Few things in life are as annoying as a camera battery that loses its charge or dies at just the wrong moment. It’s one of the things that every camera enthusiast – amateur or professional, Nikon or Canon users, smartphone or DSLR advocates alike – can agree on.
And until technology develops a truly everlasting source of energy, these camera battery issues will continue. The good news is that there are a few battery tips you can take advantage of to extend your camera’s battery life.
Turn off or dim your camera’s LCD display screen
The LCD screen on your camera can be a great aid and help you take better photos. But it is also a serious battery drainer.
Most modern compact cameras, DSLRs and mirrorless cameras allow you to turn off the LCD screen, which can seriously conserve your battery life.
If your camera doesn’t have an optical viewfinder or if you simply can’t bear to part ways with the LCD screen, try dimming the screen instead.
Keep batteries warm
Batteries don’t like to be excessively cold or hot. If you have a smartphone and you’ve been in really icy weather, you might have noticed it suddenly die.
In the same vein, camera batteries are also affected by extreme temperatures, because this can alter the discharge curve and diminish the capacity of the battery. To solve this, try to keep your batteries within a healthy temperature bandwidth.
Tweak your camera's power-saving modes
Most cameras will also have power saver settings. These vary by camera types but a lot will feature a Sleep mode, which will power your camera down when not in use but will power back on when you press the shutter button.
Adjust the time so that your camera goes to sleep in the least amount of time that isn’t annoying to you.
Minimise zooming and focusing
Your camera’s motor moves the optical components to focus and zoom. These functions are integral to photography but can also be a major battery drainer.
Apply some common-sense to the basics of zooming and focusing. For example, try to avoid pushing your shutter button halfway too liberally. When you do so, your camera is constantly resetting and refocusing.
Turn off features like continuous focus
The same logic applies to many of your camera’s more complicated features, such as Image Stabilisation (IS), autofocus (AF) or continuous focus. These features can be incredibly beneficial but if you aren’t using them, turn them off.
Continuous focus, for example, is a way for you to keep your subject in focus until you’re ready to take the shot. It’s great for retaining focus on moving objects but can really chew through your battery. Try switching to a single focus to conserve your battery.
Charge the battery often
If you don’t use your camera that much, your camera battery will naturally diminish over time. But it pays to charge your batteries regularly. Studies have shown that a partial discharge is better than a full discharge so try not to let your battery run down to zero before charging it.
Keep a second battery handy
It goes without saying that two batteries carry twice the charge of one. If these camera battery conservation tips didn’t help too much or you just want to be prepared for the worst, consider investing in a second battery for your camera!
