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Battery Problems with ND

se_kp_sg

Member
Hi everyone. I had just acquired a demo ND in very good condition. But the battery seemed to be sucked of its life everytime the camera is left alone for a couple of days. I have not been able to shoot beyond 30 images in JPEG1. Is there something wrong with the set or is this the usual life-span of the batteries. Does it mean that I have to remove the battery when not using the camera even only for a few hours? Thanks for helping.
 
>=20 >=20 >=20 > [The original battery charger has a low capacity output so it sends the > current to the battery too slow and the battery never got fully charged u= p > before the timer cuts it. You may need to find a higher capacity charger= , > higher capacity battery =AD may be 2,000-2,100 mAh, then you should be fine= . My > ND can last 300-400 shots of Jpeg1 with a fresh set of 2000mAh battery, a= nd I > have been receiving consistent result over the 10,000 shots already made = with > ND. Regards, kaisern] >=20 >=20 >=20
 
What about the problem of battery drain when the camera is not in used?

When I leave the batteries in the camera unused in the drybox, the batteries would be totally unusable after a couple of days.

Do you remove the batteries so that it won't be drained, or this problem doesn't exist in your camera?

I also realised that no matter what shutter speed you shoot at, the mirror stays open for the same duration of time! That is, the mirror stays up for the same duration whether I am shootin at 1/8000 or 1/60! Anyone with similar experience? Thanks Chen.
 
Se, The batteries and charger that came with the camera are a joke. Use them to power a flash or one of your childrens' toys.

I use the Powerex 2200 Mih rated batteries and their charger (bought from the site mentioned above). Look to see if they have the version of the charger that "refreshes" (they offer two kinds, but only one refreshes). I also purchased 3 extra battery holders from Contax so I don't have to waste time reloading batteries when shooting something like a wedding.

Mih batteries WILL NOT hold their charge when stored. It doesn't matter if they are in the camera or not. I recharge the night before any anticipated shoot with the ND. That's why I bought 4 chargers and 16 batteries. The Powerex carger is kind of bulky for travel, so I also use a couple of compact Panasonic BQ-390 Quick Chargers when traveling.
 
Thanks Roger, Marc and Chen for the advice on the batteries.

I did purchase a new set of Sony 2100 mAh batteries, but charged then using the supplied Sanyo charger. The same thing happened. The batteries are simply dead after 2-3days in the camera.

Marc, I am using rechargeables batt in my TLA360 and never have a problem of batteries losing charge over a period of weeks. Of course, I am a light user of flash. Hence, I can't imagine why the batteries would lose charge in 2-3 days while inside ND.

My suspicion that the ND is poorly designed such that it still draws power when "turned off". If you people have been storing the ND with batteries in it while not in use, does the same thing happens? I am very curious to find out.

What about my questions on the duration the the mirror stays up? I realised that no matter what shutter speed you shoot at, the mirror stays open for the same duration of time! That is, the mirror stays up for the same duration whether I am shootin at 1/8000 or 1/60! Anyone with similar experience?
 
Se, I think it's the low capacity Sanyo charger, it does not give a full charge. It makes no difference if the flash works with light use as it does not draw as much power as the camera. I have in fact taken the batteries out of the ND after they were "dead" and put them in my TLA 360 and it worked fine. I generally get about 300+ jpeg 1 shots on one set of batteries and I use auto focus and the LCD a lot.
 
Se, all of my Mih batteries die after some time of not using them, even when loose in a soft case made for battery storage (ie; not in the camera).

Are the rechargables in your flash (that don't die over time) Mih type or NiCads?
 
>=20 >=20 >=20 > [The battery drain seemed to be more a problem on rechargeable cell than = the > regular cell, I don=B9t know it for a fact but felt it was so. In my case, > because ND is much more expensive than the usual camera so I did remove t= he > battery tray often when I don=B9t use it for awhile. For the mirror timing= , I > have no idea, I thought it should be the same regardless the shutter spee= d, > but it should be very swiftly. Regards, Kaisern] >=20 >=20 >=20
 
>=20 >=20 >=20 > [he supplied charger is a bigger problem than the supplied cells. It nev= er > send enough juice to the cell before its circuit cut the power. Change t= he > charger to a higher capacity ones and the supplied cells are still of > reasonable use. Regards, Kaisern] >=20 >=20 >=20
 
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