rajesh_kovvuri Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Help, I recently brought a nikon N80. I put 2 new duracell DL123A batteries into it. I just fired 4 shots in a film. the only custom setting i used was continuous on-demand grid. after clicking my shots, i kept the camera back in my bag, but i forgot to turn the camera off !! i checked the next day and my camera does not turn on !! i removed the batteries, put them back. still the camera would not turn on. I then checked the batteries with a multimeter, and they showed 1.9v instead of 3v. My nikon N80 ate up the batteries in less than 24 hrs !!! even when i did not use it. can anyone shed some light as to what might be wrong ? I am thinking that this might be a problem. the camera usually turns off if inactive. I dont know if it is normal !! great punishment just because i forgot to turn off the camera !! thank you, -rajesh kovvuri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_ratzlaff Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 If something in your camera bag was hitting the on switch, your meter could have been on all night long too. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwg Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I have left mine on for several weeks, and it has not reduced the battery life that I could tell. I don't think the on/off switch actually does anything other than lock the controls. You must have had something touching the button and keeping the meter and autofocus going, or a defective camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anson_jones Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 New N80s eat batteries, and nobody knows why. Replace the batteries and try again. That's the only way to find out if there is a pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efusco Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Buy the optional battery pack that allows you to use AA batteries...they last much longer (in my experience), are much cheaper to replace and easier to replace esp. when traveling. You have the option of rechargable batteries. Also, the added extension makes holding the camera much more comfortable. You save enough to justify the cost in just a couple months of shooting.--evan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajesh_kovvuri Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 I placed the camera my lowepro bag. i really doubt if anything was touching the shutter release. I am planning leave the camera 'on' for an hour and test the battery voltage to see if it dropped. i really hate to test with CR123A batteries as they cost $15 for a pair ! i called up service at B&H and told them my problem. they say it is normal as every function in the camera will be active except the LCD. i dont think that's the case. as for seeing if it is a pattern, this is my second set of batteries. the first pair that came with the camera suffered the same fate ! i guess my final alternative is to purchase the mb-16 grip. -rajesh kovvuri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palouse Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I've left my N80 "on" for days--both as a result of forgetting to turn it off and as a result of squeezing it into an overstuffed pack (!) and have never had any problems with battery life. It is true that the ON/OFF switch simply shuts of part of the LCD and shutter release--remember the frame counter is always active. How long has my battery be "abused"?--try being left on for a month--and I got several months worth of shooting (~30 rolls of 36, some with flash) after that. I'm now using e2 Titanium/Lithiums from Everready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 About half the time I draw my N80 from the bag I find I've left it on and I rarely need to buy batteries. It's the same with my SB-50; I love CR-123s! Like an earlier post pointed out, it's whether or not the meter is on that makes the difference. At $15 a pair, I'm guessing you'll develop good power management habits pretty soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred_sun1 Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Was custom function 17 (LCD illumination at the touch of any function button) set to 1 by any chance? This and function 15 (time for meter auto shutoff) set to the maximum are likely to drain the batteries if something in the bag was pressing against any button on the camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_duren Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 There is something wrong with your camera send it in for repair. I've left my camera on for days at a time without draining the battery. I'm still on my first set of batteries for my F80 after 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hudsonphotos Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 I had a battery eating problem with an F5 then I was told to put Lithiums in it. I've had one set in there now for about four months whereas I used to change out AA batteries weekly. Might try lithiums if the N80 will take them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_hohlfelder Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Something in your camera case was pressing the shutter button or the depth-of-field preview button. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil_lupin Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 either your batteries are faulty, something rubbing against the N80 in the bag is turning it on, or its faulty. I use an MB16 battery pack - if you buy a couple of sets of AA rechargeables you'll never look back, plus the extra bulk makes the camera feel very professional and secure. If its under warranty, get the camera checked anyway (free service), then get yourself the MB16! Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajesh_kovvuri Posted January 2, 2003 Author Share Posted January 2, 2003 I did two things in the last 3 days. 1: I first shelled out $75 to get an MB-16 pack, so that i could experiment with the more affordable AA cells than the CR123A's. As many pointed out, i guess the AA's will payoff over time. thank goodness i could also use the lower voltage(1.2v) ni-mh batteries in the MB-16!! 2: I then loaded up the mb-16, kept the camera 'on' and left it on a tripod. I started taking battery voltage readings every 2 hrs or so. The best part was: batteries were stable. no drain even after leaving camera 'on' for 24 hrs. A peculiar thing i noticed during this experiment was that 'DL-123A voltage dropped faster than AA cells !!, when i thought lithiums were supposed to be more stable ! I am assuming that this is because the MB-16 pack carries more current capacity than the DL-123A. I then concluded, as many pointed out is "something was touching the shutter release button" when i kept my camera in the bag. But after reading Niel's message, i checked and finally found the culprit...It was the DOF preview button !!! my camera bag is just right for the camera, not spacious. so when i closed the bag, the DOF preview button got depressed by the bag separators. That is how my batteries got drained in a rush ! I am now looking for a more spacious bag... I am hoping the DOF preview button operation will be modified in future revisions of the N80 to overcome this anamoly. when the camera is kept 'on' for sometime, the camera shuts-off (not completely). BUT, in this state, when the DOF preview button is still active. I think it would be better if the DOF button was also disabled when the camera shuts-off, so the only way to activate the entire camera again will be to slightly depress the shutter release button. I might be wrong also. thank you all for your suggestions !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajesh_kovvuri Posted January 2, 2003 Author Share Posted January 2, 2003 oops, I am sorry to have not given credit to Robert Hohlfelder for his suggestion on DOF button !!! thanks robert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_mccaffrey Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Also try the Energizer lithium batteries. I use them in my P&S digital camera and they last 300+ shots (infrequent flash use and minimal LCD use). Try them as 123s or as AAs in the MB-16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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