Question for Canon 10D owners - battery life

For those who use the Canon 10D, how long do the battery last? If and when I buy the 10D I want to make sure that I have enough batteries for a day of shooting on the street/assignment.

It looks like the grip can hold two batteries, is that enough? I heard that they last forever.

Loren

thanks for all of those who answered my questions about digital file conversion, digital camera backup, etc. I've been asking a lot of questions and I appreciate the assistance.

ONE battery will likely last you the entire day.....depending. Two will definetely get the job done. You don't need a battery grip in order to use two batteries. You just put one aside and swap when you need to.

IMHO, I don't recommend spending money on the grip until you're convinced it's worth while. Don't buy it because you "think" it's useful.

DO get that second battery.

I like not having the grip. It keeps the camera smaller and lighter, and that's part of the reason I bought it. I have 4 batteries because I already had two for my G2. I think I've used two in one day, but I can't remember if I ever needed the third.

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Originally Posted by racingpinarello

For those who use the Canon 10D, how long do the battery last? If and when I buy the 10D I want to make sure that I have enough batteries for a day of shooting on the street/assignment.

It looks like the grip can hold two batteries, is that enough? I heard that they last forever.

Loren

thanks for all of those who answered my questions about digital file conversion, digital camera backup, etc. I've been asking a lot of questions and I appreciate the assistance.

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I think so. I've gotten over 300 shots with 2 batteries in the verticle grip AND IS on the whole time. Nowadays I don't even pay attention to how many shots. I carry two spares and use them when the battery indicater JUST starts moving down.

Mike

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Originally Posted by Trevor Ash

ONE battery will likely last you the entire day.....depending. Two will definetely get the job done. You don't need a battery grip in order to use two batteries. You just put one aside and swap when you need to.

IMHO, I don't recommend spending money on the grip until you're convinced it's worth while. Don't buy it because you "think" it's useful.

DO get that second battery.

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When I shoot with my F100, I usually use the grip because it's very comfortable to hold. It's only ergonomics of why I would buy the grip. I'm glad that I can buy just an extra battery and be done with it. Those things must be part nuclear because when I had the G3, I could shoot for days with it.

Thanks for advice everybody.
Loren

Lorenzo,

I get between 400 and 500 shots out of one battery, depending on how much I chimp. IS drops that down considerably, but that's not something you use often anyway.

THe battery life is much less than my D100, I could get 700-1000+ images on one battery with moderate chimping.

For portrait work, I can't live without the grip. Actually, for pretty much any vertical work I find it necessary. Cool thing about the BG-ED3 (Big Ed) is that the buttons on the vertical grip match the ones on the body, so you can use them in preview modes just like you would the ones on the body. Makes for less shifting of the camera when previewing images.

Loren,

As everyone here pretty much agrees on, two batteries are more than enough to handle a day's shooting.

Personally, besides holding a second battery, I almost need to have the grip to make my camera feel anything like what I'm used to with my film EOS bodies. It may sound silly, but the actual heft and weight of the camera feels good to me, like it's more solid. Since I don't usually go too long with the camera in my hands, and often use a tripod, lightness and manuverable is not an issue...

The funny thing is, Canon's motor drive SLRs have actually been getting lighter and lighter over the years (I put the 10D w/battery grip in this group because of the similar feel). The first F1 w/motor drive was an absolute tank, the later F1n significantly smaller and lighter, then the EOS line more compact and lighter still.

The 10D w/battery grip is lighter than any of them, so I don't mind...

You know you can control your battery use to some extent by programming the auto shut off feature to kick in after a relatively short period of time. When you're ready to start shooting again, you simply depress the shutter half way, and all the controls appear again. Spending a lot of time reviewing your shots in camera will also use up juice...

BTW, not that I'm paranoid, but I also carry both the battery charger unit as well as the AC adapter for the 10D when I shoot on location. It doesn't take up much space in my bag, so why not...

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Originally Posted by racingpinarello

For those who use the Canon 10D, how long do the battery last? If and when I buy the 10D I want to make sure that I have enough batteries for a day of shooting on the street/assignment.

It looks like the grip can hold two batteries, is that enough? I heard that they last forever.

Loren

thanks for all of those who answered my questions about digital file conversion, digital camera backup, etc. I've been asking a lot of questions and I appreciate the assistance.

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I had a photo session where I had to take action shots of snowboarders. The temperature was -15 degree Celcius, and I had taken about 150 photos with one battery. That day I was taking 3 pictures per jump. Also, I didn't use my Image Stabilizer lens. The IS lens do eat up a lot of energy.

When taking wedding photos, I use 1full battery and half of second battery for the whole event. I normally take about 250 - 300 photos, moslty using my IS lens.

Hope this helps.

JVphotography

Quote:

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Originally Posted by racingpinarello

For those who use the Canon 10D, how long do the battery last? If and when I buy the 10D I want to make sure that I have enough batteries for a day of shooting on the street/assignment.

It looks like the grip can hold two batteries, is that enough? I heard that they last forever.

Loren

thanks for all of those who answered my questions about digital file conversion, digital camera backup, etc. I've been asking a lot of questions and I appreciate the assistance.

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