Do you turn your camera off?

[MarkBarbieri]

Every digital camera that I know of turns itself off after a period of inactivity. Do you force your camera off or do you just let it turn itself off?

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Since it's my poll, I'll start off. My camera has a non-toggling on-off switch. I never turn it off. It's set to shut itself off after a period of inactivity (usually 1 minute). It wakes up almost instantly when I press a button. I'd hate to pick it up to take a shot and find that I need to fiddle with some stupid switch. Actually, that happened a few times when my wife had been using the camera, but after some grumbling, I broke her of the habit.

The only time that I can think of when I actually turn the camera off is after a sensor cleaning. That's only because I don't know of another way to take it out of sensor cleaning mode. Even then, I turn it right back on (even if I plan on putting it away).

I suppose if I was on my last battery and it was nearing the end, I might switch it off between sets of shots. I've never been quite that desperate though. I think I'd switch off picture review and IS before I bothered with the off switch.

The reason that I ask is that during last weekend's club workshop, I noticed a lot of people turning their cameras off and on. Given that we were there to shoot pictures and there weren't a lot of long breaks, it seemed pretty pointless to me. I always imagined that some people turned theirs off when they put them away (maybe so that they wouldn't somehow get packed with a button mashed and drain the battery or something), but I never imagined that people would switch their camera off because they weren't going to take a picture for another 2 minutes.

 

[alan]

I always turn it off when I am removing the CF card. I want to be absolutely certain that there is no activity when I remove or insert cards.


Other than that, I very seldom turn it off...

regards,
/alan

 

[handicap18]

Unless I've completely missed something, my camera doesn't have an auto off mode. It has a sleep mode, but it doesn't actually shut off. Just shuts down some of the features. When ever I'm not using it I shut it off.

There have been a few times I've forgotten to shut if off and come back a few days later and end up with less battery life.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I always turn it off when I am removing the CF card. I want to be absolutely certain that there is no activity when I remove or insert cards.


Other than that, I very seldom turn it off...

regards,
/alan

What happens when it's writing to the card and you turn it off? Does it wait until it is done writing and then shut off (letting you know that it is safe) or does it kill the writing at that moment (which doesn't seem much safer than yanking the card).

When mine is writing, it has a little red light. I'm not sure what would happen if I turned it off at that moment. I do know that when I open the door while I'm writing I hear a quick expletive (not sure where that comes from ) and then it immediately quits writing.

 

[boBQuincy]

The camera stays on for the entire day except for when I am changing CF cards. It probably is not a problem but old habits die hard.

My older cameras (D30) are slow to wake up so I set them for a longer time before entering sleep mode, maybe 15 minutes or so.

I turn the camera off when I get home.

 

[Alztybrn]

VERY seldom do I turn mine off...

 

[wkrider]

I shut mine off whenever there is inactivity. I carry mine on a wrist lanyard so it is very easy to turn it on as I bring it up to take the shot. By the time it gets to my eye it is ready to go.

 

[Suburbanmom]

I turn mine off when it goes back in the bag. If it's out of the bag, it's on.

 

[PoohJen]

Timely question, Mark, as I was just wondering about that today...this is the first week I've gotten to try a few shots on my new Canon 40D... it seems to me that it cleans the sensor whenever I turn off the camera (I could be wrong, but it coincides alot).

Having seemingly lived a former life during the Great Depression, I'm the type to turn off every appliance, light switch, etc. unless it is vitally necessary to have it on. Hence, I turn my camera off often.

As I don't think it's necessary to have it go into sensor cleaning mode so often, I wondered whether I should just let it "sleep" rather than turn it off when not in the bag.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Timely question, Mark, as I was just wondering about that today...this is the first week I've gotten to try a few shots on my new Canon 40D... it seems to me that it cleans the sensor whenever I turn off the camera (I could be wrong, but it coincides alot).

Having seemingly lived a former life during the Great Depression, I'm the type to turn off every appliance, light switch, etc. unless it is vitally necessary to have it on. Hence, I turn my camera off often.

As I don't think it's necessary to have it go into sensor cleaning mode so often, I wondered whether I should just let it "sleep" rather than turn it off when not in the bag.

I hadn't thought about the sensor cleaning. My camera doesn't have that (unless you count shaking the camera really, really fast).

On the subject of saving power, I keep hearing the recommendation that you unplug all of your chargers (phone, battery, etc) that aren't in use because they use power even when idle. I stacked up 8 of them (two phone, two Nintendo DS, 1 AA battery charger, 1 Kindle, 1 Archos, and 1 camera battery charger. I plugged the entire thing into a power meter. The combined set used zip. It didn't even register on the meter. Either my meter is broken (though it works on other things), my chargers are some type of newer generation chargers, or this is bunk. Can anyone find a real reference somewhere that chargers really do or really don't use juice when not in use?

 

[Mrs. The King]

Theoretically it should be no different then plugging an extension cord or power strip into the wall. Electricity flows to the receptacle only once a device is plugged in and the circuit is completed (the same way an outlet works). I know some scientifical type will explain that it is slightly more complicated than that but in general I don't see why it should use energy when it is, in effect, an extension of the electrical outlet when it is not plugged into the device. Of course (as per your request) I looked all this up before responding

 

[Mr._The_King]

Theoretically it should be no different then plugging an extension cord or power strip into the wall. Electricity flows to the receptacle only once a device is plugged in and the circuit is completed (the same way an outlet works). I know some scientifical type will explain that it is slightly more complicated than that but in general I don't see why it should use energy when it is, in effect, an extension of the electrical outlet when it is not plugged into the device. Of course (as per your request) I looked all this up before responding

Actually posted by Mr. The King who is too much of an idiot to remember that there are two of us using the same computer.

