Balto
Established
I have 2 for my m9 and keep and extra 2 in my bag for my m6's meter. I don't often run out of power unless I'm out in the snow luckily, but I do forget to recharge about half the time so I like having an extra just in case.
Just How Many Camera Batteries Do You Guys REALLY Need? :)
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Godfrey
somewhat colored
I like to have a fully charged spare in the bag when I'm out shooting just in case. If I'm just casually carrying the camera 'in case there's a shot', I don't usually carry a spare.
When I'm traveling, I carry three batteries so that I can always have whatever's in the camera, one fully charged battery in the bag, and the other sitting wherever I'm staying being charged.
When traveling, I try to carry equipment such that I don't need to carry more than one battery type and one charger for the camera. I usually don't carry a flash unit, and my iPhone and iPad mini both use the same charger. It minimizes the maintenance madness to keep things to a reasonable minimum.
G
When I'm traveling, I carry three batteries so that I can always have whatever's in the camera, one fully charged battery in the bag, and the other sitting wherever I'm staying being charged.
When traveling, I try to carry equipment such that I don't need to carry more than one battery type and one charger for the camera. I usually don't carry a flash unit, and my iPhone and iPad mini both use the same charger. It minimizes the maintenance madness to keep things to a reasonable minimum.
G
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
Count me in the "one in the camera and one spare" camp. I seldom need the spare, as long as I can recharge at night. On a camping trip, the spare may be needed.
willie_901
Veteran
When I used two D700 bodies on gigs I carried five batteries. The camera is always on a tripod and I use Live View a lot. On long jobs I need two batteries. I did a wedding once as a favor and needed three batteries. The others are back ups. For long jobs with clients present I operate the D700 with a CamRanger/iPad set up. Then I can burn through a battery every 90 minutes if the client uses the iPad for staging (which they seem to find valuable). And, when I did sports gigs, a fresh battery kept the burst rate high.
I am transitioning from Nikon to Fujifilm. When the switch is complete, I will start out carrying eight batteries. They will weigh about the same as the Nikon batteries and take up less space in the battery area of my bag (because I will use the vertical battery grip). It wouldn't surprise me if I ended up with 10 batteries. I will also buy a Wasabi dual-plate charger. Charging the 16 AA flash batteries I carry and six Fujifim batteries should take about 3 hours.
Compared to other back-up equiptment expenses, batteries are cheap insurance I'll never let a client down because I ran out of batteries.
I am transitioning from Nikon to Fujifilm. When the switch is complete, I will start out carrying eight batteries. They will weigh about the same as the Nikon batteries and take up less space in the battery area of my bag (because I will use the vertical battery grip). It wouldn't surprise me if I ended up with 10 batteries. I will also buy a Wasabi dual-plate charger. Charging the 16 AA flash batteries I carry and six Fujifim batteries should take about 3 hours.
Compared to other back-up equiptment expenses, batteries are cheap insurance I'll never let a client down because I ran out of batteries.
hugivza
Well-known
I am just anal and always carry two fully charged (one in and spare) - it's one less thing to worry about!
tbhv55
Well-known
If you use a Fuji x100 (possibly other Fuji models too) it's advisable to have a spare (or two). The battery indicator gauge is very 'non-linear', and shows a full battery up until just a few shots before exhaustion. When one grabs the x100 upon going out of the door, the indicator could be showing a full battery, but it could very well be just about to fail...😡 A spare can therefore save the day.
This a major flaw in an otherwise excellent camera.
This a major flaw in an otherwise excellent camera.
Waku
Member
I usually carry 3 charged batteries for the M9 and a spare for the MP.
It´s not that I´m going to used them all but to have peace of mind when leaving the charger at home while shooting on weekends.
It´s not that I´m going to used them all but to have peace of mind when leaving the charger at home while shooting on weekends.
Richard G
Veteran
WIRED should do a piece on this. I think two is ideal. I have two for the X100, two for the Nikon Coolpix 4500 and two for the M9. When I got the Monochrom I had one more Leica battery. Recently when the M9 was away for a long time I regularly had three batteries at 50%. I have the other, and another I must've been thinking. When I have two only, I'm assiduously ensuring that the only other battery is charged.
Of course three for a weekend shoot or a hike where I don't need the charger is a good thing.
But I think two is best.
Of course three for a weekend shoot or a hike where I don't need the charger is a good thing.
But I think two is best.
ssmc
Well-known
For a DSLR I consider 2 batteries a minimum; as it turns out I currently have 5 of the same type shared between 2 bodies, with 4 being in circulation and one still in the packaging (long story). When I shot Nikon I had 4 between 2 bodies. I tend to shoot a lot more when I am away (as in really away...) and as others have said, you can't always trust the battery meter, and there is always the possibility that a "good" battery may fail unexpectedly. It's not unlike having plenty of film when you're someplace amazing that you may not get a chance to visit again - knowing you don't have to ration your shots because you start to get the feeling that every turn in the trail brings a new surprise (and I'm definitely not talking about shooting bursts)
The backup digicam I carried through all sorts of stuff for years used 4x AA cells, and I never once had to replace them "in the field", even on 9-day spring break trips away from power. That did not keep me from making sure I had a fully-charged set of spares. Sanyo Eneloops have been a boon in this respect.
If using a shoe-mount flash I always carry a spare set of charged AAs. They tend to chew through them pretty quick.
For film cameras I keep a spare of whetever type is required somewhere in the holster. Lithium for the ol' F70, a couple of SR44s for the Minoltas, and so on. Most of these, even the ones that drive a motor winder, seem to last a very, very long time. They take up almost no space and weigh practically nothing, so I can't see any point in risking a dead camera at an inopportune moment for the sake of carrying a tiny battery with a 10-year shelf life. Actually the only "opportune moment" I can think of for a camera to stop working is around the house taking cat pictures 🙂 , because some alternative is sure to be available.
