A7Cii losing power when off

Peak freak said:

RaysJ said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I did noticed my A7RIll battery did drain, when left switched off over a few days, Canon batteries, hardly drained at all, when left for weeks. I would not remove the battery, the internal battery recharges from that, if drained you will have to reset language, time and dates etc.

l'm not too bothered, as if l'm using the camera, l usually recharge it, after use.

Here is a similar post: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4734351

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

According to Sony, the internal battery only charges when the camera is switched on, so this discharge shouldn't be happening when switched off. That, and it will last about three months with no charging - it is very low drain to retain settings.

15 - 20% battery drain could take a couple hundred photos with AF tracking, lens operation, burst shooting, IBIS etc, etc. My camera is doing nothing!

My problem is I bought this camera for hiking thanks to its compact and lightweight design. Having to carry extra power source starts to negate that advantage. (I already have three Canon FF cameras!)

Click to expand...

Martin_99 said:

Peak freak said:

RaysJ said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I did noticed my A7RIll battery did drain, when left switched off over a few days, Canon batteries, hardly drained at all, when left for weeks. I would not remove the battery, the internal battery recharges from that, if drained you will have to reset language, time and dates etc.

l'm not too bothered, as if l'm using the camera, l usually recharge it, after use.

Here is a similar post: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4734351

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

According to Sony, the internal battery only charges when the camera is switched on, so this discharge shouldn't be happening when switched off. That, and it will last about three months with no charging - it is very low drain to retain settings.

15 - 20% battery drain could take a couple hundred photos with AF tracking, lens operation, burst shooting, IBIS etc, etc. My camera is doing nothing!

My problem is I bought this camera for hiking thanks to its compact and lightweight design. Having to carry extra power source starts to negate that advantage. (I already have three Canon FF cameras!)

Click to expand...

Is it really so big issue? When we do 3 day hiking, I don't bother to recharge the battery on A7cII even I can over night. I didn't even bought second battery as on A6400.

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Experienced photographer with too many cameras, recently bought an A7Cii with the FE 20-70/4.

Despite having it set to low power consumption - airplane mode, IBIS off, single shot, std refresh etc etc, it's a pretty thirsty beast, including when switched off!

My tests indicate approx 15-20% discharge over a 5 day period. Interestingly (checked daily), 2-3% discharge over the first 4 days, then a big drop on the 5th day. Eg. 99-97%, then 97 to 81%.

Sony (Australia, who have been accommodating) indicated someone else had the same problem. When elevated to the tech boffins, it was declared that the 15-20% discharge was 'normal', to charge the internal battery / clock and this registered after 5 days.

First problem: 15-20% discharge of a 2280mAh NP-FZ100 battery to power a clock is ridiculous.

Second problem: That is what the internal battery is for anyway,

Third problem: The internal battery (according to Sony themselves) is only charged when the camera is on. This discharge is happening when switched off.

Any similar experiences / ideas.

Thanks,

Simon

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Martin_99 said:

Peak freak said:

RaysJ said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I did noticed my A7RIll battery did drain, when left switched off over a few days, Canon batteries, hardly drained at all, when left for weeks. I would not remove the battery, the internal battery recharges from that, if drained you will have to reset language, time and dates etc.

l'm not too bothered, as if l'm using the camera, l usually recharge it, after use.

Here is a similar post: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4734351

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

According to Sony, the internal battery only charges when the camera is switched on, so this discharge shouldn't be happening when switched off. That, and it will last about three months with no charging - it is very low drain to retain settings.

15 - 20% battery drain could take a couple hundred photos with AF tracking, lens operation, burst shooting, IBIS etc, etc. My camera is doing nothing!

My problem is I bought this camera for hiking thanks to its compact and lightweight design. Having to carry extra power source starts to negate that advantage. (I already have three Canon FF cameras!)

Click to expand...

Is it really so big issue? When we do 3 day hiking, I don't bother to recharge the battery on A7cII even I can over night. I didn't even bought second battery as on A6400.

Click to expand...

Yes, it is a big issue, to me.
I don’t want to be losing battery capacity to a fault when it could be used for taking photographs. The camera is greedy enough in battery power as it is!
I'm nearly 60, I’ve gotta carry food, sleep gear, tent, camera, tripod. Sometimes crampons and ice axe. I don’t want to be carrying extra batteries too - especially when I might as well have stuck with my heavy, but otherwise great Canon gear!

Click to expand...

