Battery Question

[JW Mills]

I've never liked batteries of any kind and keep battery-powered appliances to a minimum.
I remember with earlier generation (non-camera) rechargable batteries it was necessary to completely drain the battery before recharging.
Is this necessary with the EN-EL9a Li-ion battery in my digital SLR?

[TomTelford]

Actually it's a bad idea to run down Li-Ion batteries.  They do not have an issue with charge "memory" like Ni-Cads.  Running them down will shorten the number of charges they will accept.

My two cents.

Tom.

[Michael Tam]

The modern Lithium-ion battery has a very different characteristics from all other batteries we were accustomed to in the past.  The rule to extend the life of your Lithium-ion battery is: Frequent Charging.  Do not let it drain out before recharging.  Please see these websites below:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/batteries.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/battery-life.htm
http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

I once posted this question to my trusted photo advisor, Stan at Downtown Camera, his reply was the following example.  They have two identical cell phone in the family.  One is charged nightly while the second one is allowed to fully discharged before recharging.  The second battery died after one year while the first one is going strong after 2.5 years. Hope this is helpful.

Good birding and photography.

[JW Mills]

Thank you Tom and Michael!
I will re-charge the battery before it's drained.