tustinr 1 #1 January 3, 2008 I recently purchased a new canon 40D. If the camera is inactive for 1min (or 4min) then it automatically powers down. To activate it again all one does is push the shutter halfway down. My question is if one uses a tongue switch can one reactivate it by depressing the tongue switch ? Or does one have to switch it off and the on again. The power on switch is very inconveniantly located and may not be easily accesible depending on what sort of camera mount/condom one has - would be frustrating to have to manually power it on 4 minutes before exit and in the event of a go around go through the whole process again before exit. I don't have a stil camera helmet yet - am still looking at different options. Thanks Rich --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PharmerPhil 0 #2 January 3, 2008 I don't have a 40D, but do have a 20D which (I believe) is similar as far as the power switch goes. If you open the battery door, the camera powers down. My camera is front mounted on a Skysystems Vapor, and I have to turn on the power switch before I mount the camera. I simply open the battery door to power it off, and reach up and close it right before exiting. If I do a go 'round and am worried about the time, I just fire off a shot and the clock starts again. Never had a problem doing it this way. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Laszloimage 0 #3 January 3, 2008 Sorry about the sarcastic approach, but did you think about to reads its manual??? This is a super easy setting in the menu. Press the menu button navigate trough the options until you find auto "power off" select it (use the button for selection in the midle of the big dial ) select a longer time like 15-20 minutes. Problem should be solved after that. -Laszlo- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PharmerPhil 0 #4 January 3, 2008 Quote..select a longer time like 15-20 minutes. That would work too, but it will chew through batteries alot quicker. Particularly if you use auto-focus. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #5 January 3, 2008 I'm not sure of the answer, but either way you can just reach up and hit the shutter with your hand before you climb out. I THINK the tongue switch will wake it up (I've never had my XTi not respond to the tongue switch and I'm pretty sure I've waited long enough for it to shut down), but I still tend to snap a picture every once in a while to keep the camera on when I turned mine on too early. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stratostar 5 #6 January 3, 2008 you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mwabd1 0 #7 January 4, 2008 Quote -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ..select a longer time like 15-20 minutes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That would work too, but it will chew through batteries alot quicker. Particularly if you use auto-focus. not really, with the stock battery i have it set for 15 min and I shoot in auto focus. I have shot 11 tandems in one day and the battery had room to spare. i turn on prior to putting my FTP on my melon and I turn off after taking landing shots. You could also just open and close the CF card door, that will wake the camera up if it auto shuts off........I hereby reject your reality and instead choose to insert my own! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tustinr 1 #8 January 4, 2008 No need for sarcasm. I have read the manual - thinking along the lines of saving battery power !!! I wasn't too sure if the shutter button is overrriden when connected to a tongue switch - and don't have a tongue switch to try it out. The cameye wakes up a sony video recorder so i don''t think its unreasonable to ask the question. The manual doesn't specifically mention these issues. Thanks for the other informative answers - thats why we have forums is it not ? --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tustinr 1 #9 January 4, 2008 Thanks for the previous post - hadn't seen it as I was busy replying. Obviously the batteries are pretty good these days which is great. I am still experimenting with the camera and am pretty impressed with its performance. --------------------------------------- Everything that happens to you in life is your teacher. The secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your life and be taught. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
velocityphoto 0 #10 January 4, 2008 Keep it set to 4 min power down .I been doing it for along time works fine for me. A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #11 January 4, 2008 Quotethinking along the lines of saving battery power Try thinking along the lines of having multiple batteries, and always starting each jump with a fresh one. Having your battery kick out on you in the middle of a paid video jump is the definition of unprofessional. Same goes for your video camera. Some guys will brag about how many jumps they can squeeze out of a battery, but all their doing is risking the customers footage by being lazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #12 January 4, 2008 QuoteQuote..select a longer time like 15-20 minutes. That would work too, but it will chew through batteries alot quicker. Particularly if you use auto-focus. The autofocus circuit doesn't activate until the shutter button is half-pressed, at least in normal operation - I don't know if the tongue/bite switches would change that or not, however.