Battery Life Hey,I just bought the SX110 IS. So far, it's great, but I have a question about the battery life.I have taken 73 pictures so far. I got a low battery notice around picture 40 or so (I think) and have been able to take pictures regardless up until 70 and now it will turn off after taking a picture or two telling me to replace the batteries. I am using the included AA batteries. I have used the Flash a lot, but haven't used used the video.Is this typical? I was expecting to get at least 200 shots at least. Are they the stock batteries? Would replacing them fix the problem or is this a problem with the camera? If this is abnormal should I return it for a replacement?Thanks Battery Life Hey,I just bought the SX110 IS. So far, it's great, but I have a question about the battery life.I have taken 73 pictures so far. I got a low battery notice... » Read More Battery Life Hey,I just bought the SX110 IS. So far, it's great, but I have a question about the battery life.I have taken 73 pictures so far. I got a low battery notice around picture 40 or so (I think) and have been able to take pictures regardless up until 70 and now it will turn off after taking a picture or two telling me to replace the batteries. I am using the included AA batteries. I have used the Flash a lot, but haven't used used the video.Is this typical? I was expecting to get at least 200 shots at least. Are they the stock batteries? Would replacing them fix the problem or is this a problem with the camera? If this is abnormal should I return it for a replacement?Thanks « Show Less
818476
alot of folks recommend using nimh batteries and a good charger. Personally I prefer using the Energizer lithium batteries. They last a very long time and I have taken 100's of shots, used the flash alot plus recorded a few videos and the batteries are stil going strong. Alkaline batteries are best for emergency situations only when no other battery type is available. A set of 4 lituium battieries is around $9.
818477
I had the same problem when I first used my Sx110 IS. I think it is the stock batteries. I put a pair of my own in and the camera works just fine, taking more pictures than it did with the batteries that came in the package. Hope that helps!
818478
I just bought my Sx110 IS yesterday--and after taking about 15 pictures and trying out the video, I got the battery low warning. I can only hope that the problem is with the batteries being old. According to my manual, I should get 140 images and 5 hours of playback time with them. The only other batteries they recommend in the manual are AA-size NiMH-3AH. I'd like to use Lithium batteries, but I'm worried that they are not listed in the manual as OK. I see that Canon Chick uses them, what about the rest of you?
358287
I have this camera and I had the same problem, when it says the battery is low, it's means really low, only for some more shots. So I bought another battery and I carry it in the camera pack. I did this because I know how much time I can take pictures in "extreme pictures situations", like going in museums for one day for example. Two bateries for me is enought. You need to test and know "your limits". :-) Another good thing I did was turning off the LCD most of the time in this situations. According to the manual this saves a lot of energy: from their tests you can shoot 160 picts with it on and 600 with it off!
119783
M. Dean, can you elaborate a bit? I'm having the identical dilemma. Never owned a digital camera, and the SX110 looks neat, but am thrown by lack of viewfinder and bulkiness.
1954008
You may have already found the answer to this by now but just in case you haven't, let me say that the sx700 I've just purchased functions extremely well in this regard. So far I've shot close to 300 pictures and 30+ minutes of video and the camera still shows three bars (I use ECO mode which takes a little getting use to). I've heard only positive things about battery life all over the web. We may be in the clear. I too purchased the sx280 -- it was incredible to me that a major company would release a device that didn't work. The SX700 appears to function the way a camera should and has a lot of nice features.
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Clifford, I am not a very constantly-taking photographer, so with my new Canon SX260 which I bought in October of 2012 I have taken only 171 photos. The original battery which I charged when I received the camera is still going strong, with full bars in the camera's battery icon. I cannot guess how much longer it will go before recharging, but I am well satisfied with the battery so far. It is a real Canon NB-6L-Ion battery, not one of the cheaper non-Canon batteries available at a much lower price. I cannot speak for those, but have bought another real Canon battery which is charged and ready to go when the original battery needs its first re-charge. Hope this helps you somewhat. Mason Clifford, I am not a very constantly-taking photographer, so with my new Canon SX260 which I bought in October of 2012 I have taken only 171 photos. The original battery which I charged when I received the camera is still going strong, with full bars in the camera's battery icon. I cannot guess how much longer it will go before recharging, but I am well satisfied with the battery so far. It is a real Canon NB-6L-Ion battery, not one of the cheaper non-Canon batteries available at a much lower price. I cannot speak for those, but have bought another real Canon battery which is charged and... » Read More Clifford, I am not a very constantly-taking photographer, so with my new Canon SX260 which I bought in October of 2012 I have taken only 171 photos. The original battery which I charged when I received the camera is still going strong, with full bars in the camera's battery icon. I cannot guess how much longer it will go before recharging, but I am well satisfied with the battery so far. It is a real Canon NB-6L-Ion battery, not one of the cheaper non-Canon batteries available at a much lower price. I cannot speak for those, but have bought another real Canon battery which is charged and ready to go when the original battery needs its first re-charge. Hope this helps you somewhat. Mason « Show Less
1496124
I use rechargeable batteries. How long they last seems to be a function of how many pictures i take over a short period of time. When I take abot 20 pictures and then don't use the camera for 4 months, it still has the battery juice for another 50 pics. I did run out it one day after about 425 pics however. I have solved this issue by always taking a fully charged set of batteries with the camera set. Hope this helps.
