Battery Management and the Fuji X-T2

[George_P]

Update: After third day 496 total still on the same battery, still not dead.

[jwascher]

I am shooting football games of my grandsons. Shooting an X-T2 with 100-400 lens, with continuous focusing, CL shooting, and boost mode on. I take about 1600-2000 shots in a day and go thru 3-4 batteries, only one is OEM. I only use the EVF, so the LCD screen is not on too often.

 

 

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[Torturro]

Something must very very wrong with your camera. 

Occasionally - my - won't turn off, or - it turns on just to tell me there is no power - ind it switches off itself - even if I put fresh ones in.

Fuji service didn't recognize this problem - it probably didn't happen during their testing (I believe something like - ok lets switch it on and off.. working. ok)

 

Anyway - on my last trip to Asia - i shoot every day for 2,5 months hundreds of pics a day.

Have travelled into Himalayas - below zero - sometimes without a charge on a night before.

Using a grip wit a boost mode. 

Prime lenses only.

Never have run out of power on all 4 batts

[pete1959]

Update...I turned off boost mode...I haven't seen any drop in performance...and battery life is greatly improved...I also retired four batteries some as old as 2012.

 

I don't believe there is anything "wrong" with the cameras as several folks reasonably suggested...it's just a combination of the randomness of how long the battery has been waiting to get used...as I stated I don't track the batteries that carefully in so far as what battery is oldest charge/freshest charge. They just get tossed in my bag/pockets etc. at random.

 

No doubt if I "fresh charged and topped off" batteries constantly I would get better performance, but I understand that topping off batteries shortens battery life?

 

Thanks to everyone with the polite suggestions and advice...and staying on topic (no trolls yippeeeee) 

 

-Peter

[Larry Bolch]

Update...I turned off boost mode...I haven't seen any drop in performance...and battery life is greatly improved...I also retired four batteries some as old as 2012.

 

No doubt if I "fresh charged and topped off" batteries constantly I would get better performance, but I understand that topping off batteries shortens battery life?

 

-Peter

 

That was certainly true of Nickle-Cadmium and  NiMH batteries but is of minimal concern with Lithium-ion batteries.

[KateB]

Interesting my batteries are LAKGAPEW, LDV2APEW, LGH1APEW -still trying to work out that puzzle .........

Look at the first three letters...

 

LAK = 2017/01/11, etc

[Guest Him]

Look at the first three letters...

 

LAK = 2017/01/11, etc

 

Duh..... thank you.... I believe the year column has been added since I first saw that chart.

[KennethR]

Wow, I can get 7-800 shots on 1 (ONE) battery.

 

It takes You 9 to make 977??????????????????????????????????

I even use the 16-55mm......clearly You have some mistake somewhere. I shoot, chimp, re-chimp, turn off/on between shots every single time, and manage to do 7-800 shots in a couple of hours on 1 battery.

 

Forgot, I am in boost mode too, single shots.

Edited November 26, 2017 by KennethR

[Max_Elmar]

This is the main thing non-pros don't understand about hard PJ work and batteries. All those nice numbers someone got taking pictures of their cat in the living room go straight to hell when the ambient temps are even modestly hotter or colder - let alone temperature extremes, when all bets are off. Electric car engineers understand this - that's why they build systems to manage the battery temps and keep them in a good range. Love my Fujis, but if I have to shoot a big outdoor event in warm or cold weather I still grab the Nikon... It's not battery capacity, it's temperature management and load. Nearly all mirrorless cameras are still really BAD at these two things.

[Mb.kinsman]

Peter, note that in the manual, Fuji recommends charging batteries a day or two before use, as the batteries can lose some power if stored for a while. I’ve found the Fuji branded batteries do indeed drain slowly, more so than the 3rd party Wasabi Brand batteries. At about $16-20.00 for two batteries, you could replace all your batteries every year if you are a heavy use PJ for a little over $100.00, as long as you are comfortable using 3rd party batteries.

Also there is a system for using an external large power pack that is available on Amazon. The kind of power packs sold to charge phones etc. It’s something that’s been used by DSLR users for years too. It’s a Relay Camera Coupler CRW126 for Fujifilm and a Case Relay Camera Power System both available on Amazon. All you need then is the power pack.

Edited November 26, 2017 by Mb.kinsman

[ImagesWest]

 

 

The 9 batteries I used only got me 977 shots...that is with no "review", no pre AF, image stabilization OFF, and switching the camera OFF between shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I can usually get that many shots on two batteries, even in -20ºC weather - and that's with review on, and OIS on.  The only time I see really rapid battery drain is shooting in boost mode, which I rarely do.

