topic Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

6D GPS Drains battery when idle

heyjp — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:59:24 GMT

Got my new EOS 6D for christmas (present to self... how else did Santa know what I ~~need~~ want).

Great camera. Love the low light. Love the WiFi. ALMOST love the GPS. The GPS tends to drain the battery about 25% per day. On a 8-10 hour heavy shooting day, that's not a problem. I can still shoot 500-600 shots and the GPS only drains 8-10% during that time.

However, when the camera is in the bag... you can shut off the camera and shut off the GPS logging, and it still drains 25% per day. Leave the camera in the back for 4-5 days... and the battery is shot.

Only option is to take the battery out or use the menus and disable GPS and re-enable when you use camera again.

I think Canon needs a separate GPS timeout of about 3-6 hours. If GPS logging is disabled, GPS should shutdown after a few hours of non-use.

It's a drag to take your camera out after leaving in the bag for a couple of days and battery is already 50% down or more.

Jim

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

cicopo — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 23:39:42 GMT

I read the manual after downloading it & you have me a bit confused . Are you turning the GPS to the OFF position and leaving it attached to your camera while in the bag? If it's OFF & still draining the battery (not sure whether you mean the camera battery but I think you do) something seems to NOT be off. The camera & the GPS unit shouldn't be talking to each other while switched off.

HOWEVER I really don't recommend leaving the GPS unit on when in the bag. That's ultimately going to turn into a problem at some point when it snags or gets bumped hard enough to damage the hot shoe. Removing it will cure the problem & it's the wise thing to do.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

heyjp — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:16:53 GMT

Hi Cicoco,

The EOS 6D has the GPS built-in, internal. First DSLR from Canon as such. The problem is that the GPS capability, if enabled, stays active even if the camera has been shut down. There is a GPS logging function that allows the camera to log wherever you go, with the camera on your bag, but, even if logging is disabled, the GPS continues and drains the battery about 25% per day.

Only option is to let your camera battery die every 4 days, take the battery out every time you put the camera in the bag, or use the menu structure to disable GPS and to re-enable when you take it out again. None are fluid options on my book.

Jim

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

cicopo — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:00:54 GMT

Got you, & I knew it was built in but forgot & read about the add on (I have an interest in it ). The new info you've posted leaves me to think that either you have a problem or that's a really stupid design, but so far I haven't seen any other complaints like yours so I'd be contacting Canon. Having to pull the battery between uses isn't logical but it sounds like your only work around.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

7D5D — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:39:57 GMT

Don't have the link handy but over on Canon Rumours there was a link about this very issue. If I recall , the GPS needs to be disabled to avoid it consuming power. The actual power switch does not cut off power to the GPS. Please confirm but I believe this is correct.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

cicopo — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:47:55 GMT

I downloaded the 6D manual to read but it says the GPS is in another manual & I can't find it listed. There's one for the Wifi but it won't download.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

heyjp — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:48:49 GMT

7D5D,

Correct. Turning off the power switch does not turn off GPS. You have to go into the menus and disable GPS. Which is a pain if you have to do that every time you put your camera down.

Sometimes I put my camera away for an hour. Sometimes for a week. Quite a pain to manage GPS manually like that.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

7D5D — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:56:44 GMT

Heyjp,

Sorry, you did mention that in your first post, I guess I over looked your second paragraph.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

cicopo — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 03:26:54 GMT

I have to admit that I'd be very dissatisfied with that concept. If in fact it's the ONLY way to override the drain let's hope they do a firmware update to correct it. Until then I'd pull the battery EVERY time I put it away. Have you tried that to verify whether or not all your menu settings stay active when the battery is reinstalled? They should based on the fact killing the battery hasn't triggered a complaint from you about having to re set everything.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

tof — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:27:40 GMT

Hi,

I've got the same issue with battery drain if I forget to off the GPS. A fix would be appreciated to off the GPS when switching off the camera.

In the mean time, I try not to forget to switch it off when not using the camera. And I've added a shortcut it in My menu setting for the GPS settings easy access, and I've a got a spare battery just in case I forgot...

Tof

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

heyjp — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:34:49 GMT

So far, I've turned off the GPS. Now battery drain is negligible. Still at 97% charge 10 days after recharging and used the camera several times.

Of course, I've only remembered to turn the GPS back on once, so most of the shots are without the location.

I do hope they put a timeout on the GPS or just have it go off when you turn off the camera.

Jim

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

ender78 — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 01:20:41 GMT

The reason for leaving the GPS on is that it can be slow to re-acquire a signal once turned off. Leaving it on allows it to lock quickly onto the satellites.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

heyjp — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 02:46:09 GMT

Yeah, but I'll take a couple of minutes to re-lock when I start shooting over losing 50% of my battery in 48 hours. Seems pretty "expensive". And, worse case, after a few shots the GPS is locked and I have a record of where the "roll" was shot.

Jim

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

7D5D — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 02:56:06 GMT

Sounds like a C. fn is necessary:

GPS state when power switch is off
0 = On
1 = Off
2 = Off after 60 minutes

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

heyjp — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:18:05 GMT

I'd vote for something like that!

Jim

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

domina — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 02:16:40 GMT

what happens if I take out the battery?

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

heyjp — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 04:09:38 GMT

Well, your battery certainly won't drain while it's out, but your camera uses a second small battery to maintain control settings and clock. Normally that battery does'nt get used much except while changing batteries. It lasts for a couple if years or more. But, with battery oit, I assume it drains much faster.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

caleb — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:55:20 GMT

To make it easier to turn the GPS off, add the GPS command to My Menu.

Notice that when the internal GPS receiver is enabled, the LCD display shows "GPS" even when the camera is switched off.

Between those two things, I think it's easier to keep the GPS in the state you want than to remove the battery every time you put the camera in your bag.

You can set the time interval between GPS location fixes. If I understand the manual correctly, more frequent fixes require more battery power. So, if you like having GPS on but want to minimize its impact on the battery, set it to the longest interval (5 minutes).

Finally, whether you use GPS or not, it's definitely a good idea to keep a spare battery in your bag.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

hsbn — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:08:00 GMT

Wish they will release a firmware to address this issue. I want to save spare battery for GPS while shooting not when the camera is off.

Re: 6D GPS Drains battery when idle

heyjp — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:20:28 GMT

I did read a couple of days ago that a 6D firmware update is scheduled for May or June . Hopefully this is an issue that is covers!!

Jim