How many batteries for 11 day trip to peru/proprietary batteries?

[Wolfgang]

i am going on a 11 day (9 days camping) trip to the cordellera blanca mountains in peru next summer and im looking at getting a 30d (not just for the trip. im finally upgrading to digital from my two extremely reliable manual film slrs). how many batteries am i going to get me through the 9 days if im taking like 50 or 60 shots a day? also, since ill need extra batteries and i dont want to pay $50 a pop to get canon batteries is there anyting wrong with the non proprietary ones? they're batteries are alot cheaper and i was wondering if this was because of a lack in quality. also, any ideas for cool shots or stuff to see/do there from anyone whos been there?
thanks alot

EDIT: Oops ment non canon batteries not non proprietary. i.e. canon type batteries made by a different company.

 

[Abstract]

I think there's a chance you might take more photos than that.

If you're going to be checking your LCD after every shot, then bring 2 fully charged batteries.

And I can't help you with the non-proprietary battery question because I don't know but would like to know as well.

 

[YS2003]

I read Canon's OEM battery has longer charge than the regular battery you can buy at the drug stores. I also have a 30D and a battery grip. I am using Canon batteires (2 of them) with the battery grip. It keeps going and going as far as the battery charge is concerned. I have 2 extra batteries as well (in total of 4 Canon batteries) for my 30D.
I think it is well worth spending money on Canon Battery. With a 30D, you are already spending over at least $1200 and $50 an extra battery is a drop in a bucket, I think.

 

[Bibulous]

Can't you use regular AA batteries with the grip, might be a nice fall back option.

 

[sjl]

Can't you use regular AA batteries with the grip, might be a nice fall back option.

You can, but it'll chew through them like there's no tomorrow. Li+ stores a lot of power in a relatively small space, compared to alkaline batteries.

Although you might get better results with AA rechargeables; I don't know the load characteristics, so I can't comment on that possibility. (eg: camera flashes are high current draw; alkalines don't cope well with that. The cycle time on my 580 EX dropped dramatically when I replaced the alkalines with NiMH cells.)

 

[extraextra]

I would also recommend a Canon battery. I have two, and one lasts me around 300 shots.

 

[YS2003]

Can't you use regular AA batteries with the grip, might be a nice fall back option.

I heard regular AA battery is weak compared to Canon's OEM battery. The last thing I want to happen with SLR camera is running out of battery in the middle of taking pictures. Also, regular AA batteries will loose charges rather quickly in cold temp compared to Canon's OEM batteries.

 

[nbs2]

What about AA Lithiums? The energizer blue pack - it'll cost you $6 for 2 retail or $19 for 12 at Sams Club. Benefits of lithium with the convenience of AA...

 

[Abstract]

Although you might get better results with AA rechargeables; I don't know the load characteristics, so I can't comment on that possibility. (eg: camera flashes are high current draw; alkalines don't cope well with that. The cycle time on my 580 EX dropped dramatically when I replaced the alkalines with NiMH cells.)

I don't really understand much about batteries when it comes to cameras. Why isn't NiMH good? They're so high capacity. I don't think anyone is suggesting he go camping with a bunch of cheap alkalines. NiMH are good though, no? People use them in some digital cameras, and they're usually quite good.

 

[RedTomato]

Simple answer:

Buy your camera before going, and spend a month learning how to use it, and get an idea of how many shots you'll take and how many batteries you'll need.

As one poster said above,you are seriously underestimating how many shots you'll take. Digital photography is a different world, where each shot is essentially 'free'. I sometimes take 100 shots in a single 5 minute session. 60/day in a beautiful location is underestimating it.

If you're going around by car, then a battery charger that plugs into a car cigarette socket might be worth it. Or research the Peru local electrics and get a battery charger / transformer that works with the Peru local wall sockets. It might be easier to buy one in the airport on arrival (if you think you'll have time).

Also if you don't know how many batteries you'll need for 11 days, then it seems you also aren't aware of how much storage capacity you'll need. A lot.

It would help if you clarify if you are driving or camping or hotelling or hiking or mountain climbing.

 

[superted666]

300 shots????

im getting circa 1000 shots off my sony a100, with checking shots on lcd etc...

 

[Wolfgang]

thanks alot. yea i was hopefully gonna get the camera by this christmas so id have time to get used to it. i guess ur right that u take more shots w/ a digital than film since the shots dont really matter.

Im going to be hiking and camping without power for 9 days straight so i def need power for all 9 days. the other 3 are in a small town so i can just charge the battries that i use in town.

as for storage i was going for somewhere in the range to 6 or 8 gb. anyone know of something i can use to transfer cf cards to some other type of storage w/o a computer and battery powered? I would guess that this would exist somewhere, then i wouldnt need so many cf cards.

 

[macdaddy121]

as for storage i was going for somewhere in the range to 6 or 8 gb. anyone know of something i can use to transfer cf cards to some other type of storage w/o a computer and battery powered? I would guess that this would exist somewhere, then i wouldnt need so many cf cards.

This should do the trick....

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/237347/

 

[rjphoto]

Check out Solio

Solio makes a line of Solar Power battery chargers.

Maybe one for your needs.

Pretty cool.

http://www.solio.com/v2/

FWIW, once you get the camera try the Lithium AAs. I made it through a month of heavy shooting with my S2. It uses AAs anyway. I get 400-500 shots with Rayovac I-C3 NMHi anyway and the little Lithium CR batteries. (It will work with out the CRs but the AAs last longer with them.)