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I have had no problems with this battery. I shoot sports pictures. I typically take 200 to 300 at a time. This battery and the one that came with the camera have both preformed flawlessly. I have one in the camera and one fully charged in the bag. When I get home and edit the pictures before posting I also swap the batteries and recharge the battery I just removed from the camera. I have zero experience with using my SLR camera for video. Probably 400 pictures would be okay from my experience. If this is a replacement, and you typically take 400 - 800 in a one day shoot, Then your level of use is enough to warrant buying two batteries and feeling secure. Good Luck. I have had no problems with this battery. I shoot sports pictures. I typically take 200 to 300 at a time. This battery and the one that came with the camera have both preformed flawlessly. I have one in the camera and one fully charged in the bag. When I get home and edit the pictures before posting I also swap the batteries and recharge the battery I just removed from the camera. I have zero experience with using my SLR camera for video. Probably 400 pictures would be okay from my experience. If this is a replacement, and you typically take 400 - 800 in a one day shoot, Then your level of... » Read More I have had no problems with this battery. I shoot sports pictures. I typically take 200 to 300 at a time. This battery and the one that came with the camera have both preformed flawlessly. I have one in the camera and one fully charged in the bag. When I get home and edit the pictures before posting I also swap the batteries and recharge the battery I just removed from the camera. I have zero experience with using my SLR camera for video. Probably 400 pictures would be okay from my experience. If this is a replacement, and you typically take 400 - 800 in a one day shoot, Then your level of use is enough to warrant buying two batteries and feeling secure. Good Luck. « Show Less
1034002
its difficult to say how long batteries last, as it can be variable and dependent upon the number of shots requiring flash, the number of times you turn on-off the camera between shots, and the amount of focusing and telephoto activities. I do use rechargeable batteries (I'm currently using 4-year old 2450 mAH NiMH batteries and easily shoot 150+ pics). With good new batteries, one should get considerably more battery life!
1007355
My SX280HS camera is not defective, and so I answer the low battery indication from that format. On videos - if you are running the zoom full range and frequently - you will get the low battery indication sooner than if it is allowed to remain at a fixed position. My battery of choice is the NB-6L that has 1600 mAh, vs a lower rating. In shooting videos at HD 1920 x 1080, and moving the zoom frequently - I can get about five minutes before the battery just stops. The low battery indication comes on around 3 ½ to 4 minutes. I carry lots of batteries, taking care to keep them warm.
910443
Thanks for your post. I have charged and recharged at least three times, waiting until battery was completely empty. I am able to take about forty to fifty pictures on one fully charged battery. (all with flash)Maybe a lot of reviewing pictures uses up the battery as well. I did return the first one, but am keeping the second one. I love the camera otherwise.
