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Is it better for the battery life to turn the camera off after each shot?


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7 replies to this topic

#1
dragon49

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I'm referring to my Nikon Coolpix B600.  When I'm out walking on nature trails, I've been taking between 50-300 or so pictures in a 1-5 hour period of time.  My habit is to power off the camera after each picture, or each series of pictures.  I was wondering though, whether the strain on the battery to turn the unit on is enough to make my strategy bad, and therefore it would make more sense to leave the unit powered on the entire trip.  If it makes a difference for the calculation, I can't give any normalized time for intervals.  At times, I power on the camera ten seconds after powering it off, other times, it could be 10 minutes or more.



#2
Merco_61

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If I remember correctly, the B600 is one of the Nikons that reset the focus to a standard setting with each power cycle. If that is the case, leaving it on makes for a markedly more responsive camera. If it resets the zoom setting, switching off is even worse for both user experience and battery life.

I could be wrong about how it behaves as I don't own one. If that is the case, just power it off between shots to preserve battery power.



#3
dragon49

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If I remember correctly, the B600 is one of the Nikons that reset the focus to a standard setting with each power cycle. If that is the case, leaving it on makes for a markedly more responsive camera. If it resets the zoom setting, switching off is even worse for both user experience and battery life.

I could be wrong about how it behaves as I don't own one. If that is the case, just power it off between shots to preserve battery power.

It does suck in the lens to minimum zoom when I power it off.

Ty - so far, I'm very happy with the battery life.  The Internet tells me that the CIPA rating is 280 shots.  My rough math which takes into account how may pictures I've taken (usually not more than a few minutes of videos per outing) and the time it takes to next fully charge, shows a battery life of approximately 400 pictures.

 

Edit - Unless I'm transferring pictures to my iPhone, the camera is always in Airplane Mode to maximize battery life.



#4
Merco_61

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It does suck in the lens to minimum zoom when I power it off.
 

When you power it on agan, does it return to the previous zoom setting or does it simply staty at the widest setting?



#5
dragon49

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When you power it on agan, does it return to the previous zoom setting or does it simply staty at the widest setting?

It does not return to the previous setting.  As soon as I power on the camera, the lens starts out as close as it can be to the body of the camera, which I assume is the widest setting.



#6
audioscavenger

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Nikon claims that leaving d5300 on does not consume battery. That's a lie.
I added a power grip with 2 batteries to mine and can happily shoot hundreds over 2 days no problem
Maybe you can add a grip to yours?

#7
PebblzNnutz

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Nikon claims that leaving d5300 on does not consume battery. That's a lie.
I added a power grip with 2 batteries to mine and can happily shoot hundreds over 2 days no problem
Maybe you can add a grip to yours?

The B600 doesn't have a grip accessory. It has extra batteries for about $28 though.



#8
dragon49

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Nikon claims that leaving d5300 on does not consume battery. That's a lie.
I added a power grip with 2 batteries to mine and can happily shoot hundreds over 2 days no problem
Maybe you can add a grip to yours?

Thanks for the info.  I already have a spare battery as the B600 uses the same as my old Coolpix S9100.  I should be good for my one-day outings.  As the EN-EL12 batteries are cheap enough and light and small enough, I'm going to pick up at least two more.  It would kill me to have to miss some one in a lifetime shots if I were to run out of all battery life on a wilderness trail.  I can always travel with my S9100, the USB charging cord, and a portable battery pack, to be certain I'll never run out of juice.