# R5 Battery Life Poll for birders and other telephoto lens users



## AlanF (Mar 6, 2021)

My R5 is super: not had a single freeze, focusses fast and accurately, and delivers sharp images. But, as usual for me, the battery life is short. I don't spend much time chimping, it's set to eco mode, the rear LCD is always off and I use just the viewfinder, airplane mode is on and I have disabled everything that I can think of that would use power. I tend to take short bursts of 3-4 shots or less. My main lenses are the RF 100-500mm or adapted 100-400mm II or 400mm DO II. Yet, whereas early discussion here had people getting 1000s of shots per charge, I now get a couple of 100 only. 

All comments by those who don't use telephotos are welcome even if you don't vote.


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## Nemorino (Mar 6, 2021)

AlanF said:


> and I have disabled everything that I can think of that would use power.


Including the IS?


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## AlanF (Mar 6, 2021)

Nemorino said:


> Including the IS?


No!


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## GreenViper (Mar 6, 2021)

Testing my R5 last weekend, I had the 400DOii with 2x extender, back screen on, IS on about half the time. Shot about 700 frames over about 90 mins. Battery from full to 38% so seems to be a lot more than you. 6 days unused and then about 50 shots over half an hour today - 100-400II with 1.4x IS on. Now at 26%


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## docsmith (Mar 6, 2021)

R5, primarily with the 500 f/4 ii or 100-400 ii. Some review. Burst a bit longer than yours, but not much. Electronic first shutter and Electronic shutter mostly. New NH batteries. I am 12,000+ shots in and very consistently 1100-1600 per charge.


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## AlanF (Mar 6, 2021)

@GreenViper and @docsmith, Do you turn off the camera between shots?


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## GreenViper (Mar 6, 2021)

AlanF said:


> @GreenViper and @docsmith, Do you turn off the camera between shots?


Not the main power switch but have short power off settings - Display off 30 secs, auto power off 1 min, viewfinder off 1 min


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## bhf3737 (Mar 7, 2021)

I usually use RF 100-500 or RF 800, with IS on, rear LCD closed, and constantly get 800-1000 shots. I tend to turn off the camera between shots, whenever I can.


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## docsmith (Mar 7, 2021)

AlanF said:


> @GreenViper and @docsmith, Do you turn off the camera between shots?


Not while actively shooting. Also, I am not using "eco mode" and have not changed from the default sleep settings.


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## Chris.Chapterten (Mar 7, 2021)

I don’t use long telephoto lenses with IS... but I leave IBIS on the entire time I’m shooting and don’t turn the camera off for very long. Usually take 1000-2000 shots with a battery grip + 2 batteries and it drains only to 50%.

A wedding photographer friend of mine is getting about the same as me..

Definitely doesn’t sound right to get only a couple of hundred shots? Unless your usage is very similar to the CIPA battery life testing method?


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## YuengLinger (Mar 7, 2021)

Good topic, AlanF, as battery life has been a puzzle for many R5 owners.

We do need some way to measure and compare, but with the R5's many options, I'm not sure that just number-of-shots reveals enough. Two days ago, for example, I had time throughout the day to sit with the R5+100-500mm on a tripod--no IS. The rig was set up pointing out of our breakfast-nook window at birdfeeders, a birdbath, and loquat tree. This meant that anytime I had a chance and saw birds, I could sit on a footstool and wait for good shots.

At first I was using EFCS, but after lunch I thought to try just ES (as suggested by Whistling Wings' latest video about photographing tiny birds). By late afternoon I had taken 1040 shots and my battery still had about 40% left. Of course many of the shots were taken in bursts of 5-15, but I did spend more time than I ever had in a single day looking through the EVF. When I had to cook, do yardwork, or play with my son (home with a cold), I turned off the power.

I was using ECO mode.

(And, btw, I had my first ever issues with freeze-up! Three times, while not shooting, but just going from back-display to EVF. Very strange. All happened in the morning but not again after that.)

So, no IS, but lots of EVF and display use. I never have Wi-fi, etc. on--just what is required for capture and review.

But if I'm out walking for 90 minutes, with IS enabled, I can be down to 50% after only taking several hundred shots.

