setuporg Posted December 20, 2019 Share #1 Posted December 20, 2019 Advertisement (gone after registration) After a day with SL2, can't help noticing fast battery drainage. With the Q2, it lasts me for 3/4 of a day, and with the SL2, 1/3-1/2 of a day of intense shooting, 400-600 shots. I feel the camera jerking a bit when I carry it. The IBIS is always on. Is it something that's draining it? I have not changed anything from the factory and have an M lens on it, with either M or A mode. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 20, 2019 Posted December 20, 2019 Hi setuporg, Take a look here Battery Drainage on SL2. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
SrMi Posted December 20, 2019 Share #2 Posted December 20, 2019 26 minutes ago, setuporg said: After a day with SL2, can't help noticing fast battery drainage. With the Q2, it lasts me for 3/4 of a day, and with the SL2, 1/3-1/2 of a day of intense shooting, 400-600 shots. I feel the camera jerking a bit when I carry it. The IBIS is always on. Is it something that's draining it? I have not changed anything from the factory and have an M lens on it, with either M or A mode. IBIS should not use much power. Turn pre-focus off (drains battery). I believe the default is on. Do you use Leica FOTOS (Remote Wakeup can apparently use lots of battery)? Do you use EVF Extended mode (reduces battery drain)? Jono Slack noticed in his review that SL2 uses more power than SL. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillavoider Posted December 20, 2019 Share #3 Posted December 20, 2019 they should have upgraded the battery to the S1R's battery, but it may have made it bigger.... can't win either way I suppose 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted December 20, 2019 Share #4 Posted December 20, 2019 I was also surprised to see that they stayed with the SL battery. The S1R battery has 60% more capacity, not much bigger cross-section, but the problem is probably that it is about 1 cm deeper. I don't see how it could fit the vertical dimension of the SL body. The extra water-proofing that the SL's (and Q's) battery lids and spring system provides take up some space, and that might have been a factor as well. Let's hope these cameras do so well that a market for third party batteries develops. Of course, not spending time in the menus, not chimping, and using the default or even the extreme power management settings will help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thighslapper Posted December 20, 2019 Share #5 Posted December 20, 2019 51 minutes ago, scott kirkpatrick said: Of course, not spending time in the menus, not chimping, and using the default or even the extreme power management settings will help. I have a feeling that's the main issue ..... there are always a flurry of complaints about battery life with new cameras that tend to dry up after a while. As you get familiar, alter the default settings and get on with taking photos rather than examining them constantly and changing settings, the perceived poor capacity tends to diminish ..... 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardC Posted December 20, 2019 Share #6 Posted December 20, 2019 Firmware updates helped a lot with battery life on the SL. Maybe Leica will optimize the SL2 in the same way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted December 20, 2019 Share #7 Posted December 20, 2019 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) 6 hours ago, BernardC said: Firmware updates helped a lot with battery life on the SL. Maybe Leica will optimize the SL2 in the same way. The shorter-than-default display and full shutdown times, and relatively quick startup from the latter that firmware 3.x brought to the SL are already in the SL2. But I am sure there will be tweaks snuck in without much fuss in the inevitable firmware upgrades that come out in the next year to fix early bugs (like Fotos not working with two chips installed). There may even be oscillations as Leica first introduces the ability of the BTLEchannel to control the WiFi and then gets it to work right. Leaving WiFi on when it is not needed is a big power sink. Since this is now industry standard, I hope there are SL2 and Q2 firmware people working on both problems. Adding the GPS info is just a detail in this bigger incomplete piece of the firmware. I forgot to make one point -- the fact that the SL2 can run off external power if supplied over a short, low-resistance USB mode C cable from my little Anker 10000 rechargeable battery gives me more than 5 SL batteries worth of power. With a strong rubber band to hold it in place, and with a loss of some weather-sealing, I can go several days away from civilization, or just recharge from the big extra battery at night without the clumsiness. Edited December 20, 2019 by scott kirkpatrick 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caissa Posted December 21, 2019 Share #8 Posted December 21, 2019 Maybe with better firmware the energy save mode will be improved, that happened with the SL. And you need to wait until you have recycled the battery several times. A new battery is not holding as much energy. I notice it with every new battery, maybe for the first 5 cycles. A good investment is probably to buy a USB battery bank, the SL2 can run directly from it. This should bring you through the day... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
