Rebel XT battery life?

[mikkowilson]

Well I've decided it's time for me to pick up a digital camera for myself, and retire my trusty Nikon FM. I've settled on the Rebel XT.

One thing that I'm curious about is the battery life. How long does the included battery last? How many batteries do you all have? Is anyone using the power grip?

Of course any other sugestions as "must" and "should" have accessories are welcome. Also any input on if the 17-85mm kit is worth it? - I think not for just the RebelXT.

- Mikko

[Tainted]

I just bought one myself. I opted not to get the kit lens, and bought a fixed 85mm f1.8 Canon ULS prime lens and a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 zoom lens instead -- low light, fast lenses were important for me b/c I shoot a lot of indoor at night concert/music photography. Those lenses were a good compromise vs. getting some REALLY expensive ones. And don't forget the rather large 1.6x crop factor could easily change the type of lens you think you need, which is why I made sure to get something down in the 18mm range as well as something longer. FWIW, I also only have the one battery and a single 1 gig card. The 1 gig card I would describe as the smallest you'd want to go, especially if you want to shoot RAW+JPEG, and the one battery lasts pretty damn long for me, so I get by with both for day shoots no problem -- but I could imagine having a 2 gig card and an extra battery pretty easily.

[lpcvideo1]

I have no idea how long mine lasts, but boy, it goes incredibly long. With Tainted, a full day of shooting is no problem.

I procrastinated getting a second one, but the included one lasts so long I think I'll keep putting it off.

[scharky]

I can usually go through a 2 gig card shooting RAW at least 3-4 times before my battery goes. Although now I have the Battery grip, with two batteries in it. For standard shooting I usually charge my batteries about once every month.

[tankgirl]

Mine just came in the mail today!! Good stuff. I love all the features and how easy it is to get to what you need to get to. Haven't tested the battery yet but I have the same battery for my video camera and it lasts pretty long.

[mikkowilson]

Mine arrived 3 days ago. I've been putting it thorugh it's paces.

The battery does in deed last for a prety long time. Enough for most soothing, though I can see running out on a longer intense shoot prety likly - but I doubt you could run out in the 90minutes it takes to charge, so with 2 batteries (and an outlet) I think I'll be set.
Now all I need is a bigger memory card or two... - these 256 CF's arn't lasting paticularly long with my shooting style!

..I'll post some pictures soon. I'm going on a cruise to look at some glaciers tommorrow, so maybe I'll post something on Monday.


- Mikko ... 637 recorded shots so far.