Is it common knowledge that big SDHC drain the ba...

Sentas · 05-07-2009, 02:53 PM

I bourght a 16GB SDHC card (class 6) well
…whenever have i use for taking 986 pics in a day…?

I deply regret my buy, mostly because batteri are drained
far earliere than I am used to… (4GB, class 6))

So beware folks!

Pentax K10D + BG2
Sentas

rfortson · 05-07-2009, 07:32 PM

Not my experience at all. I wonder if others have experienced the same thing you have?

tvfd911 · 05-07-2009, 08:13 PM

how many pictures did you get from a battery charge with the 16gb card versus using the 4gb cards?

Just wondering how much of a quantitative difference you are seeing. I'm assuming your shooting habits were comparable (not using flash one day, using flash the next with the big card).

Blue · 05-07-2009, 09:23 PM

Are you taking into account that the 16g card holds 4x the pics a 4g card will? In other words, the batteries will do 4x the work to fill up that larger card.

RioRico · 05-08-2009, 04:07 AM

Without a lot of chimping, my 16GB SDHC card lasts just about as long as a battery charge. This will change as the battery ages and loses capacity. So I always keep an extra charged battery.

bymy141 · 05-08-2009, 07:00 AM

I've noticed no difference at all in battery life when using 2, 4, 8 or 16Gb cards.
Perhaps there is something wrong with the card itself, maybe there is dirt between the card connectors shortning out the voltage supply leads?

- Bert

**Ahab** · 05-08-2009, 08:16 AM

Originally posted by rfortson

Not my experience at all. I wonder if others have experienced the same thing you have?

Nope.

TaoMaas · 05-08-2009, 08:35 AM

I've never used a 16 gig card, so I don't know if they draw more power or not. I've been trying to keep myself to 2 gig cards. I have a fear of my card going bad and losing a ton of pics.

augustmoon · 05-08-2009, 09:02 AM

I have 4GB 8GB 16GB cards, I travel, so yes, there are reasons why to use 16GB cards as there may be some time before getting back to my computer.

I have great battery usage (K20D with orig Pentax Batteries) regardless of card being used, I still get around 1050-1200 shots per fully charged battery whether I am using 4 or 16GB cards.

I don't use the on-board flash, but sometimes use live view.

Marc Sabatella · 05-08-2009, 09:48 AM

Originally posted by TaoMaas

I've never used a 16 gig card, so I don't know if they draw more power or not. I've been trying to keep myself to 2 gig cards. I have a fear of my card going bad and losing a ton of pics.

You're allowed to download 16GB cards before they fill, of course. I've got an 8GB but seldom put more than 2GB on it before downloading. But if you regularly shoot more than 2GB a day, I could see wanting to minimize your risk. But I like having the *option* of putting more files on a card.

mickey · 05-08-2009, 11:14 PM

Originally posted by TaoMaas

I've never used a 16 gig card, so I don't know if they draw more power or not. I've been trying to keep myself to 2 gig cards. I have a fear of my card going bad and losing a ton of pics.

Actually, I'm the same.
I have a few 2gig and one 4gig SDHC card.
It seems to do me.

**NaClH2O** · 05-09-2009, 09:24 AM

For a while I was carefully monitoring battery life on my K10D to try to see if the much lower priced third party batteries were a bargin or not. I averaged about 620 "clicks" on the two "pentax brand" batteries I had and about 350 to 400 clicks on the third party batteries. I found absolutely no difference between using 8gb SDHC and 2 gb standard SD cards. I've always used SanDisk "Ultra" or Extreme II cards. What I did find however is that using the battery grip causes a pretty big hit on batter life. After I finally bought the grip my 620 went down to about 550 or lower and the third party batteries dropped to about half that. What I don't know however, is whether or not turning off the grip separately has any effect. In the beginning with the grip (when I was still closely monitoring battery life) I'd frequently forget and leave the grip on while turning the camera off. In addition I found it much more of a hassle to try and monitor two battery positions rather than just one.

NaCl(my conclusion is that the cheap batteries are worth it...but just barely)H2O

Blue · 05-09-2009, 09:36 AM

Originally posted by NaClH2O

For a while I was carefully monitoring battery life on my K10D to try to see if the much lower priced third party batteries were a bargin or not. I averaged about 620 "clicks" on the two "pentax brand" batteries I had and about 350 to 400 clicks on the third party batteries. I found absolutely no difference between using 8gb SDHC and 2 gb standard SD cards. I've always used SanDisk "Ultra" or Extreme II cards. What I did find however is that using the battery grip causes a pretty big hit on batter life. After I finally bought the grip my 620 went down to about 550 or lower and the third party batteries dropped to about half that. What I don't know however, is whether or not turning off the grip separately has any effect. In the beginning with the grip (when I was still closely monitoring battery life) I'd frequently forget and leave the grip on while turning the camera off. In addition I found it much more of a hassle to try and monitor two battery positions rather than just one.

