How to Extend Digital Cameras Battery Life

Digital cameras have many features and options. Some features consume more energy than others. Some of the greatest features are power hungry. Learning which those power hungry features are and using them with caution can help you get more digital photos from your camera battery. Battery life varies from camera to camera, and from feature to feature, but until a solar-powered camera comes out, batteries will always be a concern. For now, you can extend your digital camera’s battery life by following these steps.

1. Turn off your LCD display screen. The digital camera LCD screen is one of the biggest energy consumers. In order to conserve energy try the following: Turn off the LCD and use the viewfinder whenever possible. Only use the LCD when you must for example when taking an overhead digital photo when the optical viewfinder is not usable.
2. Minimize the picture preview to the least amount of time possible—usually one second. This uses less LCD screen time, thus less power.
3. Dim the brightness on your LCD screen. A dimmer display extends battery life by consuming less power to light the screen. This might make the display harder to see, but usually only in direct sunlight.
4. Set the power saver to the least amount of time. Power saver lets your digital camera “sleep” when not in use, but doesn’t shut it down entirely. To “wake up” your digital camera, simply click the shutter button.
5. Use your zoom as little as possible. Motors consume a lot of energy when moving the digital camera optical components. This also goes for repeatedly turning your digital camera on and off if it has an extendable lens.
6. Do not use continuous focus when not necessary. You can not avoid focusing but you can avoid focusing that is not necessary. Constantly using motors and electronics to ready your shot drastically minimizes battery life.
7. Choose good quality of the digital camera charger. Sure saving a few bucks on the charger up front may keep you from busting your budget but in the end if you use a poor quality charger you'll reduce the life of the batteries.
8. Take extra rechargeable batteries. If you are going out on a long trip, it is a good idea to take extra rechargeable batteries. You never know when they will come handy as digital cameras consume power from batteries quickly even if you use rechargeable ones. This will double your picture taking ability right away without having to resort to losing any features or functionality.
9. It's great to have extras, but it's also important to make sure one is not ignored. Be sure to cycle your batteries equally to give them equal time and opportunity to shine for you. It'll help to balance the life of each battery while ensuring each battery is charged on a regular basis.
10. Use the flash only when necessary. Your digital camera’s “auto flash” option should take care of this, but make sure your flash isn’t going off in broad daylight.
11. Don’t delete pictures from your digital camera unless necessary. This consumes power. Wait until you download the pictures to your computer before deleting.
12. Battery life drops drastically in cold weather. Keep your camera warm between your body and coat. When you store your digital camera for a week or longer, take the battery out to avoid trickle discharge.