Liveview depletes battery VERY quickly. [K-7]

PNTXFTW12 · 08-31-2009, 02:54 PM

on my K-7, let's say i have 2/3 of the battery left...i can only use the live-view for 20-30 seconds, maybe take 4 or 5 pictures before my camera shuts down and displays the 'Battery Depleted'.
I switch the power to the 'off' position and immediately back 'on' and i'll either still have 2/3 battery remaining or it will drop to 1/3 battery.

if i have 1/3 battery i literally cannot use the live-view for more than 5-10 seconds before the camera powers down with the 'Battery Depleted' message. I turn the camera off then back on...i have my 1/3 battery left still.
Eventually it gets to the point where i hit the LV button and my camera turns off almost INSTANTLY.

if i do it a few times it'll drain the battery right to the 0/3 position, still allowing the camera to turn on but the red empty battery displays on the info screen, which from there it'll slowly die until i can't turn it on anymore. [flashing 0/3 battery symbol]

i haven't tried how long i can use the LV on a 100% full charge but i can't imagine it being more than 2-3 minutes with 10-15 pictures before i start getting the auto-off and battery depleted message again.

is this normal? please tell me it isn't...

Damn Brit · 08-31-2009, 02:58 PM

The battery indicator hasn't been that accurate on DSLR's and Live View does use a lot of juice. Do you have SR off when using Live View? That will add to the burden if you have it on.
Maybe you have a faulty battery.
I don't think anyone has had a K-7 long enough yet to really know what is normal.

Nass · 08-31-2009, 03:22 PM

That seems weird - I was toggling between live view and TTL for at least an hr today, no probs at all. Mind you it was fully charged when I started, but still, total live view time must have been a good 10 mins or so at least (profoundly unscientific guess).

Wheatfield · 08-31-2009, 05:09 PM

Pentax is still noy using smart battery technology. When your battery indicator is showing one dot off charged, the battery is pretty near dead.
I was out shooting yesterday and noted that my battery indicator was showing 2 dots. The camera changed batteries to the in body one within 60 shots and was indicating a dead grip battery.
The battery indicator is not linear.

KungPOW · 08-31-2009, 06:56 PM

huh...

I thought the reason Pentax went to a battery with three terminals was to allow for better read on the charge remaining.

Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

**Lowell Goudge** · 08-31-2009, 07:26 PM

The problem is that no matter how you measure it, battery capacity under live view conditions is not the same as capacity under slr conditions.

with live view, sensor is powered 100% of the time, mirror is held up, LCD is on, and focusing is running full time.

that is a lot different than running the metering with the back LCD off.

kittykat46 · 08-31-2009, 07:51 PM

My observations on the K-7's battery capacity.
a) Purely still photography - very decent capacity. I get 550-700 shots depending on whether I use the on-board flash and do a lot of reviewing.

b) LiveView / Video with a fully charged battery. OK, I've never had it shut down due to low battery. Of course, I have been careful to control the length of continuous LV/Video shooting - I try to avoid overheating the sensor. But the cummulative total time is quite decent more than 10-15 minutes without showing any battery depletion.

c) Live View with a partially depleted battery (icon showing less than full charge) - the camera will power down, "Battery Depleted", even though there's plenty of power left for dozens or even 100 more still photographs.

I think it has more to do with how the battery power management logic interpretes the power drain coming from LiveView rather than absolute battery capacity.

My workaround - make sure your battery is freshly charged, or at least showing all bars charged on the icon, you'll get a decent amount of LiveView / Video work from the battery.

TheTenaciousOne · 08-31-2009, 07:54 PM

Ive had this problem to. Ended up just not using live view but yea. Never really liked it on a DSLR anyway

PNTXFTW12 · 08-31-2009, 08:15 PM

meh...

thanks for the replies guys!

snostorm · 09-01-2009, 01:21 AM

I tend to think that this is a battery conditioning situation. The batteries need a number of depletion/charge cycles before they will charge to full capacity. The K-7 is too new for most to owners to have gone through this yet. . .

Scott

falconeye · 09-01-2009, 01:46 AM

Originally posted by PNTXFTW12

i haven't tried how long i can use the LV on a 100% full charge but i can't imagine it being more than 2-3 minutes with 10-15 pictures before i start getting the auto-off and battery depleted message again.

When I used the K-7 to record continuous video for about 30 min, I depleted only a fraction of the battery. LV alone would consume even less power.

So, LV can probably be used for hours before the battery is depleted.

However, if you use LV for every shot and leave it on until auto shut-off after 5 minutes, then you end up with a couple of dozen shots only.

Wheatfield · 09-01-2009, 05:27 AM

Originally posted by snostorm

I tend to think that this is a battery conditioning situation. The batteries need a number of depletion/charge cycles before they will charge to full capacity. The K-7 is too new for most to owners to have gone through this yet. . .

Scott

My first full charge after buying my K-7 gave me over 1600 exposures with no deflection of the battery meter. However, once the meter deflects off "full" the battery goes out very quickly.

