when I was looking for a 1D several didn't come with the charger so I looked for the canon OEM and nearly fell on the floor when I saw the price. (it could be worth picking up the cheapest 1 series you can just for the charger!). So I asked here if there was an alternative and the one you link to was recommended by a few people.
If you already have the Canon OEM and just want a smaller alt for travel it makes some sense but if you dont have the canon then it makes alot of sense.
And yes I found out that the canon while you can connect 2 batteries will only charge 1 at a time, so Canon couldn't even get that bit right
I have used the mydigitaldiscount charger for more than a year and it's great. When used with a battery like the Lenmar, reconditioning is not needed.
Canon really goes all out, managing to still produce a battery with memory effect.
I have had two of the MDD chargers and have had problems with both in getting the charging lead to firmly seat in a few of my batteries. On some batteries the lead fits perfectly and on others it will not seat at all. I have not had this problem with the Canon OEM charger.
This is not as small as the first version that mydigitaldiscount.com was selling. It is almost twice the size and requires an IEC cord (similar to the computer power cord).
It will do the job as a travel charger and as everybody else mentioned, it will not do a conditioning discharge.
Actually, as a travel charger, I don't need it to condition the battery. I wish they would photograph it beside the OEM charger so I can get a sense for how much smaller it is. Anybody try this latest charger from MDD?
I received this response from EastGear regarding the small form factor charger they were selling now only in the EU plug variety.....I asked about availability of the US plug version as it is quite a bit smaller it seems than the MDD version.....
"Hi,
Thank you for your email.
Actually, we do have the NPE3 charger with US pin but currently out of stock and we don't have the advice date for the new stock."
surreywharf wrote:
I have had two of the MDD chargers and have had problems with both in getting the charging lead to firmly seat in a few of my batteries. On some batteries the lead fits perfectly and on others it will not seat at all. I have not had this problem with the Canon OEM charger.
Cheers,
Jim
Thanks Jim, this was exactly what I was wondering about. Several years ago I bought 5 of the then $20 no name NP-E3 batteries from MDD and none of them would connect with the charging lead of the Canon charger properly. If I bumped them even the slightest after establishing a connection, the connection would break. Very frustrating and totally unusable in any kind of hectic environment, such as a media work room.
It's one of the features I like about the Mark III update - the totally redesigned battery interface. But Canon's charger is still huge, which really sucks for travel. You'd think Canon would see an opportunity here to sell an official compact charger... I'd even consider one if it was $150...
I just purchased one for traveling purposes... I'll give my honest assessment of my experience with it once it arrives... Product pictures and such will follow, as well...
Just got the UPS confirmation... Should be at the doorstep tomorrow (I did overnight shipping)... I've got a depleted 1DsMk2 battery that needs charging... Curious to know how it will perform... It says 90min to full charge... We'll see... Product shots and test results will soon follow...
Fast charging your batteries?? Good Luck to You Sir!
It's my understanding that Canon takes 12-14 hours to fully charge an empty battery! Forcing a speed charge will heat up the cells and cause problems, maybe not right away but surely shorten the battery life. Heat is really no good for your batteries and Canon do measure the cell temperature (thats the third pin on the connector) so probability of overcharging is reduced.
All this plus the recycle stuff, tries to keep all cells equal and give a long life. With speed charge and over heating will lead to at least one cell start to fail, premature. Once one cell is gone, the whole pack is toast.
Having said this, there is no reason for the OEM charger to be the size of a SLR
How about cutting the charger upen and repack in a smaller form factor
Picture shows both the temperature sensor, whith brown leads, and the non-resettable temp fuse (93 C). On the other side of the pack there is even one more fuse, resettable, which operates at a lower temp (70 C).
It seems Canon is serious about the battery temperature
The smaller size of 3rd party chargers are ideal for travel, but it's probably not a good idea to use it exclusively. I cursed Canon when I have to carry that huge charger last time when I traveled.
I had one of the mdd ones and wasn't impressed. It wouldn't fully charge the battery. I searched far and wide for a Canon OEM charger and had zero offers under about $150. I almost picked up another 1D just for the charger.
