Merchant Offers
Compare 3 store ratings and prices...
Shop for Canon A570 IS accessories.
eBay	$222.96
Amazon Marketplace	$399.99
Toyzz	$399.99

ND (ND) 23 pts

August 22, 2007 12:42 AM

11

0

Subscribe for Email Updates for this Question

canon a570 low battery indicator

My canon A570 IS has battery indication problem after about 40-50 shots using Uniross 2100mAh rechargeables...is it due to the batteries..what do you advice??should I go for 2700 mAh batteries,and whether I can use 2700s with powershot A570?...Moreover would my uniross mini charger I am using for 2100s can charge 2700s or would I have to buy a new charger....If so plz suggest some good 2700mAh battery+charger combination.
Thanx

Report Abuse Did you find this question

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

August 22, 2007 6:47 AM

3

1

You posted this questions twice, so I copied from your other post:

2700 mAh NiMH batteries will work with your A570IS, and should net you around 300 pictures.

I'm not sure about the "uniross mini charger...for 2100s" you're referring to. But as for battery chargers, I've personally had a good experience with this one.

It's bulky, because it's universal and can hold 8 AA batteries at a time. But it's a nice slow recharge, allowing you to recharge batteries seemingly forever. You don't have to worry about taking the batteries on time to avoid them getting hot. And the charger will charge batteries until capacity. I myself bought Sony 2,500 mAh batteries and haven't had a problem with those, either. But Energize, Sony and Rayovac are all good rechargable battery brands.

Some examples: $20 for Canon brand.

I'd get 2 packs of these (here too) instead, personally. Especially if you end up getting (or have, and it works) a 4-battery charger.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rich Watson (Richio) 5683 pts

August 24, 2007 11:13 AM

2

1

You may use AA batteries with as much amperage as you can find. Your camera runs on 3 volts and the camera controls how much current is used.

I like this web site: http://www.thomas-distributing.com/index.htm
for information and of course items for sale. They sell a MAHA charger, which is advertised as state-of-the-art. I have the MAHA Powerex MH-C204W charger, which can do 4 AAs or 4 AAAs at one time. You can mix these: 2 AAs, and 2AAAs, etc. And it has a topping-off feature; you can leave the batteries in there indefinitely, and every 10 seconds it zips a little charge in them.

Most importantly, the Thomas Company has been reliable & the web site is easy to use; I have placed two orders with them over the last couple of years, and everything went like clockwork.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rich Watson (Richio) 5683 pts

August 24, 2007 11:16 AM

1

0

Also, the biggest users of juice on a camera are the flash and the LCD. Set the flash to off; if the light is a little low, hold the camera steady. Besides, the IS circuitry helps a lot if you have the flash off. Also, you can set the LCD to turn off after a minute or so, if the camera is not being used.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amos 14 pts

August 26, 2007 4:04 AM

5

0

Hi guys,

Just bought mine a 2 weeks ago. Seems to me like it is a camera problem. With fully charged battery, it can simply show the low battery sign after a few shots. Thought it is a battery problem but the voltage seems to be ok at 1.29V. Will check with the dealer to see if this is a problem or will think of getting back to the service centre.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

August 26, 2007 4:16 AM

4

0

Hello Amos,
As at the beginning of the thread I said I have the same problem.I did a lot of research and have come across an interesting article regarding this problem,which the author claims is a regular phenomenon with the powershots.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=256613&highlight=A540+battery+life
http://www.users.on.net/~mhains/Reviews.html

I think the high battery voltage level cutoff for a570 might be the issue(and our battery is attaining it after a few shots owing to a steep early-life discharge curve),and if such is the case,as the guy claims,using an NimH with has a very good voltage vs usage curve should solve our problem.
After a lot of browsing,I have come to the conclusion that either Uniross 2700mAh or Sanyo 2100mAh or Powerex 2700mAh,in that order,should solve the problem.I would definitely get a set of them next time I go to the nearest city,but meanwhile,I reccomend you to try the same and inform me here if u have success
Wishing you best of Luck
Do Inform me!!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rich Watson (Richio) 5683 pts

August 27, 2007 8:49 AM

3

0

Hi Amos and ND,

It might be hard to believe, but 1.29 volts is not that great. I have been taking voltage readings for several years on "suspect" batteries---to see if I should toss them---and have found that (with 1.5volt cells) 1.20 - 1.25 volts is pretty much too low for electronics. Obviously a low voltage would be OK for a flashlight, if you didn't mind the diminished light.

