odd battery issue

[jann1033]

i've had the same batteries for around 3-4 yrs(?), 1 canon, 2 third party. i recharge which ever one i use after each shoot and rotate them ( ie use a different one for the next shoot). they have always lasted longer than a day so still have some charge when i recharge them.

last few times( 3 or 4) i have used my camera after about 1/2 an hr ( give or take), the battery indicator reads low and the camera will actually stop working like the battery is empty

first time it happened i thought maybe i forgot to recharge some or the charger wasn't working so i was only getting a partial charge but the charger light goes from orange to green like it should and the indicator on the camera reads it's full after the charge. also i made sure all three were fully charged and it still happened with all three.

first few times it happened i just replaced it and had to use all three batteries in one day so i thought the batteries must be going but last 2 times it happened i took the battery out to see which one it was( in case it was just one doing it) and when i put it back in ( to go back to the car and get a new one the first time, to see if it did it again the second time with a different battery) the indicator went back to a full charge and it worked again then did the same thing again a little later.

the door to the battery compartment seems secure( ie not loose like it might not be holding the battery in tight), i don't see anything on the contacts, doesn't appear the contacts are loose or anything.

it has happened with the canon and the third party so imo it looks like it isn't the battery itself. it works again once i remove and reinsert the same battery and the charge indicator goes back to full and the camera will work again, then a little while later it is back to " uncharged" and i can't take a photo like the battery is really dead but, i can reload with the same battery and it works again.

it varies how fast it does it, last time i reloaded the batteries once in about 2 hrs and it was still reading full after one reload( in other words, did it one time in 2 hrs, used one of the third parties this time), time before it happened with the canon one and lasted for about 1/2 an hr, i reloaded with same battery, worked for another hr or two then i reloaded with a third party, that one lasted for the rest of the day( a few hrs with no reload).

the first few times i used all three batteries in about 2 hrs , replaced every 45 mins or so after i had a low battery warning and replaced it with another battery ( before i checked to see if the battery was really empty)

nothing has happened to the camera before or since this started( ie no drops, water etc)

any ideas????it's a pain to have to keep reloading the battery but i guess if there isn't a better solution at least it still is working for now wondering if i could clean the contacts somehow but don't know what to use

thanks for any ideas

 

[oogieboogieman]

My first thoughts was the age of the batteries, but it's happening with all three. I could see that if it was happening with just one battery.

My second thought was a contact issue. I've heard of people using a pencil eraser to clean the contacts.

Third thought is with the charger itself. Are you using the original charger or a third-party charger? I'm asking because I shoot Olympus and I have 2 OEM chargers for my batteries. One charger will charge the batteries in 2-3 hours and the other will charge them in 5 hours. I get a better charge on the one that takes 5 hours. These rapid chargers are good , but are said to shorten the life of the battery.

You might just buy a new battery and see what happens. Then you can eliminate the battery as the issue. Good Luck!

 

[tiggr33]

If a Canon shooter, do you use an IS lens, with it turned on? Do you use an external flash? Both can drain the battery.

I also would check the contacts. I do use a pencil eraser to clean them. I agree with the PP, what type of charger are you using?

 

[jann1033]

i haven't gotten any thing new that would be using the batteries differently than they would have been for the last three yrs.
i'm using a canon charger that is less than 2 yrs old( they replaced it when they replaced the camera body) but
the reason i don't think it's the charger is due to the fact i just reload the same battery, don't recharge it first. when it stops and says the battery is dead, i literally turn off the camera, open the battery door, slip the battery out, slip the same one back in( not recharged), shut door, turn it on and voila, a fully charge battery. i've tried just turning the camera off then back on but it still stays" empty" and won't work till i take it out and reinsert it. if the charger wasn't working i would think the batteries would be really dead since this has been going on a few weeks-month now. that's why i thought more contacts or something that would loosen or something that would be fixed when i reinsert it. after i recharge it it says "full" for 1/2 hr or so then says "empty" then "full" again once i reinsert it with out recharging it and it is really full since i can use it again once i reinsert it., but when it says empty the camera doesn't work at all, like the battery is really empty.

someone told me you can clean a remote contacts with a qtip and rubbing alcohol but was afraid to try that with my camera .

 

[tiggr33]

I'd suggest dry cleaning the contacts first. Use a new pencil erasers on the concats of the batteries and chamber. If you are wearing jeans, just rub the battery contacts on your pant leg. You can use the pencil or qtips in the battery chamber on those contacts. Whichever you use in camera, make sure you blow it out with a rocket or other device to remove any debris. I prefer vinegar for wet cleaning. I barely wet the qtip.

 

[boBQuincy]

someone told me you can clean a remote contacts with a qtip and rubbing alcohol but was afraid to try that with my camera .

Don't use rubbing alcohol, it is mostly water! Use isopropyl alcohol (Eclipse fluid is probably the same stuff). Even better is CRC electrical contact cleaner, available at most auto parts stores.

The eraser may be ok but the gold plating on most contacts is *very* thin, I prefer chemical cleaning to avoid rubbing through the gold plating.

 

[jann1033]

Don't use rubbing alcohol, it is mostly water! Use isopropyl alcohol (Eclipse fluid is probably the same stuff). Even better is CRC electrical contact cleaner, available at most auto parts stores.

The eraser may be ok but the gold plating on most contacts is *very* thin, I prefer chemical cleaning to avoid rubbing through the gold plating.

thanks. i probably have that in the garage already