M9 battery life

amoz

amoz

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I ordered my M9 back in October last year, and finally I got the message from my dealer that it should be there in about two weeks from now... So I started to look at some online shared experiences again. One thing that worries me is battery life.

I have read a review (by a Magnum photographer whose name I forgot) in which it is stated that a battery will last you for only 3 hours. He left the camera on the whole time while he was out shooting —as I am intending to do too (my current MP is 'on' the whole time as well).

This would mean it is nearly impossible to take the camera with you if you, for example, only have access to electricity during the weekend —as is quite often the case for me.

Any comments? Can one expect future improvements in this regard?

Thanks.
 
It is not needed, in fact it is not best practice to leave the camera on all the time; just set auto-shutoff to 2 minutes. You won't miss any shots as startup is faster than bringing the camera to you eye and focussing. So; hit shutterbutton, bring to your eye and shoot. Something similar for auto-review. Don't put that to automatic but to "release button" It will come on if you hold the shutter button depressed ( a very nice feature of the M9). Used that way you can expect 400-500 shots per battery, after you batteries have run in. And, in general, you need at least one full battery in your pocket if you have a battery-dependent camera. Actually three batteries: one in the camera, one in your pocket and one in the charger at home ( or your hotel or your car) This is not specific for the M8/9, it is valid for any digital camera. Leave it on for an extended period and the battery will drain prematurely.
 
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I've not found battery life to be short at all, but I don't use the screen much and have auto-off set to 2 minutes as well. The charger comes with the 12V adapter, I have one in my truck and one on the desk in the studio. The rated 350 shots per charge seems pretty accurate to me, and I carry batteries as needed.
 
Thanks for the tips — and I sincerely hope that Jaap is right when stating that "startup is faster than bringing the camera to you eye and focusing".
 
The battery WILL die in about 3 hours if auto off is not turned ON. It's pretty pathetic and battery life still is horrible in comparison to mainstream SLR's, so make sure you at least have a backup battery. BTW, while stock hasn't been plentiful, dealers like B&H have been selling and stocking on and off for the regular price, where some dealers (mainly one we all know) have been taking advantage and selling for $175.

Try not to get ripped off in the process
 
According to the Canon website the batterylife on for instance the 7D (and the other single-battery cameras, the 1 series is double or triple) is not much different from the M9
EOS 7D 640 (at 20°C) – 540 (at 0°C)
 
jaapv said:
According to the Canon website the batterylife on for instance the 7D (and the other single-battery cameras, the 1 series is double or triple) is not much different from the M9
EOS 7D 640 (at 20°C) – 540 (at 0°C)
Click to expand...

The problem with the digital M's is not how many consecutive images you can take but how long they last in standby mode. Putting the camera to sleep after 2 minutes can be frustrating, as you need to remember to lightly press the button when preempting a shot. I'm sure the 7D lasts a lot longer in this respect.
 
Actually it is so fast that it is no big deal if you forget, except in extremely decisive moments. I have no idea how long the 7D lasts, as I could not find it on Canon's site. I have a strong suspicion that it would not be spectacularly longer. Have you got the numbers?
 
No, no numbers but considering I've used all Canon 1 series cameras and Nikon too, their DSLR standby times are very long and have little effect on the battery life.

Not sure how different a 7D would be but I imagine better than the Leica, although they really shouldn't be compared as they are totally different cameras. I guess if you compare to a M4/3 camera the Leica isn't too bad - but still far from being as great as my D3s which can last days and around 2000+ images with auto focus, albeit a battery twice the size of the M.
 
I use auto off on all my digital cameras (Canon and Leica) to save battery, why would you not do that? Still, I find that for the most part my Leica battery does not last exactly as long as my Canon battery but I do use the Leica more often and it does last. With two batteries I can shoot the whole day it seems (plus a car charger just in case!). Same with the Canon but that holds two batteries at a time so I don't have to change them out. Would I choose the M8/9 (or any battery dependent camera) over a MP if going off to a remote jungle without power? I would want the MP.
 
M9 battery life is one of those things I thought I would need to be worried about after reading the conjecture on forums. But in the cold light of day I think two fully conditioned batteries is plenty for a full day out. In very cold weather you could take three, for a relaxed day pottering about one may be enough. I have never used more than two even on a cold day shooting hundreds of pictures. Auto Review is set to off, Auto Power set to 2min, and no problems with the camera waking up quickly enough, you just need to get into the habit of the initial shutter press as its raised to the eye if things start to look exciting.

Steve
 
leicashot said:
No, no numbers but considering I've used all Canon 1 series cameras and Nikon too, their DSLR standby times are very long and have little effect on the battery life.

Not sure how different a 7D would be but I imagine better than the Leica, although they really shouldn't be compared as they are totally different cameras. I guess if you compare to a M4/3 camera the Leica isn't too bad - but still far from being as great as my D3s which can last days and around 2000+ images with auto focus, albeit a battery twice the size of the M.
Click to expand...
Aye - there is the rub - It took Leica a few headaches to get even this battery in...
 
bluepenguin said:
Everbody uses auto off...

By the way that took really long time to get a M9.
It only took me 1 month to get a M9 for me.
Click to expand...

Not 'everybody' uses auto off...at least it's not a feature desired by most working photographers. I've missed quite a few moments with my Leica M8/9 because of this feature, which of course is necessary to preserving battery life.

On my old M6/MP this was never an issue and I avoid using it on my D3 and D3s when working. While I try to be mindful of the feature when using my M9 I still forget to pre-press the shutter before aiming for a shot, and thus the feature can be very frustrating.

I hope Leica improves on this in upcoming firmware and/or cameras.
 
Double Negative said:
My Canon 1D Mark IIn gets at least 1,500-2,000 shots per battery, even if left in standby mode for days. Of course, you can't compare that to an M8/M9! The difference in size alone is on the order of 3-4x, minimum.

On the Ms, I usually get 250-400 or so shots, depending on chimping, etc. I pretty much always have the auto-off set to 5-10m and the review time about 3s. In between shooting "sequences" I typically turn the camera off; especially if it goes over my shoulder or in a bag. I keep four batteries in rotation and I've sized my SD cards to more-or-less coincide with needing to change a battery, so I can change both at the same time.

Do I wish the battery life were better? Maybe. But so far, it really hasn't been an issue at all.
Click to expand...

(M9) If you set the chimping to "release button"you will get more shots. You just hold the shutter depressed after the shot if you want to see the review, otherwise it is off. It also prevents that annoying flash of light in your face each time you take an image.
 
leicashot said:
Not 'everybody' uses auto off...at least it's not a feature desired by most working photographers.
Click to expand...

:confused: I must be doing my job wrong. But seriously, if auto off becomes part of your work flow you will not have a problem. Much in the same way I never forget to turn my car on before driving...
 
Battery life is a lot shorter than those of the Olympus batteries for my E-3, for instance. Have to charge up the Leica batteries every time I go out to shoot, whereas the Olympus batts last for shoot after shoot before it's recharge time.

Wonder if this has anything to do with the relative size of the Leica vs Olympus batts.The latter are bigger (more capacity?). Obviously, Leica batts have to be smaller, given the size of the camera.
 
Jaap's usage advice is dead-on accurate.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is that the CCD in the M9 is much more power-hungry than the modern CMOS sensors used by most other cameras. That no doubt comes into play.

Jeff
 
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