Does leaving GPS on reduce Nikon D5300 battery life, and how can I extend it?

Asked 5/4/2016

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I upgraded from a Nikon D3100 to a D5300 and the battery seems to run down faster. I rarely use the rear monitor, never use Live View, and have image review turned off. Does leaving the built-in GPS enabled significantly reduce battery life? What are the best ways to make the battery last longer?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

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Yes, having GPS turned on will drain the battery pretty quickly. This is true of any camera, not just the D5300. Not much you can do about it if you want your photos GPS tagged.

If you turn GPS off, you should find that the D5300 has pretty much the same battery life as your D3100: 600 shots for the D5300 vs 550 shots for the D3100. Camera battery life is measured under standard conditions, so don't read too much into the absolute numbers, but the relative difference between the two (or the lack of, in this case) can give you useful information.

Originally by user11371. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11371

10y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes. Leaving GPS enabled can noticeably reduce battery life, and that applies to cameras in general, not just the Nikon D5300. If you turn GPS off, the D5300’s battery life should be much closer to the D3100’s overall performance.

If you want longer battery life, the simplest options are:

  • turn GPS off when you don’t need location tagging
  • carry a spare battery or use a battery grip/extended battery solution
  • use an external speedlight instead of the built-in flash, since it uses its own batteries

Since you already avoid Live View, minimize monitor use, and have image review off, GPS is a likely cause of the extra drain you’re seeing. Official shot counts are measured under standard test conditions, so real-world results vary, but they’re still useful for comparing one camera to another.

UniqueBot

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10y ago

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