[FunkyGuy]

We don’t know if the camera was turned off when it wasn’t being used or what type of batteries being used. I agree with the others, I usually get 300+ shots per battery. I found it very easy to switch batteries and haven’t given battery life much thought. That said, I do manage my battery life. I have various Fuji Cameras and I simply turn it off befween shots. (I have switched to manual sensor cleaning as well.) I used to shoot Canon and turning the camera on and off was a pain, as the on/off switch required two hands. With most Fuji cameras it’s very easy, when gripping the camera, to turn it on and off. I simply turn the camera off when I take the camera away from my face and turn it back on when bringing back. When turning the camera on, I found it so fast that it’s ready to shoot instantly. It’s quite a simple movement. I can usually shoot a days worth of shots on my X70 on one battery (400-500 shots). I usually require a battery change on my xpro2 in the middle of the day, using the same technique. I could never go back to Canon or Nikon, as the weight would really be a problem. I had constant wrist problems gripping a Canon with a 24-70 lense in the same way that I do the xpro2 with the equivalent lense. My wrist and I much prefer switching batteries than carrying that extra weight.

[gdanmitchell]

Far be it from me to argue with your actual experience "under fire" (as it were), but only getting about 100 frames per battery is very strange. I'd want to try to understand why that is happening to you.

 

Let me start by agreeing with your assessment that more limited battery life is an issue with mirrorless cameras in general when comparing them to DSLRs, especially for photographers who aren't using power-hungry DSLR features such as Canon's Live View. (I rely on that a lot, and when shooting in that mode a lot, I get about the same number of photographs from my 5DsR as I do from my XPro2 on a single battery.) For what you do, especially when you are making a LOT of exposures, I think a DSLR is likely the best solution right now — even though there is a price to be paid in terms of larger camera body and lenses, assuming that you go with full frame. 

 

For the life of me, I cannot understand why the manufacturers of mirrorless cameras don't just bite the bullet and enlarge the already-very-small bodies (at least the "serious photography" bodies such as XT2 and A7rIII, etc) so that they will hold batteries with at least twice the capacity of the current tiny batteries. There would be a few contrary voices, but the vast majority of photographers wouldn't care about the marginally greater size and weight and they/we would be happy with double the number of exposures on a battery.

 

Back to your inability to get more than about 100 shots per charge from the Fujifilm batteries. It is rare for me to get fewer than 200, and I often get more in less battery-intensive shooting scenarios. So something is going on in your case that is accelerating the battery drain. Possibilities include a batch of bad batteries (a serious possibility if you are using third-party batteries instead of Fujifilm versions), incomplete charging, or something about how you use the cameras: a lot of chimping or in-camera image review? Camera sleep settings set to keep the camera awake longer than usual? Something else?

 

I don't mean any of that to question your decision — I'm just wondering what the explanation might be, since your experience is significantly different than what we typically see.

 

Working wire service news with two Fuji XT-2's at the Wine Contry, California fires.

 

Serious complaint of the system is the terrible battery life...as I started the day with 13 fresh batteries, and in six hours was down to three, despite efforts to save battery life.

 

The camera is VERY questionable as a working PJ's tool...something journalists need to keep in mind before switching systems, especially if you routinely cover extended assignments and won't have power to charge batteries, even if you had the time or patience to do so.

 

The 9 batteries I used only got me 977 shots...that is with no "review", no pre AF, image stabilization OFF, and switching the camera OFF between shots.

 

Had I needed to remain photographing (even if I could find a power source) I was looking at six hours to get my stash of batteries back up and get me working again. As it was, using four battery chargers I wasn't ready to shoot again until the next day.

 

If I had to do "the switch" over again I would have kept my Canon 5d3's and kept it around for those times when I need long battery life, and in fact I will be ordering a Canon 5D4 this week as I simply can't/won't depend on this camera system to have the endurance needed for long days shooting news.

 

 

For everything else it's a gem, but as a working person's tool where battery life in the field I don't recommend you leave your DSLR.

 

-Peter

 

[nodslr]

I use original batteries and I have never experienced anything like this. It's true that mirrorless cameras use more power than a DSLR with optical viewfinder. But what is described here is just *fake news*. I've been in the polar region and at the most I need three batteries for a whole day of shooting in cold conditions, and I took a lot of pictures. Just stay with good batteries and nothing of this will occur. Read reviews and you find that many third party batteries are highly overrated. In most cases you get what you pay for.

[jonathanyoung]

Also, the newest batteries for Fuji are the W-126S, not the original W-126. The S model uses low resistance cells, which produce less heat and last longer. The original W-126 is no longer sold.

 

 

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[neon]

Peter, such a shame that your Fujis were not able to satisfy the demanded performance. Although, a 100 images per battery is nothing like anything I have heard before or experienced, I can imagine that conditions and settings have resulted in this poor battery life.

 

Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet, but I have noticed a significant difference in performance between the W126 and W126S.

Although on paper the only difference is design and heat resistence, my X-Pro2 last significantly longer on the S battery. Moreover, when my older batteries (non S) are dead according to my X-Pro2, I can still get about 50-100 images when I put then in my fuji X-E1. This leads me to the conclusion that the older batteries are not able to always supply the power demand of the X-Trans III generation bodies. Moreover, since the batteries provide better actual powerleveldata to the camera, they really get emptied completely.

Since the X-T2 is the most powerhungry fuji body and you were using older batteries with deteriorated life, I can image that the batteries already indicated to be empty while they were not really (for other bodies).

Have you notices a significant difference between the old and new batteries?