RaysJ said:

Peak freak said:

Martin_99 said:

Peak freak said:

RaysJ said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I did noticed my A7RIll battery did drain, when left switched off over a few days, Canon batteries, hardly drained at all, when left for weeks. I would not remove the battery, the internal battery recharges from that, if drained you will have to reset language, time and dates etc.

l'm not too bothered, as if l'm using the camera, l usually recharge it, after use.

Here is a similar post: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4734351

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

According to Sony, the internal battery only charges when the camera is switched on, so this discharge shouldn't be happening when switched off. That, and it will last about three months with no charging - it is very low drain to retain settings.

15 - 20% battery drain could take a couple hundred photos with AF tracking, lens operation, burst shooting, IBIS etc, etc. My camera is doing nothing!

My problem is I bought this camera for hiking thanks to its compact and lightweight design. Having to carry extra power source starts to negate that advantage. (I already have three Canon FF cameras!)

Click to expand...

Is it really so big issue? When we do 3 day hiking, I don't bother to recharge the battery on A7cII even I can over night. I didn't even bought second battery as on A6400.

Click to expand...

Yes, it is a big issue, to me.
I don’t want to be losing battery capacity to a fault when it could be used for taking photographs. The camera is greedy enough in battery power as it is!
I'm nearly 60, I’ve gotta carry food, sleep gear, tent, camera, tripod. Sometimes crampons and ice axe. I don’t want to be carrying extra batteries too - especially when I might as well have stuck with my heavy, but otherwise great Canon gear!

Click to expand...

The weight difference between Canon DSLRs and the A7CR is considerable, l used Canon for over 20 years, although the 6D was quite light but the 5DSR is not, main reason why l changed to Sony. The lenses are also lighter. Canon batteries did not last long, if you used the lcd, l used to get through over 2 in a day sometimes. Sony l have never used more than about 1.5 in a day. So Canon l used to carry 3 batteries, Sony l only need 2.

lf you are only going for 3 days camping, then the loss is only about 5%. One battery weighs about 90 grams. If you remove the battery overnight it should not be a problem. On a newish camera the internal battery should not be a problem. On Canon 20 year camera the internal battery is not a problem.

Sony does have some annoyances, l must admit.

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

Hotel Lonely said:

Hotel Lonely said:

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is a new behavior on newer Sony cameras, especially these with BionzXR processors. You don't see it happening on older Sony cameras using BionzX, unless it's using a weird lens or adaptor. On older cameras, unless it's a faulty unit, otherwise it's always related to either network or bluetooth or weird lens combos.

My understanding is that this might actually be a feature instead of a bug to actively drain the battery to prevent it from swelling. It's not a new thing, DJI actively drains the battery after prolonged storage as well: DJI battery automatically discharges to about 96% of the battery level when it is idle for 1-3 days, and to somewhere 70%-80% ish at 15days iirc.

Click to expand...

Hotel Lonely said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is a new behavior on newer Sony cameras, especially these with BionzXR processors. You don't see it happening on older Sony cameras using BionzX, unless it's using a weird lens or adaptor. On older cameras, unless it's a faulty unit, otherwise it's always related to either network or bluetooth or weird lens combos.

My understanding is that this might actually be a feature instead of a bug to actively drain the battery to prevent it from swelling. It's not a new thing, DJI actively drains the battery after prolonged storage as well: DJI battery automatically discharges to about 96% of the battery level when it is idle for 1-3 days, and to somewhere 70%-80% ish at 15days iirc.

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Hotel Lonely said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is a new behavior on newer Sony cameras, especially these with BionzXR processors. You don't see it happening on older Sony cameras using BionzX, unless it's using a weird lens or adaptor. On older cameras, unless it's a faulty unit, otherwise it's always related to either network or bluetooth or weird lens combos.

My understanding is that this might actually be a feature instead of a bug to actively drain the battery to prevent it from swelling. It's not a new thing, DJI actively drains the battery after prolonged storage as well: DJI battery automatically discharges to about 96% of the battery level when it is idle for 1-3 days, and to somewhere 70%-80% ish at 15days iirc.

Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the input.

I'm aware batteries like to be stored at less than full charge, and it would be easy enough to remove the battery if this helped maintain its charge but Sony support have said nothing about this.

I can conclusively prove that my camera loses charge after a few days switched off, but it is difficult to know if there is a parasitic fault drain when in use - it discharges pretty fast by nature it seems.