I don't think it's how many shots we take, but how we are using the body+lens. I think we can only use number of shots to determine if one body is using more than another if both bodies are configured and used in the exact same manner for the same amount of time.

Have you tried several different batteries with the same results?


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## Chris.Chapterten (Mar 7, 2021)

YuengLinger said:


> Good topic, AlanF, as battery life has been a puzzle for many R5 owners.
> 
> We do need some way to measure and compare, but with the R5's many options, I'm not sure that just number-of-shots reveals enough. Two days ago, for example, I had time throughout the day to sit with the R5+100-500mm on a tripod--no IS. The rig was set up pointing out of our breakfast-nook window at birdfeeders, a birdbath, and loquat tree. This meant that anytime I had a chance and saw birds, I could sit on a footstool and wait for good shots.
> 
> ...


Very interesting. I wonder if lens IS uses more battery than IBIS? Sounds like it?


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## Joules (Mar 7, 2021)

YuengLinger said:


> But if I'm out walking for 90 minutes, with IS enabled, I can be down to 50% after only taking several hundred shots.
> 
> I don't think it's how many shots we take, but how we are using the body+lens. I think we can only use number of shots to determine if one body is using more than another if both bodies are configured and used in the exact same manner for the same amount of time.
> 
> Have you tried several different batteries with the same results?


Aren't there settings for continously having AF working (not talking about servo) and continously having IS working in the Canon mirrorless bodies? I haven't seen that statet explicitly on this thread but it seems like on of the most relevant settings in comparing battery life, along with WiFi and screen brightness. The actual act of taking a shot and compressing it for storage doesn't seem to impact battery life all that much as evident by the immense difference between the CIPA numbers and what users experienced on this thread.

Couldn't you R5 owners at least quantify the speed at which the battery drains by charging it full, putting the camera into electronic shutter and pointing it at a wall, then fire it for 20 minutes or something at 20 fps (using a locking remote trigger for example) and compare how much the battery percentage changed? (Edit: Does the burst speed remain constant if no card is inserted? if so, that could be great to control that variable). If that's the same for everybody, it is not just the camera dumping energy into something due to some undesired setting, but behavior plays a role as you mentioned. Otherwise, you could list the settings and focus on the ones that differ.


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## YuengLinger (Mar 7, 2021)

When walking with the R5+100-500mm, I stop, then hold the lens up and watch a bird through the EVF, often tapping the shutter button halfway down to maintain AF and be ready any moment. I'm in ECO mode, but then I bring the camera down and walk with it immediately, but I guess the IS+IBIS remains working for a time. And I do have the camera set now to require a manual switching between EVF and back display, otherwise when walking I do sometimes activate the EVF by just having it near my shirt (though that happens less with the 100-500mm because I don't carry it over my shoulder, but by its foot in my hand).

The controlled 20 minutes or so of ES might be worth a try. No ECO mode. Would we be on a tripod? If so, wouldn't IS+IBIS be working much less hard?

On the other hand, I'm not sure that having IS+IBIS off has a huge impact. IBIS turns off, yes, and that might be very power-hungry, but IS is still on, just used differently--to keep the IS element fixed in place instead of shifting about as it does when the lens is detached from a body.

So, could be differences from body to body due to circuitry issues, could be the way the camera is used (which has to be the biggest x-factor), and could be some batteries just aren't as good as others, even if they are the same brand. Three big variables with sub-variable.


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## Joules (Mar 7, 2021)

YuengLinger said:


> The controlled 20 minutes or so of ES might be worth a try. No ECO mode. Would we be on a tripod? If so, wouldn't IS+IBIS be working much less hard?
> 
> On the other hand, I'm not sure that having IS+IBIS off has a huge impact. IBIS turns off, yes, and that might be very power-hungry, but IS is still on, just used differently--to keep the IS element fixed in place instead of shifting about as it does when the lens is detached from a body.


I was just wondering what might be a better way to determine where Alans 'problems' are coming from. As he sais, battery performance is below what others experience regardless of lens. So that would point to the body as the common factor. Although of course he reported below average battery life on DSLR bodies in the past so another common aspect is the man behind the camera. Perhaps he is just so attractive that the electrons get sucked right out of the battery without the camera doing anything.

