Tips for Prolonging Camera Batteries Life

Being aware of ways for prolonging camera batteries life is vital as once they run out, the digital camera becomes nothing more than a paper weight. With so many demands on your camera batteries, it is not all that surprising that they do not last very long.

There are certainly things you can do for prolonging camera batteries life, making them last longer between charges or replacements. Just follow some of these commonsense tips:

When you first get new batteries charge and discharge them a few times so they get fully charged.
When photographing, turn off the LCD monitor anduse the optical viewfinder if your camera has one. It's better for taking pictures anyway. The LCD screen is one of the biggest energy hogs on your camera, and you can significantly extend the value of your batteries by not using it.

When you have to use the LCD monitor, turn down its brightness. Save the slow, careful replays of images for your computer screen. Use the LCD monitor to briefly review images when deciding whether you need to reshoot a particular scene or if you need to select images for deletion to free some room on your memory card.
Disable the flash when you do not need it - your camera batteries will thank you.

If your batteries die in the middle of a shoot and you do not have any spares, you can turn the camera off, wait a minute, and then turn it back on.

Often you can sneak in a few more pictures before the batteries are completely exhausted.

It is a good idea to occasionally clean the battery contacts in the camera and charger. Most charging problems are caused by dirty contacts on the battery or charger.
When not using the camera for an extended period, remove the batteries and store them in a cool, dry place. (Also remove flash memory cards from the camera when not in use.) Some cameras draw a small current even when off.
If you are taking a lot of pictures in a brief time, do not turn the camera off after each and every picture. You might think that you are conserving battery life, but in fact you are burning energy every time the camera has to power on. That is especially true if your camera has to retract the zoom lens every time it powers down and extend the lens when you turn it on again.
When you are transferring images to the PC, do not rely on battery power. Instead power your camera via an AC adapter when you are working at your desk near electrical power.
In general, remember that batteries are affected by temperature. Batteries do not function as well and run down faster in cold conditions than in warmer weather. Low temperatures slow down their chemical reaction, resulting in erratic or sluggish camera operation.

To prevent this, keep the camera under your coat so it stays warmer or carry a spare set of batteries in your pocket, where your body heat can keep them warm. If the current in the first set of batteries drops off due to the cold, you can swap them out with the ones warmed by your body. Since the first set of batteries will recover some of their charge when warmed up by your body heat, you can swap back and forth a few times.

On the other hand, note that batteries stored bagged in a refrigerator have a greatly extended shelf life.
When flying, be sure your batteries are charged. You may be asked to turn the camera on at a security check point.

Most cameras have a second battery, sometimes called a clock battery, that lets the camera retain its memory when the main batteries are removed.

This battery is recharged when you replace the main battery but if there is too long a period between removing the battery and replacing it,
the clock battery may run out.

We hope you have found our Tips for Prolonging Camera Batteries Life useful.

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