After you are finished taking pictures, what should you do to preserve battery power?

• A. Leave it on
• B. Turn off the camera to preserve battery power
• C. Put it in sleep mode
• D. Remove the battery

Answer: (B)

Turning off the camera when you’re finished is the best way to conserve battery power. Even when you’re not actively taking pictures, the camera’s circuitry—sensors, image processor, LCD or electronic viewfinder, and any wireless features—still uses some power. Powering everything down stops this drain, letting the battery last longer for your next shoot.

Sleep or standby mode uses much less power than being fully on, but it still draws some current to keep things ready to wake up quickly. It’s a handy middle ground if you’ll be returning to shooting soon, but it doesn’t preserve as much battery as turning the camera off.

Leaving it on drains power the fastest, obviously. Removing the battery would stop all power entirely, but it’s usually unnecessary and inconvenient for typical breaks and may be impractical during transport.

So, the simplest, most effective action is to turn the camera off when you’re done shooting.