Digital Camera---batteries keep going dead

[Stone]

Header says it all.

It's an Olympus C-725 and it's been a good point and shoot camera for me....but lately the batteries go dead erratically.
I'm using 2 month old Duracell rechargables 2450 mAh.
The batteries do retain their charge in other cameras.
I have googled up complaints about the flash draining batteries in a C-725 but I have always been in the practice of turning off the flash when done and don't use the flash much anyway.
Several times I hadn't even used the flash after loading recharged batteries.
I've even seen freshly charged batteries dead within an hour of use.

Anyone heard of a fix other than removing the batteries after each set of shots?

 

[Darrell]

Do you use the rear display on your camera? Is it active? What I mean by active is, does the display on the back move as you move the camera (like when you use the display on a video camera) because that can eat your battery up like it's no big deal.

 

[Stone]

Do you use the rear display on your camera? Is it active? What I mean by active is, does the display on the back move as you move the camera (like when you use the display on a video camera) because that can eat your battery up like it's no big deal.

Yes...I do.
But the battery drain appears to occur while the camera is turned off.
I've had this camera about 5-6 years and this problem is new.
There is an option to turn off the display after ~7-8 seconds to save battery life and that still functions.

I can usually get several hundred shots out of a recharge over a 4-5 month period.......but now I've seen the batteries go dead on a fresh charge ( new batteries) after just shooting a few snaps......and they go dead erratically. I've seen the charge indicator read almost fully charged and come back in a couple hours to find the batteries dead.
And I've seen the camera function after a week only to go dead 4 hours later.
I'm figuring a periodic short in the camera but don't know where to start a diagnostic or even if it's worth fixing if it's a major issue.

Hate to give up on it, but I've missed some interesting/family shots.

 

[Guyzerr]

Cameras are cheap today compared to when you bought yours. If you can afford it why don't you just huck it in the trash and buy a new & improved version. Surely you got a pile of gift cards for XMas.

 

[Stone]

Cameras are cheap today compared to when you bought yours. If you can afford it why don't you just huck it in the trash and buy a new & improved version. Surely you got a pile of gift cards for XMas.

Hi Guy.

I could......but I'm also cheap

If it's fixable, I'd like to keep it even if I buy a better camera.

 

[Mystic]

even recharge batteries have a life...they usually won't charge very well after about 100 uses. i'd try getting a new rechargeable battery before blaming the camera.

 

[freakofnature]

Hi Guy.

I could......but I'm also cheap

If it's fixable, I'd like to keep it even if I buy a better camera.

Fixing a point and shoot camera tends to be just as expensive as buying a new one. I'm with Guyzerr.

 

[Stone]

Fixing a point and shoot camera tends to be just as expensive as buying a new one. I'm with Guyzerr.

Hoping it's something I can track down and fix......but yeah, I'm not interested in a major investment close to replacement cost.
If it's an issue only a camera shop can fix, I'll replace it with out a second thought.

 

[itsmeJonB]

even recharge batteries have a life...they usually won't charge very well after about 100 uses. i'd try getting a new rechargeable battery before blaming the camera.

Quoting this because it shouldn't be overlooked, most common problem.
That and leaving the batteries in when not in use

 

[Francis]

Hey Stone, did you ever find / fix this problem ? Just curious ..

 

[Stone]

Hey Stone, did you ever find / fix this problem ? Just curious ..

Not sure if it was a fix or a work around of a problem.
I had installed a larger memory chip and I did check to make sure the size was compatible.
I used Olympus branded memory. I went from a 256 MB to a 2 GB chip and all was OK for about a year.
A friend of a friend suggested I put the original 256 MB chip back in even though it passed a check disk.
He said the batteries might not be going dead, for some unexplained reason, might not be able to initialize the camera startup with the bigger chip.

Well.....I'm not claiming it's fixed, but the camera has been functioning in a normal manner since I swapped in the old memory.

I have Fuji A700 that also uses XD memory and there is no problem with the 2 GB chip installed in it, so I probably didn't really 'fix' the Olympus.
But I'll use it till it craps out

 

[Alien Allen]

maybe it has something to do with lack of light in the cave you live in

 

[Stone]

maybe it has something to do with lack of light in the cave you live in

Hi Bill

 

[Francis]

Not sure if it was a fix or a work around of a problem.
I had installed a larger memory chip and I did check to make sure the size was compatible.
I used Olympus branded memory. I went from a 256 MB to a 2 GB chip and all was OK for about a year.
A friend of a friend suggested I put the original 256 MB chip back in even though it passed a check disk.
He said the batteries might not be going dead, for some unexplained reason, might not be able to initialize the camera startup with the bigger chip.

Well.....I'm not claiming it's fixed, but the camera has been functioning in a normal manner since I swapped in the old memory.

I have Fuji A700 that also uses XD memory and there is no problem with the 2 GB chip installed in it, so I probably didn't really 'fix' the Olympus.
But I'll use it till it craps out

Yes the XD format may have had an issue with going from 256 to 2GB..

When you exceed certain capacity levels you go from the older format of plain old SD to SDHC ( High Capacity ).

Seeing I avoid XD ( which is used only by Olympus and Fuji Camera's ) it's not a problem for me.. Even my kids cameras are all just plain old SD and SDHC..

But just doing a firmware update on your Camera could fix the problem.. Yes all Cameras can get firmware updates..

 

[Stone]

Yes the XD format may have had an issue with going from 256 to 2GB..

When you exceed certain capacity levels you go from the older format of plain old SD to SDHC ( High Capacity ).

Seeing I avoid XD ( which is used only by Olympus and Fuji Camera's ) it's not a problem for me.. Even my kids cameras are all just plain old SD and SDHC..

But just doing a firmware update on your Camera could fix the problem.. Yes all Cameras can get firmware updates..

I tried the firmware at the Olympus site but it complained about the firmware not being applicable to my camera and wouldn't instal on it. Apparently my camera is older than I thought/remember.

I double checked for memory compatibility and the 2GB chip I bought was correct, so new firmware might not have helped.
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_archived_accessories.asp?id=1118&ct=all


Thanks anyway