My point is, 1.29 volts is not much higher than this threshold of 1.25. And as ND points out, this particular camera might have a higher-than-average cutoff threshold. In fact, this is from imaging-resource.com:

The Canon PowerShot A570 IS uses two AA batteries for power, and a pair of ordinary alkaline batteries are included with the camera. Runtimes are increased with NiMH batteries over alkalines. As always, we strongly recommend you pick up a couple of sets of good-quality NiMH rechargeable batteries and a good-quality charger, as they'll save you many times their cost over the life of the camera. (Do be sure to get good-quality batteries though, we found our sample of the A570IS to be a little finicky, insisting on good, high-capacity cells or it would shut down after relatively few shots.)

Rich

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

August 27, 2007 10:37 AM

1

0

Hi Richio,
U have made a god point,but the thing is that once the battery is loaded and being used in the camera,it is much lower than 1.29 volts.
This is because every bettery has an internal resistance,which even if .1 ohms(every major NimH has infact more than that),and if the current usage by camera is 500mA,again a reasonable assumption with flash,screen and IS on,the battery voltage is effectively 1.23-1.24 volts only).
So to be on the safer side always,a very good brand is required.
I would appreciate if you could suggest one.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rich Watson (Richio) 5683 pts

August 27, 2007 12:14 PM

2

0

The web site I quoted previously (Thomas) used to do battery testing. Maybe they still do. The Energizer and Powerex brands came out the winners; this was about two years ago when I checked into it. I have bought both brands from Thomas, and don't have any complaints.

The A570 has a 2.5 inch LCD; perhaps it is high-res as well? Naturally that would eat more power than a smaller screen, or even a same-size screen with lower res. Of course auto-focus uses power, as does the IS. One can see why the larger cameras, like the Canon S3-S5 and A640 are designed to use 4 AAs instead of just 2.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amos 14 pts

August 28, 2007 1:51 AM

2

0

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the comments. A couple of points which I would like to add:
1) The NiMH battery that I have is a GP battery with typ voltage of 1.2V. And the battery recommended in the brouchure is I think also 1.2 V typ. If the cutoff point is 1.25V, then we it is really a design problem.
2) I did try without turning on the screen, I can continue to take shots with no issues. But that is an unacceptable solution right?
3) I will be calling the Canon person and try to see if they have similar issues documented to see if they can fix this by software. Seems to be an issue which would have been surfaced during the field trial.

Will update if there is any fixes for this?

Thanks

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

by James DeRuvo (byjamesderuvo) 58446 pts

August 28, 2007 8:39 PM

2

1

I want to point out something that may be missed entirely. Buying batteries in bulk at wharehouse stores. Often, when you purchase batteries in bulk, it isn't uncommon that some or many of them are near dead or worse. Batteries bought in bulk tend to have a long turnover and such, can lose much of their battery power before they are used. And many batteries such as AAs are general purpose batteries and are not designed for the high energy use of digital cameras and the flashes they trigger. As such, I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.

It may not be exactly the issue here, but it can certainly contribute without you knowing it.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ashwin 1 pts

September 10, 2007 12:06 AM

1

0

i have also similar problems with my 570is and new GP batteries 2300 mAh. the camera shows low battery and sometimes shuts down saying change batteries. after repeated switching on and off it may take some shots. once i had even 200 shots with flash with a battery low indicator. but most of the time it shuts down. i tried using panasonic alkaline batteries on which it works well.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amos 14 pts

September 10, 2007 2:23 AM

1

0

I think this is really an issue as I have just changed to a new camera with the dealer last week. I thought it was ok when I tested it. However, when I used it a few days later, it seems to have the same problem again. It is the same GP2300mah that I used and I am wondering if it is worthwhile to send into the workshop to try to get them to do something about it.

