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08-01-2009, 06:34 PM   #1
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A very very Noob Battery Mistake

So I got a new tripod and is all happy and excited about getting up early to take pictures. Before I left, I checked all the good stuff. Batt meter was showing half batt. So i thought, I still have half of the Batt.

Long and behold, half way clicking away, Batt went dead. So no problem. Luckily I was near a highway, drove 7 minutes to get a batteries. Duracell Alkaline brand new, guaranteed fresh till 2015.

Out with the old, in with the new, power on, meter reads half full. NVM, i ignored it, aperture check, SR check, zoom check, AWB check, ISO check, systems all green, I half trigger, ploop, Battery depleted. WTF I was screaming. I was turning the camera on and off. After 1-2 hours of just doing that with lunch in between, I surrendered and went home.

Went to BB to get NEW Engeriser Lithium, everything was running like a well oiled machine ready to rock. I re-read the manual, Alkaline is only for emergency use. Nonsense, Alkaline batteries is for toothbrush, mp3 player, and mouse use, Not emergency use.

A word of advise to all new to Pentax, half battery symbol means battery almost dead NOT 50% left. Replace Battery ASAP. And when you do replace, Just get the Lithium dont even bother about Alkaline.

Ok I just finish griping. time for dinner and drinks. Cheers

08-01-2009, 07:23 PM   #2
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What camera do you have? I was just surprised to see this, because I once went through 4 sets of Eneloops with my K200D and flash at a loooong wedding and had to resort to standard alkalines by the end. While they were no Eneloops, they were good for a least a hundred shots, maybe more - I didn't check, but they lasted until the end.

But I ran this by my boyfriend, and he said his Minolta DiMage7 wouldn't fire a shot from fresh alkalines either.
08-01-2009, 09:29 PM   #3
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I am shooting with the K100D. It does shoot maybe 1 picture before going kaput on me. I think it has to do with the current (ampere) but i could be wrong.
08-01-2009, 11:47 PM   #4
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The battery meters on Pentax digital SLRs are notoriously unreliable - I usually take the half full reading to mean fewer than 10 shots left.

08-01-2009, 11:59 PM   #5
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You know, what Steinbeck said is true. For the K100D, when the battery says half-full, that might mean 10 shots left. For my K200D, it says half-full and I can shoot another 200 shots.

I'm still just really surprised that you got only 1 shot with regular alkalines. I mean, that was the only reason for me to buy this particular series - otherwise, I'd have gone for the K7 or the K20D.
08-02-2009, 03:51 AM   #6
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This is from the manual for the K20D:




For the K20D at least, there is no "half" or "50%" indicator. I bet if you look in the manual of your model you'll find the same thing. Just because it looks like a "half" remaining indicator doesn't mean it is a "half" remaining indicator.
08-02-2009, 09:29 AM   #7
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K10D is the same

On my K10D, I consider the half-battery symbol to mean "Oh crap, where is my spare battery?".

08-02-2009, 03:46 PM   #8
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K McCall - It really does do only 1 shot. But I can view the prev images but thats about it.

Oh well, atleast I know that for $11.00 the battery can last about 6-12 months depending on usage.

Mike - I learned my lesson here. Half full means buy batteries or else.
08-02-2009, 04:42 PM   #9
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When I used AA batteries in a former camera (Minolta DiMage Z1) I always made sure that I had fully charged "batt's in the box." I understand your consternation, the meter should be real. One word of advice, if I may, make sure that everything is fully charged and you have a spare set prior to leaving for the shoot.
08-03-2009, 11:22 AM   #10
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The other lesson: don't use alkalines. You might get especially lucky and get a hundred shots, more likely you'll get a couple of dozen shots, or you might get especially unlucky and just get one shot. There's no pont bothering with alkalines - the camera isn't designed to use them. Get lithiums if you don't shoot much and having to buy new batteries every 1000 shots, or get Eneloops or other low-self-discharge "hybrid" NiMH rechargeables if you're like the rest of us and enjoy getting *tens* of thousands of shots for the same money.
08-03-2009, 02:09 PM   #11
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I usually keep three sets of fresh batteries for each flash. I don't really run them all the way dead because I need fast recharge. When the recharge/recycle time begins to slow, I switch.
I'll usually have somewhere around 40 AA's in my bag at once.

My camera bodies are a different story. One charge the batteries in my bodies can last for two entire weddings unless I'm shooting really heavy. I'll never chance it, but I don't have extra batteries for my bodies, and I have never had a body's battery die. Hmmm
08-03-2009, 02:43 PM   #12
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I alreadycame across this that a half-battery indicator means almost dead.
I went by this rule 'coz from experience also, the half-batt indicator doesn't seem to perform as good.
That is also why the battery full indicator takes a long time till you reach batt half full.
08-03-2009, 08:25 PM   #13
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Yeah I am thinking about getting eneloops after doing a little bit more research on the pricing.
08-04-2009, 08:53 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by prinze18 Quote
Yeah I am thinking about getting eneloops after doing a little bit more research on the pricing.
You can use whatever type of "hybrid" battery whether it be branded as Eneloop or Rayovac or Kodak.
You can distinguish them from regular rechargeable by the label "pre-charged".
I think the Rayovac and Kodak are cheaper but would do the same job.
I use the three brands 'coz I didn't want to stick with Eneloops.
The Eneloops where my first purchase though when I first did the research.
Now I know better.
08-04-2009, 08:58 PM   #15
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Not sure what you are needing to research, but for anyone reading this and wondering if Eneloops are some sort of expensive luxury, that's not true at all - they are around $10-$15 a set, just like any other rechargeables. And given that one set will last you years, it's easily one of the best bargains around.
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