Originally posted by LTS My *ist DL began having these troubles earlier this month. I've always used Energizer Advanced LIthium batteries from the first time I bought the camera. Given that I took it to Costa Rica and took over 1000 photos in a week without killing the batteries I was sold.
So it's been odd that I've had these issues with the Lithium lately. I purchased one set.. no go. Purchased a second set.. no go. I put in new alkaline (generic) and the camera starts right up. I could switch one lithium into the set and more often than not the camera would fire up but if I put in two.. just the low battery flash.
So, after trying everything I could read I decided i would test the lithium batteries quick. I took out my flash and put in the 4 batteries and the thing fired up at blazing speed. I snapped off 4 flashes from the test and each time it would come back to ready almost instantaneously. Okay.. so the batteries are okay.
On a whim I put them back in the camera.. and boom it powered up. What?! So I took out my 2nd lithium set which had been bad. I put them in the camera and got the blink. I repeated the flash steps as above with the 2nd lithium set, put them back in the camera and boom it powered up. I can take the batteries out and put them back in and the camera starts up without any issue whatsoever.
I hope it stays.. but I thought I would post this as my experience for those who might be suffering.
OK I think this is to do with a phenomena of primary lithium that are left idle/dormant requiring "waking up" to regain their performance.
I knew I had read this somewhere like the battery section in CPF (CandlePowerForums) but could not find the reference.
Eventually I found a reference by doing a google of lithium primary dormant and found this:
[PDF]
Passivation of Primary Lithium Cells
By putting the lithium batteries into the flashgun in effect wakes them up by high current draw - whereas putting them in the *ist DL only draws a a lowish current to meter their state, but obviously not enough to overcome the passivity of the batteries.