canon a80 problems

[micks_address]

Hi Folks,

Our a80 was working fine until lately it seems to be flashing the 'change battery' light almost all the time.. we were using a set of rechargeables 2100mah but on advice from camera shop, replaced these with a new set as they reckoned the life of the battery could be gone.. they were about 2 years old. Anyway we replaced them with a new 2300mah set and they dont seem to fair much better.. anyone had problems like this with barries draining?

thanks,
Mick

[JohnG]

I wonder if there's some dirt on the contacts in the camera ? It might be worth having a look to see if the battery contacts need cleaning ?

[micks_address]

will take a look tonight john... hope its not to serious.. cause cant afford to replace it if its knackered... whats the cost of repairs like on digital camera's? the camera is about 2.5 years old... i dont suppose canon's warranty covers that long?

[JohnG]

I think most warranties are only a year sadly I imagine that repairs won't be cheap either to be honest.
Is the camera still fully functional with the warning light flashing ? Could you just ignore it and carry a spare set around for when they really do run out ?

[Magslad]

Have you changed the battery charger or just the batteries? Just a thought, but may be a problem with your battery charger rather than the camera. If you haven't already, might be worth borrowing a different charger from someone and seeing if the batteries hold their charge longer.

If it is the camera, then it generally isn't worth getting it repaired. Digital cameras aren't really built to enable easy repair, and the cost of getting the problem diagnosed/fixed will almost invariably be more than the cost of buying a new camera with a similar (or better) spec once it's a couple of years old - plus you then get the bonus of a warranty on the new camera.

[micks_address]

tried a different charger with the new batteries.. they were in the camera a few weeks.. without use.. so unless they drain even when the camera is switched off? figured as much with the repair... will try cleaning the contacts and charging again to see if it makes any difference.. could formatting the memory card help? its a 256mb and we always keep it close to full...

[JohnG]

Are you sure it's not a "nearly full CF card" warning rather than low battery ? Sorry if it seems a dumb question to ask, but you never know

[micks_address]

yeah pretty sure its the batteries.. as the camera then proceeds to shut down... sometimes with the lens still out....