6D GPS Drains battery when idle

[heyjp]

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

[hsbn]

Or when you travel around a lot too. For example, sometimes I travel to 3-5 different places in a day to shoot. And they're often 30min to 1h apart. So if I forget to turn off the GPS every time I got into a car, I will loose about 20-30% (just my observation) of the charge. Also, taking photos with GPS on also takes more power. With all of those combined, 4 of my spared batteries sometimes cannot last me a weekend. Yes, it's not "critical issue" but it is nice to have an option.

[jbcarioca]

The only solution I have found is removing the battery. I now remove the battery even when I will use the camera again for a few minutes. I hope Canon makes a firmware update SOON! Otherwise I do love it so!

Since this thread had the same complaint now since the model was introduced i cannot understand why it has not yet been addressed by Canon?

[heyjp]

Just to re-iterate a previous post...  Canon has now released 3 firmware updates to the 6D (if my memory is correct) and none addressed the (seemingly) obvious issue with the GPS drain.

The Magic Lantern guys DID heed the request and added a menu item to "enable or disable" GPS Auto-Off.  If enabled, it turns off the GPS when the power switch is turned off or when the camera times out.  When the camera is awakened, it restores the GPS state to what it was when you turned it off.

While I might prefer a 30 minute or 1 hr delay to auto-off with sleep, this solution is MUCH better than the native camera support.  Plus, Magic Lantern also gives you a built-in intervelometer and a stack of high quality video recording options not available in the standard firmware.

I too dont understand why Canon, which is normally a pretty customer centric company, is ignoring this irritation from an otherwise terrific feature!!

Jim in Boulder

[jbcarioca]

Thanks. I have figured that out thanks to the thread, but still am puzzled why Canon does not do the Magic Lantern fix. I'm leery of downloading it mostly because of the potential warranty issues, although i really like some of the features!

[heyjp]

JB,

I hear you! I had been aware of MagicLantern for some time, but resisted. I lusted after the built-in intervalometer as I do a lot of astrophotography and it would be GREAT to let the camera go for 100 2-minute exposures (while I have a couple of glasses of wine). But when they added the GPS-off, I broke down and installed it. Now I have the intervalometer AND my battery isn't dead every time I take the camera out of the bag. 😉

Jim

[mbclark]

I've installed the Magic Lantern nightly build for the 6D, but I don't see the GPS setting. Can someone point me to where that setting is?

[tof]

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

[caleb]

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.

[Sami]

I think caleb's idea of adding GPS to My Menu is the best option for the moment. The latest firmware from last December only fixes a Youtube issue. So, perhaps add it to My Menu and we'll hope for the best that the next firmware will have the C.Fn. function 7D5D mentioned. Or at least something similar.

[MicheleF]

I came "this close" to returning my camera today because the last 3 times I've taken it out, the battery was drained.  The first two times, I was sure it was my own fault - but this time, I knew it wasn't.

I came home and put a new battery in.  Then I noticed the GPS blinking in the LCD screen.  Aha!  Eureka!!  I did a google search, which brought me here, and while I do not like the answer, at least I know there IS a reason.

I too - shall wait for the firmware update.  And hopefully remember to turn GPS on and off.

But a question to those who DO use it - does it drain as fast in the field as it does sitting on my couch?