[Tonytee]

Greetings all,

I have recently purchased a like new Pentax k100d Super camera. The camera has only 848 (verified) shutter clicks. It worked flawlessly until I placed my Energizer Nimh 2300 Amh rechargeable batteries in it. The batteries had been charged for a little more than 24 hours. There was barely enough juice to see the flashing battery icon in the LCD, which indicated a powerless battery. The batteries are also in like new condition, they work perfectly in other gear. I did place new Duracell alkaline batteries in the camera, and no problem. The LCD panel displayed a battery level at full power.

I will appreciate any help available. Almost forgot. The Instruction Manual for the camera clearly indicates that it is recommended to use NiMH rechargeable batteries, although it does not indicate the Ampere millage per Hour.

Rgds,

Tony

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Last edited by Tonytee; 07-07-2015 at 08:34 PM. Reason: Grammar error.

[RollsUp]

I've had nothing but good results with Sanyo Eneloops when I had my K100DS.

[Nick Siebers]

What RollsUp said. Get 2 sets of 4 Eneloops, don't sweat batteries again for a long time to come.

[Tonytee]

I've had nothing but good results with Sanyo Eneloops when I had my K100DS.

I just answered my own question. I did scour the Instruction Manual for the Pentax K100d Super and on page #27 in indicates that the rechargeable batteries must be at 2500 mAh. So, looks like it is back to the drawing board on Amazon.com. They seem to have the best prices and they ship very fast. Thanks for the info.

TT

---------- Post added 07-07-15 at 09:54 PM ----------

What RollsUp said. Get 2 sets of 4 Eneloops, don't sweat batteries again for a long time to come.

Thanks very much for the info. Seems as though Eneloops is highly recommended by just about everyone.

Adios,

Tonytee

[blackcloudbrew]

Eneloops for sure. All others I've used run out too quickly.

[Sofaking]

i believe contacts and internal circuitry will oxidise with time.
Hence increasing the minimum voltage threshold to get the camera working.
I used to have a K100D, and used Eneloops (fastidiously charged with a La-crosse BC-900).
They would give me about 300 shots per charge.
3 years on (in 2010), the same problem occured, where a freshly charged set would be listed as empty. But the same set could easily power the AF-540FGZ flashgun.
I was about to junk it, but found a solution.
The expensive: CR-V3 lithiums / Energizer AA lithium cells
The more affordable alternative: NiZn cells, but this may void your warranty.
They worked flawlessly with the NiZn, autofocus times also improved.
I sold my K100D later after I upgraded to a K5. The new owner only ever uses AA Lithiums..

[Tonytee]

I would like to know if with an Energizer battery charger, I am limited to charging Energizer batteries exclusively. Thanks for any help.

Tonytee

---------- Post added 07-07-15 at 11:00 PM ----------

Sofaking: Did you mean Energizer AA Lithium coin cell batteries?

thnx,

Tonytee

[Tonytee]

Here is some interesting information I will share with everyone regarding rechargeable batteries. Try to read as many reviews as possible. I hope this helps, as it certainly had provided some valuable information. Thanks for reading.

Tonytee Energizer - Energizer Recharge Power Plus AA Batteries customer reviews - product reviews - read top consumer ratings

[Sofaking]

I was referring to the expensive Lithium AA single use batteries. About 500 to 600 shots per set of 4.
You are generally not limited to charging own brand batteries only.
Energizers (non-LSD variants), LSD = Low Self Discharge, lose charge very rapidly from my experience. Their lithiums are good, but I generally avoid their NiMHs.
And a little known fact, Energizer AAs were manufactured by Sanyo, at least as of 2007. OEMs, but they did not license Eneloop technology unfortunately..

