G7X Mark ii exhausts after using flash photos

[kayla27]

Hi there! I got a G7X mark ii camera for Christmas and ever since I got it, I’ve noticed that I can’t take very many flash photos before it completely quits. I primarily take photos on auto or portrait. I can take probably 20-25 photos before the flash completely quits working or takes every few as a flash photo. It always starts off working great at first & then when I go to recharge the battery that was already full, it says it needs charge. Do I have a defective battery or is this normal? I have a hard time believing this is the most popular camera for influencers if you can only take 25 photos before needing a new charge. 

Any advice is appreciated! #g7xmarkii

[kvbarkley]

Could be several things. How quickly are you taking these images? The flash could be overheating.

It could also be the battery, lots of flash usage can heat up the battery which can affect weak batteries.

It could also be your settings. Try resetting the camera.

Also, why so many flash pictures? Is the camera doing this in automode or do you have it set to flash all the time?

[shadowsports]

@Kayla27,

All of kvbarkley's questions are good ones. Hopefully you can provide us with additional information.  Take a moment to reflect on what you are asking of the camera.  

The gx7mkII is a popular and capable camera, but its not designed for continuous or high speed flash photography.  Battery usage is going to depend the age of the battery and its lifespan can be affected by frequency of use.  A battery's lifecycle is not infinite, and it can only be charged, depleted and recharged a given number of times.

This part of your post might be of concern "It always starts off working great at first & then when I go to recharge the battery that was already full, it says it needs charge."

Does this mean you are constantly recharging a battery before its being fully depleted hoping to take more flash photos?  If so, this will inevitably degrade and significantly shorten the life of a battery. The battery should be allowed to fully "cycle" > charge > discharge > before recharging again. The idea is to deplete the battery to near empty, but not completely dead.  This is a good practice to maintain its overall health.  

If you anticipate heavy usage, you should have more than one battery fully charged and ready to use.  The same goes for memory cards.  Don't use or count on one big card to hold all of your photos when shooting.  Use a few smaller cards and swap them during a shoot to ensure you won't lose more than one cards images at most.  Batteries do lose their ability to charge and deliver at their rated output over the course of their life.  Canon brand OEM batteries are designed to deliver their rated power and amps evenly and consistently, but like anything, they are a "wear and tear" items..  like wiper blades, tires, or the battery in your laptop or cellphone.  They get old, tired and worn out.   

Another big drain on your battery is the rear LCD on your camera.  How long is it set to "stay on" or display a preview of the image you shot last?  Are you taking lots of video?  If you are using live view constantly while shooting, this too will eat up battery life.   Please share with us how you are using the camera.  We might be able to make some suggestions that will help.  😃

***Edit, you might be able to power the camera using a USB-C PD which can help extend shooting time.  Note however it will not allow the flash to operate without some recycle time or if it were overheating as kvbarkley mentioned.  It could however increase the cameras overall run time.