08-31-2009, 02:54 PM	#1
PNTXFTW12 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vaughan, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 269	Liveview depletes battery VERY quickly. [K-7] on my K-7, let's say i have 2/3 of the battery left...i can only use the live-view for 20-30 seconds, maybe take 4 or 5 pictures before my camera shuts down and displays the 'Battery Depleted'. I switch the power to the 'off' position and immediately back 'on' and i'll either still have 2/3 battery remaining or it will drop to 1/3 battery. if i have 1/3 battery i literally cannot use the live-view for more than 5-10 seconds before the camera powers down with the 'Battery Depleted' message. I turn the camera off then back on...i have my 1/3 battery left still. Eventually it gets to the point where i hit the LV button and my camera turns off almost INSTANTLY. if i do it a few times it'll drain the battery right to the 0/3 position, still allowing the camera to turn on but the red empty battery displays on the info screen, which from there it'll slowly die until i can't turn it on anymore. [flashing 0/3 battery symbol] i haven't tried how long i can use the LV on a 100% full charge but i can't imagine it being more than 2-3 minutes with 10-15 pictures before i start getting the auto-off and battery depleted message again. is this normal? please tell me it isn't...

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08-31-2009, 02:58 PM	#2
Damn Brit Guest	The battery indicator hasn't been that accurate on DSLR's and Live View does use a lot of juice. Do you have SR off when using Live View? That will add to the burden if you have it on. Maybe you have a faulty battery. I don't think anyone has had a K-7 long enough yet to really know what is normal.

08-31-2009, 03:22 PM	#3
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	That seems weird - I was toggling between live view and TTL for at least an hr today, no probs at all. Mind you it was fully charged when I started, but still, total live view time must have been a good 10 mins or so at least (profoundly unscientific guess).

08-31-2009, 05:09 PM	#4
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,975	Pentax is still noy using smart battery technology. When your battery indicator is showing one dot off charged, the battery is pretty near dead. I was out shooting yesterday and noted that my battery indicator was showing 2 dots. The camera changed batteries to the in body one within 60 shots and was indicating a dead grip battery. The battery indicator is not linear.

08-31-2009, 06:56 PM	#5
KungPOW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,699	huh... I thought the reason Pentax went to a battery with three terminals was to allow for better read on the charge remaining. Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

08-31-2009, 07:26 PM	#6
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,886	The problem is that no matter how you measure it, battery capacity under live view conditions is not the same as capacity under slr conditions. with live view, sensor is powered 100% of the time, mirror is held up, LCD is on, and focusing is running full time. that is a lot different than running the metering with the back LCD off.

08-31-2009, 07:51 PM	#7
kittykat46 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 923	My observations on the K-7's battery capacity. a) Purely still photography - very decent capacity. I get 550-700 shots depending on whether I use the on-board flash and do a lot of reviewing. b) LiveView / Video with a fully charged battery. OK, I've never had it shut down due to low battery. Of course, I have been careful to control the length of continuous LV/Video shooting - I try to avoid overheating the sensor. But the cummulative total time is quite decent more than 10-15 minutes without showing any battery depletion. c) Live View with a partially depleted battery (icon showing less than full charge) - the camera will power down, "Battery Depleted", even though there's plenty of power left for dozens or even 100 more still photographs. I think it has more to do with how the battery power management logic interpretes the power drain coming from LiveView rather than absolute battery capacity. My workaround - make sure your battery is freshly charged, or at least showing all bars charged on the icon, you'll get a decent amount of LiveView / Video work from the battery.

08-31-2009, 07:54 PM	#8
TheTenaciousOne Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Adelaide, SA, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 111	Ive had this problem to. Ended up just not using live view but yea. Never really liked it on a DSLR anyway

08-31-2009, 08:15 PM	#9
PNTXFTW12 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vaughan, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 269 Original Poster	meh... thanks for the replies guys!

09-01-2009, 01:21 AM	#10
snostorm Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chicago suburb, IL, USA Posts: 1,535	I tend to think that this is a battery conditioning situation. The batteries need a number of depletion/charge cycles before they will charge to full capacity. The K-7 is too new for most to owners to have gone through this yet. . . Scott

09-01-2009, 01:46 AM	#11
falconeye Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Munich, Alps, Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,871	Originally posted by PNTXFTW12 i haven't tried how long i can use the LV on a 100% full charge but i can't imagine it being more than 2-3 minutes with 10-15 pictures before i start getting the auto-off and battery depleted message again. When I used the K-7 to record continuous video for about 30 min, I depleted only a fraction of the battery. LV alone would consume even less power. So, LV can probably be used for hours before the battery is depleted. However, if you use LV for every shot and leave it on until auto shut-off after 5 minutes, then you end up with a couple of dozen shots only.

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09-01-2009, 05:27 AM	#12
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,975	Originally posted by snostorm I tend to think that this is a battery conditioning situation. The batteries need a number of depletion/charge cycles before they will charge to full capacity. The K-7 is too new for most to owners to have gone through this yet. . . Scott My first full charge after buying my K-7 gave me over 1600 exposures with no deflection of the battery meter. However, once the meter deflects off "full" the battery goes out very quickly.