I own a Nikon D7200. Recently I changed Pv button to playback. Previously it was viewfinder grid. I needed the viewfinder grid so I left it on and then changed the button. When I switch off my camera, the grid is still on. Will it consume battery? Thanks in advance
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2\$\begingroup\$ One way to tell is to remove the battery. If it is still on without the battery, then it's very unlikely that the grid consumes power. \$\endgroup\$– floliloApr 30, 2018 at 11:05
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1\$\begingroup\$ You really don't have to worry about the power drain caused by LCDs on DSLRs (excluding the playback display). As an example, the number of shots remaining on the card is always shown on the Nikon LCDs when the camera is turned off \$\endgroup\$– binaryfuntMay 1, 2018 at 15:47
3 Answers
The displayed grid per se draws almost zero power from your battery (imagine a dumb/classical digital (LCD) wristwatch with a small button cell battery lasting for 10+ years) - unless you use display illumination etc.
If the viewfinder backlit were on for all the time, this could mean quite serious battery discharge problem though.
One of my film cameras is a Nikon F80, and it has this same feature. Film cameras' batteries tend to last months to years (and aren't rechargeable), so if there is a significant power drain, it should noticeably affect the battery life.
My experience - it doesn't. Because I don't use this camera much, the batteries are now three years old (or so) but still work fine, despite the grid display. The power draw, if any, must be exceedingly low.
Brief, cos on phone for 2 weeks...
Most cameras will drop to virtually zero power consumption after a few seconds, even if left on. idk about the 7200 but my 5500 lasts weeks in its bag, if I forget to switch it off.
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\$\begingroup\$ They usually do that by going into a low-power consumption mode — turning things off. But this question is about something which noticeably does not turn off. \$\endgroup\$– mattdmJun 30, 2018 at 14:32