Canon S1 Battery Life

[WileE]

Hi,

I have my Canon S1 for almost 1 year and I have used four different sets of 2300+ NIMH Batteries. Now when the new S2 came out, I read the review again and I saw, that it should be possible to take over 500 shots with one set of batteries. I only get 80 shots in real life tourist shooting (pictures were taken in one day, turning the camera on/off several times, minor playback, minor flash usage) at the best, so I was wondering if there is anything wrong with my model or am I buying the wrong batteries (Energizer and some European brands) - which one are you guys using?

Thanks
WileE

[JTL]

Hi,

I have my Canon S1 for almost 1 year and I have used four different sets of 2300+ NIMH Batteries. Now when the new S2 came out, I read the review again and I saw, that it should be possible to take over 500 shots with one set of batteries. I only get 80 shots in real life tourist shooting (pictures were taken in one day, turning the camera on/off several times, minor playback, minor flash usage) at the best, so I was wondering if there is anything wrong with my model or am I buying the wrong batteries (Energizer and some European brands) - which one are you guys using?

Thanks
WileEI'm using Powerex 2500's in my S2. Haven't really been keeping track. But since the last time I changed batteries, I'm up to 280 shots so far with the LCD on...

[Phillexx]

Hi

I bought an S2 about a week ago and when I first put some fully charged 2300mAh rechargeables in, I got a "Change Batteries" message. I assumed that it was just because it was the first time batteries had been put in and used another set and the camera worked OK and I took 50 or so test photos.

However, the following morning, when I switched the camera on, I again got a change batteries message. This happened every morning on switch on with either that message or a flashing red battery icon on the display and with three different sets of rechargeables.

So, I wnt back to the shop where I purchased it (taking a set of batteries with me with which the camera said I needed to change) and tries them in another S2. This worked straightaway with no mention of low a battery problem. The shop swopped cameras and yesterday and this morning, the new S2 switched on and worked OK (still on the set of batteries that the old S2 had said were too low).

It would appear that some S2s can have a battery power measurement problem and I would suggest that if you only get about 80 or so pictures on a set of fully charged batteries and you are sure that the batteries do not have a problem, that you get the camera exchanged (and test it in the shop if possible).

Regards

[jraggio]

Hey guys, I am having a similar problem with my S1. I've had it over a year and it has served me well. This morning I put in a fresh set of charged batteries and the camera will not start up correctly. The lense comes part of the way out and sometimes the screen comes on, sometimes it does not. Then the screen says "Change Batteries". My battery tester says they are good. I also noticed that the led next to the CF card blinks a few times.

Any ideas? I tried 2 sets and the same thing happens. Can it be the camera? The CF card? I'm going to try another card in a bit.

Is there a backup battery that might need to be changed? Is there a way to forse the camera to "reset" or "reboot" itself somehow?

Thanks,
John

[BowerR64]

If the lens only comes part way out then ide say thats the problem. It does draw a little bit of power at the startup. It has to charge the flash, power the processors, LCD and then extend the lens. If the lens is jammed ide say thats where the draw is the most. Can you tap on the lens and get it to full extend?

[FLiPMaRC]

It happened to me a few times already where I'm using the camera and it suddenly turns off by itself. Then I try to turn in on again and it gets stuck because of lack of power. I just press the OFF button and wait till it shuts down by itself before I change the batteries.

:D I made a note to myself that if it turns OFF by itself, then it's a good indication that there's no more power and don't try to turn it ON again :p

[Rhys]

I'm getting problems with my Nikon 3100 - same kind of symptoms - the lens pops out then back in and up comes a message saying "low power". My battery meter tells me the batteries are fine. The batteries are freshly charged. I'd say - offhand - that the batteries need to be replaced. This seems to be the common theme.

[jraggio]

The lense issue I think was symptom of the camera not getting enough power. i don't think there is a problem with the lense at all.

I did some reading here and on other forums and found others having problems with batteries and the S1 and S2 cameras. Many people found that they had issues with dirty batteries or terminals. Some also mentioned issues with slightly shorter batteries that were not makiing good contact. Heck, more than one person even had luck licking the ends of the batteries before putting them in.

I recharged the batteries, wiped the terminals to remove any oil or dirt (suggested in forums and in the Canon manual and website) and rubbed the terminals in the camera with a pencil eraser. Put em in and I was good to go! I took about 10 pictures and then had to get back to work (working at home today ;-). Hopefully this is the end of the problem for me. Makes me think it is a battery issues and nothing wrong with the camera. Then again it's possible that the voltage level cutoff is too high in the camera making it intollerant of bad connections etc. This may be due to the fact that NIMH have lower voltage than alkelines. Again, there are tons of threads here and other forums that discuss this in more technical detail.

John

[BowerR64]

I was going to sugest ruffing up the battery contacts also. I did it to mine right out of the package. The NIMH seem to have lead contacts where the alkalines seem to have some kind of chrome coated contacts or somthing alot harder that probobly doenst trasfer energy as well as the NIMH contacts. I used some medium grit sandpaper on mine i can still see the scratches on the contacts and ive put about 6 charges on them so far.

How many shots does your S1 have on it?

[jraggio]

How can I find how many shots I have? The last image I took was numbered 133-3398. Does this mean I have 3,398 shots? Also the batteries I am using ar 2200 Energizers with the 15 minute charger. Do you suggest that I rough these up? Both tops and bottoms?

Thanks,
John

[BowerR64]

I did it to mine its your call wether you want to do it to yours. I think over time a film can built up on the contacts wether its just corosion or finger oil or what ever there may even be a coating from the factory.

Does 3,398 sound about right? i know its an older camera so its possible you have shot that many.

Im not sure but i think there is a limit to how many snaps the shutter is guaranteed for i think its like 10,000 shots. The shutter is mechanical and controlled by a motor i think.