Does the F5 have 'full' auto shut-off provisions while in the 'on' position?

Hello: Does the Nikon F5 have battery saving provisions other than

the meter shut-off? If the camera were left on, would the batteries

discharge? If so, how long would it take to discharge a new set of

lithiums? I am afraid that if the camera does not have an auto shut-

off, I will have to constantly be turning the camera on and off

during a shoot. What is your experience? Thanks.

Not exactly sure but my understanding is that the battery is ALWAYS used -- even when the camera has been turned off. Have you noticed that the camera gives you the current shot counter even when turned off. That counter goes off when the battery is pulled out of the camera.

 

So the battery is being discharged continuously. I wouldn't worry about it. The lightmeter (which is only on for a few seconds) uses battery power but the rest of the time not appreciably.

 

Instead of lithiums I use the Nikon NiMh battery packs for the camera. These are good for (at least for me) 15-20 rolls. Always keep one or two backups on hand and you'll be fine. This is part and parcel of working with electronic cameras!

 

good luck

My F5 is a later model with better battery drain characteristics, so it seldom runs down unexpectedly.I do keep Ni-MH batteries in the camera at all times. If the camera is left on, they will run down,eventually. An occasional forgetfulness will not leave you high-and-dry though. I keep a cartridge of lithiums as a backup, for just this reason. It is just best to get in the habit of turning the camera off before putting it back in the camera bag.

 

Alex

I wouldn't worry about turning it on and off during a shoot. If you are going to be idle for more than an hour or more then, yes, wouldn't hurt to turn it off. What uses power more than anything is the AF, sitting there consumes very little.

Don't know about the F5, but the F100, if left on in the bag, drains a new set of 4 duracell alkalines to the point where the battery indicator show half full in about 9 days. Nikon's battery indicator only goes to half full when there is only enough juice left in the battery for about 1 more roll. I've tried. by accident

The F5 has a "custom setting" that will put the camera to sleep in about 3/5 seconds after a shot. The SB 28 flash will also go into a sleep mode. It is always ready to shoot in a nano-second. I aslo rewind my film manually when not in a hurry. This alone will save an immense amout of power. I normally can shoot over 65/70 rolls of 36 exposure film with changing batteries. I forget at times and leave the camera on for a day or two without noticeable loss of power.

Many thanks for all contributions. This now tells me where I stand. I heard terrible bettery strories from one user, but I guess he must have been using continuous servo with his AF-S lenses. Your answers set this straight, thanks again.

I left my F5 with the power on for about 8-9 days. It had a set of new alkaline AAs installed, and it appeared as if there was no significant drain at all. By the way, I called Nikon, aS I was concerned about having the camera energized for that long (it was brand new), and they told me there was nothing to be concerned about.