Of course we will want to see some photos when you get back...

 

[ChrisA]

[I doubt you will only take 60 exposures a day. But if you do and are only gone for 9 days. I'd say one battery.

As for third party batts. Thest them through multiple cycles before you trust them. They are cheaper for a reason, likey quality control. I'vehad problems with soome 3rd party batts for camcorders.

I assume you will buy the camera months before the trip. So you will have had time to shoot thousands of exposures before you leave. If the battery does not last 1000 exposures buy one or two more. I think you will take 200 or so per day at least. Still only a few batteries

The external strob is different. Those do eat bateries but you's know that rom using film

 

[extraextra]

300 shots????

im getting circa 1000 shots off my sony a100, with checking shots on lcd etc...

I don't know, it was just a guess! I'm assuming he'll be using the camera all day. I normally take like, 2 pictures a day, and the camera battery lasts for a month or maybe longer, I don't check that much. Under the normal trip conditions of taking pictures of everything and reviewing, I'd guess it'd last for 300 shots. I think Canon says it'll take like 485 or something. (This is a 350D, btw)

 

[ChrisBrightwell]

You'll be able to take 500-1000 shots (depending on flash and LCD usage) on a single charge w/ the 30D. I'd get two batteries, a grip, and a pack of AA batteries.

Two batteries and the grip *should* last you through the trip. The AAs are a fall-back.

Also, I'd shoot on CF rather than microdrive and probably shoot RAW rather than JPEG. No microdrive to spin, no JPEGs to compress on-the-fly. I haven't done any testing/research, but that seems like it would be the most battery-efficient setup.

If you use a flash, try to use an ext. flash w/ its own battery pack.

 

[Zeke]

Sterlingtek, cheaper than Canon, more capacity...never had a problem (or even heard of a problem).

 

[sjl]

I don't really understand much about batteries when it comes to cameras. Why isn't NiMH good? They're so high capacity. I don't think anyone is suggesting he go camping with a bunch of cheap alkalines. NiMH are good though, no? People use them in some digital cameras, and they're usually quite good.

Hm. Let's see. Jaycar's website lists 2000 mAh NiMH AA cells at $3.25 each (so $AU26 for eight). 2600? $4.95 each, or $AU40.

Canon's official Li+ battery, on the other hand, is around 1400 mAh, so it comes down to the voltage supplied by the two options. The NiMH will be around 9V (1.2V times 8 cells in series); anybody know how much voltage the Li+ packs put out? (Remember, though, that in such a case for a fair comparison, you need to compare two Li+ cells.)

9V * 2 Ah * 60 min/h * 60 sec/min ~= 65 kilojoules of energy. That compares to (voltage) * 1.4 * 60 * 60 = 5040*voltage joules ... so if the voltage of the Li+ cell is around 6.5V or higher, you'll do better in terms of number of shots with lithium ion than with the NiMH.

Cost wise, NiMH will come in cheaper than the Canon batteries; it'll just be more of a pain to change the batteries. Then, too, you're relying upon the battery grip to be able to use them; if for some reason you want to take the grip off, you're stuck (unless you brought the camera's original battery along).

Much of what I wrote was with alkalines in mind; NiMH is definitely a much better option for electronics, but I can't comment on its value versus lithion ion.

 

[kondspi]

Solio makes a line of Solar Power battery chargers.

Maybe one for your needs.

Pretty cool.

http://www.solio.com/v2/

FWIW, once you get the camera try the Lithium AAs. I made it through a month of heavy shooting with my S2. It uses AAs anyway. I get 400-500 shots with Rayovac I-C3 NMHi anyway and the little Lithium CR batteries. (It will work with out the CRs but the AAs last longer with them.)


Of course we will want to see some photos when you get back...

Brilliant... solar powered AA's!

 

[j26]

as for storage i was going for somewhere in the range to 6 or 8 gb. anyone know of something i can use to transfer cf cards to some other type of storage w/o a computer and battery powered? I would guess that this would exist somewhere, then i wouldnt need so many cf cards.

If you have an iPod, just get a camera connector and use it as a storage device.

Throw in the Solio mentioned above for power for the iPod and camera and you're good to go, with the added bonus of your music collection and a few movies in your iPod for the travelling.

 

[VanMac]

Hey.

I went on a missions trip to Peru in January of this year. You will have a blast. Beautiful country, and wonderful people.

No advice to your battery questions. I took a Canon SD550, as well as my iBook. I had access to AC for recharging, and would dump my photos to my iBook when storage was low (had a 2GB SD card). Camera would fill up quickly. You will take lots of pictures. So much to see.

I created a little blog as the trip was ongoing, so people back home could see what was going on. I would go into an internet cafe or wherever when I had a chance and update pics and information whenever I could.

Blog is still live, and you can see some pics and stuff here:
http://www.yesperu.blogspot.com

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Wolfgang]

for batteries
i think ill get two batteries and keep one charged/charging with a that solar charger thing while im hiking. thanks for that solar charger link.

for storage
i think ill just have to get a bunch of cf cards because almost the entire trip is above 10,000 feet so all those hd based storage things wont work. will taking my ipod on the trip be bad for it if i dont turn it on since apple says that they only work below 10,000 feet? thanks for all the help