1Ds Battery Test
In preparation for an 8 day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with Steve Kossack I have been gathering extra batteries and extra storage cards. After looking at all the available options I decided that taking extra Compact Flash cards and extra 1Ds batteries made the most sense. Canon brand batteries are selling for about $120 so I looked at several generic alternatives and decided to go with the batteries marketed by Delkin. I picked up two for less than the cost of one Canon brand battery. I heard one report of a generic 1Ds battery failing in the cold. Although I am not planning on the weather being cold on the Grand Canyon trip, that story worried me enough to test out the batteries.
Methodology
I used batteries fresh from an overnight discharge/recharge cycle. The battery was placed in the camera with the camera power off and then placed in a plastic bag in my freezer for 80 minutes. The camera was then mounted on a tripod and using the Canon Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3 a series of 99 exposures was made 18 seconds apart. I started out with 2 second exposures at f/22 with the Canon 24-70 L zoom lens (which had been on the camera in the freezer). I had the camera set to display each frame on the LCD for 8 seconds. I had the in camera noise reduction feature enabled. A few exposures into the first run I switched to 3"2 exposures and put on the 100-400 IS zoom with AF and IS enabled. I basically tried to do everything I could that would use more power. I took 3 series of 99 exposures before I had to leave for work. When I got home I continued taking series of exposures until the battery died and the camera shut itself off. I duplicated the whole process the following morning with the Delkin battery. The only differences were a one or two degree difference in temperature and the length of time between the two sessions of exposures. (I couldn't control the temperature and I had to work later on the second day.) Results are below.
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| Data | Canon NP-E3 | Delkin NP-E3 |
| Temp (1st 3 runs) | 19 degrees F. | 20 degrees F. |
| Temp (next 3 runs) | 30 degress F. | 32 degrees F. |
| Time between sessions | 9 hours | 11 1/2 hours |
| Total Exposures | 467 | 485 |
I don't think there is enough data to support a claim for one battery being superior to the other in performance. The fit of the Delkin batteries is not quite as good as the Canon. My biggest question, will the Delkin replacement batteries last as long as the Canon originals, has been answered. I'll be taking at least two of them along with my two Canon batteries on the river trip.
Update: 7/9/06
On the Grand Canyon trip I ended up taking the two Cannon Batteries, one Delkin and two similar looking batteries, but not branded by Delkin. After 8 days on the river I was still on my 3rd battery. I stopped to shoot in Zion National Park on the way home and finally had to change to the fourth.
In May of 2006 I shot over 1000 frames in one day at an Airshow. I'm now shooting a 1Ds Mark II which is supposed to be better at battery life (uses the same batteries). I got about 650 shots with my first battery. Most of those were using the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS and Canon 300 f/4 IS lenses (most of the time using IS).