Live view kills my battery

allill · 02-27-2010, 06:11 PM

Sorry if this topic has been covered, just thought I would ask if any of you with a K7 have the same issue. I don't use live view, but whenever I try it, even with a good charge on my battery, it dumps real quick, like less than 2 minutes quick. Then I can restart the camera and it shows 2 bars of power left.

Itai · 02-27-2010, 07:25 PM

Live view generally gives you half the battery life compared to not using it. So if you can take 500 shots normally, than you should be able to get 250 with live-view but that depends on many factors so it's just a ball-park feature.

I have a K7 and did not notice the issue you mention. I only use genuine Pentax batteries. Actually, the few times I used live view, I got the overheat warning way before the battery-level even diminished by one notch.

Therefore you may have a defective part. Hopefully it is the battery rather than the camera.

- Itai
Neovoyage | Explore, Experience, Expand your horizons | Travel Photography

GerryL · 02-27-2010, 07:38 PM

That is actually rather quick as I would expect DSLRs not to be too much of a power hog as that.
Maybe the battery isn't charging well or fully.
Might have some issues or not holding any charge.

inferno10 · 02-27-2010, 11:34 PM

Originally posted by allill

Sorry if this topic has been covered, just thought I would ask if any of you with a K7 have the same issue. I don't use live view, but whenever I try it, even with a good charge on my battery, it dumps real quick, like less than 2 minutes quick. Then I can restart the camera and it shows 2 bars of power left.

That doesn't sound normal. I'm able to record video longer than 10 minutes straight without the battery giving out; like Itai, I'd get the overheating warning before the battery warning. Are you using third-party batteries? Have you tried another battery? Are you on the latest firmware?

- Jason

allill · 02-28-2010, 04:53 AM

Video is fine, I can go on for a while. What happens in LV is even when the battery is showing full in normal mode, once I make the switch, I can see it dump and even turn off. After, I can restart the camera and the battery meter is right back up to where it was.

Jason, I will show you what I mean next time I see you. In fact, I usually bring the camera with me to work, so I ain't too far from you.

02-27-2010, 06:11 PM	#1
allill Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 267	Live view kills my battery Sorry if this topic has been covered, just thought I would ask if any of you with a K7 have the same issue. I don't use live view, but whenever I try it, even with a good charge on my battery, it dumps real quick, like less than 2 minutes quick. Then I can restart the camera and it shows 2 bars of power left.

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02-27-2010, 07:25 PM	#2
Itai Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Montreal Photos: Gallery Posts: 209	Live view generally gives you half the battery life compared to not using it. So if you can take 500 shots normally, than you should be able to get 250 with live-view but that depends on many factors so it's just a ball-park feature. I have a K7 and did not notice the issue you mention. I only use genuine Pentax batteries. Actually, the few times I used live view, I got the overheat warning way before the battery-level even diminished by one notch. Therefore you may have a defective part. Hopefully it is the battery rather than the camera. - Itai Neovoyage \| Explore, Experience, Expand your horizons \| Travel Photography

02-27-2010, 07:38 PM	#3
GerryL Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: CA Posts: 2,731	That is actually rather quick as I would expect DSLRs not to be too much of a power hog as that. Maybe the battery isn't charging well or fully. Might have some issues or not holding any charge.

02-27-2010, 11:34 PM	#4
inferno10 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 342	Originally posted by allill Sorry if this topic has been covered, just thought I would ask if any of you with a K7 have the same issue. I don't use live view, but whenever I try it, even with a good charge on my battery, it dumps real quick, like less than 2 minutes quick. Then I can restart the camera and it shows 2 bars of power left. That doesn't sound normal. I'm able to record video longer than 10 minutes straight without the battery giving out; like Itai, I'd get the overheating warning before the battery warning. Are you using third-party batteries? Have you tried another battery? Are you on the latest firmware? - Jason

02-28-2010, 04:53 AM	#5
allill Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 267 Original Poster	Video is fine, I can go on for a while. What happens in LV is even when the battery is showing full in normal mode, once I make the switch, I can see it dump and even turn off. After, I can restart the camera and the battery meter is right back up to where it was. Jason, I will show you what I mean next time I see you. In fact, I usually bring the camera with me to work, so I ain't too far from you.