NaCl(my conclusion is that the cheap batteries are worth it...but just barely)H2O

The point I was making with my earlier post is that it is going to take a lot more clicks to fill up a 16g card compared to a 2 or 4g card with all other things such as flash and af being equal. To put it another way, filling up one 16g would be equivalent to filling up 4 4g cards. There's no way you can fill up 4 4gic cards and only use the same amount of power required to fill up 1 4g card.

Originally posted by bymy141

I've noticed no difference at all in battery life when using 2, 4, 8 or 16Gb cards.
Perhaps there is something wrong with the card itself, maybe there is dirt between the card connectors shortning out the voltage supply leads?

- Bert

Then you are not filling up the 16g cards. Once again, a 16 gig card will hold more pics than a 4 gig card meaning the camera will be doing 4x the work to fill up that 16g card compared to filling up a 4gig card.

**Canada_Rockies** · 05-09-2009, 10:03 PM

Originally posted by NaClH2O

For a while I was carefully monitoring battery life on my K10D to try to see if the much lower priced third party batteries were a bargin or not. I averaged about 620 "clicks" on the two "pentax brand" batteries I had and about 350 to 400 clicks on the third party batteries. I found absolutely no difference between using 8gb SDHC and 2 gb standard SD cards. I've always used SanDisk "Ultra" or Extreme II cards. What I did find however is that using the battery grip causes a pretty big hit on batter life. After I finally bought the grip my 620 went down to about 550 or lower and the third party batteries dropped to about half that. What I don't know however, is whether or not turning off the grip separately has any effect. In the beginning with the grip (when I was still closely monitoring battery life) I'd frequently forget and leave the grip on while turning the camera off. In addition I found it much more of a hassle to try and monitor two battery positions rather than just one.

NaCl(my conclusion is that the cheap batteries are worth it...but just barely)H2O

Hey, Salty - I have not noticed any hit on battery life from the grip. Of course I never go out without the grip attached, but I get life along the same lines as Pentax manual suggests as normal. I always turn off the grip unless I am actually using it because my clumsy fingers make the camera do weird things if I leave it on.

Tom S. · 05-10-2009, 05:04 AM

There is no logical reason to believe a large card uses significantly more battery power than a smaller one. However, since a larger card will hold more pictures than a smaller one, you would be writing more to it - which does use power, especially if you are shooting raw.

There is lot more than memory card size that effects battery life. For instance, how long camera stays on before automatically shutting down, how much your lens focuses, how much you use the flash (big one there!), how long the display is set to show results, etc.

05-07-2009, 02:53 PM	#1
Sentas Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: København N Posts: 1	Is it common knowledge that big SDHC drain the ba... I bourght a 16GB SDHC card (class 6) well …whenever have i use for taking 986 pics in a day…? I deply regret my buy, mostly because batteri are drained far earliere than I am used to… (4GB, class 6)) So beware folks! Pentax K10D + BG2 Sentas

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05-07-2009, 07:32 PM	#2
rfortson Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Houston TX Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,129	Not my experience at all. I wonder if others have experienced the same thing you have?

05-07-2009, 08:13 PM	#3
tvfd911 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: WI Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 354	how many pictures did you get from a battery charge with the 16gb card versus using the 4gb cards? Just wondering how much of a quantitative difference you are seeing. I'm assuming your shooting habits were comparable (not using flash one day, using flash the next with the big card).

05-07-2009, 09:23 PM	#4
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Are you taking into account that the 16g card holds 4x the pics a 4g card will? In other words, the batteries will do 4x the work to fill up that larger card.

05-08-2009, 04:07 AM	#5
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Without a lot of chimping, my 16GB SDHC card lasts just about as long as a battery charge. This will change as the battery ages and loses capacity. So I always keep an extra charged battery.

05-08-2009, 07:00 AM	#6
bymy141 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,563	I've noticed no difference at all in battery life when using 2, 4, 8 or 16Gb cards. Perhaps there is something wrong with the card itself, maybe there is dirt between the card connectors shortning out the voltage supply leads? - Bert

05-08-2009, 08:16 AM	#7
Ahab Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Arnold, Md. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 762	Originally posted by rfortson Not my experience at all. I wonder if others have experienced the same thing you have? Nope.

05-08-2009, 08:35 AM	#8
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	I've never used a 16 gig card, so I don't know if they draw more power or not. I've been trying to keep myself to 2 gig cards. I have a fear of my card going bad and losing a ton of pics.

05-08-2009, 09:02 AM	#9
augustmoon Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Toronto, San Diego, Seattle Posts: 455	I have 4GB 8GB 16GB cards, I travel, so yes, there are reasons why to use 16GB cards as there may be some time before getting back to my computer. I have great battery usage (K20D with orig Pentax Batteries) regardless of card being used, I still get around 1050-1200 shots per fully charged battery whether I am using 4 or 16GB cards. I don't use the on-board flash, but sometimes use live view.