I've got more tests to run, but the most obvious solution (to myself) is comparing other user experiences - and I don't believe they are the same. People tend to notice if their camera has lost 20% battery power in less than a week - doing nothing!

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Hotel Lonely said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is a new behavior on newer Sony cameras, especially these with BionzXR processors. You don't see it happening on older Sony cameras using BionzX, unless it's using a weird lens or adaptor. On older cameras, unless it's a faulty unit, otherwise it's always related to either network or bluetooth or weird lens combos.

My understanding is that this might actually be a feature instead of a bug to actively drain the battery to prevent it from swelling. It's not a new thing, DJI actively drains the battery after prolonged storage as well: DJI battery automatically discharges to about 96% of the battery level when it is idle for 1-3 days, and to somewhere 70%-80% ish at 15days iirc.

Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the input.

I'm aware batteries like to be stored at less than full charge, and it would be easy enough to remove the battery if this helped maintain its charge but Sony support have said nothing about this.

I can conclusively prove that my camera loses charge after a few days switched off, but it is difficult to know if there is a parasitic fault drain when in use - it discharges pretty fast by nature it seems.

I've got more tests to run, but the most obvious solution (to myself) is comparing other user experiences - and I don't believe they are the same. People tend to notice if their camera has lost 20% battery power in less than a week - doing nothing!

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Hotel Lonely said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is a new behavior on newer Sony cameras, especially these with BionzXR processors. You don't see it happening on older Sony cameras using BionzX, unless it's using a weird lens or adaptor. On older cameras, unless it's a faulty unit, otherwise it's always related to either network or bluetooth or weird lens combos.

My understanding is that this might actually be a feature instead of a bug to actively drain the battery to prevent it from swelling. It's not a new thing, DJI actively drains the battery after prolonged storage as well: DJI battery automatically discharges to about 96% of the battery level when it is idle for 1-3 days, and to somewhere 70%-80% ish at 15days iirc.

Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the input.

I'm aware batteries like to be stored at less than full charge, and it would be easy enough to remove the battery if this helped maintain its charge but Sony support have said nothing about this.

I can conclusively prove that my camera loses charge after a few days switched off, but it is difficult to know if there is a parasitic fault drain when in use - it discharges pretty fast by nature it seems.

I've got more tests to run, but the most obvious solution (to myself) is comparing other user experiences - and I don't believe they are the same. People tend to notice if their camera has lost 20% battery power in less than a week - doing nothing!

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Hotel Lonely said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is a new behavior on newer Sony cameras, especially these with BionzXR processors. You don't see it happening on older Sony cameras using BionzX, unless it's using a weird lens or adaptor. On older cameras, unless it's a faulty unit, otherwise it's always related to either network or bluetooth or weird lens combos.

My understanding is that this might actually be a feature instead of a bug to actively drain the battery to prevent it from swelling. It's not a new thing, DJI actively drains the battery after prolonged storage as well: DJI battery automatically discharges to about 96% of the battery level when it is idle for 1-3 days, and to somewhere 70%-80% ish at 15days iirc.

Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the input.

I'm aware batteries like to be stored at less than full charge, and it would be easy enough to remove the battery if this helped maintain its charge but Sony support have said nothing about this.

I can conclusively prove that my camera loses charge after a few days switched off, but it is difficult to know if there is a parasitic fault drain when in use - it discharges pretty fast by nature it seems.

I've got more tests to run, but the most obvious solution (to myself) is comparing other user experiences - and I don't believe they are the same. People tend to notice if their camera has lost 20% battery power in less than a week - doing nothing!

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Peak freak said:

Hotel Lonely said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is a new behavior on newer Sony cameras, especially these with BionzXR processors. You don't see it happening on older Sony cameras using BionzX, unless it's using a weird lens or adaptor. On older cameras, unless it's a faulty unit, otherwise it's always related to either network or bluetooth or weird lens combos.

My understanding is that this might actually be a feature instead of a bug to actively drain the battery to prevent it from swelling. It's not a new thing, DJI actively drains the battery after prolonged storage as well: DJI battery automatically discharges to about 96% of the battery level when it is idle for 1-3 days, and to somewhere 70%-80% ish at 15days iirc.

Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the input.

I'm aware batteries like to be stored at less than full charge, and it would be easy enough to remove the battery if this helped maintain its charge but Sony support have said nothing about this.

