Max 3 dives with D500 battery?

2 hours ago, sinetwo said:

@TimG can you share your exact setup and settings on how you get such good battery life?

 

Sure, but they were nothing special. 

Focus set to AF-S; mode on Manual,; varying shutter speeds from around 1/60 to about 1/400. UWT trigger (which allows high speed sync (HSS) with my Retra strobes); fibre optic cables; f stops between f8 and f22; No Liveview; minimal image review between shots; camera switched on throughout dive with sleep on default setting; focus centre-weighted. 

I plan on diving today and will be using the same settings so I can check further. But, as I say, really nothing special or unusual. Apart from using HSS a bit , I use pretty vanilla settings. 
 

I must admit I was surprised by the battery life. I usually change batteries at the end of each dive day but pushed it as an experiment to see just how long it’d last. I used my setup just as normal not taking any special efforts or changes. 

@TimG thanks, I think you're right in the way of AF/VR using battery. I'm guessing D500's AF system is fairly intense and may require more battery life, and perhaps that in combination with VR drains it even more.

I read up on this thread that seems to indicate this as well. Perhaps I should try turning off VR and see if that makes the difference, as I also use vanilla settings for both macro and wide (perhaps long exposures every now and then).

Interesting thread in that link. Thanks.

Hmmm, makes me think a couple of things:

- make sure the Wifi/Bluetooth bits and bobs are switched off

- turn off VR

- maybe reduce the standby timer to as little as you really need. (I know Mags was keen to increase hers)

- it made me wonder whether using a WA lens (rather than macro) also reduces battery power usage. The 682 images I took on less than one full battery were all using a Tokina 10-17. So minimal - almost no - focus hunting or shifting. That said I have used either a 60mm or 105mm (VR off) loads of times and have never really noticed a battery drain that caused me any kind of concern.

Just done 2 dives this morning in awful (for Sint Maarten) viz caused by swells.

70 images recorded and camera showing 62% charge left with my oldest battery - an EN-EL15 (not an a, b or c model)

Here's the settings:

Mode: M

Shutter: Between 1/40 and 1/125

ISO: 200

Aperture: f11 or f13

AF-C (not AF-S)

XQD = RAW

SD = RAW

WB Auto0

DX

Single Shot

Notes: Only very short image reviews; No LiveView; Lens Tokina 10-17 so no VR; Standby Timer (c2) 6secs; Matrix Metering

Like I said, nothing unusual in any of that.