DSLR Power Question (I'm using a 40D)

Hi there....

I'm very new to DSLR's...and have had a point and shoot for years prior to taking the leap...

I know with point and shoot cameras it is best to turn the power off inbetween taking shots as the live view way of shooting combined with a large LCD being on all the time is a sure way to run down the battery in no time at all... Many point and shoot cameras have a 'sleep' setting for this reason.

I was just wondering if the same is true for DSLR's??

My camera (40D) has a large LCD, but only displays during playback...the only item that is drawing power constantly being the smaller LCD on the top of the camera...which is very low voltage.

So is the camera drawing much current inbetween shots? Is there a sleep mode - so I can just half press the shutter release to wake the camera....or something along those lines?????

The reason I ask is because the on/off switch is obviously designed so that it is difficult to accidently switch off....which in turn makes it a little bit of a pain to constantly switch on all the time inbetween shots.... Well at least this is the case with the 40D.

I know this is a very basic kind of a question...but it is not mentioned in the manual...and I dont want to be cought short with know power when I'm out and about.

Any help regarding this would be very mch appreciated.

There is no need to turn off the camera when it is not being used, but this is recommended. This action triggers the automatic sensor-cleaning system on some cameras; turning off the camera prevents accidental activation of the shutter, memory card access, and unwanted changes to the camera settings. This does not mean that you should turn off the camera every few seconds, which can cause problems. If you are worried about draining your camera's battery, buy extra batteries and keep them in your kit.

78finn said:

and I ??dont?? want to be ??cought?? short with
??know power?? when I'm out and about.

Click to expand...

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http://www.pbase.com/arshutterbug/

I don't know about the Nikon but my Oly turns off the LCD after 8 seconds and will automatically sleep after 1 minute. I don't turn mine off unless I'm not going to be shooting for a while.

Jim
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Olympus E-510 and a bunch of stuff to hang on it.

I generally turn it off if I'm moving between shots or if I'm changing lenses. It's just habit for me. For starters, most DLSR users just don't use Liveview much anyway.

With my Nikon D300, I carry four or five batteries in my bag along with a mobile battery charger. This is also habit. The truth is that I can't remember the last time I ran out of juice in the field. I know I can shoot well over 1000 shots per battery.

If I were you, just to feel safe, I'd go buy a cheap charger that has a car 12 volt connector. Either tuck it away in your kit or keep it in your glovebox. Then go buy an extra battery for your camera and keep that charged in your bag. I rotate the batteries the best i can remember.

Warning: Always keep the little plastic cap on your spare battery.

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Cheers, Craig

I'm not sure about the 40D. At least I know it's a Canon. ;-)

My D300 (no, maddog, it isn't an Oly) has excellent battery life. A fully charged battery will still be usable after a year in the off camera. The current increases when turned on, but only 2X. So, it will last half a year when on.

Your 40D should be similar. Don't worry about battery life.

As guidenet said there are other reasons to turn the camera off.

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Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
'I'm from Texas. We have meat in our vegetables.'
Trenton Doyle Hancock

thanks for the replys...

I was out yesterday...took the camera for a walking - couple of hours and took 60 shots or so....but realised I was turning the camera on and off all the time....force of habit coming from point and shoot cameras...

Just wanted some confirmation that this was not required. I kind of thought as much because the LCD screen is not used all the time. I don't shoot with live view at all....as I far prefer the view finder as a way for framing a shot...makes you pay more attention to the compoisition/frame of the shot...

Well thats good to know....

At some point I think I will get a grip for my body....which I think holds two batterys.....so as many of you have said....there will be no need to worry about the life of the battery.

Thanks for all the replys by the way....very much appreciated from a begginer just getting to grips with everything......for some reason I thought it would be quite straight forward moving from a P&S to a DSLR.....I could not have been more wrong could I.....its a completely different world all together.....

Take more pix. Have more fun.
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Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
'I'm from Texas. We have meat in our vegetables.'
Trenton Doyle Hancock

Please forgive my gear dyslexia.
--
Olympus E-510 and a bunch of stuff to hang on it.

maddogmd11 said:

Please forgive my gear dyslexia.

Click to expand...

I didn't expect more. ;-)

--
Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
'I'm from Texas. We have meat in our vegetables.'
Trenton Doyle Hancock

78finn said:

... Many point and shoot cameras have a 'sleep' setting ...

I was just wondering if the same is true for DSLR's??

Click to expand...

Yes. The 40D will power down after some time (that you can set). Mine goes nite-nite after 1 minute of no button pushing.

78finn said:

So is the camera drawing much current inbetween shots?

Click to expand...

Nope.

78finn said:

Is there a sleep mode - so I can just half press the shutter release to wake the camera....or something along those lines?????

Click to expand...

Exactly. Press the shutter and it wakes up.

Turn the power switch off when you put the camera away.
--
JerryG

My galleries at:
http://www.pbase.com/jerryg1

78finn said:

Many point and shoot cameras have a 'sleep' setting for this reason.

Click to expand...

And there's a sleep mode on dSLRs as well! I don't know your particular model, but my camera has two...one that can be set between a minute and 1/2 hour (the camera will wake up when you press a button), the other is a deep sleep that happens after 4 hours and is there in case you forget to turn off you camera because it's exactly like turning the camera off (except the mechanical switch is still in the on position, to wake the camera up from deep sleep you have to switch the camera off and back on again). And even with the camera on I'll still get hundreds of shots from the battery.

78finn said:

...the only item that is drawing power constantly being the smaller LCD on the top of the camera...which is very low voltage.

Click to expand...

There's more than that going on in the camera, like continually checking to see if you've pressed a button...but regarding the top mounted LCD just think of the little battery that runs your wristwatch and how long it lasts!

Modern digital SLR cameras are never off, regardless of the state of the "power switch" (well I guess they are "off" when the battery has been removed for a while). They always draw a bit of current...but it's an extremely small amount. Battery life is not the concern it once was.

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Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
'I'm from Texas. We have meat in our vegetables.'
Trenton Doyle Hancock

I have 40D, I only turn it off when I need the sensor cleansing. Other than that never off, even if I put into my dry cabinet since it will auto power off.

My 30D gts turned off when I remember to do so before I put it in the bag, it's always on when out of the bag.

I have 3 batteries for it, I figure that is enough for at least 3,000 shots. I don't have enough memory cards to last that long!

It is quite normal to go a week at a time on a single battery, and never shut the camera off.

The 40D will have a slight increase in power draw over the 30D, due to the larger screen. So you may only get 995 shots per charge. The good part is that BP-511 batteries are cheap... get a few extras and you could go on vaction for a week and not need a charger!

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Crime Scene Photography