Can you recharge a Canon 20D with the USB cable?

So, every once in a while, I see an eBay auction for a Canon 20D for a good bit less than it usually goes for, and more often than not, it lacks a battery charger. Is it possible to recharge the battery using the USB cable for the camera?

Any owners of Canon DSLRs who might want to try this for me to see if it works?

I have the 10D, and the manual makes no reference to such a capability, so I’d doubt that it’s possible with the 20D. Check for yourself: Here’s a PDF of the 20D manual.

But aftermarket batteries and chargers are readily available. It uses the BP-511 battery and CB-5L charger. Googling on those model numbers should turn up plenty of options.

I have an EOS 350D, and it doesn’t charge off USB, so I very much doubt that the 20D does. You can buy third-party chargers and batteries - I’ve heard good things about Sterlingtek, although I’ve never used their products myself.

A quick word of warning, if I may - I wouldn’t buy a used SLR from ebay, simply because there’s too much chance of ending up with a dud. www.fredmiranda.com has a buy/sell section (you have to register, but it’s free) which seems to have a good reputation. I’ve bought lenses there twice and had no problem. You might pay a bit more there, but from what I’ve seen, people are more likely to be honest in their appraisal of equipment.

Keep in mind that if you’re getting a screaming deal on Ebay for a camera with no charger, ask yourself how that might happen?

Sure, I guess some people could burn out the charger, etc, but I’d bet that some of them are stolen. Someone sets the camera down, someone else swipes it, and you have a camera with no charger.

Hm… hadn’t thought of that. I just assumed they had lost the charger (Kinda like I have recently done with the charger for my NiMH AA batteries) and then decided to sell the camera or something.

It’s possible also they’re refurb, returns, grey market, etc. There’s a particular city in the 'states that’s notorious for that in the camera market, but I forget which one. One digital camera review site has a bunch of pictures of ‘storefronts’ that are actually just warehouses in seedy neighbourhoods.

OTOH, perhaps someone just lost the cables and wants to sell.

www.keh.com is another site that deals with used cameras. My friend bought his Nikon d100 from there and said the site is great.

Always check resellersratings.com when buying SLRs (or any expensive camera) off the internet. Seems to be that half if not MOST of the online stores listed on pricegrabber are scammers when you type in something like “Canon 30D.”

Most of the scammers are in Brooklyn, apparently.

Ah, right! Here’s some info, and I think these are the pictures I remember seeing.

These guys got me for a bit on my first digital camera; after ‘confirming’ my order, he tried to upsell me on memory, camera case, batteries, warranty, etc. A bit naive, I bit on the case (too big, not really meant for my camera), and the warranty ('cause it was from the 'states I knew the manufacturer’s warranty was void… not actually sure if what I got was any good since I haven’t tried to use it).

The camera works fine for me, but things about it (iffy segments on the LCD panel, missing some software) suggest it may have been a return/refurb.

At the time, the difference in price warranted the extra shipping, currency conversion, etc. costs. Nowadays I would go with an established store to make sure I don’t get shafted.