setuporg Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share #9 Posted December 22, 2019 I'm not chimping and my EVF is always set to EVF Extended. SL2 now is worse than the X1D, you need 3 batteries for sure per day for any kind of frequent enough shooting. Same drainage with M lenses! Turned prefocus off, not much help really so far... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macberg Posted December 22, 2019 Share #10 Posted December 22, 2019 (edited) Am 20.12.2019 um 07:42 schrieb setuporg: I feel the camera jerking a bit when I carry it. The IBIS is always on. Is it something that's draining it? I have not changed anything from the factory and have an M lens on it, with either M or A mode. It's the pre-focus-function. I noticed the same thing, like a little motor every other second. I switched it off, but I haven't compared shooting a whole battery life with pre-focus on/off. Ah, I just saw that you are aware of it. Then just ignore my comment... Edited December 22, 2019 by Macberg Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaemono Posted December 22, 2019 Share #11 Posted December 22, 2019 vor 6 Minuten schrieb Macberg: It's the pre-focus-function. I noticed the same thing, like a little motor every other second. I switched it off, but I haven't compared shooting a whole battery life with pre-focus on/off. Ah, I just saw that you are aware of it. Then just ignore my comment... With Pre Focus set to Off the battery lasts much longer. But I leave it on because it makes for a snappier experience. I actually love it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joakim Posted December 22, 2019 Share #12 Posted December 22, 2019 The EVF refresh rate effects battery life so using 60 fps instead of 120 should make the battery last longer. Note that I don't own a SL2 so this is something I read in a review. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
setuporg Posted December 22, 2019 Author Share #13 Posted December 22, 2019 8 minutes ago, Chaemono said: With Pre Focus set to Off the battery lasts much longer. But I leave it on because it makes for a snappier experience. I actually love it. It's making AF sounds on an AF lens all the time.. I'd only leave it on during active photography where you do not lower the camera... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellfleet Posted December 22, 2019 Share #14 Posted December 22, 2019 (edited) On 12/20/2019 at 1:42 AM, setuporg said: After a day with SL2, can't help noticing fast battery drainage. With the Q2, it lasts me for 3/4 of a day, and with the SL2, 1/3-1/2 of a day of intense shooting, 400-600 shots. I feel the camera jerking a bit when I carry it. The IBIS is always on. Is it something that's draining it? I have not changed anything from the factory and have an M lens on it, with either M or A mode. The battery has a CIPA rating of approx. 370 shots without EVF, so it sounds like you're getting more than expected. Edited December 22, 2019 by wellfleet 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrMi Posted December 22, 2019 Share #15 Posted December 22, 2019 1 hour ago, wellfleet said: The battery has a CIPA rating of approx. 370 shots without EVF, so it sounds like you're getting more than expected. What CIPA specifies is could be much less than what you can expect in real life (experience with Nikon Z 7). I think that CIPA numbers are OK to compare various cameras, e.g., Nikon Z 7 is 330 shots (viewfinder or LCD not specified), Panasonic S1R is 340 (with viewfinder, it increases to 1100 with appropriate power saving settings). Another possible battery saving method is to reduce the refresh rate of LCD and EVF. I expect the EVF to use more power than LCD (resolution difference). Using LCD instead of EVF to review images and change menus could save battery. Accidental triggering of the eye sensor while carrying the camera will wake up EVF and drain the battery as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellfleet Posted December 22, 2019 Share #16 Posted December 22, 2019 1 minute ago, SrMi said: What CIPA specifies is could be much less than what you can expect in real life (experience with Nikon Z 7). I think that CIPA numbers are OK to compare various cameras, e.g., Nikon Z 7 is 330 shots (viewfinder or LCD not specified), Panasonic S1R is 340 (with viewfinder, it increases to 1100 with appropriate power saving settings). Another possible battery saving method is to reduce the refresh rate of LCD and EVF. I expect the EVF to use more power than LCD (resolution difference). Using LCD instead of EVF to review images and change menus could save battery. Accidental triggering of the eye sensor while carrying the camera will wake up EVF and drain the battery as well. I realize CIPA numbers are generally low, but if you're going to complain about battery life when it's been clearly stated by the manufacturer at production time, well... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
budjames Posted April 6, 2020 Share #17 Posted April 6, 2020 My SL2 drains the battery just sitting on a shelf for a few weeks with the power switch off. Has anyone experienced this issue? Regards, Bud James Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exodies Posted April 6, 2020 Share #18 Posted April 6, 2020 Do you have bluetooth on and remote wake up? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted April 7, 2020 Share #19 Posted April 7, 2020 (edited) My SL2 hasn't sat on a shelf for that long, but SLs discharge while sitting around, so there is some background activity. If you leave "remote wakeup" enabled on an SL2 it will go flat in just over a day of inactivity, using the power to listen for its remote wakeup. Since the air is filled with random signals in the BlueTooth frequency band, the camera probably has to spend some effort deciding that this is noise and not the call it was waiting for. Edited April 7, 2020 by scott kirkpatrick 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Warwick Posted April 7, 2020 Share #20 Posted April 7, 2020 On 12/20/2019 at 4:19 PM, thighslapper said: I have a feeling that's the main issue ..... there are always a flurry of complaints about battery life with new cameras that tend to dry up after a while. As you get familiar, alter the default settings and get on with taking photos rather than examining them constantly and changing settings, the perceived poor capacity tends to diminish ..... As a new SL2 user, I suspect you’re exactly right! Still, the battery life on the SL2 is remarkably different to what I experienced with my M240 (I’d manage to get through a 2 week trip on one charge), let alone for my M7 with its tiny batteries. Hardly surprising though, given the SL2’s EVF, IBIS .... and my constant fiddling of menus as I get used to this wonderful camera! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.