A-1 Battery Question

<p>I have gotten an A-1 and it has gone through an alkaline 28 and a lithium 28 battery in a week. Has anyone else had a problem like this? Thanks</p>

<p>Robert, check to see whether you've left the on/off switch in the "A" (on) position or the "L" (off or locked) postion. If you've been turning it off when not in use, you have a battery drain problem that you should have checked out. Batteries typically last at least a year or two in the A-1.</p>

<p>Mark, are you sure that the position of the L - A - S selector switch makes a difference? </p>

<p>Turning the camera off is important when you're using an EF, but I never knew it had any effect on current drain in an A series camera. Having said that, I've not had an A-1, so maybe it's different. (I've had, and trashed, an AT-1 and a couple of AE-1s, and now I'm working on an AE-1P.)</p>

<p>I'd be more worried about a short in the electronics. Could be wrong. Someone here will know anyway.</p>

<p>My guess is that you have a problem. I've never experienced such a thing in either of my A-1's or my AE-1P. JR</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/canon-fd-camera-forum/009ORF<br>

I've had the same battery in the A1 for the last 5 years. Granted, I barely use it. Are you shooting on "B" a lot? I think I read somewhere that the A1 uses the battery when shooting on B, so extended exposures can lead to battery drain as well.</p>

<p>there is a well known fault with A-1's that causes battery drain. As the guys have said if you have been shooting normally a battery should last nearly a year. If you shoot lightly and with few LONG exposures two years is not out of the norm.</p>

<p>To have two batteries drain in a week means one of three things either you have been shooting in extreme cold weather, You have been shooting very long exposures (over 10 sec) a lot, or your camera has an electrical fault that will require a qualified tech to find and repair.</p>

<p>The A-1 needs power to keep its shutter open and also to meter. So long exposures and metering a shot frequently will consume more power than using shorter duration exposure and using the meter sparsely. And if you are shooting in cold weather, the battery will drain faster --- most pronounced in sub-zero temperatures.</p>

<p>Having said that, what you need to find out is whether the camera is consuming power abnormally, i.e. is it consuming more power during metering or shutter release or whether there is a battery leak and it is consuming power even in off state. Here is what I found recently and I would strongly recommend you try this out too:<br>

<a href="http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=16978">"current consumption by Canon A-1 or AE-1 and other A-series camers?</a>"<br>

(Link: http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=16978)</p>

<p>I have use an alkaline 28L battery in my A-1 and AE-1 Program which lasted just a few weeks. But I was using it a lot to release the shutter and check the meter tons of time. I would estimate that I might have done test equivalent to around 10 rolls of films. I am using another battery now and do not do much testing but shoot rolls. So far, it has lasted a few months and has seen only a few rolls. I do keep the camers in the off, "L", state, however, when not in use, not that it should matter.</p>

<p>The yearly or 2 years estimates for battery duration really are very vague without the above factors being explained.</p>

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