battery discharging when A900 off

[brennerrmb]

<p>Is there a way to prevent batttery drainage in the Alpha 900 when the camera power switch is off? The battery level definitely drops when I am not using the camera. I suppose I could take the battery out between uses but I am surprised that any drainage occurs with the power switch off. Does this happen to any other A900 users?</p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Robert, I don't own an A900 but the following statement is generally true: The quiescent current draw from any camera that is switched off should be negligible; it only needs to keep the camera's internal memory alive for dates and certain settings. The battery charge should deplete only at a rate slightly higher than self-discharge (as when it's out of the camera). </p>

<p>Try a fully charged battery; its level should not drop noticeably over the course of a few days. A faulty battery is suspect if it does, or less likely, the camera is drawing more quiescent current than "normal".</p>

[ilkka]

<p>Yes, it is leaking a bit. But not that much that it is a problem unless you leave it for weeks. A loose battery, one that is not in the camera, will also lose charge over time. But again, we are talking weeks or months instead of days. The good thing is the Sony battery gauge that tells in quite accurate %-age how much juice is left. All my other cameras have always just shown a bar or two with no way to guess is it almost empty or almost full. And usually it then turns out to be almost empty, after a few exposures.</p>

[philippartridge]

<p>The received wisdom is that this kind of battery works best with frequent short charges. Mine also loses charge quite fast in either state: in-camera or on a desk. I just give it a quick charge before a trip or outing. Also, they take quite some time to get up to full performance when new.<br>

Nikon say their small LCD display does not drain the battery when the body was not in use and switched off, but that was not my experience with that brand.<br>

Final word: leave the battery on the charger for one hour after the light extinguishes - I got that one from Gary Friedman.</p>

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