[Gopro Hero 2 Battery Life 720p
Jamar Lizarraga
With the default settings, the makers promise that users will get around 1h 43m of filming time with GoPro Hero 12 Black. Bear in mind, you might not get the same with Hero12 Black if you film with the latest 5.3K resolution at 60fps.
With the brand new Hero 12, in real-life conditions, you will likely get just 1 hour of recording at the highest quality settings and almost 2 hours of video recording at lower resolution.
I imagine that you will not be able to check every single thing on the list above but do the ones you can. For example, I like to use Protune sometimes because it gives me more flexibility in the post-production process.
The Quick Capture feature is one of my favorites to use. You will find it on Hero 5 and Hero 6, and it allows you to start recording when the camera is OFF, by clicking on the top button.
The WiFi by far will have the biggest impact on battery life. It just drains A LOT of power. So, by all means, turn it OFF when you are not using it. That feature alone will make a huge difference. You can find it under the Connections menu.
Next, equally culpable in reducing your filming time is the Bluetooth feature. Switching off Bluetooth and WiFi features alone can add up to 15 minutes. The WiFi button is placed at the side of the cam. You could easily turn on the feature by mistake. So, make sure the option is off while using the cam.
GoPro Hero 10 and Hero 9 come with 14 simple voice Commands, more or less. The GoPro Turn-On mode is absent in Hero 10. You can use these commands to perfect actions from Capture to Shoot Burst and from Photo Mode to Time Lapse Mode.
If you want to improve the battery life of your cam every little thing matters. The constantly blinking red light that indicates the cam is recording the video is a distraction and also contributes to battery drain.
The LCD display will drain a lot of battery too. What you can do is turn it off completely or lower the brightness. Or you can use the Screensaver option and have your display go black after a certain period of time, like 2 minutes for example.
Cold temperatures will have a negative impact on the performance of the battery, so when you are not using your GoPro, but you are outside, try to keep it in a pocket close to your body. That way it will stay warmer and your battery life will improve.
The video mode or video settings you are using are going to have a big impact on the battery life as well. You will get the most out of the battery when you are shooting in 1080p @ 30 frames per second, in Wide view.
That should give you up to 6 hours of non-stop filming. This will probably be more than enough to shoot any adventure that you go on. It is enough for a day of skiing, scuba diving, hiking, cycling or simply walking and visiting places.
It works like e regular power bank, but it is more practical. Because it also functions as a grip, you can easily move your GoPro camera around and film or take pictures, just like you were using a regular grip.
The WiFi is probably the biggest power-draining feature. But also look out for stuff such as the brightness of the display, and voice control (especially on the Hero 6), and avoid keeping your GoPro in the cold.
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These observations were generated from measurements taken on one camera of each type. That alone, makes them less than scientific. It is to be expected that the cameras will vary from one production lot to another and with different firmware installed. These measurements were made in October 2013 with the current firmware at that time.
The video measurements are averaged over a short time. In fact, the power consumption when shooting video varies greatly with the resolution, frame rate, ProTune setting, action in the video, camera temperature, and lighting. The variation in power consumption and gopro battery life across different video modes is plus or minus 30%. The HERO4 Black set at 4K/30fps with Protune used 5 watts.
2. Standby after 5 minutes refers to some models having a mode which automatically drops to a lower power consumption after 5 minutes. This increases the battery life but lets you shoot immediately without having to start the camera.
GoPro batteries are available in 3.885 Wh (1050 mAh) and 4.37 Wh (1180 mAh). Testing showed that a fully charged new battery can actually supply that amount of power to the camera before it shuts down automatically due to detecting a low battery condition.
A good example to use is a time lapse shoot of one image capture per minute with the HERO3+ Black edition camera. Standby in photo mode uses 1.9 watts per hour. The 4.37 Wh battery would be expected to last 4.37/1.9 = 2.3 hours. Or 138 shots. The extra power used during the shot itself is minimal.
The theoretical calculations must be modified in real world installations. An important consideration is temperature. The battery capacity is affected by both higher and lower temperatures. A winter installation in freezing conditions will dramatically shorten the usable battery power.
If external power is being used to charge the GoPro battery, the efficiency of the charging circuit is also a factor. In order to replenish 4 watt-hours of power, it may be necessary to up to 6 watt-hours of external battery power. If that battery is being charged by a solar panel or an intermittent external power source, it may require 20 watt-hours of solar energy to recharge a 15 watt-hour battery. The exact factor will depend on the battery, the camera model, and the ambient temperature. In all cases, it is best to design your installation for the worst case.
If the CamDo Intervalometer or new Blink Time Lapse controller is used, the camera will be off most of the time. If we assume that the camera is turned on once a minute for 10 seconds, the total energy used will be 1/6th as much. The available time for time lapse will be 6 times as long. 13.8 hours for the HERO3+ Black and 11.3 hours for the HERO3 Black.
With the external battery, weeks or months are theoretically possible. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND LEAVING THE CAMERA UNCHECKED FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. Murphy's Law applies to this situation. You are dealing with a very complex system with numerous failure points, including the camera, the batteries, the SD card, the CamDo controller, physical stress due to temperature or other factors, and acts of any passing god or bird. Bad things can happen. Never install a system without testing it for at least one week where it can be observed and tested. Never leave it unchecked for more than a few days. If the shoot is important, install more than one camera.
For very long shots off grid, the solar panels can provide enough power to shoot for a very long time. In this case, you may need to decide the spacing between shots to maximize the time. Remember that you have to have sufficient battery backup to get through the rainy days as well as sufficient solar power to recharge the batteries on sunny days.
With a 6 Watt solar panel you can assume that it will only approach 6 Watts output at noon in mid-summer if the panel is perfectly oriented. Similarly with a 9 Watt solar panel, it will only approach 9 Watts output at noon in mid-summer if the panel is perfectly oriented. The rest of the time, the output will be reduced due to the angle of the sun striking the panel, and the extra absorption of energy by the atmosphere as the sun angle is low in the sky. Add to this the number of hours of sun per day that are not obscured by clouds. All of these factors will vary with your location. Just follow these simple calculations.
You can use the excellent Solar Calculator to get an idea of the solar irradiance (solar power available) at your location in order to understand how many watt-hours of energy you are likely to get out of your panel at a given time of year.
Read the number for the appropriate month. For example, 5 kWh/m2/day in August in Canada. For the 6 watt panel, multiply by 7 to get the Wh per day generated (35 Wh). For the 16.8 watt panel, multiply by 19 to get the Wh per day (95 Wh) generated. The factors are based on the panel size and efficiency.
Testing carried out at two locations in different seasons has shown that the theoretical output is about right for the panel into a resistive load on a sunny day. The theoretical output needs to be scaled back to a real usable output due to cloudy days and inefficiencies in the system charging the batteries. As always, real testing of the actual system in the actual location is necessary.
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