Canon LP-E6 BatteryCanon's LP-E6 batteries are used in all sorts of devices, from the Canon 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III, and 7D cameras, to external monitors like those from SmallHD -- and even in other accessories used to power filmmaking gear. If you happen to own or use Genuine and Third Party LP-E6s, and you've had issues charging them in the Canon LC-E6 charger, the company has just issued a product advisory. Click through for the symptoms and how you can fix the issue with your batteries.

Here is the advisory, thanks to Canon Rumors for the heads-up:

Affected Product
Canon LP-E6 Battery Pack when used with the Canon LC-E6 Charger
(Compatible with Canon EOS 5D Mark III, EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 6D, EOS 7D, EOS 70D, EOS 60D, EOS 60Da)

Symptom
In rare cases, the orange lamp on the Canon Battery Charger LC-E6 will blink rapidly at regular intervals when the Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 is inserted. In such cases, charging the Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 in the Canon Battery Charger LC-E6 is not possible.

This symptom may occur when a Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 has been discharged due to being unused for a prolonged period of time, such as when it is first purchased.

Canon LP-E6 Battery Indicator

And how to fix it:

Procedure

  1. Plug the Canon Battery Charger LC-E6, with the Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 inserted, into a power outlet.
  2. Wait for 20 seconds.If during this time the orange lamp blinks once per second, please continue to charge the battery until the green lamp lights up, which indicates a full charge. At this point, the battery is ready for normal use, and there is no need to follow the remaining steps.
    If during this time the orange lamp blinks rapidly, please move on to Step 3 of this procedure.
  3. If the orange lamp blinks rapidly, remove the Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 from the Canon Battery Charger LC-E6.
  4. Wait for 10 seconds.
  5. Reinsert the Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 into the Canon Battery Charger LC-E6.
  6. The Canon Battery Charger LC-E6’s orange lamp should begin to flash slowly (once per second) and charging will begin.Please note: If the orange lamp blinks rapidly again, please repeat steps 3-5 above. If, after a third attempt, the Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 does not charge, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center for assistance.
  7. Charge the Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 until the green lamp on the Canon Battery Charger LC-E6 illuminates, signifying that the Canon Battery Pack LP-E6 is fully charged.

Canon also mentions that this issue can occur if you are using third-party batteries in the genuine Canon charger, but the same procedure may not work. If you use your batteries all the time this may not be an issue, but if you've got a few that haven't been used in a long time, they may not charge correctly right away. I've got at least a half-dozen LP-E6s (I'm sure some of you have many, many more), so I don't normally use the Canon charger, and instead work with third-party dual chargers (which have not failed me yet, fingers crossed).

While we're on the subject of batteries, it's worth noting that just because a third-party battery is listed as having a higher power rating, that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to last longer than the stock Canon battery. I've found that many third-party batteries will last about as longer or even less regardless of the rating on the battery.

What has your experience been with Canon batteries? Have you come across the issue in the product advisory above?

Link: LP-E6 Product Advisory -- Canon

[via Canon Rumors]

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