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How Long Does a Digital Camera Battery Last?

Christen da Costa Profile image

Written By:

Christen da Costa
Updated July 25, 2022

How long does a digital camera battery last? The general rule is that the batteries will degrade even if you have not used the camera for three years or if you have a premiere Sony digital camera, which is made with high quality. Knowing the average life of your digital camera batteries/battery pack beforehand will help you plan to replace the digital camera batteries on time with a spare battery. In general, the battery life depends on how your digital camera is made, the amount of time you leave the camera ON, how regular you use the camera, or how many still shots the camera can take in a second (burst mode). Additionally, turning ON and OFF the camera sucks power from the batteries.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • The general battery lifespan is three years, but you can find a pair dying due to degrading before the three years elapse.
  • Always keep the best digital camera bp-511 batteries warm because of the cold weather battery drain.
  • After the shoot, discharge the battery from the camera.
  • To save your camera’s D40X battery, avoid scrolling through your camera or looking at pictures. Instead, it would help if you first transferred the images to your computer and then work on them from there.

Different Ways of Minimizing Battery Use

  • Shorten the ‘review time’ in your camera settings. That means you will decrease the time it takes the LCD to load an image after taking a shot. The minimum is two seconds, or you can choose to turn off the setting.
  • Use the LCD Display only when necessary and avoid deleting or reviewing images from the camera.
  • When the weather is cold, carry and store your batteries in a warm pocket if you have a shoot coming up.
  • Increase the shutter speed. If you use a longer shutter speed, it will use a lot of power. Choose to determine the shutter speeds you need, respective to the type of shoot you are having.
  • Discharge your battery from the Canon EOS camera to maximize the actual battery life.

How to Determine your Battery Life

Whenever you have a low battery and swap it with replacement batteries, the first photograph you take should be the exact image you took with the old battery. What if you have one battery? Well, the first photograph you take after the rechargeable batteries are full should be with the battery charger connected. But it would help if you considered getting a second Li-Ion battery if the first one gets low on charge. In addition to getting backup batteries, knowing how long your digital camera will last can also give you perspective on how many batteries you’ll require.

Next, when you get home and export your images to your computer, upload the photos you took with the old batteries and use a consistent tag. That way, you can search the tag of the battery and see the shot numbers. You will then be able to determine the average life of the type of battery in use.

Insider Tip

The general rule is that the batteries will degrade even if you have not used the camera for three years.

F.A.Q.

What is the battery’s lifetime on wireless security cameras?

It can take between one to three years for the batteries of wireless security cameras to ‘die.’ They are straightforward to replace, just like opening a tap. But the good thing is that most wireless security cameras use power cables.

Is it cool to leave the battery inside the camera’s battery compartment?

Yes. If the camera is off, it is okay to let the batteries inside for a long time.

How long do batteries in outdoor camera systems last?

Depending on the battery power consumption, the average battery life of an outdoor security camera is two months. If the LED lights and the night vision are on, the battery life shortens.

STAT: The NiMH battery operates at high voltage for 80% of its usage after charging. (source)

Christen da Costa Profile image
Christen da Costa
Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since I was small I have been pushing buttons – both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought “why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets.”