Make Your Digital Camera Batteries Last Longer


One technology that hasn't kept up with the rapid pace of new digital cameras is camera batteries. The more features a camera has, the quicker it seems to use up precious battery power. There are three features of digital cameras that chew up battery life the quickest:

- LCD Screen. This is by far the most power thirsty feature in digital cameras. You can turn the screen off to conserve power, but I don't recommend this because the screen is very useful to determine if you have taken a great shot.

- Flash. Another big power user. The flash uses lots of battery as it's charging, so minimize usage.

- Zooming in and out also uses battery power to drive the motor. Refrain from changing your zoom too much. I recommend staying close to full optical zoom.

Make your batteries last longer

Given the two biggest power users on your camera are the LCD screen and Flash, there are ways to reduce the usage of these. If your camera allows you to, reduce the brightness of the screen to get more time from your battery. This will still allow you to see your photo, but it won't use as much power.

How do you minimize usage of the flash? Try doing without the flash when you're in low light by increasing the light around you. Or increase the "ISO Speed". The higher the ISO setting, the less light is needed to record the image.

Other secrets for making your batteries last longer:

- Most digital cameras have a Power Saving mode. This 'shuts down' the camera - not switch off - after a period of time without use. Make sure Power Saving mode is on, or simply switch off your camera when you're not using it.

- In cold weather, keep your camera and batteries warm in your jacket until you are ready to use them. Cold weather to batteries is like RAID is to bugs!

- Store batteries in a cool, dry location away from sunlight and other heat sources.

- Avoid unnecessary playback of your already taken images, as this can also use a lot of juice.

- If you haven't used your camera for a while, your rechargeable batteries will have lost some of their charge. Ensure you charge them fully before leaving the house.

Buy a spare battery

This has two advantages. You can get double the time from of your camera before needing to recharge by using two batteries. If you don't need an extra battery all the time, you can have one charging at home when you're using the other. Then when you get home, swap them. Never leave your camera behind again because you don't have a charged battery.

What kind of battery should I purchase?

You will need to purchase a battery that is compatible with your camera, so I recommend taking your camera's battery to the shop with you when purchasing so the staff can find another compatible battery. You don't need to purchase a battery from the same manufacturer as your camera, although be aware that choosing another brand may void your warranty - check your manual.

Go for a rechargeable nickel-metal hydride battery if possible. These battery types have a greater capacity than the rechargeable ni-cad batteries and will pay for themselves in a short period of time.

Use the AC adapter

Most cameras have an adapter to allow you to plug directly into a power point. If you're going to be shooting for a long period of time in the one location, a camera plugged into a power point can be very handy. Note that some cheaper cameras have the plug for an AC adapter, but not the adapter itself.

David Peterson has a great love of photography and has created a series of free tips at http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/ to help digital photography users everywhere take better photos.


MORE RESOURCES:

Photographers: Chances Are, You Suck
Wired News
There are plenty of things photography-wise that I'm not very good at. I'm not great at creating images, but I'm pretty good at finding them. I'm terrible at self-promoting, marketing and the business stuff makes me squirm. Yet I'ma decent journalist, ...

and more »


Opening Japan, Through Photography
New York Times
VENICE — Both Katsushika Hokusai and Ando Hiroshige, celebrated masters of the woodblock print, were still alive when the Western technology of photography made its first tentative inroads into Japan. Hiroshige died the year after the first ...



New York Times (blog)

A Depot and a Fight to Photograph the City
New York Times (blog)
By DAVID W. DUNLAP David W. Dunlap/The New York Times Moments after taking this picture of the 126th Street Bus Depot on Second Avenue last week, David Dunlap was told by an MTA security officer that photography of transit facilities was prohibited.

and more »


Amateur Photographer

Photographer Simon Marsden dies
Amateur Photographer
Renowned photographer Simon Marsden, who specialised in gritty b&w images of subjects including mystical landscapes, gothic graveyards and old ruins, has died aged 63. Simon first developed an interest in photography when his father, a keen landscape ...

and more »


The Guardian

'Photographer Photoshops image' shock
The Guardian
All of us media consumers should applaud the management of the Sacramento Bee, which this weekend courageously fired photographer Bryan Patrick for high crimes against journalism. Patrick, or as he shall forever be known, the Great Satan, ...

and more »


Photographers put Malta in the European picture
Times of Malta
Maltese photographers won 11 awards during the final night of the largest photo convention in Europe, organised annually by The Societies – formerly the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers. Maltese ... at the top, with the very best Their ...



