Which EOS film bodies don't drain battery during long exposures?

[todd_caudle]

<p>Hi all, I remember seeing on here somewhere a list of EOS film cameras that do not use any battery power in bulb mode for long exposures (star trails, etc.), but couldn't relocate where I saw it. Can anyone tell me which bodies have this capability? TIA!</p>

[richterjw]

<p>I believe the EOS 1v doesn't because it has a magnetically controlled shutter. I don't know of any others, though I hope someone will comment that the EOS 3 does not; I have that one. JR</p>

[jamie_robertson2]

<p>I used to have an EOS 3 and I don't think it drained batteries during long exposures for the same reason as the 1v. I am not 100% sure on this. One thing was for sure though... the bloody thing drained batteries when it was switched off and in a cupboard. It used to go through a 2CR5 every fortnight.</p>

[peter_mckone]

<p>Doesn't the sensor need power throughout the whole exposure on any digital camera?</p>

[epp_b]

<p>Peter, perhaps you missed the "flim" bit? ;)</p>

[douglas_vitello]

<p>EOS 620,630,650,RT (600 series) do not use battery power to hold the shutter open plus now days you can pick up a mint one for $50US.</p>

[gerrymorgan]

<p>The 6xx series cameras that Douglas listed are (to my knowledge) the only EOS cameras that do not require power to hold the shutter open in bulb mode. The 630 is the best of the bunch for anyone who does not need the high performance of the RT, but you might not care about its advantages over the 620 and 650 (faster film transport and better flash metering). The fixed pellicle mirror of the RT costs you some light and is therefore not best suited to astro use.</p>

<p>If you decide to get one, the achilles heel of these cameras is a sticky shutter caused by the breakdown of a rubber stopper on the bottom of the shutter blade.</p>

[richterjw]

<blockquote>

<p> perhaps you missed the "flim" bit?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>you either meant <em>film</em> or <em>phlegm</em>. JR</p>

[douglas_vitello]

<p>FYI: Ken Rockwell (Google it) just did a outstanding review of the EOS 620.More than you need to know about this little gem of a camera.</p>

[epp_b]

<p>Ha, my bad... thanks, Jeremy.</p>

[tapani]

<p>I can tell from experience that EOS 5 does use power to keep shutter open but EOS 3 does not. (Although I've heard that EOS 3 actually uses some minuscule amount of energy during the exposure anyway, but so small that you can't really notice it unless you do multi-month exposures.)</p>

 

[todd_caudle]

<p>Thanks guys! I knew I could count on denizens of photo.net to answer my question.</p>

[todd_caudle]

<p>Just bought an excellent condition 630 on eBay for $40 plus shipping.</p>

[richterjw]

<p>I just bought the remote for the EOS 3, so I could make some long exposures too. So thanks for the inadvertant nudge. JR</p>

[HenryUK]

<p>Don't overlook the EOS 10 (10S). It does not require power to hold the shutter open, and it has a built-in intervalometer.</p>

<p>See: http://photonotes.org/reviews/eos-10s/</p>

<p>The EOS 10 can be bought for next to nothing nowadays and it's much better than the EOS 6XX family.</p>

<p>Henry</p>

[NK Guy]

<p>I agree with the assessment of the EOS 10/10s. And not just for the link to my site. :) It's a great camera for long exposures - the only drawback being its annoying manual interface. It doesn't have a wired socket unfortunately, but it works great with the RC-1 for long exposures - mirror lockup and a 2 second countdown in bulb mode. Just check the shutter condition for black tar.</p>

[pmind]

<p>My vote would probably have to be for the RT, just because it's different.</p>

[danielleetaylor]

<p>I would be curious to know how long the shutter can be held open on an EOS body that does use power. This question often pops up, but it's a moot point if one that draws power draws so little that the shutter can be held open for days.</p>

[todd_caudle]

<p>I've done a few star trail attempts w/my EOS 5D, and with a fully charged battery in somewhat cool mountain environments I've done 90-minute exposures plus the 90-minute dark exposure, and each time the battery has died before reaching the 3-hour mark. Not that the results are all that -- ahem -- <em>stellar</em> , but I just wanted to see what it would do.</p>

[tarashnat]

<p>Todd,<br>

You should try taking shorter exposures and stacking them in Photoshop, or similar software. I've been settling on 1 minute exposures with my EOS 5D with decent results, unless you are going for the daylight effect.<br>

Taras</p>

[todd_caudle]

<p>Thanks Taras. I've toyed w/the concept a little bit, but even at 1-minute the images are so noisy.</p>