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37 votes

Why do mirrorless cameras have shorter battery life?

Using an electronic viewfinder or LCD screen to compose the image uses more battery life than a standard viewfinder Using an LCD screen for the majority of device settings uses more battery life than ...
dpollitt's user avatar
  • 46.6k
32 votes

Should I carry extra batteries in the field or bring a solar charging unit for a 30 day trek in Nepal?

If having a solar charger, you should note the limitations of law of energy conservation. Sunshine at best produces 1000 watts / square meter. However, best single junction solar panels are around 20% ...
juhist's user avatar
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22 votes

Why do mirrorless cameras have shorter battery life?

The main reason is because the batteries for MILCs are almost universally smaller than DSLR batteries. Some mirrorless batteries: The LP-E17 battery for the Canon EOS M5 has a 1050 mAh (milliamp-...
scottbb's user avatar
  • 33.2k
22 votes

Will my Canon battery charger work on 220 V power?

I can only surmise that the potential confusion comes from the two apparently conflicting certification marks. The first is for Japan, [PSE] & 2nd the US [CULUS]. I didn't dig into the depths of ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 23.4k
21 votes

How can I extend my camera's battery life?

Just buy as many batteries as you need, plus a charger for all except the one currently in the camera. [When travelling by plane, you're not supposed to carry Li-ion batteries outside of their 'device'...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 23.4k
18 votes

Will my Canon battery charger work on 220 V power?

The label says it is compatible from 100V to 240V, 50 or 60 Hz. Thus, a 230V (perhaps 220V) 50Hz mains, as found in Sweden, will work fine with this charger. You'll need to adapt the U.S. plug style ...
qrk's user avatar
  • 3,036
16 votes

Why are battery consumption numbers for flagship Nikon and Canon cameras so different?

CIPA ratings between two cameras from the same generation and from the same manufacturer can sometimes be useful. Comparing CIPA ratings across different brands is pretty much meaningless. Here's why....
Michael C's user avatar
  • 176k
16 votes

Why do mirrorless cameras have shorter battery life?

A mirrorless camera consumes more power mostly because the circuitry is constantly running. Both the sensor and EVF or LCD have to be powered continuously in order to maintain the Live-View which is ...
Itai's user avatar
  • 103k
14 votes

Would a Nikon FG 20 film SLR camera take pictures without batteries?

The Nikon FG-20 has an electronic shutter, which will not work properly if no battery is inserted. You can, with limited capabilities, still use the camera without a battery. Light metereing will of ...
jarnbjo's user avatar
  • 3,388
13 votes

Has anyone successfully restored or revived a completely discharged Profoto B2 Lithium Ion Battery?

Do NOT do this. Please read this post from Electrical Engineering SE regarding Li-Ion battery. Li-Ion have one failure mode. Fire. And it's not a normal, lighter fire, or even a stove fire. It is ...
Nelson's user avatar
  • 379
13 votes
Accepted

Is it okay to not use the spare battery?

I don't know that there is a "best course of action", but here's what I do... I have multiple batteries, and I numbered them. When battery #1 gets low, I put in battery #2 and charge #1. If they've ...
twalberg's user avatar
  • 5,158
11 votes

How long should I charge a DSLR battery for the first time for best results?

In general I'd recommend charging the battery fully before 'playing'. However this probably isn't necessary with modern lithium ion batteries, which don't suffer from memory effects. The idea of ...
Richard Smith's user avatar
11 votes
Accepted

My Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is asking if the inserted battery is original or not. What are the implications of my answer?

Having a transcript of the English error message brought the solution, so thanks to all that helped out here and made me do the necessary stuff. On https://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2015/...
Chris's user avatar
  • 971
11 votes

Should I carry extra batteries in the field or bring a solar charging unit for a 30 day trek in Nepal?

I trekked for 14 days in nepal. I also bought a solar charger and extra batteries. Buy the highest wattage solar charger you can find and bring like 4 extra batteries. You can get away with charging 2 ...
Brian Yeh's user avatar
  • 211
10 votes

Would a Nikon FG 20 film SLR camera take pictures without batteries?

It depends on the specific camera. The Pentax K1000, for example, only requires the battery for metering, but everything else is mechanical. On your camera, shutter timing is electronic and requires a ...
mattdm's user avatar
  • 143k
10 votes

Should I carry extra batteries in the field or bring a solar charging unit for a 30 day trek in Nepal?

