richard_orr1

<p>Great answer....I was thinking it must be something like that. I will swing by a better camera shop today and see if I can get some of the original types.<br>

Love the camera, but this is perplexing me!</p>

<p>I've had this camera for about a year. Worked fine through the summer, but had to shelve it to go back to real work.<br>

I took out the M7 this past week and the battery seemed to have died. Thats cool, I put in another one.<br>

What happens is that I get to shoot a few shots, but I dont get meter indicators. When I press down on the lens, it merely fires. Once in a while I can catch a glimpse of the speed in the viewfinder, but mostly nothing. The timer works, so I get the sense there is power in the battery.<br>

I went through an entire reset process. Checked the dark slide, and it was in the right postiion. Pressed in on the cable release button to see if that would reset it. No change. Took out the film, battery, lens and put it all back together. No change.<br>

I am down to damaged electronics, or a dead battery. (even though the one I used was factory packaged and only about six months old.)<br>

I get a new battery and it still does little in the viewfinder. I get a steady red light when i press down, but again--when I step outside and take some shots the shutter appears to work.<br>

I am using the proper lithium battery. The only difference in the number of an "N" at the end of the CR number.<br>

Anyone have any hints before I go to the next level of sending this in?</p>

<p>Thanks for your help/.</p>

<p> </p>

You might want to tag along with someone who does this for a living for a tournament or two. It is a lot more complicated than it sounds. Not only do you need printers and cameras, but you need help...and a pretty fair amount of it. You need people who can deal with customers, who can juggle money, cameras, printers, and computers. And you need people who can figure out what to do--on the spot--when one of those things doesnt work (and they are ALWAYS breaking!)

I have been doing this full time for a few years, and I see people trying it once, or twice...and then they give up the ghost--not because of the equipment, but because of the logistics and customer interface part.

Just some thoughts of someone who walked down the road...