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #13 January 4, 2008 QuoteQuotethinking along the lines of saving battery power Try thinking along the lines of having multiple batteries, and always starting each jump with a fresh one. Having your battery kick out on you in the middle of a paid video jump is the definition of unprofessional. Same goes for your video camera. Some guys will brag about how many jumps they can squeeze out of a battery, but all their doing is risking the customers footage by being lazy. Exactly. IMO, if you're any kind of a professional using any kind of battery-operated device, you should have a minimum of two batts for the device, and preferably 3. If you're using a flash with rechargeables, then at least one fresh set, preferably two. Our camera rental rigs go out with 3 batteries, all hot (charged). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #14 January 4, 2008 QuoteQuoteQuotethinking along the lines of saving battery power Try thinking along the lines of having multiple batteries, and always starting each jump with a fresh one. Having your battery kick out on you in the middle of a paid video jump is the definition of unprofessional. Same goes for your video camera. Some guys will brag about how many jumps they can squeeze out of a battery, but all their doing is risking the customers footage by being lazy. Exactly. IMO, if you're any kind of a professional using any kind of battery-operated device, you should have a minimum of two batts for the device, and preferably 3. If you're using a flash with rechargeables, then at least one fresh set, preferably two. Our camera rental rigs go out with 3 batteries, all hot (charged). Ditto. I have spares I've never even used, but I might have to one day.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Laszloimage 0 #15 January 4, 2008 Looks like the 4min "auto power off" is just a hair too short for him. I checked the options on my both cameras (XT and 5D). On both the next step is 8min (mine set there). I just didn't have the cameras when I typed the last message... Anyway... I never killed a battery using 8min "auto power off", but it's definitely long enough (for me) to have the camera on even if make a "go around" on jump run. Further more I have very good experince with all my Canon cameras not burning power like crazy. For exaple I can shoot all day long landings with my XT and Canon 70-200mm USM IS lens (which of course uses lot of extra juice...) only with that one tiny XT battery. But no doubt, I would take the advice from the rest of the guys. Always have a spare battery or two and have them charged before the "day starts". ...don't forget your CF card either! -Laszlo- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #16 January 4, 2008 I used to be able to go a whole weekend (~1000 shots?) with my Rebel XT on one battery charge. My XTi with an IS lens doesn't last anywhere near as long. And not only that, on the XT I was able to keep shooting for a while after the battery indicator was showing almost nothing left... But with the XTi (and especially with the IS lens), I don't trust the battery once it goes under the halfway mark on the indicator... it won't last much longer. I didn't buy a spare battery until I missed some good (ground) shots with the IS lens because my battery died so much quicker than I was expecting. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mwabd1 0 #17 January 4, 2008 Quote Some guys will brag about how many jumps they can squeeze out of a battery, but all their doing is risking the customers footage by being lazy. That not being lazy or risking anyones pictures. Ya know that little thing on the screen that shows battery life? If it says I got battery life, I tend to believe it. I have 2 spare batteries for both my 20d and HC3, I have never had to use the spare 20D batteries. So don't make assumptions.......I hereby reject your reality and instead choose to insert my own! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #18 January 5, 2008 Is your dust removal setting on manual? If not, it may be running the dust shaker every time it comes out of standby. (IIRC, it defaults to shaking on powerup, but I don't know if coming out of standby is the same). IS lenses can suck some power, too, to run the gyros...but you can always turn that off if you don't need it at the time.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #19 January 5, 2008 Yeah dust removal runs on startup and shutdown, not when coming out of standby (although it's never in standby anyway). The XTi is more of a battery hog than the XT, probably mostly because of the LCD screen. But it's the IS that really sucks the juice out of the batteries. Works so well though... With 2 batteries, I don't have any trouble. The battery indicator on my PC1000 is much more accurate. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #20 January 5, 2008 That seems odd, Dave - how long is your preview set to? I know that with my 30d, before I got the battery grip I was still good for 300-400 shots even with IS (24-105 and 100-400).Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #21 January 5, 2008 Oh I can get hundreds of shots with IS. I have auto-review shut off... I figure it just wastes battery in freefall for no reason (unless someone's flying right behind me and wants a peak). Before putting my helmet on, I always turn on my still camera, check the settings, then shut the LCD screen off, then turn the camera off. Then before exit I just switch the camera on and I know it's ready to go with the LCD off to save power. The IS sucks battery power compared to non-IS. But battery life is still great. But what I've noticed is that when I'm using IS, once the battery indicator is showing half way down, there's not much left. I used to be able to keep shooting on 0 bars of battery for quite a while with the XT. The XTi with my IS lens is just less predictable. Can't trust the battery meter the same way. But I'm definitely not complaining about battery life. Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #22 January 5, 2008 Ok, gotcha - I evidently misunderstood what you meant.Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