If space is not a critical issue. You should probably bring a few extra batteries as well as a solar charging unit. That way, if you ever run out of battery in your camera while on the field, you can ...
Austin's user avatar
  • 101
10 votes

Canon PowerShot A80 keeps shutting down and asking to change the battery pack. What should I do?

If you're testing with rechargeable batteries, even freshly charged, try it with brand new alkalines. NiMH cells don't last for ever and they can fail by losing nearly all of their capacity or getting ...
Chris H's user avatar
  • 3,912
9 votes
Accepted

Should I carry extra batteries in the field or bring a solar charging unit for a 30 day trek in Nepal?

(this answer assumes digital photography) Carry extra batteries in the field or bring a solar charging unit? Carry the batteries. juhists answer explains why a ...
gerrit's user avatar
  • 1,500
8 votes
Accepted

Turning camera ON/OFF to preserve battery?

A lot can depend on the settings you have on the camera. Most cameras, when not used for a certain amount of time, will go into powersave mode to save battery for you. Yes this will still use a ...
Andrew brough's user avatar
8 votes

Is it okay to not use the spare battery?

What you're doing now is fine. Li-ion does not need to be fully charged for storage. In fact, the best state to store them in is between 30-70% charge, but I'd probably only bother with that if ...
Nate S.'s user avatar
  • 218
8 votes

Should I carry extra batteries in the field or bring a solar charging unit for a 30 day trek in Nepal?

Depends on the camera. If a DSLR, you can get around 1000 shots per charge. If a mirrorless or some other camera that eats batteries, then 500 shots per charge, perhaps less. I can get by with two ...
qrk's user avatar
  • 3,036
7 votes
Accepted

Does shooting at high ISO have a practical impact on battery life compared to exposure time?

SImple answer: not to a measurable extent. Difficult answer: A high ISO-equivalent setting cranks the analog gain up. More gain requires more power per electron (or milliVolt if you prefer), but ...
Carl Witthoft's user avatar
7 votes

My Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is asking if the inserted battery is original or not. What are the implications of my answer?

If they worked just fine in your EOS 5D Mark II, you won't likely brick anything using them in your EOS 5D Mark IV. From a Canon Digital Learning Center article titled: How to protect yourself ...
Michael C's user avatar
  • 176k
7 votes

The battery in my Nikon D3400 dies after 50 shots. What shall I do?

This is not right. I'd try Nikon again. Explain that you understand that the battery is a consumable that might not be good in a year, but that it is brand new. If that doesn't work, take it back to ...
mattdm's user avatar
  • 143k
7 votes
Accepted

Can I use rechargable batteries in an external flash?

Although freshly charged NiMH measure at 1.4 or so volts, they quickly drop to 1.2 under load. However, unlike alkalines, they stay around that 1.2 for a long time (this is called a "relatively flat ...
Jamie Hanrahan's user avatar
7 votes

Do *ANY* NiMH batteries actually work?

I've had good luck with Eneloop batteries. One problem with NiMH batteries is that they produce a lower voltage than standard alkalines. NiMH batteries produce ~1.25 volts (vs 1.5 volts for alkys) for ...
BobT's user avatar
  • 6,774
7 votes

Is it better, for durability, to remove card+battery or to connect to charger via USB-C?

Not a definitive answer, but I'm a fan of using the USB connection first. My thinking is that if the USB port suffers mechanical failure, you'll still be able to charge and export files externally, ...
ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere's user avatar
7 votes

How long would a camera battery last unused?

Just wanted to know if its still possible that the battery works or if i should also buy another battery. Yes, and yes. Yes, it's possible that the battery still works -- I've been able to charge ...
Caleb's user avatar
  • 31.7k
7 votes

How can I extend my camera's battery life?

Battery-life is affected by many factors, so the standard CIPA rating is designed to compare numbers easily but it has a specific procedure. A DSLR like the D5600 is very efficient with battery-life ...
Itai's user avatar
  • 103k
6 votes
Accepted

Where can I buy an original Nikon battery that is certain to be genuine?

I understand your concern. I personally have bought things on Amazon which looked completely legit but turned out to be fraudulent. (Like, not just generic instead of official, but actually with fake ...
mattdm's user avatar
  • 143k

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