I have an EOS 630 body that I have been very pleased with until it began to go through batteries like crazy. I'm lucky to get two weeks out of a battery. I sent the camera in for repair, they returned it and the bill was $150. I could see no difference, sent it back and they kept it for about a month. They sent it back to me again and I still go through batteries much too quickly. I may get a month out of a fresh battery. Anyone have similar problems, and maybe a solution. If no solutions surface I'm thinking of buying an A2-E. Any comments appreciated.

-- Peter Setze (psetze@aol.com), August 17, 1999

Answers

You need to make them fix it! The current draw with the camera "off" should be of the order of 50 microamps. If you measure significantly more than this, you have a problem that Canon should be able to fix (especially for $150!).

Other than that, you might want to remove the battery if you are not using the camera for long periods.

Of course you don't say how many rolls of film you shoot in the two weeks to a month it takes to drain a battery, or how much focusing and exposure checking you do. Presumably not enough to account for the battery drain. It's also possible you got hold of some bad batteries. A current drain check on the camera is the only way to know for sure what's going on.

-- Bob Atkins (bobatkins@hotmail.com), August 18, 1999.

My EOS "eats" batteries, too. My daughter borrowed my camera the first time and I thought she may have just taken several rolls of film using the flash or something. I put a new battery in, shot one roll of film and put the camera away. Three weeks later I got the camera out and the battery was nearly dead. Replaced it, shot a two and a half rolls, put the camera away for a week and the battery was dead again. I just take the battery out after every use now. A hassle, but sure saves money on batteries.

Gerald

-- Gerald R. Cox (grcox@internetwork.net), September 18, 1999.

Removing the battery is certainly one "solution". However you shouldn't have to do that. I've had backup EOS bodies which have had the same battery in them for a year or more without a problem.

-- Bob Atkins (bobatkins@hotmail.com), September 19, 1999.

I have had a similar problem (and posted here about it recently: see, "EOS 630 Battery-drain problem?"). I have since contacted three repair facilities. All three places replied by email, and all three places appear to have tech-people who are well-aware of this problem (one place claimed it is common to 620, 630, & RT EOS models). The repair is not necessarily complicated, but it is time-consuming as the failed part is basically in the center of the camera body. Repair estimates were for $139, $145 & $159 (+ shipping at least one way, if not both ways). No mention of any "warranty" was made in the initial reply, and only one place has since contacted me to say they offer a 90-day warranty on the repair. I also have learned of two other people who paid for a repair which was not made (or the place repaired the wrong thing? - like your problem). I also found a guy who had a repair-guy build a second little switch recessed into the grip of the 630 (a $35 fix); he can shut off the camera without screwing around with the grip/battery compartment. Seems a sad commentary on an otherwise great camera body, but I too might go this route. I too am also thinking of the move to the A2E, but learned from the repair people that the A2/A2E has a dial which they claim is MORE susceptible to failure than is the battery-drain part in the 630! - and I believe users have complained of this on this very page/board. I am a fan of the nearly-pro camera body and dont want to settle for a Rebel, or fork out for a EOS3. Not sure Canon has much to offer, least not to people who shoot a roll of film a week, and want something built like a tank.

-- Michael Tolan (mjtolan@kbjrmail.com), May 21, 2000.

Man, lots of battery drain problems posted here! I'll repeat my response already posted to a couple of other folks complaints.

I, too, had a 630 that ate batteries whether the camera was ever turned on or not. The illuminator panel that lights up the LCD display was defective. My Canon tech replaced it with one made for EOS-1 (newer design, more reliable). Cost about $109.00. PROBLEM FIXED! The 600's (except 650) seem to be prone to this problem. The illuminator was redesigned for the EOS-1.

-- Mark Elam (mjelam51@juno.com), June 28, 2000.

Yes, the power drain problem and the EL backlight failure are related. The EL backlight is basically a huge capacitor, and as long as the potential across it doesn't change, no current flows. The EL panel is basically hard-wired straight across the battery terminals, and is oscillated in series with an inductor to excite the panel when illumination is required. BUT this 'capacitor' breaks down over a period of time, hense the 'flickering' of the panel. This breakdown turns a purely capacitive medium into a resistive one. The panel can be disconected from the battery supply at the base of the camera (600 series), returning quiescent current to normal. I have actually replaced my panel with another 'cut up' from an LCD backlight. Works great (but different colour cast).

If the base of the camera is removed, the offending cable can be located next to the battery terminals, in the form of a thin black co- axial cable.

-- Steve Caldwell (scaldwell@jands.com.au), November 01, 2000.