When the Pentax K-x was announced there was some debate as to why Pentax chose to make it run off 4 AA batteries as opposed to a proprietary battery unit. A lot of users prefer to use a proprietary rechargeable battery. Well, both options have their advantages and disadvantages. Lets explore batteries and i’ll share my battery life results while using the k-x. My first digital camera was a Canon Powershot with the standard Canon proprietary battery. When I first purchased it, battery life was great, I could shoot all day and still have power left. Over time the battery wore out, and I would be able to capture about 5 images before it dying on me. At this point I had to purchase another Canon battery. While I was going from new battery to old battery the number of shots I could capture on one charge was always changing. Sometimes I would go out with what I thought was a fully charged battery only to find that my camera was dead after 20-30 shots. Bummer. I would often have a spare, so this wasn’t too big of a deal.
This story is typical of most digital camera users. Battery life is always an issue with all of our modern gadgets. Actually when I heard that the K-x would be run from four AA batteries I had mixed emotions. I figured I would be spending a fortune on AA batteries over time. Well, so far this is not true.
The advertised battery life from 4 AA batteries in the Pentax K-x is 1900 shots or 680 minutes of movie recording.
I have experienced battery life better than this. I am usually able to capture more than 2000 shots off one set of Energizer Ultimate Lithium Ion AA batteries, sometimes getting close to 3000 shots. These are the batteries that ship with the K-x kit and are highly recommended for all digital SLRs that run off traditional batteries. At about $10 for four they are kind of expensive, but totally worth it!
tip: If you live near a Costco bulk store you can usually find a set of 12 of these batteries for about $20!
Although I was skeptical of the K-x running off AA batteries at first, now I have come to appreciate it. If I am out shooting in the City for an entire day I do not need to carry any spare batteries with me, as Energizer batteries can be found at any Duane Reade, CVS, and some bodegas. Convenient if I run out and need some spares in a pinch. If i’m out somewhere where stores are sparse I just bring a spare set.
Recommended K-x batteries:
energizer ultimate lithium batteries for Pentax k-x
Also since the firmware update I have noticed that the battery life indicator has been much more accurate than before version 1.01.
Related posts:
Flickr
Facebook
Twitter
Have you tried getting Sanyo Eneloops?
Have you tried the Sanyo Eneloops? If so, what’s your feedback?
I have not tried them out yet, but thanks for turning me on to them. I will def do some research and figure out what they are all about, and maybe even test some out. Thanks daniel!
No problem. I just want to see what your going to say about it. I’ve been told that they’re the best rechargeables for a DSLR. Hope you review ASAP. Can’t wait!
is this battery rechargeable..??
unfortunately not.
Idk if you’re asking about the Sanyo Eneloop. But the Energizer Lithiums are not rechargeable.
I’ve heard from a lot of K-X users that a 4 pack of eneloops is lasting them than other rechargeable brands. The Eneloops are by far the best rechargeables I have seen.
With the batteries that came with the camera (Energizer Ultimate Lithium),
the battery gauge of my K-x turned orange after 150 shots.
I fitted a brand-new set of batteries (Energizer Ultimate Lithium also) and upgraded the firmware to v. 1.01 which is said to improve battery gauge accuracy. Now the battery gauge turned orange after 250 shots.
I don’t use the built-in flash.
How did you manage to capture 2000 shots and more on 1 battery pack?
Did I miss something? Are batteries running out while the camera is switched off? Or does the 1.01 upgrade not actually fix the battery gauge problem?
Thanks in advance
@Geert:
This shouldn’t happen with a fresh set of $11 non-rechargeable batteries. The 1.01 firmware should have fixed it. Somethings I think you need to consider.
Did you install the firmware correctly?
Did you change the battery setting to Lithium, not AUTO?
When I switch on the camera with the Menu button down,
the display reads “firmware version 1.01″
so I suppose the firmware was updated correctly.
My battery setting, however, was still AUTO.
Doesn’t auto-battery-type-detection work well?
I changed it to Lithium now and hope this will make a difference.
Thanks for replying.
I shall keep you and the readers of this site informed.
I want to start blogging too, what do you think, which blog cms is good for noob?
Sorry I wasn’t able to reply earlier to your post. I wrote this article after first purchasing the camera, and at that point the Energizer Ultimate lithium were my batteries of choice. However since then I have switched to a rechargeable battery for my K-x. The Sanyo Eneloops work great, and have saved me a lot of money on batteries!
Last weekend I finally replaced the batteries that came with the K-x. 3,142 images. I’ll admit this may not be typical because I do not use live view, and neven tried the video function ( I have a camcorder for that), and I usually wait for the PC to review the photos. I have two sets of eneloops left over from my k100d, but if this performance continues I may stay with the lithiums.
The first set of lithiums, by the way, went into my bloodpressure monitor, where they continue to work great
Having rechargeable battery problems with my K-x, I called Pentax, given the run around when I tried to explain that most all of the forums related to the K-x battery problem were the same, in that the battery indicator turns orange and half used after a short while (mine did the same). Gave me a Canadian number for returning the camera for service but the service-lady there was way more helpful, she said that the batteries must be 1.5volt not the 1.2volt of 99% of rechargeable AA batteries. This is a problem with the camera that Pentax failed quite miserably, even so I will NOT return the camera but will return the set of rechargeable batteries, Sony AA 2000maH, and then stick with the Lithium batteries. Have ordered 10 for $10.62 so we shall see what happens now!
June last I mentioned that the battery gauge of my KX turned orange after taking 250 shots with a brand-new pack of non-rechargeable Energizer Lithium batteries, even though I had correctly updated the firmware.
Daniel suggested that I should explicitly set the battery type to Lithium, not AUTO. That’s what I did.
Now my battery gauge turned orange after 700 shots. I use the built-in flash extremely rarely and I do not use Live View at all.
So I still wonder how some people manage to capture 2000 shots on 1 battery pack.
I made the 700 shots in a period of 6 months (yes I am not a busy photographer…) so I wonder if the batteries are running down while the camera is switched off.
Thank you for your attention.
Your posts inspire me being the greatest I can be. thanks to the useful knowledge. I’ll definately be implementing this soon.
Geert, although some time has passed since you wrote, maybe others like me will find this site. I have had the same experience as you with Lithiums in the K-X – around 700 shots, not using the video. How people claim to get more than a 1000 shots is a big mystery to me.
LD rechargeables give me around 300 shots if I am lucky. Like you I use the camera intermittently so the possiblity of battery drain while in the camera should not be ruled out.
After I had replaced my batteries with a brandnew set of Energizer Ultimate Lithiums, the battery gauge turned orange again after no more than 10 shots.
I removed the batteries, wiped the electrodes with a clean handkerchief (read the manual, Geert!) and also wiped the contacts in the camera,
then I remounted the batteries. After more than a hundred shots, the battery gauge is still green.
Now my guess is that, when the camera is used intermittently, some kind of oxidation is formed on the electrodes/contacts, which affects the battery gauge reading.
I regret I already disposed the old batteries – I wonder if I might have been able to get more shots out of them after doing the wiping.
To be continued…