Should I let my camcorder battery run down completely before recharging?

Should I let my camcorder battery run down completely before recharging?

Tim Smith (Camcorder Training Specialist) gives expert video advice on: Should I get an extra battery for my camcorder?; How do I make my camcorder's battery last longer?; Are brand-name camcorder batteries better than generic camcorder batteries? and more...

If you owned camcorders in the past, you have probably heard the term battery memory. Older batteries and battery types needed to be treated a specific way. Essentially, they needed to be completely discharged before they were recharged or they ended up actually becoming no use. There were a series of cells inside an old battery that would charge sequentially. If you didn't charge it from the botttom all the way up, the cells that weren't getting a charge on a regular basis tended to die. They no longer functioned and it shortend the life of the battery. The good news is that almost all of today's camcorders dont use that style anymore, we use a battery that doesn't develop memory, so it's really not a problem.