Is an extra battery needed for the G12?

I've ordered two G12s for my wife and I for a trip to Italy in October, and was wondering how well the batteries hold up. I normally carry extra batteries for our DSLRs and rarely (if ever) need them. I realize the answer depends on how many shots you take per day, but I'm just wondering what the general consensus is. Thanks!

~Sam

Mine was like $12 from Adorama. It's small and cheap. I'd take a spare.

I ordered a Canon branded spare battery the same time I got my G12. Went to Seaworld for a day, took about 300 pictures and about 20 minutes total video. Still had plenty of battery life left at the end of the day.
So far I'm impressed with the G12's power management. It's looking like I may not need the extra battery, but good to have just in case anyway.

I wouldn't rely on anybody's assessment of battery power on their G12. I would never, ever have any camera that I didn't have an extra battery for. Especially for an important trip like that. Even if you only bought one extra battery that you and your wife shared if you needed it, you will be happy you had the extra one. Do it.

I agree with Sue 100%. When you need it you can't go to Dollar General or 7-11 and get one.

It sure is a bad feeling to have a battery run down or simply go bad. My philosophy has been to have one in the camera, one in my pocket and one on the charger. I still follow this philosophy even though batteries have improved significantly in the past decade. At the same time, I do use clones for spares.

ordered a oem canon battery from amazon for $23.95 + 4.99 shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/​gp/product/B001G5ZTRM

Thanks for your feedback, folks. You're right, having a backup set on the charger is cheap insurance, especially in the remote areas we're going to.

I ordered two batteries from Sterlingtek for $15 ea. I also entered coupon code SAV52011 and got $5 off my order I've used Sterlingtek batteries for a long time in various DSLRs and have always gotten good service from them. I've also gotten burned buying "genuine" Canon batteries at discount prices on eBay which were fakes out of China.

abigailandsam wrote in post #12945228
Thanks for your feedback, folks. You're right, having a backup set on the charger is cheap insurance, especially in the remote areas we're going to.

I ordered two batteries from Sterlingtek for $15 ea. I also entered coupon code SAV52011 and got $5 off my order I've used Sterlingtek batteries for a long time in various DSLRs and have always gotten good service from them. I've also gotten burned buying "genuine" Canon batteries at discount prices on eBay which were fakes out of China.

Their life span isn't as long as a Canon's, but they'll do terrific for a year and some. When mine essentially died, I bought another Canon model and will be set for a long long time to come. Camera willing!

I have an original and a generic, both are good for around 500 shots, charge in the same time - most I have ever done was 1,000 shots in one day but that was hard work. A battery normally lasts me a couple of days, but due to the way they work, they go from full power to no power in a short period of time - carrying a spare is always prudent.

I did an Alaska cruise a couple years ago. I brought the OEM and the 2 stirlingteks I bought but left the charger at home. I thought there is no way I would burn through 3 batteries in a week. WRONG!!!!

Well, it seems I got trigger happy and ran all 3 batteries down. I remember frantically running around Juno, looking for a place that sold a charger. I finally found a shop that was gracious enough to allow me to leave a battery on their charger for a while.

I will never again be without my charger on a trip, and I will never be without a backup battery in my case for those times I am home and run out at a family dinner or something.

Carrying an extra battery is good insurance. Stirlingtek usually has a 2 for 1 special for about 22 bucks or something. Cheap insurance.

got spare. when G12 starts flashing the battery sign, it's already near empty and will drain in no time. so take your time, charge spare battery and take it with you. missing scenes of italy because of empty battery is a waste and eaby is full of them, they are cheap.

the only thing i miss from my old A610 is 4-piece AA battery barrel so i could carry around any rechargeable AA batteries i could find, or just run to the nearest shop and buy four duracells.

Something I am wondering about from the OP perspective is what about his charging device? Will his charging device be compatible with European electricity? I ask because I have heard (years ago, I must admit) that Europe does not run on a standard US 110V power.

Anyone been there that can attest to this?

It is, but you will need a prong converter for the different styles there.

All camera, computer, and cellphone chargers work in Europe without problem. European plug adapters are about 99 cents each on eBay. I think I have a dozen or so. Also, when I was in Belgium a few years ago I got so disgusted with my hotel room only having 2 outlets that worked that I bought a European power strip so I could charge phones, cameras, computer, etc. Made life much easier