p.1 #1 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
I won't look a gift horse in the mouth, but I went out to shoot some skateboarding yesterday, and was quite frankly floored by the battery efficiency numbers I got. I shot in EFCS on continuous high the whole time in the 120FPS refresh mode on the EVF (with what felt like a fairly liberal amount of chimping), and after 1563 shots, I had gone from 73% to 39% on the battery info screen. I know that CIPA numbers are usually about half of what you can expect in real life but... this is better battery efficiency that I got out of my D500!
Again, this is not a complaint! But if this is accurate, Canon have DRAMATICALLY undersold the battery efficiency of the R5. Is anyone else seeing numbers like this?
I think the issue is that the CIPA numbers are the result of very specific usage patterns. I'm just guessing here but I imagine those patterns have the EVF and rear LCD on most of the time, AF and IBIS are active a lot (meaning the shutter button is held down half way for extended periods), images are likely reviewed for extended periods, etc. It seems to be a worst case scenario sort of number.
p.1 #4 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
And how long were you shooting for? I've popped off 1500 shots in 40 minutes on my Sony body for a 50% battery loss, but if I'd been out all day, I wouldn't have come close to that. There's an element of actual usage time built into the CIPA ratings.
"In the real world, CIPA’s claim is thankfully about as accurate as an amateur darts player on a rollercoaster. By the time the battery had depleted to 34% I had shot 1,378 images.
And by the time it reached 9% and the camera helpfully started blinking a warning at me, I’d over shot ten times the CIPA estimate – 2,328 images, all with the EVF, all while driving one of Canon’s biggest and heaviest lenses. Mind you, that was only about four hours after I’d started – on my 1D or 5D (gripped, with a pair of batteries) I’d expect at least a day’s really intensive use."
He doesn't say if he'd left the camera on and ready the entire 4 hours or weather he'd let it sleep.
OK. After reading through some of this, um, easy to ready document I think I can see why CIPA numbers are lower than what real life tests are showing. Some examples:
"2.9 Motor driven optical zoom operation Before every picture is taken, the motor driven
optical zoom lens shall be moved either from the TELE end to the WIDE end, or from the
WIDE end to the TELE end. It is also acceptable to move the zoom lens either as
TELE→WIDE→TELE, or as WIDE→TELE→WIDE before every second picture is taken.
Except for the motor driven optical zoom operation, nothing is specified for other zoom
operations such as a digital zoom operation."
Normal usage is not to zoom between TELE to WIDE (or visa versa) between every shot.
"2.16 Color monitor on/off mode (see Explanatory Notes)
a)For the duration of the test, the color monitor shall be lit continuously in the mode in which it
can be used as the viewfinder. If during the test the color monitor turns off automatically, or if
it automatically shifts into other modes, it shall immediately be turned back into the viewfinder
mode either by an automatic or manual operation (other than by replacing batteries or power
cycling), and the test shall be continued. For cameras equipped with two or more color
monitors, the test can be conducted with only the most power consuming one lit continuously.
b)If the color monitor is equipped with an illumination function (e.g. backlight), the illumination
shall be lit for the duration of the test. If the brightness or the contrast of the color monitor is
adjustable, the adjustable parameter shall be set at the factory setting when the measurement is
made."
If I am reading this correctly it means the read LCD must be on and active 100% of the time--or as near as 100% as can be done. That would indeed drain the battery quite quickly.
Thanks for the link. I don't understand why the testing procedures were picked but it does let me know I don't really care about CIPA numbers for battery life at all.
p.1 #7 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
459 shots today, battery down from 100% to 53%, and this is a regular LP-E6N, not the new extended battery. Spent about 1.5 hours with the camera, maybe 2 hours tops.
p.1 #8 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
My results are similar to OP if shooting action (many frames over a short time). Walking through the woods with camera on shooting frames occasionally I get many fewer clicks per battery usage. Keeping the camera powered up seems to be the largest component of power use in my hands...
p.1 #9 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
RoamingScott wrote:
And how long were you shooting for? I've popped off 1500 shots in 40 minutes on my Sony body for a 50% battery loss, but if I'd been out all day, I wouldn't have come close to that. There's an element of actual usage time built into the CIPA ratings.
I would say two, maybe two and a half hours. Hadn't considered total camera on time but what you're saying makes a lot of sense.
p.1 #10 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
DanielPaul wrote:
OK. After reading through some of this, um, easy to ready document I think I can see why CIPA numbers are lower than what real life tests are showing. Some examples:
"2.9 Motor driven optical zoom operation Before every picture is taken, the motor driven
optical zoom lens shall be moved either from the TELE end to the WIDE end, or from the
WIDE end to the TELE end. It is also acceptable to move the zoom lens either as
TELE→WIDE→TELE, or as WIDE→TELE→WIDE before every second picture is taken.
