Number 292 - September 2007

5 Tips for Prolonging Your Battery Power Conserving Energy when shooting Video
by Clarke Bird, September 2003
You begin your movie masterpiece. Lights, Camera, Action! Oh, no, hold on a sec, you're out of battery juice. Regardless of what the event is, you'll feel like a real dummy if you decide to let the "Battery Tooth Fairy" monitor and charge your video cam batteries. You're right, there is no "Battery Tooth Fairy" and there is no substitute for logical thinking and common sense when it comes to your batteries. There are many things on a camera that will drain power faster than normal operation and there are some common sense ideas that I would like to share with you about being battery-smart. Use your viewfinder instead of the LCD screen:    This will be tough for most video novices. Through the flip-out LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen, you do get the best visual representation of what your video will actually turn out to look like, but if you want to save power to your batteries, keep the LCD shut. You won't believe how much battery time you will save by doing this. The energy savings comes out to be about 15%. To put that into practical terms, you can get up to 830 minutes of camera operation with a top of the line battery; when you use the LCD screen, you can only get 680 minutes. Thats a big difference. Buy extra batteries and buy large:    When you buy your camera it usually comes with a "starter" battery pack that will last about an hour. Even though you can use these "starter" packs for as long as you own the camera, it is a good investment to upgrade to a larger battery as soon as you can. Even though they can be expensive, you will thank me the next time you shoot your granddaughters soccer game and don't run out of battery power. You can keep the "starter" battery pack as a reserve. In case you are shooting the ultimate video and you do run out of power you will have a last chance to get some	good shots, knowing you can only tape for another hour. Always bring the AC adapter:    When I bring the AC adapter to a shoot, the electrical outlets seem to disappear. When I don't bring an AC adapter (expecting there won't be an outlet onsite), the outlets seems to outnumber me and multiply like rabbits. Always bring your AC adapter and a long extension cord. Switch to Standby or Manual:    Most of the camera's digital processed effects, picture effects, and auto-focus features, are driven by a system of servo's and electronic chips. These devices must have power to operate and the more "digital" operations you perform, the faster you battery will drain. Over-using these effects will drain your power fast. This is why your battery might say "Fully Charged 100 minutes," yet your shooting only lasts 20 minutes. If you are comfortable with the camera, you might want to try switching from auto-focus to manual, saving the camera power by manually adjusting the focus. Be prepared - expect the worst:    This rule of thumb works in most situations, but don't become paranoid about it. Expecting the worst can help you prepare for the best video productions ones that are thoughtful, logical, planned, and organized.    Oh, and be sure to attend Lindy Lindemann's Digital Camera Class on October 8, 15 and 22 (2003). I'm sure he will answer questions about digital camcorders also.    Copyright (C) 1996-2007, Alamo PC Organization, Inc. San Antonio, TX USA
Number 292 - September 2007