How long can a digital camera battery sustain?

[newbie2005]

I finally got the chance to finish setting up my Canon "PowerShot" SD200 digital camera. It took 90 minutes to finish charging the Battery Pack NB-4L battery. Based on you folks' experience, how long will the battery sustain, before the next charge due? Is there like battery (for this camera brand) out there that perhaps runs a longer period of time?

 

[Filip]

you can buy a battery with more mAh, don't know what kind of batteries you camera use, li-polymer, nimh etc.

 

[tweaker]

Theres many factors here, one huge power drain factor is how frequent you use the flash.

 

[computerhakk]

it'll depend all on what type of pictures you are using your camera to take and what features you use. like tweaker said. flash uses a lot. special effects like b/w, saphire.. etc.. can take some battery.. those special settings like near, far, burst.. etc..

and then your battery itself.. if its high in mAh or not.. and the different types.. rechargeable, nonrechargeable.. etc..

i had a camera that drains the battery quick.. a fully charged 1800 mAh double A(2 of them).. only lasted me like at most an hour.. n new battery like energizer will probably keep me up for like an hour thirty minutes or so.. yups

 

[newbie2005]

The battery that comes with my Canon SD200 camera:

NB-4L, 3.7V, 760mAh(Li-ion)

My camera has a 2.0-inch screen. Everytime I shoot a picture, the light flashes, so my guess is that I do use the flash feature. Because the battery took 90 minutes to recharge, I was wondering how long the battery could sustain.

 

[jesbax]

one way to extend the life of the battery betwen charging is to run it complety dead and then charge it. this also works on cell phones too.

 

[4W4K3]

My camera battery lasts ~3 hrs (or 360 shots) and will allow for 6hrs+ of continous playback. it's a casio exilim EX-z40 http://www.ebatts.com/casio_exilim-ex-z40_digital-camera_batteries_part_b-9644.aspx

 

[newbie2005]

This is the specification for my battery. Do you think this is a good battery?

Power Source:
Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (NB-4L)
Shooting Capacity: NB-4L: LCD On - Approx. 140; LCD Off - Approx. 400
Playback Time: Approx. 180 min.

 

[ViperGTS19801]

It's ridiculously difficult to gague exactly how long a digital camera's battery(ies) will last. The use of such power-draining devices (flach, 2.0" LCD screens, etc) bring in too many variables. However, as the former lead of the Digital Imagine department of a local technology store, I can make a reccomendation.

Go to your local RadioShack, CompUSA or Best Buy and purchase a $30 - $40 pack of rechargable batteries (if the camera is capable of using AA or AAA). It has a charge and 4 batteries. This way, you can charge them fully, and even when one pair runs out, you can have a second pair with you as a backup.

Like I said, however, with a Li-Ion battery, there's not a highly accurate way to measure the life of the battery without manually draining it yourself and recording the time it took for it to die.

$0.02

 

[powershot]

Find a High Capacity Canon NB-4L Battery

Find a canon NB-4L battery, see http://ebuybatteries.com/product/camera%5Fbatteries/Canon/Canon-NB-4L-battery.htm. Also, for battery care, check http://ebuybatteries.com/battery_knowledge/battery_care.asp, I think they write for laptop notebook batteries. But in fact, all li-ion battery are same.

 

[newbie2005]

Ok, so this "flash" feature burns up quite a bit battery. What if I turn off such feature? What impact will it cause? It really is unncessary to use it during daytime, right?

 

[4W4K3]

Ok, so this "flash" feature burns up quite a bit battery. What if I turn off such feature? What impact will it cause? It really is unncessary to use it during daytime, right?

outside it's not important (well, specifically outside on a sunny day) but for some cameras they need flash inside (even with the lights on) and ESPECIALLY in dark areas. i know mine really takes better pics with flash on when i'm inside.

 

[RockLobster]

Does your camera have some type of auto flash mode? If so, that's what I normally set mine to, so if it thinks it needs the flash, it'll use it, and if not, it won't. If it's too dark and you're not using flash, the picture will be dark.

Also, if your camera takes regular AA batteries, I recommend using rechargable ones. They even make some that claim to be for digital cameras. I know if I use regular AA's, my camera lasts for like 20 minutes at best; it's horrible. I'm sure your LCD screen doesn't help either, so if you're looking to save battery, I'd turn it off too.