324000
It's been very good - maybe a bit better than other cameras I've had. I did buy a back up battery just to be on the safe side (very inexpensive and offered by Amazon when you buy the camera). Just so that if I'm on vacation I will have a back up battery. I can't give you specifics as so far I've not been on a vacation for example, where I might use it all the time. But I've taken hundreds of fall photos and some special occasions and think I haven't charged the camera more than 2 or 3 times in the 2 months I've had it. I've used it almost daily as I take it with me on walks with the dog. Hope this helps. It is the nicest camera I've had. Really delighted with it. It's been very good - maybe a bit better than other cameras I've had. I did buy a back up battery just to be on the safe side (very inexpensive and offered by Amazon when you buy the camera). Just so that if I'm on vacation I will have a back up battery. I can't give you specifics as so far I've not been on a vacation for example, where I might use it all the time. But I've taken hundreds of fall photos and some special occasions and think I haven't charged the camera more than 2 or 3 times in the 2 months I've had it. I've used it almost daily as I take it with me on walks with the dog.... » Read More It's been very good - maybe a bit better than other cameras I've had. I did buy a back up battery just to be on the safe side (very inexpensive and offered by Amazon when you buy the camera). Just so that if I'm on vacation I will have a back up battery. I can't give you specifics as so far I've not been on a vacation for example, where I might use it all the time. But I've taken hundreds of fall photos and some special occasions and think I haven't charged the camera more than 2 or 3 times in the 2 months I've had it. I've used it almost daily as I take it with me on walks with the dog. Hope this helps. It is the nicest camera I've had. Really delighted with it. « Show Less
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Hello Amy. I see that you've not gotten a reply yet for a few days. I own the Canon SX130is camera that is nearly identical to that of the next version, the SX150is. I even owned the previous model of mine now, SX120is. THe only reason for the upgrade was to get HD video and stereo sound. Other than that, I loved that camera too. I've not studied the others you are deciding on but just looked them over. THere's not a "night & day" major difference between them. Differences of 2x zoom power is not major IMHO. Frames per second in burst mode shooting is. Size may be a factor too. But I can tell you why I like my camera. A manual flip up flash allows unmistakeable control over the flash and keeps the camera from waisting power charging for a flash that you didn't need for that shot. The option of complete manual settings is a must. And the advantage of using AA batteries gives you limitless flexibility of power. Don't let the negative reviews tell you that you cannot take lots of photos with this camera. If you get some high capacity rechargable batteries and enough for an extra set, you'll be good. Several here have recommended Sanyo Eneloop brand cells. That they come precharged and hold that charge for extended periods of storage time. A friend of mine used them and swears by them. I use Ansmann 2850 mAh batteries (which are higher capacity) and they give me nearly 200 more shots in my Canon SX20is than what is rated in the camera manual.
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Don't know what the SX280 battery issues are, but the SX260 battery has a great time of use...I bought extra batteries: just to be safe taking vacation pics all day long, and have never needed to replace the battery during a long day of photo taking.
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The Canon cameras that use AA batteries can use rechargeable NiMH batteries in AA format. In my Canon "A" series camera I use four PowerEx rechargeable AA batteries (2700 mAh). With the setup, battery life is phenomenal. I can take hundreds of pictures with one set of batteries. (I rarely use flash, but I do keep the LCD display turned on whenever I use the camera.) The new SX110 uses only two AA batteries, and I'm wondering how the battery life will be for my type of usage pattern. The SX110 would be very tempting if the disappointments reported for the SX100 have been overcome. The Canon cameras that use AA batteries can use rechargeable NiMH batteries in AA format. In my Canon "A" series camera I use four PowerEx rechargeable AA batteries (2700 mAh). With the setup, battery life is phenomenal. I can take hundreds of pictures with one set of batteries. (I rarely use flash, but I do keep the LCD display turned on whenever I use the camera.) The new SX110 uses only two AA batteries, and I'm wondering how the battery life will be for my type of usage pattern. The SX110 would be very tempting if the disappointments reported for the SX100 have been overcome.
1954007
Yes, I had the Canon Powershot SX280 also and was frustrated by the battery problem. I brought it back and later purchased the Canon Powershot SX700HS. I was able to take over 200 shots and 30 minutes of video with plenty of battery power left.
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Sorry I do not have any personal experience with the sx260. I do like the sx280 a lot except for the movie function. In movie mode the battery managment is very bad and actually shuts the camera off after only minute or two of recording even on a freshly charged, high capacity battery. I followed the instructions to update the camera firmware, but it made no dofference with this problem on my camerra. Some people claim that their camera was fixed using this update but mine was not. My movie mode is virtually useless to me because of the battery issue. For the SX 260 I could only suggest reading other peoples reviews. I hope this helps. Sorry I do not have any personal experience with the sx260. I do like the sx280 a lot except for the movie function. In movie mode the battery managment is very bad and actually shuts the camera off after only minute or two of recording even on a freshly charged, high capacity battery. I followed the instructions to update the camera firmware, but it made no dofference with this problem on my camerra. Some people claim that their camera was fixed using this update but mine was not. My movie mode is virtually useless to me because of the battery issue. For the SX 260 I could only suggest... » Read More Sorry I do not have any personal experience with the sx260. I do like the sx280 a lot except for the movie function. In movie mode the battery managment is very bad and actually shuts the camera off after only minute or two of recording even on a freshly charged, high capacity battery. I followed the instructions to update the camera firmware, but it made no dofference with this problem on my camerra. Some people claim that their camera was fixed using this update but mine was not. My movie mode is virtually useless to me because of the battery issue. For the SX 260 I could only suggest reading other peoples reviews. I hope this helps. « Show Less
1919421
hello! Pretty good battery life...this has been a GREAT camera. This is my son's - he's really into making movies, uses it every day.Would recommend!