Is Storing a Camera Without a Battery a Bad Idea?

Can I store a camera without the battery inserted? Or is this a bad idea? This question came to mind as a grumpy airport gate attendant was forcing me to gate check a camera backpack that I knew would fit under the seat.

Sometimes, hearing the answer to a question you thought you already knew the answer to fills some educational gaps. This is especially true when Canon USA's Rudy Winston is answering the question, and I wanted to hear what Rudy had to say on this topic:

No problem with something like leaving a battery out of the camera for a few hours or even days. The primary issue that comes up is that nowadays, the built-in, back-up battery within the camera (retains things like date & time, and other basic info) is recharged when a charged, normal battery (like a Canon LP-E6NH is used in an EOS R5) is installed. If the camera’s normal battery was to be left out of the camera for a long time – like several months – the built-in, secondary battery can lose its charge, and lose ability to retain camera settings and basic info. This might happen, for instance, if the camera was stored without a normal battery in-place for 3 or 4 months. (The built-in, back-up battery would be re-charged, upon installation of a charged “normal” battery.)

The built-in, back-up battery is not user-accessible, nor is it something the user can service or independently charge themselves, aside from what I just mentioned, above.

The rechargeable, back-up battery is something we’ve had in DSLRs and now mirrorless cameras for at least a decade; it replaced the previous concept of having a coin-type, disposable battery (like a CR2025) also located in the camera’s battery compartment.

Hope this helps!

 
While I knew about the rechargeable internal battery, the approximate duration it could hold a sufficient charge is interesting.

Thanks, Rudy!