial and replaces it on the screen with your chosen label.

[Neil @ Oct 25th 2008 9:52AM]

This is old news. Engadget linked to the dpreview weeks ago. If they had bothered to read the review the would have known this 'tidbit' way back then.

Slow News Day.

[basroil @ Oct 25th 2008 11:15AM]

Or just the release notes when the camera came out...

As for being too expensive (you damn nikon fanboy), or not allowing third party batteries (you should know about how third party chinese batteries can cause major problems), chances are these are false worries. 2700 price means camera+grip+extra battery will cost the same as the d700 without anything. right now bp511a is about 52 and lp-e4 (1dmkiii) is 119, so the new battery will be in between. the enel3e is 40, so if we assume the mkii battery is 75 bucks, and divide each number by the mah @7.4v (both are 7.4), then we get we indeed get a large premium, but nowhere near the rediculous numbers you came up with. And chipped batteries have been around for a while, nikon's been doing it for as long as the enel3 has been around. That hasn't stopped third party developers.

[Rontalvos @ Oct 25th 2008 5:53PM]

I came here to post this, you said it brother.

[Mike @ Oct 25th 2008 10:07AM]

But when will my preorder ship??!?

[Vicada @ Oct 25th 2008 11:28AM]

-EOS, open the hatch! Can you hear me, EOS?
-I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that. It would jeopardize the mission.
-EOS, what's going to happen?
-Something wonderful.

;-)

[terry @ Oct 25th 2008 12:39PM]

looking at the illustration, i don't see either of two indicators the text says should be showing: # of pix taken, and ability of battery to take a recharge. Am i overlooking that info?

[Evan @ Oct 25th 2008 12:36PM]

Why cant it be November...

[Kimleng @ Oct 25th 2008 12:58PM]

I can already see it in a forum:

"I just bought this used battery from someone. It's just not charging the way my other battery used to. The serial is imd12c4abj. Anyone used this battery before?"

"OMG, that battery has been around soooooo much! I got a good charge out of it once before I passed it on..."

[A_Dude @ Oct 25th 2008 1:33PM]

You know, one thing I love about my 1DMkII is the battery life. It's almost a never-thought due to how long the damn things last. I shot 2k at the end of July, 4K throughout August, 1536 in Sept, and now in october, with the sesnon, marek, sepulveda pass fires, and a few other random things, I shot more then I can remember all on the same battery without recharging it. It finally started to blink at me last night. 4 months, usually around 1000 pics a week, definitely worth the premium to just stick with name brand Canon batteries. Of course, having just switched to digital rather recently from a Leica film camera, I find that unlike many, I tend to leave the rear LCD preview/review off and not chimp after every shot which probably helps the long battery life.

[Steve A. @ Oct 25th 2008 1:51PM]

I'm surprised it took this long for all you 'tech' blogs to figure this out. It was listed on launch and has been detailed on Canon's website for a couple weeks now. Cool tech, but not exactly *new* news.

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 25th 2008 2:42PM]

This isn't that useful, since if a battery gets low and you take it out of the camera and charge it (in an external charger as is the norm for this type of camera), then the battery will now be charged, but if you look at your camera it will say it is low because the battery hasn't been inserted in the camera since it was last charged.

So it is of limited usefulness in helping you decide which battery to use.

[Marc-O @ Oct 25th 2008 5:13PM]

It's meant to be used in the field, when you have a bunch of batteries on hand and trying to figure out which is which and how charged they all are... It is VERY useful, trust me.

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Oct 26th 2008 12:10AM]

Yeah, it'll work in the field. As long as after you're done charging each battery, you insert it in the camera before going into the field.

Otherwise, it won't have accurate info on any of the batteries you charged before going into the field.

It's a flawed system at best.

[Richard Lai @ Oct 25th 2008 3:04PM]

This is a nice feature, but the most practical solution is to have an indicator on each battery, so that if you're in a rush you can quickly check which battery is full and then pick it up.

[markmsf @ Oct 25th 2008 4:49PM]

Yeah, that's great. Ship it.

[Jason @ Oct 28th 2008 12:54PM]

I believe this information was posted on dpreview.com WEEKS ago... I guess I did know everything there was to know about the 5DMKII... because I've certainly seen this information before, if not on dpreview.com, then on one of the many other photography blog/review sites...

and @ Nikon... quit being a fanboy... 5DMKII > D700.... end of story.

[DBrim @ Oct 25th 2008 7:29PM]

Oh, Engadget. Why must you so frequently tease me with the perfect camera that I'll never be able to afford?

[pig6669 @ Oct 25th 2008 7:44PM]

I hope to have one. ^^

[ziggit @ Oct 26th 2008 2:13AM]

Yes, yes I did know that.

I do think that would be quite spiffy, I have a couple different batteries for my little rebel and I can never quite tell which one is which, sometimes it seems like one will give better battery life than the other and other times its swapped. As an aspiring pro, I am planning on making a 5d mkII my next body, and that is definitely a feature that I look forward too.

Also did you know it has an external MIC jack? That ceartinly peaked my interest considering I also have an interest in videography and its hard to have both nice video gear and nice photo gear (although lens rentals make that alot easier) so that is almost like having your cake and eating it too. the only way to one up that would be to have a jack to monitor your audio and it would be perfect.

[Ecobore @ Oct 26th 2008 6:37AM]

Well, I am already a 5D user and will buy one of these as soon as they come out but what REALLY pisses me off (CANON!!!) is that there is still no easy way to embed GPS info directly into the files with a small gadget that you attach to the camera (as per the Nikon accessories) This is a real oversight! and if Canon had a pro feedback forum (I am a pro member!) then this would probably have been addressed in development.
Canon, take a leaf out of apples book and have online comments areas for users to suggest improvements to your products. Aperture gets better and better because of this!

[tony @ Dec 7th 2008 7:08PM]

I have a Canon 5D mark 2. Its a great camera. Only problem is, all I can do is play with it. I cant take it on jobs because
Canon in their infinite wisdom hasnt made extra batteries available. What the heck is that??? But it is an amazing piece of equipment

[digifan @ Dec 24th 2008 11:07PM]

I got a bp-511 battery ( http://www.sales-battery.com/digital-camera-batteries/canon-bp-511.htm ) for this camera but can't put it in?