Faulty Canon battery charger (EOS 5D Mark II)

[Xenedis]

I discovered the other day that the battery charger supplied with my Canon EOS 5D Mark II has stopped working, seemingly.

When I plug it in and seat the battery, the LED does not illuminate.

I've tried different power points, and jiggled the cable.

Is there a problem with it?

Is there anything I can do?

Is there any other way to charge the battery? It's at 92% capacity now, but once it runs out, I'm stuck.

[pmack]

Do you only have one battery? If so i would suspect it is more likely that the battery has failed?
I purchased two Phottix batteries off ebay for about $30 a few days ago, and they seem pretty legit. maybe try that first before forking out ~$100 for a charger that you don't need?
I've had a canon battery die on me before so do not have loyalty to sticking to canon batteries... btw when my battery went, it would just apear to charge after like 5 minutes (but it didn't really charge), so in your case it seems a bit different.

[Xenedis]

Do you only have one battery?

Yes.

If so i would suspect it is more likely that the battery has failed?

The battery works in the camera. That's also how I know it has 92% of its charge.

I purchased two Phottix batteries off ebay for about $30 a few days ago, and they seem pretty legit. maybe try that first before forking out ~$100 for a charger that you don't need?

The battery is working; the charger is what seems faulty. I shouldn't expect to have to buy a new charger if the camera is under warranty, although I'm not sure if the charger would be covered by the warranty. I should hope so!

If the battery really is faulty, then the fault appears to be with the charging; the camera is otherwise fully functional with the battery inserted.

[JM Tran]

have ya tried cleaning the metal contacts of the charger guv'nor?

surprised u only have 1 battery for it, I have 6!

[Xenedis]

have ya tried cleaning the metal contacts of the charger guv'nor?

I haven't, but given the age of it (less than six months) and the fact that I store it in a container, I doubt the contacts are dirty.

surprised u only have 1 battery for it, I have 6!

I've not found myself needing more than one battery.

[pmack]

The battery works in the camera. That's also how I know it has 92% of its charge.

ahh yeah didn't think of that.

i too am surprised you only have one battery though!
i've checked out your site before and you clearly do a lot of photography. get a spare battery anyway :P

[Xenedis]

i too am surprised you only have one battery though!

Apparently that does come as a surprise to some people around here. :-)

i've checked out your site before and you clearly do a lot of photography. get a spare battery anyway :P

Yes, I've shot a few images.

With the subject matter I shoot, and the time I spend in the field, it would be quite difficult for me to drain the battery in one session.

Based on that, a spare would only be useful for a backup in case the main battery failed.

[ZedEx]

My money is on the charger. I love canon and all, but their chargers (in my experience) have a nasty habit of dying suddenly

[Clubmanmc]

i have 4 older 511 canon chargers and they have all worked amazingly since i bought them... one is almost 5 years old, and yeah i did have 8 511A's for 32 bodies at one stage so the chargers got abused for a few hours at a time

M

[Fantasyphoto]

Xen the charger will be included in the warranty, perhaps you could contact another 5D II owner at our club and ask them to bring their charger to the meeting on Thursday so you can try the battery in it?

[Xenedis]

Thanks for the responses.

I cannot say I've observed Canon chargers to be fault-prone -- the chargers supplied with my previous cameras have been fine.

It so happens that a 5D II-owning colleague had his charger with him today, so I have borrowed that and will isolate the faulty component (ie, cable, charger or battery).

Fantasy, I won't be at the meeting due to work commitments again, but I will contact Canon after I have determined which component is faulty. If it can be replaced under warranty, all good.

[ZedEx]

Me neither. i'd only had one blow on me, personally. However, working in photo retail, i get to see a good cross section of various faults by manufacturers, and Canon ain't the best with chargers it seems. Most noteably, BP-511A chargers for some reason. I'd replaced quite a few of those in particular.
There are no moving parts but as with anything electronic circuit board components can pop whenever

Thanks for the responses.

I cannot say I've observed Canon chargers to be fault-prone -- the chargers supplied with my previous cameras have been fine.

It so happens that a 5D II-owning colleague had his charger with him today, so I have borrowed that and will isolate the faulty component (ie, cable, charger or battery).

Fantasy, I won't be at the meeting due to work commitments again, but I will contact Canon after I have determined which component is faulty. If it can be replaced under warranty, all good.

[Xenedis]

Me neither. i'd only had one blow on me, personally. However, working in photo retail, i get to see a good cross section of various faults by manufacturers, and Canon ain't the best with chargers it seems. Most noteably, BP-511A chargers for some reason. I'd replaced quite a few of those in particular.

Interesting. I've had two chargers for the BP-511A and both were fine.

Hopefully Canon will simply replace it outright very quickly.

There are no moving parts but as with anything electronic circuit board components can pop whenever

Indeed.

[Bercy]

I have 2 chargers! Never had a problem in 4 years. Sounds unusual to have a device failure - especiallu with no moving parts. Woulk think a replacement under warranty. It may take a few days for Canon to have a committee meeting about the status of the charger, then diligent investigation, a review meeting and then they might replace it. In the meantime I'd find a friend with a charger and by a few batteries to keep you happy.

[Xenedis]

Update:

In a nutshell, my charger is faulty.

More details from the tests I conducted with my battery, two chargers and two AC cables:

1. My charger + my cable = fail.
2. My charger + borrowed cable = fail.
3. Borrowed charger + borrowed cable = success.
4. Borrowed charger + my cable = success.

I'll contact Canon to obtain a replacement.

[pmack]

you should go travel, with no idea what you may need your camera for, and with the possibility of no power supply....

[Xenedis]

you should go travel, with no idea what you may need your camera for, and with the possibility of no power supply....

All well and good, but that scenario doesn't really apply to me.

[JM Tran]

All well and good, but that scenario doesn't really apply to me.

thats a concerning approach and attitude to me. By having just 1 battery and relying on that. Why do ppl carry a spare tyre in the car when 4 is fine! Right?

what if you are charging your single battery at the time, and have to wait until its recharged to shoot again, might miss something there......too many variables......

whats the motto of the Scouts again?

[Xenedis]

I am not interested in debating any further the benefits of having more than one battery.

That is not the purpose of this thread, and what I need is a new charger, not a philosophical lecture.

[Xenedis]

An update:

I dropped into Canon HQ yesterday.

It's a warranty replacement, and should take several days to get a new charger.

Unfortunately I didn't have my proof of purchase with me, so I'll drop in again on Monday, and I should expect to have a new charger before the end of the week.