Battery Consumption

gundy74 · Jul 17, 2006

Can a DSLR with a small LCD screen (shutter, aperture, shots remaining, etc.) be left on for extended periods without draining the battery?

V.Alonso · Jul 17, 2006

i have left my d50 on over night accidentally (about 9 or 10 hours) and i used it the entire day after, but i didnt use it much the day before eigther

what happens to my camera is that it dose not display aperature or shutter speed after left on for a long time, but once you move the lens, or press on the shutter release it comes back up...

HTH

Big Mike · Jul 17, 2006

My camera (Canon 20D)has an Auto-Off feature. If there is no input (no button's pressed) then it shuts itself off. I have it set to one or two minutes.
The turn on is practically instant so I don't have to wait for it to turn back on.

I assume that most digital cameras would have a similar feature.

As for your question...I suppose it would use up some of the battery...but I have no idea if it would completely drain it. I doubt that it would.

LaFoto · Jul 17, 2006

The same applies to the 350D.
I hardly ever use the official OFF-switch but for long periods have the camera "off" on auto-off (while the switch remains on ON), and I can do with one battery for a week and about 1 GB+ of pics, all the same.

964 · Jul 17, 2006

LaFoto said:
The same applies to the 350D.
I hardly ever use the official OFF-switch but for long periods have the camera "off" on auto-off (while the switch remains on ON), and I can do with one battery for a week and about 1 GB+ of pics, all the same.

1 GB is like 90 shots to anyone who shoots RAW...:mrgreen:

I have shot about 1200 shots on mine and shown some images on the screen to others as well as some minor editing and the battery pack still reads full on the camera. Mind you, it should last a long time because it is the size (and weight) of a frikking gold ingot! :lol:

whardman · Jul 17, 2006

Just don't leave it plugged into the computer for too long though. It will drain the battery in less than an hour! :shock: I found that out the hard way.

zedin · Jul 17, 2006

While I cannot speak for other cameras my d70s can go forever before the battery needs recharging (why did I buy an extra =p). The only times it seems like I use any power is when I plug the camera into the computer as opposed to using a usb CF card reader. That will drain the juice... other then that I think I recall seeing that a single battery charge should be good for 600+ photos on a d70s.