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

[heyjp]

I agree TOTALLY, and VOCIFEROUSLY, with hsbn.  GPS needs an automatic turn-off, either with the off switch or with the camera timeout.  Configurable by the user.

I have finally just stopped using GPS, because I invariably forget and leave it on... and the camera I sat on the shelf on Weds, is dead as a doornail on Saturday morning.  

This is silly.  For a company that usually is REALLY tuned into their user-base and has created a great device that works like a glove on your hand... this is a glaring miss.

The ONLY thing worth complaining about (in my book) for this otherwise delightful camera.

Jim in Boulder

[Peter]

One year with the problem and still no new firmware!

[TCampbell]

I have a friend that just bought a 6D.  I don/t think he bought for the GPS, but I did warn him about the issue.  

I have a 5D III and the GPS is an accessory module with it's own power switch and is configurable as to how often it grabs it's position (it can run for days on a single AA battery if you configure it to only check position every few minutes.)  

I have noticed GPS's in general (and this applies to Canon's as well) seem to save their last known position and time.  If they are powered on near that same position and without allowing too much time to pass, they re-acquire their position quickly.  If days go by or if they move by a great distance (e.g. you powered it off, boarded a flight across the country and then power it back on after arrival), then it takes quite a while to re-lock position (sometimes several minutes.)

Imagine you're out hiking and every single time you power up your camera it takes 3-5 minutes to lock (especially because if you're in the woods, the tree leaves really weaken the ability to pick up GPS signal and it can take considerably longer.)  You would probably be pretty upset with the delay.  So it makes sense that they preserve the GPS activity for a little while, but I agree that a custom function (C.Fn) otpion to allow the GPS to be programmed for a delayed shut-down period after normal camera power off would be really nice... because the opposite problem of having a dead or near dead battery after a day or two isn't a very attractive option either.

Keep in mind that while Canon montiors the forum, it's not really for customer support and it's not really a way to send feedback to Canon.  

To send feedback or request that they provide a fix, I would encourage you to contact Canon support directly.  When a ticket is filed, it's on their radar... then they can look at their database and conclude that some really high percentage of 6D owners would like to see them release a firmware patch to power off the GPS when the camera is powered off.

[DaveLinger]

I contacted Canon in December.

Thank you for contacting Canon product support regarding your EOS 6D. I understand your concern regarding the GPS feature of your camera.

I am happy to assist you. Turning the logging feature OFF should greatly reduce the amount of drain on the battery, but it does not completely eliminate it. Even in cameras with no GPS or Wi-fi leaving the battery in will cause a slight power drain. When storing your camera we recommend removing the battery. The GPS of the camera stays semi-active to reduce the time it takes to get a signal when the power is turned back on. I apologize for the inconvenience.

This is something that I can submit to our engineers for review and may be fixed in a future firmware. However, please note that decisions to alter a particular camera feature are made by our engineers and product designers in Japan, based on a number of factors. Consumer demand, technological limitations, and customer feedback are all taken in to consideration.

If you have not already done so I recommend performing a power reset on the camera. Please follow the instructions below.

---

[heyjp]

Tim,

Good points. I think there is definitely a better solution with minimal setup complexity that can provide a best of both worlds. An option to shut off GPS after camera has been off for 2 hours would make me a very happy camper. Battery saved when I put away the camera. Instant recovery on a hike, even with a non-photo lunch break. Reasonably fast recovery if I've driven 50-100 miles over 2 hours. Longer recovery after a 3 hour flight. But, I'd expect that.

Jim in Boulder

[heyjp]

I too contacted Canon support on this issue: in Dec 2012 by phone and March 2013 by email. Received responses similar to DaveLinger verbally and written, respectively. I turned Logging off the week I bought the camera and NEVER turned it back on. Battery still dies in 4 days. Canon and Other people in the forum have recommended taking the battery out. Same recovery time as just Canon shutting off the **bleep** GPS. And still what I consider an inconvenience taking the battery out after every use. Of the cameras you have owned for the last 30 years, how many did you take the battery out after each use to make sure it would work the next time you needed it?

Jim in Boulder

[safllc]

Please add my voice to the throngs in favor of having a simple way to turn off the GPS battery drain.

[heyjp]

Well, Canon came out with a new Firmware update:  1.1.4 today.  No mention of GPS.  So I guess that means they aren't fixing before the 6D is obsoleted in another year or so.

But, GOOD NEWS!!!  The Magic Lantern guys that are building the extension for EOS cameras and a splinter group supporting the 6D... added auto-GPS-off TODAY.  Just downloaded their new version to test.  Works great.

My favorite MagicLantern feature is a built-in Intervalometer which lets you specify automatically timed shots for up to hundreds of unattended shots.  I use this all the time for astrophotography.  Just set it for 100 thirty-second exposures on my telescope and go inside and have a glass of wine.

But they added GPS-off today.  When you turn the 6D off, or when the 6D auto-sleeps, the GPS will go off.  Yay!!  Now I ALWAYS know I will have battery left even after leaving the camera in my bag for a couple of days.  Double-Yay!

Jim

[DaveLinger]

It's a shame we have to install third party firmware to make our cameras work the way we expect them to, but I was looking for a reason to install Magic Lantern on my 6D anyway.

[Peter]

Magic lantern or Tragic lantern?

I installed latest magic lantern and don´t find the function. But I found the SET-button for centre autofocus. Perfect!