Home Video Hints: Camcorder Battery Care

Joe McCleskey
October 2004

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Batteries are an essential piece of the camcorder technology puzzle. Without important developments in delivering portable electric power in a small package, we’d never have the small, portable camcorders we’ve come to take for granted today.
For the most part, camcorder batteries are very simple to use and maintain. All you have to know how to do is charge them and how to put them on the camcorder properly, and chances are you’ll never have to worry about them. Yet underlying this deceptive simplicity are a few particulars about battery technology you should familiarize yourself with, at least so you’ll have the knowledge necessary to make informed purchase decisions when it’s time to buy spare batteries for your camcorder. And if you currently only own one battery, that time is probably right now.
In this article, we’ll be taking a look at four major types of camcorder battery technology: lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion. We’ll also make some suggestions about how to get the most mileage out of each type. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to make your camcorder batteries last a few years longer.

Occupying the lowest rung on the technology ladder, lead-acid camcorder batteries are very similar to the type of battery that you use to start your car every morning. Lead-acid camcorder batteries are reliable and inexpensive, yet they suffer from a number of drawbacks, not the least of which is size and weight. Often, inexpensive batteries advertised as “memory-free” (see below) are of this type.
The voltage of a lead-acid battery falls off gradually as it discharges. This means a lead-acid battery should still have plenty of recording time left after the camcorder gives a low battery warning.
Always store lead-acid batteries fully charged. When you get home from a shoot, top off the charge and then be sure to remove them from the camcorder or charger. This will ensure that their charge won’t trickle away as they sit connected to the equipment. Lead-acid camcorder batteries can cease functioning entirely if left alone in an uncharged state or if discharged too far. Keep them dry, keep them out of direct sunlight and don’t drop them on a hard surface or subject them to any other kind of treatment that might break the case. As you can tell from the ominous name “lead-acid,” the contents are dangerous and poisonous. Always recycle old lead-acid batteries properly: their contents are extremely harmful to the environment. Recycling is free and convenient, so there is no excuse not to do so. See the Sidebar at the end of this article.

Nickel-cadmium batteries, commonly called NiCd (or Ni-Cd or NiCad®), were the most common type of camcorder battery a decade ago. Still found in a wide range of electronic devices, NiCds are light and have a long life with a steady discharge pattern. This means that, unlike their lead-acid cousins, NiCds deliver about the same level of voltage throughout their entire discharge cycle, then abruptly drop when they are low. So when your camcorder tells you the battery is low, if it’s a NiCd, you’d better wrap up your taping in a hurry.
Unlike lead-acid batteries, it’s not a good idea to promptly recharge NiCds after every usage. In fact, the opposite is true: NiCds should be fully discharged before recharging, in order to avoid the dreaded memory effect that plagues this type of battery. Technically speaking, these batteries do not have a memory chip, but they do exhibit an annoying behavior that seems like they remember the partial discharge, recharge pattern. Then, even though the battery is only partially discharged, the voltage drops, even though a charge remains. Special battery chargers (sometimes called battery conditioners) can automatically drain the power before charging it back up and are a good idea for users of NiCd batteries. Repeated discharging and charging may even rehabilitate a battery that suffers from this effect.
As with any battery, keep your NiCd batteries dry, cool and safe. The contents of NiCds are not as dangerous as lead-acid batteries, but they are highly poisonous and very bad for the environment, so be sure not to just throw them in the garbage when you’re done with them.