I did spoke to one of the repair centre person and was told that it could be some cold solders on the board etc. But having 2 new cameras in a row is pretty unlikely unless their quality is so bad. Hate to send in a brand new camera for repair though. This is a bad experience for me as my previous IXUS400 have no such problem at all.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

September 10, 2007 7:44 AM

1

0

@Amos
as i had pointed out earlier that either Uniross 2700mAh or Sanyo 2100mAh or Powerex 2700mAhor even energizer 2500,in that order,should solve the problem.I would reccomend you to try the same and inform me here if u have success

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

by James DeRuvo (byjamesderuvo) 58446 pts

September 10, 2007 1:26 PM

2

0

Amos, have you been able to recreate the issue with an AC adapter? If so, then the tech is right. If not, then it's certainly a battery issue.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amos 14 pts

September 10, 2007 8:47 PM

1

0

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the advice. I'll just go down to the service centre today to let them take a look. Another person that I talked to at the service centre also mentioned that it could be due to the battery. I would want to feedback to them that then they would need to tell the dealer not to give out the GP2300 battery as a free gift if it is not compatible.

Will update to see what is their feedback.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Shailendra 4 pts

September 11, 2007 10:29 PM

4

0

I purchased Canon A570 in last month and noticed the same problem of Low Battery indicator. It did not give the low bat problem for the Panasonic Alkaline batteries which came with the Camera. However when I used Energizer NiMH 2500 mAH batteries, it started giving the Low Batt problem after few shots only. One more problem is it failed to fire the flash. I have sent back the camera to Canon service center. Awaiting a reply from them.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

September 11, 2007 10:45 PM

1

0

@Shailendra
That's peculiar,because energizer 2500s are one of the best cells that can be used with 570IS,as their voltage curve remains above 1.2 V for most of the discharge cycle.
http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/nh15-2500.pdf
Since your cam worked well with the alkalines,there is no problem with the camera.The problem must have been with the batteries/charger,there is no other way flash would have faltered.
So use another charger and use sanyo eneloops 2000/uniross 2700s this time.Service centre won't help as it is not a tech problem.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

September 12, 2007 6:24 AM

2

0

ND, have you purchased these eneloops or uniross batteries that you keep insisting, or are you waiting for a guinea pig to relay the test results?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

September 12, 2007 6:31 AM

1

0

@Matt
I purchased 4 sanyo eneloops this sunday.And haven't got the low battery warning after 96 shots.It is too early to say whether it is good,but would certainly tell after a few charges and discharges.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

September 12, 2007 7:44 AM

2

1

Just keep the flash on and take picture after picture until the battery dies, counting the pictures. You can get a few charge/discharge cycles within a day.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amos 14 pts

September 12, 2007 8:47 PM

1

0

ND, how much do you buy the battery for? Just curious. And please state the currency u are paying for.;) Thanks

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

September 13, 2007 1:34 AM

2

0

4 eneloops 2000mAh for INR 550 (=USD 13.5)
And yes,the first charge lasted for 240 pics,with more than half with flash and LCD and IS on full time. :D

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dOKmAi (dokmai) 3 pts

September 18, 2007 12:52 AM

2

0

I just had my A570is last month and use only the inbox battery till now.

Sep-12, I bought 4 eneloops 2000mAH for going on my small trip last weekend. I can see that the flashing low-battery show on LCD after I took a few shorts. I guess just about 10 - 15 shorts or less!! Yes, some with flash on and some not. I was tried to take photo and keep changing the battery all time, total photos are about 60-70 in my 1gb sd card.

oh, I'm using Uniross small charger, is that a problem? now, I might try some other brands like GP2700 or Energizer. Any advices?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

September 18, 2007 6:22 AM

1

2000mAh is likely too low. Get 2,500mAh, that should solve your problem.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amos 14 pts

September 18, 2007 10:15 PM

2

0

Just to update. Got my camera back and was informed that there was no problem found. Anyway, I doubt if they will admit it even if there is some kind of design problem.

Was told that with full charge, can take about 200 shots. Was also told that battery will drain out by itself if left in the camera for a couple of days. I mean this is really crapy. With my previous IXUS400, I don't remember having to keep charging my battery after leaving there for a long time. If I need to always remember to take out the battery every time after I go out to take some pictures, it's ridiculous.

