Went out yesterday for a wonderful ride. It was the most beautiful day yet this winter, sunny, crisp and clear. We get to one spot where we had to come down onto a river, and I wanted to take a pic of the silly spot one of the guys had picked to try and come down. For some reason I couldn't get the camera to turn on!

Then I thought about it...I had forgot to turn off the camera the night before when I transfered the pictures to the computer. The batteries were stoned dead!

Why oh why is there not a timer that will shut the camera off after a certain period of inactivity?

We went on into the Hills then, and we were climbing the biggest hill I had ever climbed. Going up was easy, but coming down was enough to make to wish you had diapers!

Then one of the guys on a 900 MC lost it at the top! The machine skidded across the top of the hill on it's side, and we at the bottom could only say "OH F%&K!!!". But somehow, before he fell off altogether he managed to get it on it's skis again, and it came down on it's own, straight down the hill. He came slidding down behind it. Would've made for some great pics.

Then we went playing in a big bowl, busting up through a drift, and dropping off ledges. All of which would've made great pictures!! I couldn't stop complaining about the dead batteries. Hopefully I've learned my lesson and will carry spares from now on.

Too bad, sounds like they would have been awesome pictures!

Does your digital come with rechargable batteries? We have gone through a couple of cameras because the rechargable batteries don't last long enough to take what amounts to a roll of film. Finally threw the batteries it came with out and just throw away batteries. They last twice as long and you don't have to haul you charger around with you every time you go on a trip.

thats the thing I hate most about digital cameras. My stock batteries suck. Even when kept inside my coat, if its below -10C, I can't take a pic, as the batteries don't give enough juice.

FishHog

My camera does have auto shutoff when it's idle for a few minutes to preserve battery life.

Invest in some NiMH batteries and charger. They last a whole lot longer than regular NiCads. Also when buying NiMH, check the milliamp rating on the battery. Different brands have different ratings. I pick up a set of 4 with a 2200mA rating at Radiio Shack, but I have seen them as low as 800mA. The larger the number, the longer they last. They also don't have memory retention like regular NiCads, so you can charge them even if they are half empty.

Also when riding, put your camera in an inside jacket pocket. Cold temperatures suck the life out of batteries.

My HP shuts down by itself right after it loads on my pc :) Takes great pics when I don't forget it :( I had to tape the battery cover shut cause they will fall out :cussing: So that is sad when I have to replace the batteries and have no tape with me.

I took 2 sets of rechargeable batteries out with me when we took the digital,,,, the temps were closer to 20 degrees though, and we never made it to the second set

Same problem with mine. I found putting one set of batteries in my fleece pants pocket keeps them warm and they work fine, just swapping them out each time is a pain.

Very good suggestions listed above, but if I could add two additional ideas that work for me;
- don't laugh at me for this, but, if your batteries are getting low and you're using the camera outside in the winter, remove them and hold them in your armpit for a couple of minutes. This heats them up and you can squeeze a few more shots out of them....especially if you need the flash.
- NiMH batteriess are way better than regular rechargables, but one step better (and more expensive too) are Lithium Ion. They are the most resistant to memory that you can get.

Originally posted by NewfieBullet@Mar 2 2004, 09:04 AM
Went out yesterday for a wonderful ride. It was the most beautiful day yet this winter, sunny, crisp and clear. We get to one spot where we had to come down onto a river, and I wanted to take a pic of the silly spot one of the guys had picked to try and come down. For some reason I couldn't get the camera to turn on!

Then I thought about it...I had forgot to turn off the camera the night before when I transfered the pictures to the computer. The batteries were stoned dead!

Why oh why is there not a timer that will shut the camera off after a certain period of inactivity?

We went on into the Hills then, and we were climbing the biggest hill I had ever climbed. Going up was easy, but coming down was enough to make to wish you had diapers!

Then one of the guys on a 900 MC lost it at the top! The machine skidded across the top of the hill on it's side, and we at the bottom could only say "OH F%&K!!!". But somehow, before he fell off altogether he managed to get it on it's skis again, and it came down on it's own, straight down the hill. He came slidding down behind it. Would've made for some great pics.

Then we went playing in a big bowl, busting up through a drift, and dropping off ledges. All of which would've made great pictures!! I couldn't stop complaining about the dead batteries. Hopefully I've learned my lesson and will carry spares from now on.
what cam do you have. Mine shuts down after it is idle for a while. and it also turns off teh monitor when battery life is getting low to help preserve battery life.
I have a canon A70

Newfie I know how you feel. I have been a picture nut (old fashioned I still use 35mm or advantix will be switching to digital soon) for years. I kind of #### people off cause I take so many pictures, but I always end up making a ton of copies for the same people.

Anyway one of the best days of riding I have ever had I forgot my camera in the damn hotel room. I still kick myself for that. I make sure I have it with me now.

Like Grimm said, make sure you look at the mAh rating. A 2100mAh AA should last about 3 times as long during use (as an alkaline), but they lose energy during storage much faster. Since they have little memory, that doesn't really matter, because you can just top them off every few weeks if they have been sitting.

I don't know why your camera doesn't have auto shut-off, most of them do.

In normal temps my Digi camera takes 300 pics on 4 AA batteries. They are teh GOOD ones----Made by Monster and have a huge capacity (not sure the specs). But anyway, they are incredible and I will never buy anything else. They recharge in a few hrs if needed too, so WIN WIN WIN.
My camera also is programed to shut down after 30 secs idle (because I always forget). I can set it up to 10 mins, but thats stupid.
My 10X lens should be sweet in the Snowy mtns--combined with the 4x digi zoom! w00t I should be able to zoom in on the Planets! :cool:

Li-Ion or lithium ions are GREAT they came standard in my canon camera... the S40.. now its a 4 MP cam... i had my batterys out in -20 and they took pics fine with no problem.... my batterys have a fairly good life span also and the cam has an auto shut down feature.... if your into photography and you want a great cam. the S40 is the way to go... after that you hit the professional line.. the S40 went for about $599 so its not bad although they dont make it naymore... the S50 is now made GREAT cam

Well it turns out the batteries weren't dead after all. There is something wrong with the camera! I was really suprised when it looked like the batteries were dead because I had just checked the battery gage the day before and there was lots of juice in them. Anyway, I put a new set in there and it still won't turn on at all. So I guess I'll return it and get a new one.

It still bugs me that I missed getting pictures that day. It was the most beautiful day ever.