Photography course: the camera battery ⋆ FullPress

With digital, I always shoot in automatic and the camera does everything by itself. Can I modify something and add something of my own? [7/8]

We have finally purchased our digital camera and the immediate question is: I want to use my camera right away, is that possible?No. Hold back your eager urge to turn it on and instead fully charge the battery following the user instructions. Your camera will thank you because in the future the charge will last longer. And anyway, whether it’s a small compact or a sophisticated SLR, along with the camera buy a second battery. It’s an expense you won’t regret, although, as you will read shortly, many suggest buying another only when needed, because its lifespan depends heavily on the manufacturing date.

But why dwell on the battery? Well, if you buy a car you’ll want to know what engine it has, how much it consumes, what speed it reaches, what tires it uses, etc. With a camera it’s the same: you’ll ask how many megapixels it has, what the shutter speed is, what kind of light metering it uses… Among all this information we should also know how many shots we can take before running out of battery…
In any case, without unnecessarily describing the various types of batteries on the market, know that 99.99% of cameras today will have a very modern Li-Ion battery, that is Lithium-Ion.What does it mean?That it pollutes less than other batteries because it is recyclable, it is a third lighter, it is less bulky, it has a very slow self-discharge, meaning it retains its charge for a long time when not in use (the reduction is around 5% per month), it has high power and no memory effect, so if it’s recharged before fully discharged it will still charge to its maximum capacity.The problems?It costs a lot and should never be fully discharged because it could get damaged, even though cameras have an auto-shutdown system that activates before the critical threshold. Also, its life depends on the year it was made, not on how many times you charge or discharge it. Indeed, if stored at 25° C a fully charged Li-Ion battery permanently loses about 20% of its capacity each year; if charged at 40% it loses “only” 4%. So when you buy any electronic device the batteries are only partially charged. Also know that at higher temperatures things get worse, so be careful never to leave the camera in the car under the sun…
And finally, if water or even just humidity gets inside a Li-Ion battery it can explode! So be careful both at the beach in summer and in the rain in winter…
In short, an average life of five years… then the battery necessarily needs to be replaced.Moving on to advice: the first is never to let it fully discharge and never keep it permanently at full charge. Then try to optimize the number of charges by frequently charging it for short periods. It should also be noted that Li-Ion batteries should be stored in the cold, maybe in the fridge, and before use brought back to room temperature within 24 hours.
Good, finally the charge is complete. Now insert the battery and turn on the camera. If you really want to use it immediately, just leave the default settings, select the automatic program, and shoot. Usually the program is labeled “AE Program.” In this mode your camera will set shutter speeds and apertures and sometimes sensitivity. Later we will see what these parameters are and when and why to change them.