A7RIV interval shooting & battery life?
Printed From: Dyxum.com
Category: Equipment forums
Forum Name: E-mount full frame
Forum Description: For discussion of a7 series cameras
URL: https://www.dyxum.com/dforum/forum_posts.asp?TID=141554
Printed Date: 14 September 2024 at 08:09
Topic: A7RIV interval shooting & battery life?
Posted By: SnowFella
Subject: A7RIV interval shooting & battery life?
Date Posted: 12 October 2022 at 10:07
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Anyone have any experience as for what to expect in battery life using an RIV shooting timelapses? Sorta taken it upon myself to start recording timelapse video's at work, recording the progression of vehicle builds taking place. Mainly for fun but also potentially used in company youtube/FB video's. At the moment using a cheapo Brinno timelapse camera but with it limited to 720P and image quality of  I'm starting to think about bringing a proper camera in. Even shooting small 16:9 jpg output ought to give 4K+ video quality.Would be aiming at shooting at the max interval of 1 frame every 60 seconds and recording for a full 8 hours = about 480 frames in a day. It's below the CIPA standard of the camera but can imagine having the camera powered on for 8 hours would deplete the battery at a higher rate. |
Replies:
Posted By: neilt3
Date Posted: 12 October 2022 at 11:59
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I can't help you here , but with the LCD and EVF off anyway , wouldn't the camera go effectively straight into a standby mode between frames ? Other options are with a grip on , you'll have two batteries in it . Can you set it up with external power ? Either a mains powered battery adapter , or if the camera supports in camera battery charging , will it still shoot while connected up ? You'll never run out of power then . ------------- see my photostream on flickr; https://www.flickr.com/photos/neilt3/sets/ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilt3/ C & C welcome. |
Posted By: alpha_in_exile
Date Posted: 12 October 2022 at 12:01
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I don't know about battery life, but I learned from Gary Friedman's book on the RIV that it will function while 'plugged in' with USB. Therefore, you could plug the camera in, or use a sufficiently powerful USB power tank, and it won't die on you. I haven't tried this myself, only read about it. Edit: you have to enable it in Setup menu, page 4, 'USB Power Supply'. Note that it won't work if you have the camera set to 'USB Remote', so you'll have to use bluetooth or the Sony app or something as a controller if you want to control the camera externally. Edit II: removed "and charge" - it will not charge your battery while interval-shooting, but the camera will run on external power - your power bank/USB charger needs to have a minimum output of 7.4 volts from what I've read. ------------- -- Matt A7RM4, Min 24/2.8, Min 50/1.4, Min 85/1.4, FE 24/1.4 GM, FE 135/1.8 GM, Tam 70-200/2.8 http://mattbarber.zenfolio.com/ - my web gallery |
Posted By: waldo_posth
Date Posted: 12 October 2022 at 13:30
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A dummy battery connecting to a power source would be an alternative. I have the Smallrig one and it works well. See https://www.amazon.de/-/en/SMALLRIG-NP-FZ100-Battery-Coupler-Compatible/dp/B08CVH2ND6 - here. ------------- "Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." (Walker Evans) http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldo_posth/ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldo_posth/ |
Posted By: addy landzaat
Date Posted: 12 October 2022 at 15:33
 ------------- Why not follow me on Instagram? @Addy_101 |
waldo_posth wrote:Posted By: waldo_posth
Date Posted: 12 October 2022 at 21:57
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Using a Smallrig cage for the A7RM4 the dummy battery allows you to use much larger battery (high capacity) packs which can be mounted on top of the cage. The whole solution is functionally equivalent to the USB-C power feed by a powerbank but much more compact. And you can still use the USB-C for some other device. ------------- "Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long." (Walker Evans) http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldo_posth/ - http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldo_posth/ |
Posted By: addy landzaat
Date Posted: 13 October 2022 at 07:45
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Why is a battery pack with a dummy battery smaller then a battery pack with an USB-C connection? There are btw powerbank solutions to add them to your tripod or rig. What I can understand is that the dummy battery might be little more secure. ------------- Why not follow me on Instagram? @Addy_101 |
Posted By: SnowFella
Date Posted: 13 October 2022 at 08:05
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Thanks. Looks like I'll have to invest in a USB power bank as I'm having doubts I could run a full 8 hours from a single battery. Though I might try it at home one day to see if it can be done. No real worry about the security of the connection as the camera would be tucked away on a second level mezzanine, no way I'm parking on a tripod down floor level with forkifts and people constantly moving about. |
Posted By: SnowFella
Date Posted: 18 August 2023 at 09:22
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Tried it for the very first time yesterday, camera set to record one image every 30 seconds and set to record 640 images. On retrieving the camera this morning I was happy to find all 640 shots recorded and a next to flat battery. Had a USB power bank plugged in but forgot to check it before I got started and the darn thing was flat to begin with. 