Except for the motor driven optical zoom operation, nothing is specified for other zoom
operations such as a digital zoom operation."
Normal usage is not to zoom between TELE to WIDE (or visa versa) between every shot.
"2.16 Color monitor on/off mode (see Explanatory Notes)
a)For the duration of the test, the color monitor shall be lit continuously in the mode in which it
can be used as the viewfinder. If during the test the color monitor turns off automatically, or if
it automatically shifts into other modes, it shall immediately be turned back into the viewfinder
mode either by an automatic or manual operation (other than by replacing batteries or power
cycling), and the test shall be continued. For cameras equipped with two or more color
monitors, the test can be conducted with only the most power consuming one lit continuously.
b)If the color monitor is equipped with an illumination function (e.g. backlight), the illumination
shall be lit for the duration of the test. If the brightness or the contrast of the color monitor is
adjustable, the adjustable parameter shall be set at the factory setting when the measurement is
made."
If I am reading this correctly it means the read LCD must be on and active 100% of the time--or as near as 100% as can be done. That would indeed drain the battery quite quickly.
Thanks for the link. I don't understand why the testing procedures were picked but it does let me know I don't really care about CIPA numbers for battery life at all.
"Vehicle shall be tested with 4 flat commercial grade all-terrain tires, 4 sumo wrestlers inside, parking brake half engaged, and towing an M-1 tank. Driver shall repeatedly apply full throttle until max speed is achieved, then apply maximum brakes until stopped. Repeat until fuel is exhausted."
p.1 #11 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
atkinsonpaak wrote:
I won't look a gift horse in the mouth, but I went out to shoot some skateboarding yesterday, and was quite frankly floored by the battery efficiency numbers I got. I shot in EFCS on continuous high the whole time in the 120FPS refresh mode on the EVF (with what felt like a fairly liberal amount of chimping), and after 1563 shots, I had gone from 73% to 39% on the battery info screen. I know that CIPA numbers are usually about half of what you can expect in real life but... this is better battery efficiency that I got out of my D500!
Again, this is not a complaint! But if this is accurate, Canon have DRAMATICALLY undersold the battery efficiency of the R5. Is anyone else seeing numbers like this?...Show more →
I haven't shot the R5, but I remember going out on a hot day and an older body that had well used 3rd party battery, indicator blinking (but over 10% since it was an old battery) and getting a LOT of shots.
I think the published numbers have the af going from infinity to mfd or something for each shot? So if you fire off a lot of shots without the af adjusting focus much, you'd get more. Also if it's warm out like it is in a lot areas now it helps. Somehow the time it's been used seems to matter, haven't figured that out really. I have a button sticking but I think that maybe happened before that even.
p.1 #12 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
I always had better battery life... the 1-series, 5D series... I guess it's because I never shoot just one frame but typically two or more. People blink, my hand shakes, safety in numbers.
On the other hand, my fuel consumption with cars - especially EVs - is dramatically worse than what the EPA says
DanielPaul wrote:
OK. After reading through some of this, um, easy to ready document I think I can see why CIPA numbers are lower than what real life tests are showing. Some examples:
"2.9 Motor driven optical zoom operation Before every picture is taken, the motor driven
optical zoom lens shall be moved either from the TELE end to the WIDE end, or from the
WIDE end to the TELE end. It is also acceptable to move the zoom lens either as
TELE→WIDE→TELE, or as WIDE→TELE→WIDE before every second picture is taken.
Except for the motor driven optical zoom operation, nothing is specified for other zoom
operations such as a digital zoom operation."
Normal usage is not to zoom between TELE to WIDE (or visa versa) between every shot.
"2.16 Color monitor on/off mode (see Explanatory Notes)
a)For the duration of the test, the color monitor shall be lit continuously in the mode in which it
can be used as the viewfinder. If during the test the color monitor turns off automatically, or if
it automatically shifts into other modes, it shall immediately be turned back into the viewfinder
mode either by an automatic or manual operation (other than by replacing batteries or power
cycling), and the test shall be continued. For cameras equipped with two or more color
monitors, the test can be conducted with only the most power consuming one lit continuously.
b)If the color monitor is equipped with an illumination function (e.g. backlight), the illumination
shall be lit for the duration of the test. If the brightness or the contrast of the color monitor is
adjustable, the adjustable parameter shall be set at the factory setting when the measurement is
made."
If I am reading this correctly it means the read LCD must be on and active 100% of the time--or as near as 100% as can be done. That would indeed drain the battery quite quickly.
