70D battery life for star trails

[jakpics]

I have tried shooting star trails with my 70D, doing a series of 10 minute exposures. I set the timer for maybe 30 shots equivalent to 5 hours. In the morning I'm disappointed to find maybe 5 or 6 exposures and a dead battery. Is there a solution other than the double battery pack, that doesn't seem like it would be adequate either. 

[Peter]

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ac-adapter-kit-ack-e6

[Peter]

Have you turned off long exposure noise reduction?

[Waddizzle]

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Have you turned off long exposure noise reduction?

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Ditto for High ISO noise reduction, turn it off   Also, have you turned off the image previews on the LCD?

[ebiggs1]

"Is there a solution other than the double battery pack ..."

At least the battery grip doesn't require you to have an electrical outlet.  The video guys have extended battery packs that they carry on their belts.  Maybe there is one for a 70D, you might check if you can buy one.

[TCampbell]

The best solution is to use Canon's AC adapter.  That works great when you're near AC power.  

Unfortunately I go to star parties (typically at least once per year and hopefully twice) and there's no power out in the middle of the field and, to my disappointment, Canon doesn't actually make a device that lets us power the camera from a 12v power supply (I have some large 12v batteries that can run for days).

One solution is to use the "Battery Grip" accessory because it holds 2 batteries and doubles your time.  But I am concerned about this "5 or 6 images" problem.  You should at least get a few hours before the camera dies.   A mere 5 or 6 images tells me that either (a) you are setting image capture times which are much too long, or (b) your battery is near death and won't hold an adequate charge anymore (and should be replaced.)

Definitely make sure that the "long exposure noise reduction" is switched off.  

Are you on a tracking mount?

Do you want star "trails" in the image (or do you want pinpoint stars?)

[RobertTheFat]

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@TCampbell wrote:

The best solution is to use Canon's AC adapter.  That works great when you're near AC power.  

Unfortunately I go to star parties (typically at least once per year and hopefully twice) and there's no power out in the middle of the field and, to my disappointment, Canon doesn't actually make a device that lets us power the camera from a 12v power supply (I have some large 12v batteries that can run for days). 

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Could you have everyone chip in to rent a gasoline-powered alternator to drive your AC adapters?

[kvbarkley]

Or get a car battery and an inverter. This is one of those times you wished Canons would power through the USB cord.

[ebiggs1]

"... a gasoline-powered alternator ..."

Some Star Parties I have attended have generators.  The guys that are heavy into this kind of photography have it all.  I mean!

This is an extremely creative bunch of folks.

[TCampbell]

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@TCampbell wrote:

The best solution is to use Canon's AC adapter.  That works great when you're near AC power.  

Unfortunately I go to star parties (typically at least once per year and hopefully twice) and there's no power out in the middle of the field and, to my disappointment, Canon doesn't actually make a device that lets us power the camera from a 12v power supply (I have some large 12v batteries that can run for days). 

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Could you have everyone chip in to rent a gasoline-powered alternator to drive your AC adapters?

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Funny you should bring that up.  At one of the star parties I do know a guy who brings a generator... it turns out the star party actually has a rule against them.  I think he gets away with it because his generator is kept out of sight and it's extremely quiet (until he pointed it out, I didn't realize it was running.)

I just use a couple of large 12v batteries.  I re-charge them each morning and I don't think I've ever managed to drain them very far.  These run the telescope and dew heaters.  I've been using the normal Canon batteries for the cameras, but I did recently pick up a 12v to 7.5v converter and am making a power supply so the camera can run off the 12v battery (via the voltage step-down.)