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down2earth2
05/28/2005, 12:48 AM
When I'm out taking pictures I wonder when it's better to turn my camera off (using battery power to retract the lens), or better to leave it on standby mode (slowly draining the battery).

I guess this question boils down to how many minutes of standby mode equals the power use of turning the camera off and back on once.
Dave
05/28/2005, 03:19 AM
Worth investigating, I imagine it depends on duration between shots. Short = leave on, Long = Turn Off
down2earth2
05/28/2005, 10:09 AM
[QUOTE=Dave]Worth investigating, I imagine it depends on duration between shots. Short = leave on, Long = Turn Off[/QUOTE]

Exactly. But what's short. 1 min? 5 min? 8 min?

I did an overnight camping, and went through both my batteries hoarding energy as much as I could.
Dave
05/28/2005, 10:36 AM
It seems this guy has a few answers ....

http://www.dansdata.com/cambattery.htm
down2earth2
05/28/2005, 01:09 PM
[QUOTE=Dave]It seems this guy has a few answers ....

http://www.dansdata.com/cambattery.htm[/QUOTE]

That was interesting, but had mainly top do with battery types and how batteries function. I'm stuck with the battery designed for the camera.
Dave
05/28/2005, 01:27 PM
What you want is something like a bluetooth for receiving electrical energy ..... just don't pinch mine! :)
down2earth2
05/28/2005, 03:12 PM
I guess what I need to do is start with a fully charged battery and turn it on and off until the battery is drained, the recharge the battery and leave it on standby mode until it's drained. Then I could figure that turning it off and on once is equivalent to some number of minutes of stand by.

Turning the camera on and off for 30 or 40 minutes sounds like a pain.
Happy
05/28/2005, 03:48 PM
d2e2 - what kind of camera do you use? Maybe the owner's manual will have some tips. Most manuals can be downloaded from the camera's manufacturer's website.
down2earth2
06/10/2005, 02:11 AM
Found my answer in the owner's manual (155 pages which I have read and reread and still don't quite understand everything about my camera).

According to the manual, "In standby mode all camera functions are deactivated, and the camera itself is effectively turned off, consuming almost no power." So letting it go into standby mode is the way to go.