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Posted By: addy landzaat
Date Posted: 18 August 2023 at 10:02
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So, just the battery was sufficient for the 640 pictures? Are you allowed to share the time laps? We need more video here! ------------- Why not follow me on Instagram? @Addy_101 |
Posted By: SnowFella
Date Posted: 18 August 2023 at 11:40
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May have had help from the USB power bank for a few at the very beginning but likely not for very many shots. In the end I ended up culling the last 250 odd shots as the build ended lots quicker than what I was told it would. I hit the shutter at 4:30pm, build was done around 7 but the camera kept recording past 9pm. Imaging Edge did short work of stitching the shots together into a video and youtube has finally finished working it over. Not stellar quality only being lit by overhead LED lights but kicks my old Brinno 720p timelapse gear for a 6! https://youtu.be/qMkPyV7KDOs - Zackies Build |
Posted By: addy landzaat
Date Posted: 18 August 2023 at 12:13
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Thnx! lighting was fine imo. And it is at least over 500 shots and most likely even over 600 shots per battery. ------------- Why not follow me on Instagram? @Addy_101 |
Posted By: owenn01
Date Posted: 18 August 2023 at 12:44
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Loved it! (says someone who is normally 'meh' about video! ) Interesting study on battery longevity though, even if you aren't bothered about the video! Thanks and best regards, Neil. ------------- My Mantra: "Comment on other's work as you would wish to have yours commented upon". Go on - it's fun! |
Posted By: alpha_in_exile
Date Posted: 19 August 2023 at 17:47
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A Jeep! (I'm something of a Jeep enthusiast - used to own one, hope to own one again, someday). I can see that, with the black utility section on the back of the Jeep, it would have been nice to have stronger lighting. Some video editing programs will allow a custom LUT (Look Up Table) that you could use to bring up the dark tones -- but I must confess I know next to nothing about video. If you shot in RAW, could you use Lightroom (or Imaging Edge, or whatever the Sony converter is) to boost the 'shadows' before re-compiling the video? I'm glad it worked out. For my part, I've been using the intervalometer function a little for astrophotography. I've also been using an astrophotography program called N.I.N.A to automate image capture (not sure whether it would work for terrestrial imagery, but it might). I haven't had the courage to leave the camera out all night. Too afraid to leave $3000+ of equipment out in my back yard, unsupervised. But I've noticed that the A7RIV will charge while also under PC control (a laptop is plugged into the camera and runs N.I.N.A., which directs my camera mount, and controls the camera, all at once). And as far as # of shots goes, I've shot for maybe 6 hours of a 7 to 8 hour wedding on one battery, on multiple occasions. If anything, the A7RIV's most annoying battery-related characteristic is its tendency to drain the battery while the camera is turned off (there are reasons for the behavior, but it is annoying to pull the camera from the bag and find the battery half empty). ------------- -- Matt A7RM4, Min 24/2.8, Min 50/1.4, Min 85/1.4, FE 24/1.4 GM, FE 135/1.8 GM, Tam 70-200/2.8 http://mattbarber.zenfolio.com/ - my web gallery |