[babywriter]

I was using my Pentax 645 last night at the state fair, and the batteries in the grip failed, rendering the camera inoperable. (I find that strange, since I'd only put three rolls through the camera, and I'd read somewhere that a set of AAs lasts dozens of rolls, but that's beside the point.)

When I replaced the batteries this morning (without removing the film), there was a "9" showing in the left hand position on the exposure # display - e.g. 93, 94, etc. The camera appeared to advance normally, but I got a little freaked out and pulled the film (I only had two usable shots on it anyway). When I put a new roll of film in, all was well - the 9 had disappeared.

Has anyone seen anything like that? Was that the camera telling me that it knew there had been a battery depletion? Could I have kept on shooting without pulling the roll?

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

[Adam]

I was using my Pentax 645 last night at the state fair, and the batteries in the grip failed, rendering the camera inoperable. (I find that strange, since I'd only put three rolls through the camera, and I'd read somewhere that a set of AAs lasts dozens of rolls, but that's beside the point.)

When I replaced the batteries this morning (without removing the film), there was a "9" showing in the left hand position on the exposure # display - e.g. 93, 94, etc. The camera appeared to advance normally, but I got a little freaked out and pulled the film (I only had two usable shots on it anyway). When I put a new roll of film in, all was well - the 9 had disappeared.

Has anyone seen anything like that? Was that the camera telling me that it knew there had been a battery depletion? Could I have kept on shooting without pulling the roll?

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

Was your backup battery dead as well? If so this could explain why the camera forgot the exposure count.

[babywriter]

I've replaced the backup battery. I'm not certain the old one was dead; even before I replaced the backup, the camera still held the 160 ISO I had set prior to swapping out the batteries in the grip. But at least now I'm certain I've got a good backup battery, just in case this happens again.

Thanks for the help, Adam!