The Guardian

Win a photography masterclass at the Snowdonia National Park
The Guardian
Oskar documents his journey through photographs so, to celebrate this release, we have teamed up with Digital Masterclass to offer you aa two-day weekend photography masterclass in the Snowdonia National Park. The Digital Masterclass offers photography ...



Los Angeles Times (blog)

Street photography exhibit at Hatakeyama Gallery
Los Angeles Times (blog)
It might come as a surprise to some that LA, a city stereotyped for its car culture, has a small but vibrant street photography scene. After all, it's pretty hard to take photos while driving, right? (Hey, we can't all be Lee Friedlander.) ...



BBC News

Photographer to "REVEAL" new exhibition
isleofman.com
Andi, whose interest in photography started around 10 years ago, said he primarily saw himself as a landscape photographer until something happened on a bus which made him change his path. He explained: "I noticed a guy sitting on his own and something ...
Isle of Man faces star in new photography exhibitionBBC News

all 2 news articles »


National Geographic Traveller – Photography Competition Winner Announced
SourceWire (press release)
“We'd like to thank everyone for their support in our inaugural National Geographic Traveller photography competition. LONDON (8 February 2012) – National Geographic Traveller (UK) has announced the winners of its Travel Photography 2012 Competition, ...

and more »

Google News

Acne - Advertising - Aerobics & Cardio - Affiliate Revenue - Alternative - Attraction - Auction - Audio Streaming - Aviation - Babies & Toddlers - Beauty - Blogging & RSS - Book Marketing - Book Reviews - Branding - Breast Cancer - Broadband Internet - Muscle Building - Careers & Employment - Coaching - Coffee - College & University - Cooking Tips - Copywriting - Crafts & Hobbies - Creativity - Credit - Cruising & Sailing - Currency Trading - Customer Service - Data Recovery - Dating - Debt Consolidation - Debt Relief - Depression - Diabetes - Divorce - Domain Names - E-books - Ecommerce - Elder Care - Email Marketing - Entrepreneurialism - Ethics - Exercise - Ezine Marketing - Ezine Publishing - Fashion & Style - Fishing - Fitness Equipment - Forums - Games - Goal Setting - Golf - Grief Loss - Hair Loss - Happiness - Hardware - Holidays - Home Improvement - Home Security - Humanities - Humor - Innovation - Inspirational - Insurance - Interior Decorating - Internet Marketing - Investing - Landscaping & Gardening - Language - Leadership - Leases & Leasing - Loans - Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos - Management - Marketing - Marriage & Wedding - Meditation - Mobile & Cell Phone - Mortgage & Refinancing - Motivation - Motorcycles - Music - Negotiation - Network Marketing - Networking - Nutrition - Organizing - Outdoors - Parenting - Personal Finance - Personal Tech - Pets - Philosophy - Photography - Poetry - Politics - Positive Attitude - PPC Advertising - Press Release - Pregnancy - Presentation - Psychology - Public Speaking - Real Estate - Recipes - Relationships - Sales - Sales Management - Sales & Teleselling - Sales Training - Satellite TV - Science - Security - SEO - Site Promotion - Small Business - Software - Spam Blocker - Spirituality - Stocks & Mutual Funds - Strategic Planning - Stress Management - Structured Settlements - Success - Supplements - Taxes - Team Building - Time Management - Top7-Or-10-Tips - Traffic Building - Vacation Rentals - Video Conferencing - Video Streaming - VOIP - Wealth Building - Web Design - Web Development - Web Hosting - Weight Loss - Wine & Spirits - Writing - Writing Articles - Yoga

Top
Main Home Email Category Home