8 Ways To Get More Battery Life With Your Digital Camera

@Michael Scrip: Yes, that's correct, I like being able to take my SD card out of my GPS or photo frame and put it in my camera if I've been lazy and don't feel like downloading the photos from my camera. And I do use an AA flashlight because I can take the batteries out of it and put it into my camera if I run low on power.

For plain basic photography avoid the digital zoom as well if its feasible to just move closer to the target of the shot. At least o nmy crappy camera that seems to be the biggest waster of power after the LCD.

Sven.T.Sexgore

@loose_screw:> "I care! MemorySticks are overpriced, and proprietary. I have far more electronics that can take SD cards than memory sticks, so it does matter to me"

But my point is that it doesn't matter to most people... which is why Sony has been doing it for so long.

MemorySticks have been around for over a decade... if they were *that* bad, they would have been stomped out years ago.

They weren't, so they are still around.

If someone wants to buy a Sony CyberShot... I'm not gonna steer them away from it. Why? Because they probably aren't ever gonna take the card out of the camera. So the "proprietary" talk is void. If they do wanna take their card out... their printer, computer, and the Kodak machine at Wal-Mart accepts MemorySticks. No problem there either.

You've explained why *you* won't buy any Sony devices... but they still command a big chunk of the market.

It's cool that there are so many devices that can use SD cards... but how many different devices are you swapping cards in and out of?

Are you saying that because many of your devices use SD cards... you use a single card on multiple devices? Why wouldn't you get cards for each device? A card for your camera, a card for your GPS, and a card for another device?

Do you shoot pictures on an SD card on Saturday... and then use that same card in some other device on Tuesday? I just don't understand what you're doing.

It's like someone who will only buy flashlights that use AA batteries so they can swap batteries between them.

@Michael Scrip: I care! MemorySticks are overpriced, and proprietary. I have far more electronics that can take SD cards than memory sticks, so it does matter to me, and I refuse to support proprietary formats that are only used by one company if I can help it.

@loose_screw:> "But they force you to buy crappy Memory$tick. No thanks!"

Who cares? Most people (regular consumers) have one camera and one memory card. They usually never remove the card and just use the USB cable to transfer their pictures. And if they give their old camera to a child or other family member... that memory card stays in the camera. Then they buy whatever card their new camera uses.

But since everything today has the ability to read any type of memory card... with multi-slot card readers on computers, printers, TVs, etc... who cares what kind of card you have?

Sure... if you've got a handful of old 32MB SD cards... and you buy a Sony camera... you're outta luck. But is that really a big deal?

It can work the other way too. What if you've had a Sony CyberShot for years... but decide to get a Nikon DSLR? If you're spending $600 on a DSLR... you're gonna buy a brand new 4GB SD card for $20 anyway.

Bottom line... you buy whatever memory card your new camera uses. Most people aren't re-using old cards in new cameras. If you buy a new camera and it uses a different card... you gonna want a new card anyway.

@[www.dealextreme.com]

@secretmanofagent:
No, you can download digital camera hardware in torrent form.

@loose_screw: Amen.

pressstart

@CommentingpointlesslyisMeh: Energizer Lithiums. I tried a set a couple of years back in my old Fuji PnS and never looked back. I could shoot frames all day long, put it up and be confident that it would be ready to go the next day. When the low battery alarm came on, I knew I had about 40-60 frames left before they would get too low for the camera to run. Lots of time to get fresh batts out of the kit.

I use them in my Canon SX110 system with great success.2

Nighthawke

I'm pretty happy with my Canon A1000IS for casual shooting. It takes AAs, so I just haul along some Eneloop AAs, and also a few Costco AAs in case the Eneloops aren't sufficient. In addition, it has a viewfinder so I don't have to use the LCD to shoot when the battery is really low and I can't find AAs anywhere.

@YankBoffin: Do you take your DSLR everywhere you go? I don't. Hell, sometimes I only have my cellphone cam with me. But I definitely take my P&S more frequently than the DSLR.

@Kaiser-Machead: Yeah, that's why I went with a Canon A1000IS instead of a higher end model that doesn't have the viewfinder.

@dcdttu: But they force you to buy crappy Memory$tick. No thanks!

@YankBoffin:

Exactly...
Without a flash I can shoot 2000+ and not worry about the battery.

aja175

"I've seen some photographers turn their cameras on and off over and over again just to clean their sensors. Doing this uses a lot more battery power."

Regarding this, if you have a decent DSLR, the LCD should turn off after about 30 seconds or so of no activity. If you're not changing lenses, relatively little dust should be introduced to the innards of the camera. I leave my camera in the on position pretty much all the time. It saves a little bit of juice by not shaking the sensor (the dust cleaning), and it's faster to start up and get to shooting.

Best option: use a DSLR. I shot close to a thousand pics on single charge at the track recently, and that's with no battery grip, but with an IS lens.

only take photos of hot chics will help too

Photography Bay? Serious? For something so creative they sure put ALOT of thinking into their name.. dumb

@Kaiser-Machead: Unfortunately, most point-and-shoots forgo the viewfinder.

USB_Humping_Dog

Never use it. Problem solved.

Adam Curry

Is Photography Bay like The Pirate Bay? Can I download pictures for free in torrent form?

secretmanofagent

Just buy a Sony. All of the battery life you need.

dcdttu

I like the tip about "timing" your shot to use other photographers flashes. I can barely time my shots so they use my own flash.

OldSchoolGadgetLover

My SD1000 Digital Elph has a built-in viewfinder, and has the option to simply turn the display off entirely, which is very helpful when on long trips with no access to a power supply for a few days.

Kaiser-Machead

"Don't overcharge - doing so kills the cells in your lithium ion battery." FALSE. nowadays, almost all chargers are "smart" chargers and stop charging once the battery has reached capacity. They then maintain a "float charge" so the battery is always topped off.

jgilbs

other than the memory card and external flash, most are things people should be doing anyway (if you're trying to get the most out of a single charge)

Where are all these souped up batteries I've been hearing about? Battery life on these devices is getting worse and worse lately. My G1 drives me crazy. Laptop batteries suck too (well any that are multimedia/gaming do). Seems like this is truly a lagging tech.