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R5 Battery Draining When Off (LP-E6NH battery)

-Chad-
Apprentice

TLDR:
Has anyone had a problem with an R5 camera body draining an LP-E6NH battery while turned to "off"?

Context:
A couple of times now, I've pulled my R5 out of my camera bag only to find the OEM battery that shipped with the camera body completely drained. 

The first time this happened I was in a hurry to get a shot so I just grabbed a LP-E6N battery out of my R (which had been sitting unused longer but has never had this issue) and carried on shooting. I assumed I had accidentally left the R5 switched to "on" in my bag, took myself to task and made sure I started turning it to "off" after use.

However it has now happened again, and the camera was definitely "off" and was definitley near full when I put it in my bag. It had set about 10 days between usage. This time I had a backup OEM LP-E6NH which I had charged at the same time as the LP-E6NH that was now dead in the camera. That backup battery was still full. 

I am still not sure if I have a bad battery or a camera issue, so I am starting to try and isolate variables, starting with leaving the second OEM battery in the camera unused for a few days to see if it drains. I'm open to other suggestions, but has anyone had a problem with an R5 camera body draining an LP-E6NH battery while turned to "off"?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Waddizzle
Legend
Legend

Make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are disabled when not in use.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

View solution in original post

18 REPLIES 18

Thanks. I really do think they can fix this in a firmware update.  Just add the option to turn off wifi/bluetooth when camera is turned off.  Until then, I think it would just be easier to pop the battery out & leave WIFI/bluetooth settings enabled so I can continue to use GPS when connected to the Canon Connect app.  

Battery removal, will, of course, stop unnecessary drain, but please remember that small computing devices, like digital cameras still need power.  Typically that is provided by an internal "super capacitor" for system state integrity as well as a backup current source to keep the real time clock data valid through a battery swap. 

 

Have absolutly no idea of how long the clock and preferential memory backup last on the R series cameras, but at some point the "back-up" capacitor charge will be depleted and all custom settings and current clock time will be lost.  On the "D" series cameras the clock and custom settings seem to be stable for a few months before they are lost. Hopefully, the "R" cameras are comparable.

 

Wondering how long it will be before Canon, Nikon or Sony add inductive charging to their cameras so one can just place a  camera on a charging disc each night and always have a fuly charged battery in the morning.  A high-frequency inductive charge Battery Grip could then replace the current "Mickey-Mouse" BG-R10 system that requires removal of the battery compartment door and removal of the internal battery.  Just dreaming!

Suggestion for Canon - it would be helpful to provide an option to automatically set airplane mode "on" when turning "off" the camera, or at least provide a notice if wireless or bluetooth are still on.  It's too easy to forget to do this.

Photoapeal
Contributor

I have found that with EF lenses that are adapted using the Control Ring will drain the batteries when not in use after a day or two. This happened with my 600mm f/4 II, I have to pull the battery tray, or they will be drained. If I attach my RF100-500 which doesn't need an adapter they remain full until the next time I go out shooting. The Cause of this in my case it the EF LENS connected to the Control Ring must be a constant drain with those contacts whether the camera is on or off.  

Are you using a Canon mount adapter?  Other forum members have reported similar issues.  But they were always using a third party mount adapter, usually Viltrox.

I know MILC bodies have a “Continuous AF” mode when lenses are attached.  I typically have this setting disabled because of the drain on battery life.  Check this setting in your camera body.  It should not make a difference.  But, who knows what is going on.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

Greetings,

I turn wifi and bluetooth off in settings when not in use.  I turn the camera itself off after a shooting session.  I don't typically store the camera with a battery installed, maybe for 1-3 days, but that's it.  It stays "hot" and knows when you mount a lens of insert a mem card, but I have not noticed any adverse battery drain.  The guys have provided excellent suggestions which can help to evaluate battery health without a ohms meter.  In any event, its best not to store your body with a battery installed.  It takes under 30 sec to install a battery.         

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.6.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, +RF 1.4x TC, +Canon Control Ring, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve ~Windows11 Pro ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8
~CarePaks Are Worth It

Jusder
Apprentice

Turning off the wireless seems to be a band aid and not a solution/fix. I also have an R7 with the same wireless settings and that can sit for weeks and still have full battery when I power it up. The R5 drains without powering it on in just a few days. Something is different and it's not the network settings. 

sceneit
Enthusiast

Some people reported bugs where even after turning off wifi and bluetooth the camera would keep running down batteries, well, after firmware 1.9 it appears that bug is fixed because my batteries stay at the level I left them at even after a week of the camera being off.

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

My recent experience has been with a T6s, 6D2 and R5 C.   All with multiple firmware versions.  No battery drain when wireless and bluetooth are disabled, camera switch off.  I have never used airplane mode.  The instructions state that power will remain on if these features are left enabled, even with the power switch is turned off. This is expected, so its no surprise a battery goes dead if the above conditions exist.   If these features aren't being used, disabling them resolves the expected behavior.  GPS if applicable is another feature where this can occur.  If mode2 is used, no power drain was observed.  It might take 60-90 sec for location acquisition, but this was never a big deal.      

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.6.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, +RF 1.4x TC, +Canon Control Ring, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve ~Windows11 Pro ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8
~CarePaks Are Worth It

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