At some point or another in your photography career, you’re going to be confronted with a very unwelcome sign — a low battery warning. It’s inevitable. While this might spell disaster, especially if you don’t happen to have backup batteries available, there are a few things you can do to help extend the life of your camera’s battery.
Created by SLR Lounge, this short video breaks down seven different things you can do to help conserve every last drop of battery power your camera possesses. While some of them might be no-brainers, there are a few interesting tips within the video.
For those who want a quick synopsis without watching the video, below is a brief rundown of each of the seven tips (as well as one I’ve learned throughout my photography career).
- Turn off all wireless connectivity your camera possesses
- Turn off any unnecessary stabilization features
- Turn off automatic sensor cleaning (usually done on shut down)
- Turn off image review capabilities
- Turn down the display’s brightness to its lowest level
- Turn off the camera between photographs
- Replace any batteries that may have hit their recharge lifespan
My personal tip to add to the list is to make sure your batteries are warm. With autumn here and winter around the corner in most of the northern hemisphere, you’d be surprised how much longer batteries last when they’re kept warm.
To keep them warm, you can keep them in your pants pocket, where body heat should keep them at least a few degrees warmer. Alternatively, you can carry around a few of those disposable hand warmers in your camera bag to keep the batteries even more toasty.
If you know of any other tips for extending the battery life of your camera’s batteries, leave them in the comments below.
