Extend Digital Camera Battery Life When Hiking

Photographers Need To Manage Camera Power When On A Hike

May 8, 2009 Bruce Iliff

When out hiking with a digital camera in the bush, apart from setting up to take the perfect shot, there are two matters that need to be well managed:

• Extending Digital Camera Battery Life; and

• Managing Digital Camera Memory.

Both these take on more importance depending on the length and remoteness of a particular hike with a digital camera. Generally, the longer the hike, the more management of digital camera battery life and memory becomes essential.

Both digital camera battery life and memory are related. For example, if a memory card is full, then it sounds logical to flip through the pictures and delete those that aren’t needed. However, this chews up battery life, and in many remote places in the world that can only be reached by hiking recharging batteries is impossible. A Catch-22!

Therefore it is best not to get into this situation. And this can be achieved by simple planning and management.

Digital Cameras and Batteries

The type of battery is one of the determinants of battery usage. For those basic, pocket cameras that run on a couple of AA batteries, this can be managed by throwing a few extra into the backpack. These are cheap and can usually be found in most places in the world, so it is easy to stock up before the hike begins.

However, the modern Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras that are great for artistic shots on a hike usually take a specific type of rechargeable battery. And unfortunately most of the best hiking is where mains electricity supply is not available. For example in places like the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea it is impossible to recharge camera batteries while hiking the ten days of this trek.

A second battery could be taken when hiking with a digital camera, but there is the risk that this may lose some of its charge during the hike. Another option, depending on the type of camera, is an external battery pack that takes the standard AA batteries, or two camera batteries. Though this option consumes a bit more of the precious weight allocation that has to be carried.

Extending Digital Camera Battery Life

The best way to get the most from any combination of batteries is to extend the digital camera battery life. This can be achieved by:

• Turning off the LCD pre-view screen. This takes up a lot of power and in most cases the LCD screen is not necessary, as an adequate job can be achieved through the camera’s viewfinder.

• Don’t review photos when out on the hike. This uses the camera internals, as well as the power hungry LCD screen. Just click away and leave the editing until back in civilisation with a secure source of power for the camera.

• Avoid the use of the flash as much as possible. With some cameras, a low-light setting can be selected. The DSLR cameras have a range of ways to manage shots without the flash, such as increasing the aperture and selecting a higher ISO rating.

Taking A Back-up Camera On A Hike

When out on a memorable hike, a hiker should consider taking two cameras. This is a good hiking back-up strategy, not only for running out of batteries or memory cards, but also if one camera gets damaged on the hike. A good combination is a DSLR with a compact digital camera using AA batteries as a back-up.