 

[boBQuincy]

On the subject of saving power, I keep hearing the recommendation that you unplug all of your chargers (phone, battery, etc) that aren't in use because they use power even when idle.

They do use power but most do not use much. Transformer types will use a fair amount of power, switching regulator types (most recent chargers) use very little power when not charging something.

One source noted that the U.S. uses more power for things that are not doing anything than most European countries use in total. This is probably an exaggeration. One quick check is to see how warm the device is when doing "nothing". Instant-on CRT televisions use a lot of power when they are off, but those are rapidly disappearing.

 

[fitzperry]

Having seemingly lived a former life during the Great Depression, I'm the type to turn off every appliance, light switch, etc. unless it is vitally necessary to have it on. Hence, I turn my camera off often.

Maybe that's my problem too, but I always turn mine off unless I'm shooting. I just this morning asked my husband and kids why I'm the only one in this house who seems to understand that light switches move down as well as up. I hate waste. And I just realized that this is probably why the power dial on my D70 shows so much more wear than other people's. Mystery solved. That's going to be a hard habit to break.

As I don't think it's necessary to have it go into sensor cleaning mode so often, I wondered whether I should just let it "sleep" rather than turn it off when not in the bag.

Not sure if the 40D is the same, but the D300 can be set to "clean" only on demand or every time you power on and I think there are a couple of other options too. Maybe you should check the manual if you haven't already.

 

[PixieDust32]

I always turn it off my self.

 

[alan]

What happens when it's writing to the card and you turn it off? Does it wait until it is done writing and then shut off (letting you know that it is safe) or does it kill the writing at that moment (which doesn't seem much safer than yanking the card).

When mine is writing, it has a little red light. I'm not sure what would happen if I turned it off at that moment. I do know that when I open the door while I'm writing I hear a quick expletive (not sure where that comes from ) and then it immediately quits writing.

TBH, I'm not sure. I have an impression that I have seen the red light stay on for a period after switching the camera off using the switch, but it's not something I have actively experimented with and so the impression could be wrong. My belief is that the camera tries to finish the write even after switching it off.

By switching it off, then, I protect myself from the outside possibility that I might graze the shutter button hard enough to have a write in progress while removing the card. Which I agree is an unlikely possibility.

This all stems from a time when I had around four hundred show photographs visible on the camera, but by the time I got the card connected to a PC, the pictures were not there. I now take the precaution of switching off even if it's not particularly rational.

It's rather the same as teaching the kids always to switch off the mains socket on the wall before inserting/removing a plug... I don't know anyone who has electrocuted themselves pulling a plug out the wall, but I'd prefer to teach them to be thorough (and of course, I always switch the switch off myself, don't I? (blush) )

regards,
/alan

 

[handicap18]

Theoretically it should be no different then plugging an extension cord or power strip into the wall. Electricity flows to the receptacle only once a device is plugged in and the circuit is completed (the same way an outlet works). I know some scientifical type will explain that it is slightly more complicated than that but in general I don't see why it should use energy when it is, in effect, an extension of the electrical outlet when it is not plugged into the device. Of course (as per your request) I looked all this up before responding

I don't know if you worded this wrong or I'm reading it wrong, but unless the circuit breaker in your basement is turned off, there is ALWAYS electricity running to the receptacle outlet. You are not getting charged for that electricity until you plug in a device, but there is always a live wire on. This is why people put those child proof plug covers in the outlet they are not using so a child can not put anything in there and be shocked or electricuted to death.

 

[Master Mason]

This is why people put those child proof plug covers in the outlet they are not using so a child can not put anything in there and be shocked or electricuted to death.

Probably not to death, it just sort of throws you on your butt and leaves black marks on the wall. (don't ask how I know this as it is still painfull to remember)

 

[handicap18]

Can anyone find a real reference somewhere that chargers really do or really don't use juice when not in use?

If the charger has a light on it then it is using electricity. If it only has the lights on when the battery is attached then it wont use electricity.

Someone mentioned a power strip. Some power strips will use up electricity even if nothing it plugged into it. It a light comes on its using power.

On my HDTV, when I shut it off, there is a little red light that stays on. That red light is using electricity. Same thing with our stereo receivers. Your cable box, when you shut it off still shows the clock. That is using electricity. I have a powered USB port that only shuts off when I unplug it. Many external HD's don't shut down when the computer turns off. Even those that do will still use electricity to show that little status light that is its plugged in.

Now these things on their own only cost a few cents a day to keep like this, but when you start adding the 15-30 little things around your house (clocks, cordless phones, cable boxes, and other little things) it comes to a few dollars a day which in turn comes to hundreds of dollars a year.

Maybe that's my problem too, but I always turn mine off unless I'm shooting. I just this morning asked my husband and kids why I'm the only one in this house who seems to understand that light switches move down as well as up. I hate waste. And I just realized that this is probably why the power dial on my D70 shows so much more wear than other people's. Mystery solved. That's going to be a hard habit to break.

I'm with you on this. There is so much wasted electricity in this country its not even funny. If no one is in a room, why is the light on?

Not to get off topic, but another thing that REALLY gets me, is the people who leave their cars running when they go into a convenience store real quick. I see it ALL the time. These are the same people who complain about gas prices. (and also the ones who drive 80 MPH on the highway).

I've also seen the big trucks that deliver to supermarkets leave their trucks running while their truck is being unloaded. It can sometimes take an hour or more to unload a 53' trailer and the truck is running the whole time. Do they think that it doesn't use fuel?? When you leave your car running like that you can loose 2-3 miles per gallon. This can add up to $10-20 a week depending on how much you drive.

When people start realizing that they are wasting thousands of dollars a year what do they say. Maybe because its only like $3 a day over many different things so its not as big a deal. But $70,000+ of wasted money in little things over a lifetime is a lot of money.