K-5 battery life

Well I have noticed this as the battery approaches depletion.

But it's not really the point, is it? It's no good if 'empty' really means 'wait ten minutes and you'll get a few more shots'.

There was never anything like this with the K10D. The battery lasted for ages - five or six hundred shots or more. With lots of reviewing too. A whole day at Farnborough airshow (1200 shots or thereabouts) and one battery change.

And people's experience seems to be that the K-5 battery life is better - not much, much worse.

Just revived this old thread as I made a recent observation when charging my batteries on the K5. I have 4 batteries & 2 chargers which I tend to rotate hopefully to extend battery life. However I noticed something that may partly contribute to the number of exposures per charge is the way the battery is placed in the charger.

I checked with each battery that the charger light went out before starting the test...

With all 4 batteries fully charged I placed each battery back in each charger in turn by the same method.

Method 1. Put the battery in the charger and push it up to the pins until the charger light comes on...only after the light is on do you click it fully into place.(Charging light goes out after just a few seconds... consistent result)

Method 2. Click the battery quickly and directly into place without pushing up to pins and waiting for charger light first.(Charging light often takes many seconds longer sometimes taking a minute or two... inconsistent result)

Needless to say I prefer method one to avoid risk of overcharge and feel method 1 is the correct charge method. Maybe nothig significant but there is a difference and maybe worth taking on board when placing your batteries in your chargers ...with care!

Mike

Interesting thread, and it seems performance varies.
Personally, I have had no problem with my K-5 battery, 1200 shots can be easily accomplished. Which for me is a relief, as I only have 1 battery for the K-5.....

As for third party batteries, best to go for an established brand (Hahnel for example) so you do get a reliable performing one. In fact the Hahnel is the best performing one I have got for the K10D/K20D, although the official ones are still good.

Above all else, follow the instructions to make sure you get the best out of a battery.
This means, don't charge when there is still life in it. Go to the menus on the camera and discharge it first before recharging. Older batteries will lessen their charge over time (should be years though). If it is not holding charge, replace it.
If you have not used a battery for a long while, discharge it, and then charge it again, even if you are not likely to use it for a while. Again this will keep it in the best condition.
Pentax chargers are okay if you forget that you have put a battery on charge, they have an auto switch off mode which won't damage the battery (unlike the Jessops charger for AA and AAA batteries, which keeps going - best to use the uniross charger for these batteries, as it also has an auto shutdown)

It's amazing how many Laptop batteries that have had to be replaced at work due to not following discharge-recharge instructions.
Having said that, camera batteries should be better for this, as cameras are not used as much.

Hope this helps.

I thought Lithium-Ion batteries could be recharged any time you wanted to top them up without the need to do a discharge first. That's how I've always treated mine without any adverse effects.

Lithium data here link

Laptops left connected to the mains once the battery is charged will shorten the life of the battery. It's better to use the laptop without the battery inserted (once it's fully charged) whilst on mains.

Best regards

Yes thats what I understand, they don't have any memory (a bit like me)so they do not need to be drained before charging.
And I believe the problem with Laptop batteries comes from keeping them fully charged by having them connected to the mains whilst the laptop is in use.

yup that was my understanding too