Tips & Tricks
Canon BP-511
Canon Battery Tip
I’m always happy to hear about little things that can help out and make work flow more efficient. That’s why I have decided to add this section to my blog, “Tips & Tricks.” There are a lot of little tips or ticks that can help you on your day-to-day photo experience. To keep with my blog theme, Photography: know your tools, one excellent tool is your camera’s instruction manual. I would say that I am the typical man who never reads the manual unless it’s a have-to. I took mine out the other day because there are many custom functions on my camera that I have never used. I didn’t know what some of the functions even did (that’s a topic for another post). I have always used my camera in the manual position, so I was not concerned with custom functions.
Back on track now. I started flipping through the instruction manual and came across the section about the batteries. Since my Canon 10D and 40D use the same batteries, here is the tip that I found in the Canon Instruction Manual that deals with the battery with protective snap cover:
You can attach the cover in a different orientation to indicate whether the battery has been recharged or not. If the battery has been recharged attach the cover so that the battery-shaped hole is aligned over the blue seal on the battery. If the battery is exhausted, attach the cover in the opposite orientation.
I just thought this was a good example of how (if you have multiple batteries in your camera bag) you can visually designate which batteries are charged and which are depleted. Also, this is an example of how it’s a good idea to read your instruction manual, even every 4-5 months, because you can find something new every time you read it. I started shooting with Canon digital cameras back in 2001 and never knew this information about the battery snap cover until now.
Note: Even though I am a 100% Canon shooter, not all my “Tips & Tricks” will be for Canon shooters.