The more likely explanations to me would be that there's one or a few settings in the camera that rapidly drain the battery, or that Alan's use cases just differ a lot from other people's and therefore strain the IS more for example. The first case (as well as your speculation about electrical sample variation in the body) could be ruled out by running a controled test without the human element. So putting the body on a tripod seems like a good idea. I just tested it on my 80D and without the card inserted it just fires away in H+ until the buffer is full, then slows down to steady shooting intervals.

Your previous testing has already done a great service in highlighting the shutter shock phenomenon (as Canon lovingly calls these things), so I'm not suggesting you put any time into this. I was just curious if perhaps a more conclusive means of investigating this could be available than polling the small set of R5 telephoto users active on this forum.


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## AlanF (Mar 7, 2021)

Joules
Just firing away on a tripod would give an artefactually high number of shots. I want to know real world situations with IS on and focussing being done etc. There will be more "noise" in the data because of the different ways we handle the camera, but it's the old story that it is more useful to have a result that reflects the real one with ± large standard error than have an artefactual one with high precision.

Today, to test whether it could be my CFExpress card causing the problem, I switched the setting to use number 2 slot with the SD card. I did get 360 shots with 50% charge remaining, but I was shooting mainly longer bursts without much focussing, liitle use as a telescope, and very little chimping.


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## Joules (Mar 7, 2021)

AlanF said:


> Joules
> Just firing away on a tripod would give an artefactually high number of shots. I want to know real world situations with IS on and focussing being done etc. There will be more "noise" in the data because of the different ways we handle the camera, but it's the old story that it is more useful to have a result that reflects the real one with ± large standard error than have an artefactual one with high precision.
> 
> Today, to test whether it could be my CFExpress card causing the problem, I switched the setting to use number 2 slot with the SD card. I did get 360 shots with 50% charge remaining, but I was shooting mainly longer bursts without much focussing, liitle use as a telescope, and very little chimping.


Your OP talks about the settings you use, so I assumed the underlying question you were asking here is essentially 'Does your battery life differ from mine, and if so, which setting is responsible?'. Having multiple R5 users shoot a sequence without a human element, so just tripod work with a fixed frame rate, would either confirm that indeed such a setting exitsts by resulting in three very different speeds of battery drainage, or point to the main difference being exterior factors by resulting in virutally identical results.

I just find it weird that your results differs so much. I wonder if it relates to your previous experiences with DSLR or if it is another thing about this new generation of Canon cameras that simply requires either new thinking on the users side or more polish on the manufacturers side. Using servo even for static scenes or paying attention to shutter shock are examples of this, from what I've read so far.

Maybe you aren't asking any such question, so sorry if I just misinterpreted your quest here.


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## AlanF (Mar 7, 2021)

YuengLinger said:


> Good topic, AlanF, as battery life has been a puzzle for many R5 owners.
> 
> We do need some way to measure and compare, but with the R5's many options, I'm not sure that just number-of-shots reveals enough. Two days ago, for example, I had time throughout the day to sit with the R5+100-500mm on a tripod--no IS. The rig was set up pointing out of our breakfast-nook window at birdfeeders, a birdbath, and loquat tree. This meant that anytime I had a chance and saw birds, I could sit on a footstool and wait for good shots.
> 
> ...


I have the new battery with the camera, which is the best, and several old ones. I think your finding down to 50% after a few hundred shots on your 90 minute walk not far off my experience.


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## shire_guy (Mar 8, 2021)

R5 - only been regularly using for last few months, so very interested in the poll outcome. I am wonder how much impact the temperature has on usage.

Using 100-400 II + 1.4x or 300 2.8 II with both extenders mostly static birding but tried BIF (R5 was great for BIF). I have gradually turned most power saving functions off but have 1 min auto off. I regularly touch the shutter to keep the camera active as the small birds tend not to give a second chance. Ambient temperature here has been in the 24c to 30c range when I used the camera. I change the battery when it gets down to one or two bars left but I reckon I would easily get 400+ shots on the battery. Voted 400-600.

The older batteries are a different story but they are also well used.


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## JPAZ (Mar 8, 2021)

Depends. Can get well over 500 shots from the NH battery but that number goes down if I do a lot of 12 FPS or more chimping. I use eco mode and turn the camera off when not planning to shoot (power up pretty quick).


