Battery drain

Is this a dumb question?

Do some lenses drain the battery quicker than others?

Mike

Mike I don't or can't help you as I don't own a motor driven lens

Put I would think so if you take into account friction and weight of the barrel then yes

James

Mike - on the scale of things, I doubt very much if it's something we'd notice - a 77mm thread lens's focusing element will be heavier than a 49mm's and need more power to move it, thats a straight forward matter of physics. Using the integral flash and/or leaving the camera switched on on the grip will deplete the battery far quicker than using say a DA14 versus FA50.


Steve

You might notice something with the AF 35-70 f/2.8 maybe?
But it use his own batteries I believe.

The AF 35-70f/2.8 does have it's own batteries - i think it uses 2 x AA, but I don't have an example in my collection and Bojidar's info on the lens doesn't mention this.

Steve

I am using my Sigma 50 macro a lot more and in macro mode so I was wondering if the lens could be the cause of my shortened battery life. As these are genuine Pentax batteries I'll be annoyed if the batteries are losing their zip.

No evidence yet as I have not had one long enough but I suspect that Sigma Optical Stabiliser lenses must have an impact on battery life. I recently bought a 17-70 HSM OS and I was very impressed with the OS which operates from when the shutter button is half compressed, so you can see it in action.

The manual suggests that the OS is energised, although dormant, when OS is turned off on the lens. It also has some sort of time-out shut-down as, when enabled, it goes "clunk" around a minute after you last used it.

Glyn

No OS on mine though.

AA are batteries right or not?

The 35-70mm f2.8 with built in batteries was for the ME-F and is a red herring. That AF system is nothing to do with modern AF systems.

I think the lens batteries for the AF 35-70 are AAAs, although I've never managed to get hold of one to match my ME-F so I don't know for sure.

The AF circuits in the ME-F are also pretty power hungry, it has twice as many button cells as the rest of the M series and still munches them at a rate of knots.

Mike, how long have you had your K20D and therefore the battery?

I only ask, as lithium-ion batteries do have a fairly limited lifespan. With laptops I have a great number of the batteries go after a mere 3 years (approx 80% of the 44 issued to staff - the other 20% never take them off mains!)
It will be the same with Camera batteries.
Even now, my K20D battery is not lasting as long as it used to.
Unfortunately that is the problem with Lithium-ion, and indeed NiMh batteries, they can only take so much use and re-charge. They are far better than Ni-Cads though.

I would suggest buying a new battery, but not necessarily a Pentax.
I have a Hehnal third party battery and still works perfectly with the body.

Hope this helps.

Lithium-ion batteries are supposed to have a 3 year life from first use. So if you have one that's a year old and never been used it should last another 3 years from when you use it.

I've two Pentax K20D batteries and two copies. The Pentax batteries work perfectly the copies only work for about 50 shots. I used to have similar problems with Sony movie camera batteries... now I use only Sony (slightly different because they have circuitry to show how many minutes are left).

Algi

Mike are you reviewing your pics more when using the macro.
Constantly using the LCD screen will run your battery down. I do it all the time, zooming in and out, checking the Histogram, comparing pics all play a part.

Another cause for quick battery drain (especially if you have the grip on your camera) is if you tend to sling the camera over your shoulder. Either the top or grip shutter release button can be hit by your hips (or a camera bag) and be focusing most of the day. Heavier lenses might tilt the camera into or out of such a position.

If you ever get accidental pictures of your feet this could be a definite cause.
If not... I'd probably go with LCD usage.