Canon G11 versus S90 battery life?

[LeeParrish]

I'm looking at upgrading my camera setup and have it narrowed down between the Canon G11 and S90. The S90 looks pretty really good, smaller, lighter, same sensor as G11, faster lens, and nearly all the feature of the G11. My only concern is battery life. My older SD770 uses the same NB-6L battery, so I have a couple spares that would fit the S90, but I really don't like to need to change batteries between dives on 2 and 3 tank outings. The S90 specs claim 220 shots per charge, and G11 claims 390.

Since CIPA standards call for half the shots taken in a battery test to be on full power flash, I'm wondering if anyone has seen better than 220 shots when keeping the flash set to a minimum, just enough to trigger an external strobe? How has the battery life been overall?

 

[Jorgy]

Just came back from St Thomas with the S90/Ike housing......

Battery life was not an issue......

I got 3 dives on one day and 4 dives on another....

I upgraded from the a G9 and prefer the smaller camera size for top-side use and the Ike housing to the Canon housing.....

I also have a W20 WA lens which I now consider a must for underwater photography.....

Hope this helps.....M

 

[LeeParrish]

Nice photos. So how many shots did you do during your dives? I typically average about 100 to 120 per dive on my last few trips out, which is why I'm a little concerned that I may be hitting the limit on a longer day without doing a battery swap. I like to do a lot of macro work and will often half a dozen or more shots of the same subject with varied exposures and angles to try to get the best shot I can which can add up to a lot of shooting when on dives with a lot of subject matter to work with.

 

[Jorgy]

I don't shoot that many pics per dive maybe 40-60.......

Others have recommended 1,400 mA battery below....

Amazon.com: Zeikos ZE-NB6L 1400mAh Lithium Battery Replaces Canon NB6L: Camera & Photo

Hope this helps......M

 

[LeeParrish]

Thanks, that's great info. In the end I think I'd be quite happy with either setup. Both seem quite capable compared to my little SD770 and will be more than enough to keep me happy for quite a while and still leave me with enough money where I can afford a dive trip or two.

 

[Nemrod]

The S90 uses a 1,000mah NB-6L and your 960 uses a 750mah NB-6L and battery packs can be purchased up to 1,500mah.

The S90 will not shoot as long as a G11 is my guess but much depends upon how you are set up and the mix of flash vs natural.

N

 

[Nemrod]

I also have a W20 WA lens which I now consider a must for underwater photography.....
M

Once you go wide, you cannot go back!

N

 

[Jorgy]

N is 100% correct.......

Wide angle makes all the difference..........

Now I can bring people and behaviors into the picture.......

Or at least try...........:shocked2:

M

 

[chrishet]

Greats pic J!

 

[Nemrod]

The S90 battery life is going to be an issue with some people who do not want to swap a battery between dives. It is my opinion that most people will get two dives per charge--but--if the dive is shallow and long and you shoot every shot with flash you are going to go dead. I have gotten upwards of 200 shots with a mix of flash and natural light.

Yesterday, shooting 90% flash, manual, low setting, I got 177 shots before the camera went TU. I, however, had charged the battery a week ago and it had been sitting, so, for what it is worth, given past experience, that was about 15% discharged. I also ran the display 100% of the time and have it set to not turn off and I have the power saver function OFF also I think. I was also shooting one after another. If I were to let the camera rest some, let the power saver kill the screen occasionally, fresh 1.4ah battery, 50/50 flash vs natural, I think it will go the distance.

I have resigned myself to the fact the small size comes with a compromise, battery life. I will be carrying a spare battery and the required dry micro-fiber cloth and O-ring grease to do a battery swap if needed.

That is about what I get out of my Canon 570 rigs. However, this S90 is a very different beast, getting off topic. It it more difficult camera to shoot. It is more particular about being set correctly (whatever that means) to the task. It also is slower between shots, let me explain, no, the camera is faster, way faster, me, I am slower between shots with this camera. I cannot really explain it, maybe it is just I am not used to it yet. I seem to fuss with it more, probably because it has more "adjust-ability" and seems to want for me to fiddle with it more. The A570 is a more generic shooter for lack of a better description.

What I am saying is that I don't think I will shoot more than 75 shots in a normal dive with this camera.

I guess another way of saying what I mean is that the S90 has the capability to benefit from careful set up for a shot whereas the more generic A570 does not seem to benefit from the added fussing over each shot.

I feel more like I have my Nikonos III in my hand and I rarely got through a roll of 36 with it per dive.

N