Battery Problem

[ggdragon]

Hi, I own a compact Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX5. Had it with me for about 4 years now.

I am currently facing battery problems. Have been experiencing it for quite a while, but its only know that I am looking at how to tackle it.

The gripe I have with the Li-Ion battery (3.7V, 1200mAh) is that the battery life is too short. After a full charge, I can only take about 30 shots max (without flash) before the battery dies. With flash, I can shoot less than 20 shots if I'm lucky.

When I charge the battery, it takes less than 2 hours before the adapter indicates that the charging is complete.

I have 2 batteries: One of them came with the camera and the other spare I bought 2 years later. I noticed that the original battery dies out faster than the newer spare.

Can I ask if any other Panasonic users experience lousy battery life too? Also, what is the proper charging process when I buy a brand new battery? Do I charge it for 8 hours prior to using?

Am thinking of upgrading to the Lumix DMC-TZ15. But if the battery problems persists, I will not buy another Panasonic as the less than satisfactory battery life makes taking shots stressful (feel that I have to take shots fast or the battery will die out)

Thank you!

[dOlBy]

Your battery had reached the maximum charging cycle time to change a new one.

No matter how long you try to charge it, it no longer can hold the charge anymore.