[DuaneO]

Pete. Many thanks for the information you passed on. I too have a bundle of batteries in my kit for field work too. This week I was in Hilo at a garden shot, and went ther a ton of batteries. I started to wonder why this was happening... I genially don’t use batteries this quickly. Until I realized the hot humid conditions may have been part of my drain.

 

Is it possible environmentals could be a cause?

 

Meantime you’re right I will bring my Canon workhorse with me for my next large shoot.

 

Thanks again!

[KennethR]

This is the main thing non-pros don't understand about hard PJ work and batteries. All those nice numbers someone got taking pictures of their cat in the living room go straight to hell when the ambient temps are even modestly hotter or colder - let alone temperature extremes, when all bets are off. Electric car engineers understand this - that's why they build systems to manage the battery temps and keep them in a good range. Love my Fujis, but if I have to shoot a big outdoor event in warm or cold weather I still grab the Nikon... It's not battery capacity, it's temperature management and load. Nearly all mirrorless cameras are still really BAD at these two things.

 

 I call Your BS. I live in Bulgaria. We have temps going from +45 (50+ last summer) to minus 35 Celsius, and I never had a problem with my X-T2. Still doing 7-800 frames pr. charge.

[KennethR]

Come to think of it, Pete don't actually state what kind batteries he uses???? So come on Pete, what are they? And are You sure Your charger is Fujifilm original? I suspect this to be bogus. 100 pics a battery is not possible unless You screwed up somewhere, despite what ever temperature. Hell, even with the grip and 3 batteries, I get way way more pics out of each battery, then is stated in the specs. Boost mode and all.

I smell a troll.

[ImagesWest]

Come to think of it, Pete don't actually state what kind batteries he uses???? So come on Pete, what are they? And are You sure Your charger is Fujifilm original? I suspect this to be bogus. 100 pics a battery is not possible unless You screwed up somewhere, despite what ever temperature. Hell, even with the grip and 3 batteries, I get way way more pics out of each battery, then is stated in the specs. Boost mode and all.

 

I smell a troll.

 

 

I'm pretty sure he said he has all original Fuji batteries, although some of them were quite old.

[panthonyl]

Just found this topic as I've had a similar issue. Use only NP-W126S (official Fuui supplied) and on one occasion over a 9 day period my battery went from freshly charged and inserted to stone cold dead, clocking up a total of 32 shots! The camera was subsequently repaired by Fuji under warranty who informed me the power management board had been replaced. Only just got the camera back so too early to say if this has done the trick but my gut feel is there is still something amiss. Given the number of folk reporting very acceptable battery use anything less than 200 shots per charge is sub-standard.

 

I'll repost in a week or so's time once I've run through a couple of battery cycles.

[Vidalgo]

I would add something.

Don't use a third-party charger IF it make the battery hotter than with original charger. 

"Hotter" means significally hotter, 10-15C or more, what can be detectable with fingers.

First, excessive heating is just dangerous, for any type of batteries. 

Second, lithium battery when charged at hot temperature, can get lesser charge (in contrary to estimations), and it's lifetime also shortened. No, cold also doesn't help to charge.

Normal behavior of battery under charging in correct charger at room temperature - to be a slightly warm, no more.

[DeeDee Stills]

I'm a stills photographer on film sets and typically take 1,800 to 2,200 shots per day, which is typically 600 to 700 images 3 to 5 at a time. I do that with four batteries, most of which are after-market. The actual Fuji batteries give me more shots but the cheapies do fairly well.

 

Getting about 100 shots per battery is a bit unusual, especially if it applies to both of your XT-2 bodies.

 

All I can think is that you're doing bursts of ten or twenty over and over again, which would be your highest source of drain. With groups of three to five, even a one-to-three-second recovery between groups seems to be enough to keep going. You may find that restricting. I know that with my Nikons I never worried about limiting the length of my bursts.

 

I presume you've talked to Fuji about it.

 

Cheers!

 

dd

Edited November 26, 2017 by DeeDee Stills

[dmward]

If extended use is a requirement one option is this: https://www.tethertools.com/product-category/power-management/

 

I have two of them. I got them for long shoots with Sony A7RII where camera was on tripod for several hours shooting architecture for blending.

They make a unit for the XT-2, etc. battery box.

I've shot several weddings with XT-2 without having the battery problems mentioned. Always over 1000 images, generally fewer than 4 batteries.

Shooting real estate, using the LCD for composition and bracketing I get fewer images per battery but still would work out to more per battery that the OP. I have lots of off brand batteries and haven't noticed a significant difference.

Even though I got a connection to XT-2 for the Tether Tools system I've not used it yet.

[bluejaguar]

In my experience, X-T2 with grip, using Wasabi cells in the grip and original NP-126s in the camera, typical to get > 1000-1400 shots in this configuration writing to both slots, if shooting only jpg then you will get more.  EVF/LCD auto switch, 1 min sleep setting. Use boost sparingly when it really counts. Sounds like you either have a hardware issue OR something going on with your batteries.  Have Fuji inspect.

Edited November 26, 2017 by bluejaguar