05-08-2009, 09:48 AM	#10
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Originally posted by TaoMaas I've never used a 16 gig card, so I don't know if they draw more power or not. I've been trying to keep myself to 2 gig cards. I have a fear of my card going bad and losing a ton of pics. You're allowed to download 16GB cards before they fill, of course. I've got an 8GB but seldom put more than 2GB on it before downloading. But if you regularly shoot more than 2GB a day, I could see wanting to minimize your risk. But I like having the option of putting more files on a card.

05-08-2009, 11:14 PM	#11
mickey Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,146	Originally posted by TaoMaas I've never used a 16 gig card, so I don't know if they draw more power or not. I've been trying to keep myself to 2 gig cards. I have a fear of my card going bad and losing a ton of pics. Actually, I'm the same. I have a few 2gig and one 4gig SDHC card. It seems to do me.

05-09-2009, 09:24 AM	#12
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	For a while I was carefully monitoring battery life on my K10D to try to see if the much lower priced third party batteries were a bargin or not. I averaged about 620 "clicks" on the two "pentax brand" batteries I had and about 350 to 400 clicks on the third party batteries. I found absolutely no difference between using 8gb SDHC and 2 gb standard SD cards. I've always used SanDisk "Ultra" or Extreme II cards. What I did find however is that using the battery grip causes a pretty big hit on batter life. After I finally bought the grip my 620 went down to about 550 or lower and the third party batteries dropped to about half that. What I don't know however, is whether or not turning off the grip separately has any effect. In the beginning with the grip (when I was still closely monitoring battery life) I'd frequently forget and leave the grip on while turning the camera off. In addition I found it much more of a hassle to try and monitor two battery positions rather than just one. NaCl(my conclusion is that the cheap batteries are worth it...but just barely)H2O

05-09-2009, 09:36 AM	#13
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Originally posted by NaClH2O For a while I was carefully monitoring battery life on my K10D to try to see if the much lower priced third party batteries were a bargin or not. I averaged about 620 "clicks" on the two "pentax brand" batteries I had and about 350 to 400 clicks on the third party batteries. I found absolutely no difference between using 8gb SDHC and 2 gb standard SD cards. I've always used SanDisk "Ultra" or Extreme II cards. What I did find however is that using the battery grip causes a pretty big hit on batter life. After I finally bought the grip my 620 went down to about 550 or lower and the third party batteries dropped to about half that. What I don't know however, is whether or not turning off the grip separately has any effect. In the beginning with the grip (when I was still closely monitoring battery life) I'd frequently forget and leave the grip on while turning the camera off. In addition I found it much more of a hassle to try and monitor two battery positions rather than just one. NaCl(my conclusion is that the cheap batteries are worth it...but just barely)H2O The point I was making with my earlier post is that it is going to take a lot more clicks to fill up a 16g card compared to a 2 or 4g card with all other things such as flash and af being equal. To put it another way, filling up one 16g would be equivalent to filling up 4 4g cards. There's no way you can fill up 4 4gic cards and only use the same amount of power required to fill up 1 4g card. Originally posted by bymy141 I've noticed no difference at all in battery life when using 2, 4, 8 or 16Gb cards. Perhaps there is something wrong with the card itself, maybe there is dirt between the card connectors shortning out the voltage supply leads? - Bert Then you are not filling up the 16g cards. Once again, a 16 gig card will hold more pics than a 4 gig card meaning the camera will be doing 4x the work to fill up that 16g card compared to filling up a 4gig card.

05-09-2009, 10:03 PM	#14
Canada_Rockies Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sparwood, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,385	Originally posted by NaClH2O For a while I was carefully monitoring battery life on my K10D to try to see if the much lower priced third party batteries were a bargin or not. I averaged about 620 "clicks" on the two "pentax brand" batteries I had and about 350 to 400 clicks on the third party batteries. I found absolutely no difference between using 8gb SDHC and 2 gb standard SD cards. I've always used SanDisk "Ultra" or Extreme II cards. What I did find however is that using the battery grip causes a pretty big hit on batter life. After I finally bought the grip my 620 went down to about 550 or lower and the third party batteries dropped to about half that. What I don't know however, is whether or not turning off the grip separately has any effect. In the beginning with the grip (when I was still closely monitoring battery life) I'd frequently forget and leave the grip on while turning the camera off. In addition I found it much more of a hassle to try and monitor two battery positions rather than just one. NaCl(my conclusion is that the cheap batteries are worth it...but just barely)H2O Hey, Salty - I have not noticed any hit on battery life from the grip. Of course I never go out without the grip attached, but I get life along the same lines as Pentax manual suggests as normal. I always turn off the grip unless I am actually using it because my clumsy fingers make the camera do weird things if I leave it on.

05-10-2009, 05:04 AM	#15
Tom S. Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 4,317	There is no logical reason to believe a large card uses significantly more battery power than a smaller one. However, since a larger card will hold more pictures than a smaller one, you would be writing more to it - which does use power, especially if you are shooting raw. There is lot more than memory card size that effects battery life. For instance, how long camera stays on before automatically shutting down, how much your lens focuses, how much you use the flash (big one there!), how long the display is set to show results, etc.