5D III battery running down in standby / sleep mode

[Koz1]

When traveling I leave my cameras on during the day and let them go into standby / sleep mode between photos. I am using a 5D III and a 6D so I don't have to constantly swap lenses. The 5D III battery is now running down a lot quicker than previously, even if I'm not taking a lot of photos. I've just returned from a trip and found that the 5D III battery will have run down by mid afternoon and the 6D lasts all day and into the next day if I don't charge it overnight, even with GPS on, which I know will drain the battery quicker so I'm surprised this is happening with the 5D III.

I have four batteries and rotate them between the two cameras so it is not the battery. Are there any functions in the 5D III that could be drawing power even when in standby / sleep mode? On my recent trip I was using a 17-40 or a 24-105 on the 6D and a 70-300 4.5-5.6 DO on the 5D III and was taking more photos with the 6D with GPS logging turned on.

 

[billythek]

I turn the power switch off, at least at the end of any shooting session, and don't notice significant battery discharge for several days, or even weeks. I've never thought to leave the camera on when I put it away.

To me, sleep mode is a way to reduce power, but not necessarily eliminate battery drain altogether. After all, you are still supplying power to components via the power switch. They have stopped activity as much as they can, but it is not the same as removing power altogether. There is still leakage.

The 6D is a slightly newer camera than the 5D3, and even though they both have Digic 5+ processors, perhaps they reduced power consumption in other components, or in other ways in the newer design.

One thing to check, though, is to make sure it is the camera and not any lenses or cards. Try it with just a body card and no cards to see if there is a difference.

Or, you could just switch the camera off. It cleans the sensor as a bonus when you do that.

 

[Koz1]

Thanks Bill. I turn the cameras off when I'm finished shooting for the day but while traveling I tend to leave the cameras on and put them back in the bag or leave one around my neck and it may be a few minutes later, or maybe an hour later, when I want to take more photos so I just half press the shutter button to wake up the camera and use it again.

I used the 5D III on a trip to Europe last year and didn't have this problem so it's something that has started to happen recently so I thought maybe I've changed a setting for something that may be drawing power while the camera is in standby but I can't think what that could be.

I 'll experiment and try swapping lenses and also without lenses, cards etc as you suggested and see what happens.

 

[pete zeugma]

I turn it off when ever it goes back into the front loader round my neck

I pull the battery when ever i'm enroute

 

[lemming2008]

Interesting, I've been seeing this as well. My 5D2 I can leave in standby all day. The 5D3 runs down. I'm pretty sure it didn't do this when I first got it. I'm using the same lenses and batteries as back then, and the same batteries still last in the 5D2. I've taken to turning the 5D3 fully off and carrying an extra battery, but for long event shooting that's not as satisfying a solution. (Minor issue - aside from that, I'm very happy with the camera.)

 

[nicolas guilbert]

I got exactly the same problem with my 5D MKII.

Normally i could leave it in standby / sleep mode a week or so. After the camera came back once from a repair (new sensor and main board) it started to drain a full battery in 24hours. I sent it back to CPS and got it back next day working as normal.
Recently (now one year later) i sent the body to CPS in another country to get the sensor cleaned, and asked them to clean the inside too, as some sand particles got stuck near the buttons, just to be on the safe side.
when i got the body back it drained the battery again in 24h.

On the first repair i was told they changed the internal battery that remembers settings as date and time. It is possible when this battery is dead, that the camera uses the normal battery and drains it fast.
If your camera has to reset date and time after your battery is empty. I believe the problem is the internal battery.

 

[Koz1]

Thanks to everyone for your replies.

I've done some tests with the lenses swapped between the 5D III and the 6D and also tried the 5D III without a lens and memory card but the same thing happens - the battery gradually runs down over a day while the 6D battery stays at full charge so long as I don't have GPS enabled while not using it.

The camera does not lose date and time settings when the battery runs down.

I'll just have to get into the habit of turning it off regularly during the day while I'm traveling.