I can conclusively prove that my camera loses charge after a few days switched off, but it is difficult to know if there is a parasitic fault drain when in use - it discharges pretty fast by nature it seems.

I've got more tests to run, but the most obvious solution (to myself) is comparing other user experiences - and I don't believe they are the same. People tend to notice if their camera has lost 20% battery power in less than a week - doing nothing!

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Hotel Lonely said:

Peak freak said:

Peak freak said:

AlephNull said:

The “internal battery” Is a super capacitor - you won’t “stress it” by leaving the battery out, but it will run down, and then all your customised settings may vanish.

I would check if you have Wake On LAN turned on. In fact, I’d put the camera in Airplane mode - see if it continues to discharge if all the radios are turned off.

Some 3rd party lenses use power when the camera is off - see if removing the lens stops the drain. If the lens proves to be the problem the standard solution is to press the lens release, rotate the lens to break contact, then tighten the lens again.

Click to expand...

Thanks, for the feedback. I've got most of this covered - airplane mode, Sony lens etc.

I'll probably resort to removing the battery overnite in the longterm, but at the moment I'm trying to pin down the cause and gauge other peoples experiences. (lens twist, card removal etc will be part of my tests).

I'm 4 days in, switched off but checking daily, dropped 99 - 96%. I would call this normal behaviour. I'm picking it'll be down to about 80% tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Click to expand...

And there we go (almost) like clockwork [I can't be exactly sure of the camera internal timings] but approx 6 days from charged battery install; 99 - 95%, and then a 14% drop overnite - 18% in 6 days switched off.

Sony indicated a customer had the same problem, said it was 'normal' to lose 20% battery over 5 days when switched off - I say rubbish, that's a lot of battery energy lost essentially doing nothing.

It is pretty apparent that there is some timed, internal process that does a big drain on the camera, even when switched off. I'm going to leave the battery in this time and see what happens over the next period.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is a new behavior on newer Sony cameras, especially these with BionzXR processors. You don't see it happening on older Sony cameras using BionzX, unless it's using a weird lens or adaptor. On older cameras, unless it's a faulty unit, otherwise it's always related to either network or bluetooth or weird lens combos.

My understanding is that this might actually be a feature instead of a bug to actively drain the battery to prevent it from swelling. It's not a new thing, DJI actively drains the battery after prolonged storage as well: DJI battery automatically discharges to about 96% of the battery level when it is idle for 1-3 days, and to somewhere 70%-80% ish at 15days iirc.

Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the input.

I'm aware batteries like to be stored at less than full charge, and it would be easy enough to remove the battery if this helped maintain its charge but Sony support have said nothing about this.

I can conclusively prove that my camera loses charge after a few days switched off, but it is difficult to know if there is a parasitic fault drain when in use - it discharges pretty fast by nature it seems.

I've got more tests to run, but the most obvious solution (to myself) is comparing other user experiences - and I don't believe they are the same. People tend to notice if their camera has lost 20% battery power in less than a week - doing nothing!

Click to expand...

Matt2134 said:

People suggesting this is a 'don't store at full charge' feature

Have you tried purposely having your batteries at something like 50% charge and storing for 5 days? I wonder if it will tell us something is you drop 20% after 5 days (indicating maybe a fixed timed internal process), you lose only a few percent (indicating your issue is a response to being stored at 100%), or even something proportional to charge where it drops 7 or 8% (god knows what that would mean, but someone with more battery knowledge might deduce something from it!)

Worth a try maybe - I had an AC7R for a few months and did not notice this phenomenon

Click to expand...

Peak freak said:

Matt2134 said:

People suggesting this is a 'don't store at full charge' feature

Have you tried purposely having your batteries at something like 50% charge and storing for 5 days? I wonder if it will tell us something is you drop 20% after 5 days (indicating maybe a fixed timed internal process), you lose only a few percent (indicating your issue is a response to being stored at 100%), or even something proportional to charge where it drops 7 or 8% (god knows what that would mean, but someone with more battery knowledge might deduce something from it!)

Worth a try maybe - I had an AC7R for a few months and did not notice this phenomenon

Click to expand...

I had my suspicions something was up with excessive power use and first confirmed a drop from 67 to 50% after a few days switched off, and then 33 to 17% on the same battery cycle. It was then onto another battery and so-on.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

panther fan said:

My A1 also drains the battery when turned off. Only way to stop it is to remove the battery after use. But honestly these batteries store so little energy that topping them off every once in a while is not a problem

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