Just How Many Camera Batteries Do You Guys REALLY Need? :)

[lxmike]

When I had my D700 I could shoot a two hour concert and a few thousand shots on one battery.
On my X-Pro1 I need two batteries for the same thing.

on the hunt for extra batteries as I type

 

[YYV_146]

I can easily shoot 1,500 frames on one mirrorless body in an afternoon during a wedding - that works out to be about 3 batteries for the NEX-7 and 4 for the A7. It's been awhile since I drained all six of my Sony batteries in a single day, but it happens. I also go on long hiking trips and spend 4-5 days without any power source. A charge pack can keep the other electronics alive, but Sony doesn't allow usb charging from third-party accessories, so I have to take 3-4 spares at the very least.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I have four for one Canon DSLR, they don't last very long. Cheap price.
Two for another DSLR, or three... Better quality and they hold the charge for weeks.

 

[css9450]

For my Nikon D80 and D7000, I have a vertical grip for each, so it was natural to get a spare battery for each camera. Either one will shoot several hundred shots on a single battery.

I did buy a third battery for my D7000. I use that camera for night work; I'm doing three nights in California soon and those four-minute exposures use battery power fast. The constant checking of the monitor, occasional Live View as a focusing aid, numerous different lighting setups and tweaks, and cold ambient temperatures are a REAL battery drain. I might not need the third battery but having just one is not going to be enough.

 

[robbeiflex]

Two per camera. One in the camera and one to charge and keep handy for when the one in the camera runs out.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[David Hughes]

That's what I like about the M2 and its meter; No Batteries Required...

Regards, David

 

[Nokton48]

I still have my two lowly Sony Nex 3's and I have six batteries between them. Have never run out. I carry two sets of batteries for my Minolta XK; It totally relies on battery power and has crapped out before in the middle of an afternoon shoot.

 

[bwcolor]

I rarely go through more than one battery, but I always have a spare... except for my 1DMKIII. I have at least six batteries for the NEX and four for the X100 & X100s. I do think that the A7 is a bit more power hungry than the NEX-6, or 7.

 

[thegman]

When I used a Nikon 35Ti a few weeks back, I took a couple of spare batteries with me. They're cheap and small.

I think it's not that the batteries don't last very long, even cameras with famously poor battery life like the Sigma compacts take enough photos for me. It's that the battery life is not quite 100% predictable. If I've got 4 rolls of 120 with me, I can predict exactly how many photos I'll get. With batteries, it depends on flash use, how long you leave the screen on, even how much you autofocus or zoom. That lack of predictability makes me want to carry a spare.

 

[marcr1230]

I tend to get 2 extras for my digital cameras
Frequently got to the second, never the third before end of a day

I've been on trips where you can't recharge easily, so better to have a spare or 2

 

[helen.HH]

for my M4P NONE.... 😛
for my DP1M.....I only own One but I do need another 🙄

 

[MrFujicaman]

Batteries are related to sync cords..and they are known to be the spawn of Satan and fail at the worst time they can.
I have seen brand new AA's in a 48 pack where everyone of them was defective ! I can well understand people who have 3-4 batteries for one camera.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

I've NEVER used more than two batteries in a day's outing. But then I'm not a professional and I've never had more than 400 exposures in one day.

 

[Lawrence A.]

Two or three. Ideally, I have one in the camera, one in the charger, and one in the bag. It really is more than I need; two would do. But I use the battery until it blinks red, telling me I need to change it, so I don't always leave the house with a freshly charged battery; thus I need one fully charged in the bag, or in a pocket. But I keep extra batteries in my bag for film cameras too, except the fully mechanical ones that I use with a hand-held meter. Lugging around a camera with an electronic shutter that I can't use is too frustrating not to carry batteries.

 

[Chris Bail]

It depends.

Leica M8 - 2 is enough for me
Fuji X100 - 2, though I think I should have 3
Sony NEX 5 - never needed more than 1
Epson R-D1 - 4 (was 5 but one won't hold a charge and got recycled)

Generally, I leave the house with whatever is in the camera. A spare if I expect to take a lot of pictures. A couple spares if I'm carrying the Epson.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Just like how many rolls of film: enough so you would never give any thought to running out on the most prolific outing, then a spare.

 

[hepcat]

for my M4P NONE.... 😛
for my DP1M.....I only own One but I do need another 🙄

No problem, Helen. I'll send you one of my M4-P batteries so you can have a spare. 😀

 

[Johann Espiritu]

Two batteries - one in the camera and one spare. I've never run out, but I've come close, especially with cameras which are known to drain them quickly. When traveling with kids, they also want to review a lot of shots on screen.

I guess if I ever do end up using up both batteries, the camera on my phone would act as the third "spare".

Even for my M7, though, I'd keep spare batteries in my camera bag (just in case I didn't feel like shooting at 1/60 or 1/125!).

 

[Ong]

I have 3 for my current landscape camera, though I'll probably get another 2 more for it in the near future.

Before anyone kills me, it is a Sigma DP1m (so really, I should be aiming for at least 7 batteries)

 

[GaryLH]

I've NEVER used more than two batteries in a day's outing. But then I'm not a professional and I've never had more than 400 exposures in one day.

On a dp Merrill camera that would be about 5 batteries lol 😛. 90 shots per battery.

Gary