Camcorder Reviews

Works wonderfully...charges quicker than charging in the camera...a two-battery charger...charge batteries in the car or at home.

Excellent charger for the Canon BP-511 batteries I use for my Canon G1 digital camera. The Canon CR-560 charging light shows single flashes when the battery is less than 50% charged...double flashes when 50-75% charged...triple flashes when more than 75% charged...a continuous light when it is 100% charged. Also, when two batteries are placed in the charger, the first one inserted will begin charging and the second one will sequentially begin charging when the first one is fully charged and its charging light glows steadily. It takes approximately 3 hours for both batteries to charge...each taking approximately 1 1/2 hours to charge; charging times will vary from one user to another. You can charge batteries in your car...or...you can charge batteries at home with the inclusion of the AC cord that already comes with the Canon G1. You can also check the charge of a battery at any time by inserting the battery and checking the charging light/flashes. The battery can be charged at any time when it's not fully discharged, but I prefer to wait until my Canon Powershot G1 shows the flashing low battery indicator before charging my battery. You can also charge one battery at a time if you wish.

I own a Canon ES8600 camcorder which is a fantastic deal for the price ($270). What blows me away is how Canon has the nerve to then charge $165.00 for an adaptor to charge your camcorder battery in your car. An item like that costs only a few dollars in parts and labor, but because it's proprietary (menaing you can'y buy generic parts and make one) to Canon's batteries, they feel they can justify the cost. This is dissapointing to say the least. There isn't much to review; the item charges your battery in your car. Done. $165.00?? Can Canon do more to say "we don't care to be in support of our customers"?

The CB2LT is the charger that comes standard with the Canon Powershot S-series cameras (S30/40/45/50) and charges the proprietary NB-2L battery. Thus, you MUST buy the NB-2L (see my review of the Canon NB-2L) for your camera and MUST use a CB-2LT charger. This review is almost moot b/c there is only one other charger I've found, other than the one manufactured by Canon, but maybe you are checking out the charger as part of the decision whether to buy the Powershot, so I'll say a few words...

The design is perfectly fine: very lightweight, compact enough to fit into a modest size camera bag and it charges the NB-2L battery in about an hour give or take (charge time is mostly a function of the charger). It has flip out plugs (2-pin, non-polarized if that matters to you, and it may if you live in a real old building or outside the US) that fold back into the body - there is no cord, it plus directly into the wall socket. And thus, the only potential for design improvement. Most outlets are placed low to the ground, so to recharge your batteries, you must either stoop down or hook it up to an extension cord, but then it won't sit too well on a desktop. There is one other manufacturer, and the only one I've found, that makes a CB2LT compatible charger that is a desktop charger - it comes w/ an A/C adapter and sits nicely on the desktop. I'll be nice and not mention where to get it but look around on the web, you'll probably find it.

If you go with the Canon charger, amazon's price is pretty competitive (as of this writing).

After exhaustive research, I settled on a Canon S40 digital camera and have been extremely satisfied thus far. I originally considered upgrading to add an AC connection for the camera while uploading images, but have found this compact and lightweight charging mechanism well thought out and executed. The electric plugs fold neatly into the main body of the charger, and there's little weight or bulk for packing. Might be a worthwhile purchase for a spare.