Thanks for the link. I don't understand why the testing procedures were picked but it does let me know I don't really care about CIPA numbers for battery life at all. ...Show more →
Especially with digital cameras having no optical finder, battery life depends dramatically on the number of frames per minute the camera is powered on. CIPA standards were more consistent in the 135 film era, but never really accurate. Back then the number of rolls was usually optimistic.
p.1 #14 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
CIPA standards might be overly conservative but they are standards so that you can compare cameras. Multiply them by 3 and compare to Sony/Nikon multiplied by 3. Or 2 if you want to be conservative. Still very useful information once you know its conservative.
My issue with mirrorless (Sony a7r's, M5, M.... ) batteries has been that if you forget to turn the camera off, it often uses a lot of the battery life up churning focus. Often with my m5 backpacking I bring the camera up and the battery is dead because I shot 3 shots 2 hours ago and did not turn it off and it spent an hour focusing without need. Eg the auto off is not nearly as good as dslr. This makes way more difference than battery life measured by CIPA for me and causes me to bring lots of batteries. Anyone have any advice on whether R5 is better at auto off vs the 5div.
p.1 #15 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
Scott Stoness wrote:
CIPA standards might be overly conservative but they are standards so that you can compare cameras. Multiply them by 3 and compare to Sony/Nikon multiplied by 3. Or 2 if you want to be conservative. Still very useful information once you know its conservative.
My issue with mirrorless (Sony a7r's, M5, M.... ) batteries has been that if you forget to turn the camera off, it often uses a lot of the battery life up churning focus. Often with my m5 backpacking I bring the camera up and the battery is dead because I shot 3 shots 2 hours ago and did not turn it off and it spent an hour focusing without need. Eg the auto off is not nearly as good as dslr. This makes way more difference than battery life measured by CIPA for me and causes me to bring lots of batteries. Anyone have any advice on whether R5 is better at auto off vs the 5div....Show more →
I have 'continuous AF' turned off. Not for the reason above, but because it drives me nuts.
p.1 #16 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
Glad to hear real world evidence of better than advertised battery capability. My one worry was that I would be swapping batteries after 200 shots because it would go below the threshhold for the high speed+ shootiing.
I know on my 1DxII that I am getting 3k shots over the course of 5-6 hours using 40% battery life. The only thing that seems to use battery life in that camera is the rear screen.
My R uses batteries to a greater extent, but I have never drained more than 35% from both batteries in the grip in a day before.
p.1 #17 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
koenkooi wrote:
I have 'continuous AF' turned off. Not for the reason above, but because it drives me nuts.
I can't imagine, other than in very unique circumstances, that you would want continuous AF turned on. It can't be that great for the lens AF system, particularly an older lens like my trusty old 85/1.2 original. That thing has like a 5 horsepower focus motor in it! (slight exaggeration).
p.1 #18 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
Scott Stoness wrote:
CIPA standards might be overly conservative but they are standards so that you can compare cameras. Multiply them by 3 and compare to Sony/Nikon multiplied by 3. Or 2 if you want to be conservative. Still very useful information once you know its conservative.
My issue with mirrorless (Sony a7r's, M5, M.... ) batteries has been that if you forget to turn the camera off, it often uses a lot of the battery life up churning focus. Often with my m5 backpacking I bring the camera up and the battery is dead because I shot 3 shots 2 hours ago and did not turn it off and it spent an hour focusing without need. Eg the auto off is not nearly as good as dslr. This makes way more difference than battery life measured by CIPA for me and causes me to bring lots of batteries. Anyone have any advice on whether R5 is better at auto off vs the 5div....Show more →
The camera doesn't go to sleep after a few minutes?
p.1 #19 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
I posted how after my first day using the R5 I went in an ordered a few more LP-E6NH batteries. Though I did say I was doing a lot of tweaking, chimping, deleting, settings changes ....
Now that I'm pretty well set up as far as customizing the buttons and wheels and I'm not chimping, I'm finding the battery life to be more than adequate. Using 2 batteries in the grip I easily get a few hundred shots and the batteries are in the 75-80% range
p.1 #20 · Is anyone else getting *dramatically* better battery life than the CIPA numbers?
According to FactuallyFactualFacts.com:
"When you shoot in bursts in a short period, the electrons and photons in the camera flow through the pipes without getting clogged up. But when you shoot and leave the camera sitting for a while before shooting again, the photons and electrons cool down and stick to the pipes. It then takes more energy to push the old crud out of the pipes before it's working at full efficiency again. You can test this by doing a long burst until 50% battery is depleted. Note the number of shots. Recharge the battery and do a test of a short burst once every hour with single shots tossed in. Once 50% of battery power is depleted, note that the number of shot is much less. This proves with 100% flawless logic that the electrons and photons are indeed clogging up the pipes. DSLR cameras mitigated this very well by engineering the mirror and shutter to spray the photons with oil before they are vacuumed into the pipes of the camera. The lubing action keeps the pipes from clogging up when not shooting continuously. Most mirrorless cameras lack this lubing feature."
