Batteries Reviews

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.

I did not realize that the Canon digital camera that I ordered through Amazon came with its own battery charger. I attempted to contact J&R Music World to get a return authorization, and after many phone attempts, I gave up. No one would answer their customer service phone. I then attempted to get this authorization via their web site (as they recommended), and I sent them all pertinent details with the return authorization request. They ignored my E-mail and never responded. I will never buy another item from them. I am now stuck with an unneeded battery charger and out the $44.78 charged by them.

This unit is quick and extraordinarily simple to use: put in the battery, plug it in. That's it. The indicator glows red for "charging" and green for "charged." There is nothing else to it. The prongs fold away so you can carry it in your camera case without worrying about them scratching anything. The only improvement I could suggest is that it have space to charge two batteries simultaneously.

This little charger is great. There are no wires to deal with or ways to screw up your battery. Just pop in the battery plug it in and your set! So small I even lost it!

This charger came with my Canon Powershot S200 camera, and I've been using it very frequently (taken close to 10.000 pictures with 3 different batteries in the last 12 months). I've been using it with 2 Canon brand batteries, and one generic battery, all of them without a single problem.

I've taken it abroad and used it with 240V without any problems. All you need here is a pin converter (cheap at any travel store) and not a voltage converter.

It's plastic and hence very lightweight, which kind of gives a cheap feel to it, but it's been amazingly durable. The prongs fold into the charger and out of your way, so it's very portable. It's a bit big - about the same size as my camera.

It does sometimes make a very high pitched continuous sound when charging, something that can often be remedied by giving a bit of a nudge, or by just adjusting it in its socket.

It charges my batteries in about 2 hours. A red light goes on when inserting a battery for charging, and it turns green when the battery is done charging.

Pros:
* Built in voltage converter - runs on both 120V/240V (with a pin converter).
* Lightweight (plastic)
* Prongs fold into charger
* Has turned out to be amazingly durable.

Cons:
* A bit big
* Sometimes you'll experience an annoying high pitched sound when charging.
* Does not feel very durable

All in all, I would highly recommend this charger. It's come in very handy at home, and when traveling abroad.

One of these chargers is supplied with the Canon S100/Ixus, but it's good to have a spare. (when you really need one in a few years, they'll be out of production). Like the camera, this charger is really small (same size as camera) and even lighter.

Note that on the US version of the charger (this one), two US-style AC pins flip out from the body of the charger, so you need an unobstructed socket to plug it into. On the European model you plug a cable into the figure-of-8 connector on the side, handy if you want to change cable for a different country. Both models work on all voltages.

if you need to use your camera on-the-go, then i totally recommend a spare charger and battery for the s100. the battery is a proprietary form, so you can't simply walk into a corner store and pick one up!