[pasorro]

I recomended rechargables cr-v3 from ebay, I use a pair of them for years on my k100d super without problems
Also I recomended never sell the k100d super , when calibrated with debug program ( many of them have backfocus) it is one of the best ever pentax camera. its old ccd sensor is very very good.
Sorry bad English

[Sofaking]

I agree with Pasorro on the image quality of the 6MP unit with the Sony CCD sensor. It's excellent up to ISO 800 and was ahead of it's time..

[k0og]

I've occasionally had similar problems with my K100DS with known-good AAs. I always use the LSD (low self discharge) batteries. I found that the contacts IN the battery compartment occasionally needed cleaning. I put a very small amount of alcohol on a piece of clean handkerchief folded over a few times and cleaned the contacts on the battery door, as well as reaching down in the compartment to clean the contacts at the bottom. In addition, clean the contacts on the batteries themselves. After some handling through several changes, the contacts can become coated with some residue from fingers thus causing intermittent contact. If I find I have a problem in the middle of shooting pictures, I have sometimes found that just opening and closing the battery door a couple of times will wipe the contacts enough to make it work. If that doesn't work, removing the batteries and wiping the ends on my shirt or pants then putting them back in will get it working.

Good luck - the K100DS is a nice camera!

-Joe-

[Tonytee]

Thanks everyone for some very valuable and interesting information. I hope everyone has had the opportunity to visit the link I provided regarding Energizer's rechargeable 2500mAh batteries. There must be a way to ascertain what the date of manufacture is, since the company has not manufactured any of these batteries for many years.

Thanks again,

Tonytee

---------- Post added 07-08-15 at 03:17 PM ----------

Sofaking,

I have been able to find one company that manufactures Ni-Zn rechargeable batteries. They are: Powergenix. Ever hear of them before?

How many photos were you able to take with these before they dried up? ebay has these at a favorable price. Thanks again,

Tonytee

---------- Post added 07-08-15 at 03:30 PM ----------

Sofaking,

Also, will I be able to charge these on my Energizer charger? Thanks.

TT

---------- Post added 07-08-15 at 03:38 PM ----------

I just found another answer to my question. The Ni-Zn batteries can only be charged by a dedicated charger, so my Energizer charger is out of the question.

Tonyee

[pishta]

I had a 15 minute Energizer fast charger, crapped out on me in less than a year. I still have the batteries but they self discharge to nothing in about a week. I have 12 AA "Thunderbolt Magnums" I bought from Harbor Freight (inexpensive tool supply house, 99% Chinese made stuff) that are rated 2200mAh and they work suprisingly good for the $18 I spent on all 12. I have an F-mount Fuji S2 with battery grip that takes 8 (!) AA batteries (and 4 more in the Nikon SB-20 flash) and I can shoot all day with those. The battery grip adapts 4 AA's to replace the 2 CR123's the cameras internal flash and pentaprism illumination. I think I took over 700 shots at a car show. In the manual for that camera, its says NEVER touch the battery ends or contacts as the contamination from your fingers will "degrade the battery connection". I find myself handling all batteries from the sides now.
On the note of the mAh being 2500+, I believe that is just to give the camera owner the shots rated in the manual. Short of a huge amp draw, 1.2V is not going to change between NiMH battery manufacturers.

[Tonytee]

Interestingly enough, I had charged the Energizer Rechargeable batteries (AA rated at 2300mAh) for 36 hours instead of only 24hrs. I placed the batteries in the Pentax k100d Super and lo and behold, the camera fired up. I now have another set of these batteries (rated at 2000mAh) charging and will keep on posting to report how things are going with this experiment. Also, I read the back of the charger's instructions and discovered one thing I was doing wrong. The instructions clearly state to: Never, never, never plug the charger with batteries into an extension cord. Also, the charger can be used only to charge NiMh batteries. Also, interesting in the link I provided, Energizer admitted that it has not manufactured any of these batteries for 5 years. So, they do not recommend buying them from anyone. I can't say how much I appreciate everyone's input and effort to be of assistance. Again, I will keep posting updates on these batteries.

Best regards,

Tonytee