I can see how a fully-mechanical camera would be a good thing in these circumstances, but I grew up shooting color film with a meter and I just can't get used to going without some kind of assurance that I'm doing it right - at least not by choice. I made out okay with a bunch of single-use cameras on a field trip around NZ for amlost 2 weeks after my A95 got drowned, but I sure wouldn't do that again on purpose.
The backup digicam I carried through all sorts of stuff for years used 4x AA cells, and I never once had to replace them "in the field", even on 9-day spring break trips away from power. That did not keep me from making sure I had a fully-charged set of spares. Sanyo Eneloops have been a boon in this respect.
If using a shoe-mount flash I always carry a spare set of charged AAs. They tend to chew through them pretty quick.
For film cameras I keep a spare of whetever type is required somewhere in the holster. Lithium for the ol' F70, a couple of SR44s for the Minoltas, and so on. Most of these, even the ones that drive a motor winder, seem to last a very, very long time. They take up almost no space and weigh practically nothing, so I can't see any point in risking a dead camera at an inopportune moment for the sake of carrying a tiny battery with a 10-year shelf life. Actually the only "opportune moment" I can think of for a camera to stop working is around the house taking cat pictures 🙂 , because some alternative is sure to be available.
I can see how a fully-mechanical camera would be a good thing in these circumstances, but I grew up shooting color film with a meter and I just can't get used to going without some kind of assurance that I'm doing it right - at least not by choice. I made out okay with a bunch of single-use cameras on a field trip around NZ for amlost 2 weeks after my A95 got drowned, but I sure wouldn't do that again on purpose.
willie_901
Veteran
Fujifilm really needs to implement contemporary battery technology. Their batteries/cameras do not utilize power monitoring circuitry (there's only two contacts).
FranZ
Established
I have 2 batteries for my X-Pro1 and RX100ii and in total 5 for the X100s. It is not only the needs for 1 day, but also for an outing of several days with slim possibilities of charging them. Batteries are light ans small, and the Fuji battery life isn't to good so "better safe than sorry"
john neal
fallor ergo sum
Well, here's my dilemma - I want to go to Everest base Camp later this year. The trek there takes 5 or 6 days, and the availability of charging points along the way is probably quite low. I believe you can sometimes get a charge in the tea-houses in Namche Bazaar, but that is still a good 2 or 3 days away.
I have 2 batteries at the moment for my M9 - how many more will I need, given the effects of temperature and altitude? I have no idea, and don't expect there is any "ready reckoner" to work it out as there are too many variables, including how often I feel inclined to press the shutter button.
In the past, I would have taken plenty of film and bracketed any shots that really mattered. Maybe the answer is to take 4 batteries and my MP body with a few rolls of film just in case? Weight on trek being a major issue, I wonder if I should just go film on this one anyway?
Silly question - is there a PV charger with enough output to run the M9 charging unit via the car input?
I have 2 batteries at the moment for my M9 - how many more will I need, given the effects of temperature and altitude? I have no idea, and don't expect there is any "ready reckoner" to work it out as there are too many variables, including how often I feel inclined to press the shutter button.
In the past, I would have taken plenty of film and bracketed any shots that really mattered. Maybe the answer is to take 4 batteries and my MP body with a few rolls of film just in case? Weight on trek being a major issue, I wonder if I should just go film on this one anyway?
Silly question - is there a PV charger with enough output to run the M9 charging unit via the car input?
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burancap
Veteran
john neal
fallor ergo sum
Well, the 10W unit might do the job as it has a 12v output option, the others seem to say they are not suitable for a DSLR so assume the M9 is similar. $330+ is quite steep, though only about 2 batteries in equivalent cost at UK prices...
More research required!
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goamules
Well-known
I just learned I need more than one. I had a charged one in my X-E1, then took my kids (2 are in college) on a backpacking trip to a wilderness hot spring we've been to since they were babies. About 20 miles on 4wd roads to the trailhead, then hours upstream hiking, my low battery indicator started blinking. There was nothing I could do, the rest of the trip the camera was dead weight. Fortunately my daughter brought her point and shoot, or we'd have no pictures to compare to the earlier trips over the past 20 years. Lesson learned.
goamules
Well-known
Definitely I would take a robust film camera as a backup. Or as the only camera. See my above story of how a dead battery ends your photography. Even if it's meter dies due to a cold battery, you can still guess exposures and shoot....if it's old enough to be a pure mechanical shutter.
marcr1230
Well-known
I have 3 for my E-M1, today I took 2 fully charged out for a track meet, and after about 400 photos, both batteries were dead, with one event to go... I didn't bring the third because it wasn't charged and I've never used more than 2. but with the weather being chilly and the settings on the camera being power intensive, I guess 3 or 4 are needed to be sure to capture a long event
john neal
fallor ergo sum
Garret, I think that is probably the way to go. The MP doesn't need a battery to shoot, only to meter, and I should be able to guesstimate exposure using sunny-16.
Spanik
Well-known
Depends on the camera. With the Mamiya 645 ProTL I can do years with the battery in the body. The battery in the grip needs changing every year or so. When I know I'll not get a new one the day after I'll carry a spare. With a digital camera I never leave without a spare. And with the DP1m that I just got I go through a battery in 30 shots...
lxmike
M2 fan.
the first time out with my x pro 1 I soon realised that one battery is not enough, however now I have got used to the camera a bit more and I fiddles less with the menus I seem to get a bit more out of the battery, having said that I have a second battery on order
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