Elan 7 EATING batteries

My elan 7 has been a charm from the day I bought it. Now, suddenly

the thing is eating batteries like crazy - roll or two per set.

Obviously something is wrong. Does anyone know if there is a history

of this type of thing with the Elan 7? Or does someone have

experience with this and could suggest a solution?

 

I haven't been doing anything different lately and if the store from

where I bought it was just around the corner I'd have gone there

already.

 

Thanks,

David

wierd.. never heard of an elan with such a voracious appetite! What type of batteries are you using? The lithium CR123a's? AA's? NiCad? Alkeline? I know longer exposures, autofocus, metering, flash, and eye control (7e) all drain the batteries a *bit* faster.. but I've never heard of only getting a roll or two out of them.. that's crazy!

You can get the Battery check indicator for other problems and

your battery can be fine.

For instance:

1. You didnt put a Sigma lens on it did you?

2. Check if the diaprahm of the lens is stopping down when

the battery check comes on.

3. clean all the contacts on the camera from the lens mount

to inside the back like DX contacts and any pins that touch

the back.

4. use a digital multimeter to check voltage on the battery.

5. some batteries are a little short and dont make the best

contact in the battery chamber look there..

If it is really eating batteries then it has developed a short circuit somewhere. You would need to have the camera serviced, though if the warranty has expired you should check on the likely cost as against acquiring another body - near mint second hand ones are surprisingly cheap these days.

<blockquote><small><i>

Or does someone have experience with this and could suggest a solution?

</i></small></blockquote>

I, uhh, can claim some "experience" with this. My <a title=

"Elan 7E user group" target=_blank href=

http://yahoogroups.com/group/elan7e

>Elan 7E</a> did the same thing when I packed it too tightly

in my camera bag.

<P>

It turns out that one or more of the buttons on the camera

was being pressed continuously while the camera was in the bag.

<P>

Could this be David's problem?

Thanks for all the responses.

 

The short of it is: I use the CR123's; I HAVE used a Sigma lens on the camera (as well as Canon lenses); Have been taking a few more flash pictures lately with external mounted flash (sigma), but obviously not that many per battery set; and don't have reason to suspect any button was being pressed continuously.

 

All in all, a bit of a "who done it?". Rob Murray, hopefully I'll be able to perform some of your test suggestions.

 

Thanks again,

David

I thought mine was eating batteries until the problem started happening halfway through each role and sometimes sooner. I just took it into my local shop and it has a bad circuit board inside. I to was ready to blame my batteries and then my sigma lense until it finally started giving me the dead battery message with every lense, even without a lense. Not a cheap repair either. I hope you have better luck than I did. My camera will hopefully be back this week.

 

Jason