Optio S4: Bad battery or bad camera?

[Jimal Temus]

Is there any way of testing the D-Li8 battery that comes with the Optio S4 to see if its bad, or if something is amiss in my "refurbished" camera? The supposedly new battery that was supplied by the online merchant for the camera will charge, and I can take pictures, but it seems to drain even when the camera is off. I took about 10 pictures this morning, and when I shut the camera off the indicator showed full battery power. When I turned the camera back on about 10 minutes later, the battery indicator showed that the battery was nearly depleted. I was able to take a couple more pictures, then shut off the camera. When I attempted to turn the camera back on a few minutes later, I got the "battery depleted" message and the camera shut down.

I've already ordered a new battery for the camera, in the hopes that its just a dud battery, but if there is something wrong with the camera itself that is draining the battery even when it is shut off, I need to get it fixed quick, as I have my honeymoon coming up a month from now, and I bought the Optio S4 because it was small, and therefor "travel friendly"

Thanks,
Jim

[Jimal Temus]

It didn't take long to figure out the problem is with the camera and not the battery. The battery is draining in 15-20 minutes of turning the camera on the first time after installing the battery, and the drain occurs whether the camera is on or off. Either way, the camera gets hot to the touch, and while it does seem to work properly while there is a charge, the battery does NOT get hot while the camera does.

Its going back to the merchant tomorrow morning, and if all goes well I'll have th replacement next week. Apart from this particular issue, I really like the Optio S4; 4 megapixels is more than I'll ever need since I post all my pictures on Smug Mug, and a 512 MB card will hold almost 900 images with the settings I was using. If I need better quality pictures, I'll invest in a digital SLR.

Now, will I finish off the tin of Altoids before the new camera arrives? ;)