digi camera battery question

[lost_arrow]

i am headed to alaska and want to take my digital camera. i usually take a standard slr that takes AAs. any thoughts on how to maintain battery life for two weeks up there? anyone have experience with a digital camera on denali or something similar?

 

thanks

[Distel32]

what kind of digi are you taking? A lot of people use those litte handwarmers to keep batteries warm and the life longer, but it really depends on what kind of camera you're taking.

 

digi-slr batteries are way better than point and shoot, thus you won't need to do the handwarmer drill or anything. I've had my camera outside for 72 hours straight in -25 to -35C temps and my battery was still full, as well as I took around 75pics.

[mughjie]

I agree with D32, I took a Canon Elph (4 megapixel) with a spare battery (Li-ion rechargeable) and a Nikon FM2 (mechanical shutter works without batteries, for the worst case scenarios). Stayed 18 days, temp dipped to -30F. I kept the Canon and its spare battery in a zip lock bag in my parka, and in a stuff sack in my sleeping bag at night. No other heroics. I made sure to let the camera cool down to outside temps before taking it out of the ziplock bag. One Li-ion lasted the whole trip (about 100 photos). It finally died when I was taking pictures of my beard back in Talkeetna. The Nikon worked like a charm too.

[Alpine_Tom]

I'd counsel taking a spare battery, just in case. Keep in tucked away someplace warm. A big advantage of digital is being able to take lots of photos, and it'd be a drag to have to worry about having to conserve your battery. Compared to a trip to Denali, a spare battery is pretty cheap.

[Distel32]

oh I definitely condone a spare bettery no matter where you are in the world! especially on any trip where you won't be able to find another one. maybe even two.....

[DirtyHarry]

Take an extra battery, obviously. I have a digital Elph too, and in winter conditions I carry it around my neck on a cord, tucked into my breast pocket. It stays warm and out of the way there and I won't drop it. Digital cameras are very sensitive to cold conditions, so keep it warm and you'll be fine.

[hydroman]

I used a point and shoot digital Nikon on the WB last year and it worked fine in all temps I encountered. I took one spare rechargable battery which I used. Took about 75 photos with 1.5 batteries which is a good bit less than I would have gotten under normal temps.

[Gary_Yngve]

That seems low. Are you turning the LCD display off and using just the viewfinder?

[iluka]

I've used a Canon Powershot A70 for years now and generally get good battery life out of Energizer Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeables, getting 100-150 shots per charge, although I'm not usually out in super cold conditions as you're expecting. If you're doing Denali and will have a base camp set up, one option to consider is bringing along a solar charger (they have them at REI and other places). I've used them in the past and with good sun, as you would likely get on the glacier in midday, you could get a good charge into them on a repeated basis. You could leave it out while you were shuttling loads or hanging out in basecamp. With all the weight you'll be carrying, an extra set of batteries or this charger is not much extra.

Edited April 4, 2006 by iluka