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## Aussie shooter (Mar 8, 2021)

R6 and not an R5 shooter but I would assume similar performance. And if i am shooting in mech or EFC and doing short bursts then i am probably getting anywhere from 3-500 shots. If i am going with Eshutter and trying to nail a perfect BIF shot at 20fps then I could easily get one or two thousand shots as there is basically no chimping and insane frame rates


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## U-Type (Mar 8, 2021)

With a full charge I can get 1000 shots and end up with about 10-15% battery remaining on a LP-E6NH.
R5 + EF-RF Adapter + 2X Extender + 70-200 F4L. IBIS on, toggle between viewfinder and LCD, no high FPS display, but H or H+ drive mode, with a mixture of electronic first curtain + electronic only, CRAW+JPG, and shooting about a 2-4 hour session.


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## Canonite (Mar 8, 2021)

Shooting common and Horay redpolls from my car in very very cold weather, I took 1750 images and my battery level was at 12%.
First time I have exhausted a new battery with the R5. This was driving the 600II with and with out extender.


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## YuengLinger (Mar 8, 2021)

Paid close attention yesterday at a wildlife sanctuary. Fresh battery, 1 hour and 40 minutes of handheld, mostly Mode 2 IS (which was a mistake, I see!), one card only, a ProGrade 128GB CFE. Near the end, maybe after 1 hour and 20 minutes, I heard the ECFS sound change, get clunkier, a bit louder. Checked my battery and I was down to 54%. When I left I was at 48%.

How many shots? 1012! Quite a few bursts, mostly birds-in-flight, but also some on the ground or wading.

I think my battery usage is more related to how long I'm using the camera more than how many shots. So if I only take bursts of 2-3 shots, maybe 4-5, during a 90 minute hike, I get about 400 shots before being down to 50-60%. (Sorry, AlanF, for using such imprecise language as "several hundred," but I haven't paid much attention to the usage. I did buy two extra Canon batteries after a week with the R5.)

Does CFE use significantly more power than SD? 

Oh--I have my Sensor Cleaning set to manual only, and I engage it only after changing a lens. 

I can put a new battery in, 100%, do a sensor cleaning, a format, a few things in the menu. And, whoa, suddenly I'm down to 94%? Strange.

One other thing, I am seeing that the newest batteries drain faster just sitting in a drawer. (And this makes me think back to the days of the 5DIII, how I could go two months without using it, having left the power switch on, and I'd still have well over 80% battery charge. The 5DIV was never like that. On or off when stowed, batteries drained in it steadily.)

As for testing, I'm not seeing any real inconvenience or unexpected behavior. I keep an extra battery in a little pouch in my pocket. I charge as soon as home...So I don't want to put in the time or wear and tear on the R5 for a test. And I am too busy to try to figure out how to set something controlled using an Android phone to just fire away...

I did map the Movie Record button to switch between EVF and Display, but I only use that when walking for exrecise/pleasure with a smaller lens, and the rig is slung over my shoulder so that the EVF gets constantly activated by my shirt. Carrying the 100-500mm in my hand by my side doesn't cause this.

I do believe that with IS on all the time when the body is active, it makes sense that we'd see a range of drainage patterns here. But where is the "in spec" threshold? I'll leave that to others for now!

Good luck, AlanF! I do wonder if a particular battery could be part of the equation--even if it is showing as normal?


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## AlanF (Mar 8, 2021)

Thanks everyone for all the info so far.


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## AlanF (Mar 25, 2021)

JPAZ said:


> Depends. Can get well over 500 shots from the NH battery but that number goes down if I do a lot of 12 FPS or more chimping. I use eco mode and turn the camera off when not planning to shoot (power up pretty quick).


This morning I went crazy on my first excting bird outing for ages, filming my first kingfisher for a year and she spent the best part of 15 minutes bashing a fish to death, and there were more exciting episodes to follow: using the 100-500 and 20fps in electronic shutter and long bursts, I clocked up 1900 shots with 15% of charge, and ended up the morning with 3472 using 80%. This compares with my usual 600 or so. Now, culling at the rate of 1 fps, I should get through in under an hour, or will it be 0.1 fps?