Anybody out there has any idea what is the
1) Minimum voltage before we see the low battery sign? (Just for a reference as I guess it depends on the battery type, internal resistance etc)
2) How long can a fully charged batetry remains in the camera before it starts to show battery low sign when you power on?
3) If a fully charged batetry is left by itself, how long can it last?

Thanks
Amos

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

September 18, 2007 10:42 PM

1

0

This " battery will drain out by itself if left in the camera for a couple of days" thing seems wrong,as none of the powershots till date that uses AA batteries has been so harsh on them.
My eneloops are working fine.I don't know what might be the problem with Dokmai's batteries.Sanyo 2000s are giving 200+ shots and seem to retain charge.Even uniross 2100 seems to be getting better with each charge.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Dokmai 2 pts

September 23, 2007 9:57 PM

1

0

To update,
I looked for Sanyo at high mAh last week many shops in Bangkok but couldn't find it. so I bought a Commy Quick Smart Charger with 4 pieces of 2700 mAh batt last Friday and charged them all the whole night. Saturday, I took a day trip around Bangkok.. guess what? This time, I can take photos about 270 shots from only 2 batt from the first charge!! I still have another two batt leave for me to pratice on my camera shooting.

So get the big mAh as much as you can.. Have some spare is good but just a pair of high mAh is enough for a day.

ND, I'll charge my eneloops with Commy charger again, and see if I can use it.

Thanks Matt and all for your advices.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

September 24, 2007 2:02 AM

1

0

@Dokmai Which brand of 2700s did u buy?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Dokmai 2 pts

September 24, 2007 6:47 AM

1

0

It came with Quick Smart Charger.

Hope it's OK to put the whole link.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dOKmAi (dokmai) 3 pts

October 22, 2007 3:17 AM

1

0

Just to update, I charge my eneloops 2000mAH again befor throwing it away with my Commy cahrger. It's so surprised to me because this time it seem to be good battery. I use it for about 170-180 shots for a couple of Sanyo battery and also activate flash many times. I guess because the Uniross charger is not compat with Sanyo eneloops battery. Now I'm happy with both Sanyo eneloops and Commy batt/charger.. :)

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

nicolite 1 pts

October 25, 2007 6:06 AM

1

0

is it much better to charge batteries on standard slow or fast? I also have canon a570 IS and it really eats up battery power because I used sony 2,100mAh nimh batteries and by about 3 on and off the low bat indicator shows up.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

October 25, 2007 7:04 AM

1

0

The slower you charge the batteries, the more charges you should be able to get out of them in the long run. Charging them fast (5-10 minutes to fully charge a battery) causes them to overheat and, in some limited situations, burst. If you have the time (4 hours or more), definitely charge them slower.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

spiffmo 3 pts

November 4, 2007 5:10 PM

3

0

I have the same problem -- low battery indicator comes on after 20-40 pictures with freshly charged 2500mAH batteries (ebay generic). HOWEVER, after the low battery indicator comes on, I am able to continue to take hundreds of pictures before the camera shuts down and says "change batteries." In fact, in a test session at my desk, I was able to take 1950 pictures with the screen on AFTER the low battery indicator came on (no flash). What's the deal?!?!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

November 6, 2007 9:30 PM

1

0

1950 pictures?!?!!?!? My only guess could be that this Canon camera is set way too high to report low batteries at way too high of a voltage. If this bothers you enough, and you can repeat the error, you should be able to return it to Canon for a repair or replacement. With a warranty would be easier, but you could probably b!tch enough to them to have them do it without a warranty, too.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 18, 2007 7:02 PM

0

1

Got the A570 IS. Got the Enloop 2500's and the low battery indicators is coming on after 15 - 20 shots with flash. This is unbelieveable. Is this common to all A570 IS's or is it sporadic? THanks..Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amos 14 pts

November 18, 2007 9:09 PM

1

Well, I am really dissapointed with canon for A570IS as I am facing this issue also. The battery indication is a usual feature for me now. Although I tried measuring the battery voltage and it still show 1.26 V. I just have to learn to live with it as it is taking too much time for me to go down to the service centre.

