Clutching at straws - Dimage 5

Over the years my D5 has slowly disintegrated. Shortly out of warranty the flash failed. I got out of that by purchasing an external flash which at the time was a good move anyway. Then the LCD screen went but not such a big problem as I used the EVF view finder most of the time. A few months ago after another 3 years of operation I found that when I put a set of batteries in (NiMh at least 2000maH) I would take a handful of photos then the low battery warning would come up. At first I had concerns that the batteries may have been faulty but I've just charged a couple of sets up on a BL700 (La Crosse in the USA) and the problem stills occurs.

Anyone any ideas? I'm in the UK but clearly it is not worth spending any amount on though I'm reluctant to bin it without at least trying.

Clutching at staws is a very good description - you should see my post about a similar dilemna with my A2. I thought it was such a unique niche/bridge camera that I decided to go for the $200 (USD) flat fee "repair to as new condition" deal offered by Sony. After two attempts - and being told at one point it was unrepairable because of a lack of replacement parts - I now question the wisdom of my decision. But fixed it is - only by what sounds like very heroic efforts on the part of the repair facility to physically repair the unreplaceable anti-shake module. And next time it starts to fall apart, I'll not be trodding down that path again.

Ask yourself why you want to repair vs replace. It seems there are only three good answers:

1) Cost - it may seem cheaper to fix, but with only a 90 day warranty on an otherwise old camera, you could be stuck facing another repair bill very soon; and new cameras have much better bang/buck than when the Dimage 5 was new.

2) Design and feature set unavailable in new models - really the only reason I had mine fixed - I wasn't convinced another camera out there today could fill it's shoes until it looked like it couldn't be fixed - then I finally opened my eyes. By the time I really saw what was out there, I was almost dissappointed when they DID fix it. But now I'm more optimistic about what else is out there in terms of new choices when it fails again. Collectors fall into this category as well.

3) Emotional attachment - The next (and more dangerous) step after pride of ownership; a teary farewell to the old glass and metal carcass is probably the best therapy for this anyways.

Save yourself the anguish and start researching what's out there now. For example, the Panasonic G1 is a very unique camera, and while I'm not familiar with the 5, the G1 is a perfect step up from my A2 without going dSLR.
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Lee
http://www.pbase.com/kidziti/a2_digital_gallery

Try taking the batteries out of the camera and then pocking a wire or paper clip into the AC adapter plug. The batteries are disconnected when the AC adapter is plugged into the camera. Sometimes the contact (spring?) doesn't make proper contact to re-engage the batteries. This may not be the problem but it's worth a shot.
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If the batteries are old, I would suspect them. I have some old 2000maH NiMh batteries and they wont hold their charge overnight even!

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Adrian

http://www.t1000.co.uk/photography/gallery1/ (New Gallery)
http://www.t1000.co.uk/photography.htm

I assume the batteries you tried are brand new, and not multiple sets of old batteries with a new charger. Correct?

If you want the same style camera, you can probably buy a used one of e-bay cheaper than a repair. Right now there is a nice Dimage 7hi for a buy-it-now price of $125. And the 7hi is improved over your Dimage 5.

If you want to spend more, most new superzooms these days will be just fine.

I recently bought a D7hi with a faulty popup flash for only £25 (approx $30). It performs stunningly well and if I did ever need flash I do already have a suitable flashgun.

As these older KM cameras are now so cheap second hand, its great just to keep one in the boot of the car. - especially now these modern eneloop style batteries are so good.

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Adrian

http://www.t1000.co.uk/photography/gallery1/ (New Gallery)
http://www.t1000.co.uk/photography.htm

For the battery problem, try using Sanyo Eneloop batteries or similar low discharge batteries. I had the same problem, sometimes it would power on and then give the low battery warning and shut down immediately -- other times I could only get a shot or two. I tried all sorts of batteries to no avail until I put a set of Eneloops in my D7.

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Tom
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsales/collections/72157601902081333/

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Regards,
Baz

Tom Sales said:

For the battery problem, try using Sanyo Eneloop batteries or similar
low discharge batteries.

Click to expand...

Good thought, and if they don't fix it I won't have wasted my money. I'll probably buy them on-line but Easter is now in the way. I'll post what happens.

Tom Sales said:

For the battery problem, try using Sanyo Eneloop batteries

Click to expand...

Well I got my 2000mah Eneloops on Wednesday and have taken a few dozen shots, left the camera on (10 min sleep), turned on/off and it's still showing a full battery.

I wish I had tried all this out before spending money on a Canon 450d!!

As I said in my original post I had recharged (charge/refresh cycle) several sets of standard NiMh batteries using a BL700 (La Crosse in the USA) charger and they all showed 2000mah or better so, unless the charger is misrepresenting the batteries, there is something special about the way the Eneloops work.

If all goes awry in the next few weeks I'll update but meantime I am very thankful to Tom for at least giving me a spare camera (for which I have a nice 2500D flash and a set of filters)

I don't know why the eneloops work when other batteries don't but they have saved two otherwise "dead" cameras for me.

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Tom
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsales/collections/72157601902081333/

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Regards,
Baz

Tom Sales said:

I don't know why the eneloops work when other batteries don't but
they have saved two otherwise "dead" cameras for me.

Click to expand...

This may explain a large part of it:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=31632338

My DiMAGE 7 used to eat through a set of new alkalines within a few dozen shots. Same thing with sets of freshly charged (albeit not new) NiMH's, rated at 2500 and 2700 mAh.

I then bought a new set of Ansmann 2850 mAh rechargeables. That quite did the trick, allowing me a decent 2-3 hour shoot. Don't know for how long they're going to keep up the performance, though.

Next, I decided to try some GP ReCykos (Eneloop equivalents), rated at a mere 2050 mAh. To my surprise, they last just as long as the 2850 mAh NiHD's, and I expect them to deliver that performance longer, to boot.

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Gideon