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## koenkooi (Mar 25, 2021)

AlanF said:


> This morning I went crazy on my first excting bird outing for ages, filming my first kingfisher for a year and she spent the best part of 15 minutes bashing a fish to death, and there were more exciting episodes to follow: using the 100-500 and 20fps in electronic shutter and long bursts, I clocked up 1900 shots with 15% of charge, and ended up the morning with 3472 using 80%. This compares with my usual 600 or so. Now, culling at the rate of 1 fps, I should get through in under an hour, or will it be 0.1 fps?


Which mode did you use for filming? I quite like the oversampled 4k you get in crop mode, although I only have footage of herons standing still in a downpour


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## AlanF (Mar 25, 2021)

koenkooi said:


> Which mode did you use for filming? I quite like the oversampled 4k you get in crop mode, although I only have footage of herons standing still in a downpour


Standard full frame. Still culling.


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## Dockland (Apr 2, 2021)

I don't do any burst shooting. I take approx. 5-30 images totally per session (halv or whole day)
I have the battery grip what ever it's namned, don't remember. An been shooting for a couple of days now, perhaps 100 images taken with my R5 and the battery is around 80% and battery no 2 around 95%. Don't know if it's good or bad.
Oh, I have all the bells and whistles on. Shooting mainly with the RF 100-500, hand held.


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## Nemorino (Sep 4, 2021)

Shot today 1971 pictures with one battery using 99% Sigma macros (105/150). A lot DIF with tracking and electronic shutter recording CRAW.


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## LesC (Sep 6, 2021)

With NH battery using the 100-400 MKII + 1.4TC using animal/eye tracking & 12FPS I can easily get 1000+ shots. However walking round on a day out with RF24-70 attached, single shot & a bit of chimping, luck to get more than 300 ...


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## aceflibble (Sep 10, 2021)

About 200 for me, but quite often less and only occasionally a little more, because I am not one of those people who holds their finger down on 20fps for every crow and pigeon that flies past.

I have long maintained that the _number of shots_ is irrelevant; it's the _time_ the battery lasts that matters. Rating by number of shots originates from analogue SLRs (and a small number of rangefinders) where the battery was _only_ drained when a shot was taken and the shutter had to be controlled. It made sense to rate by the shot count back then. But then we added in auto exposure, then autofocus, then digital came along and brought with it auto white balance and image review, and now we've got mirrorless where the camera has to constantly generate a video feed and keep a high-refresh EVF rolling. Now the power used to capture a shot is essentially nothing in comparison to the power the camera is using just to stay on.

When I'm out in the field, my camera _has_ to stay on all the time. It doesn't get turned off, it doesn't go to standby, and the EVF proximity detector is disabled; the viewfinder is rolling at all times. We don't get to chase down our animals here, you've just got to set up and wait, hope they run or fly past. With the skittish behaviour of most of our wildlife, those moments are over faster than the camera can start up. We're talking one second to actually spot the animal, another second and a half to bring the camera up, frame and hit the shutter, and then it's gone. If it's a peregrine hunting then you often don't even have time for autofocus, you've just got to pre-focus and hope for the best. So the camera stays fully on at all times. With mirrorless, that means a battery lasts about _an hour and a half_. In colder weather, which is more common here than heat, the battery has sometimes run dead before 60 minutes have passed.

This is why I'm still keeping hold of my 7D2. The 7D2 can last on one battery for two days of shooting. (In fact there was one time I accidentally left it on in the cupboard all week and it still had 40% of the battery remaining.) With the R5 and R6 I'm burning through at least three batteries every time I go out; in one instance I got through six in the R5 and finished the day with the 7D2 on my sole remaining battery. When being quick on the draw is more important than sustained fire there's no substitute for the readiness of the optical viewfinder, and mirrorless has many, many generations to go before it's going to compete in that regard. I prefer the R5 if I know I'm only going to be shooting for an hour or so, but for long days out, the power drain is simply too much.

If I was turning the camera off all the time or if I just plonked it on a table and held the shutter down, I expect I could get many thousands of shots out of a single battery. But that's simply not how shooting in the cold and dark here is.


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