My advice would be that next time, we buy a camera, mak sure that it does not have this problem because it is a real problem. Just the other day, my wife borrowed the camera to try to take picture of my son getting a prize on stage. Just at the crucial moment, the camera shuts down. This sucks right?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 18, 2007 9:56 PM

0

1

Sure does. I just put a freshly charged set of eneloops in the A 570 IS and shot about 90 quick shots all with flash. I think that is pretty good, especially considering I got 25 shots out of a previous set.

What are others getting with this camera? WHile 90 isn't great. I guess without flash it would be much better but nowhere near the 400 they claim in their spec's.

THanks Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

November 19, 2007 6:56 AM

1

0

90 is unacceptable. Has anyone used this camera with a brand of batteries like Sony, Energizer, Duracell, etc? The only reason I ask is because I'm not familiar with Eneloops and can't vouch for their brand. I have a hard time believing all these cameras have defective battery readers and Canon hasn't filed a recall on them. Please let me know if anyone can verify this issue when using 2,500+ mAh of a normal brand battery. Thanks!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 19, 2007 10:43 AM

0

1

Matt: I did use Energizer 2500 & they are not as good as Enloops.

Has anyone sent their A 570 IS in to Canon ? I contacted them and they told me to bring it in. Is this just a proforma move with no solution? Is anyone getting a better battary yield?

Tnx Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 19, 2007 3:11 PM

1

A 570 IS BATTERY TEST: 2,268++ shots on Full Auto/NO Flash and still going strong..my finger got tired.

I put a fresh set of Enloops, 2500 right from the charger into the camera. So what does this prove?

I am going to put another fresh set in, and let them sit and run the same test, probably in a few days and see what the difference is.

One possibility is that their is a drain on the batteries going on when the camera is off.

HAs anyone else had this or a different result. HAs anyone seen the batteries draw down when stored in the camera when not in use?

TNx, Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

November 19, 2007 6:34 PM

1

0

How did you go from 90 pictures to 2,500 pictures?...

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 19, 2007 6:45 PM

2

1

The others were sitting in the camera and I used flash. The test I did was with the eneloops right out of the charger and no flash but on auto.

I suspect their is some kind of discharge gooing n when the batteries sit in the camera. A smaal dischargew is normal but it is possible there batteries are getting hammered in this camera.

Does anyone have any experience with fully charged batteries sitting in the camera and then having the degradation of power?

I really can't account for the 2,200+++ shots on the fresh eneloops, especially since the camera is rated for 400 in thespec.

I spoke to a tech at Canon and he sai I should get at least 200 - 300 shots with flash. I told him about the power issue and said that a lot were having problems with it. He said there was no "recorded" issue with it.. GRRR.

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 19, 2007 8:10 PM

0

1

Has anyone here tried 3000 MaH batteries? The eneloops are 2000 - low discharge, I think... More is better...

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

November 20, 2007 6:39 AM

1

0

More is better, sure. But the ratings on the camera are based on I think ~1,700 mAh. I'm getting upset with Canon about this... does anyone have this camera that's having problems with battery life and still has it under warranty?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 20, 2007 8:42 AM

0

1

Mine is under warranty..I may take it in to them after the holidays... They have a service center about 45min from me. I spoke to a tech and said thewre is no record of a battery issue with this camera, right... I will take it in if this persists... tbtb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rej 2 pts

November 20, 2007 10:10 AM

1

0

Hi I have a similar issue 570 IS shuts down after a few pics.. . i will take the advice on this forum to buy a new set of batteries and check it up. will keep you posted on the developments. thanks to all

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 20, 2007 10:34 AM

0

1

I suggest you get the highest Mah, I've seen them on this site and bought my Eneloops from them:

www.thomas-distributing.com/index.htm

They have Low-Discharge rechargable batteries which is what you should get that go up to 2,800 Mah and they are not expensive. The Sanyo Eneloops which are 2,000 Mah pack of 4 go for about $9.00 US. I am waiting to see how my Eneloops work out, especially since they seem to be getting better with multiple charges. When you buy the batteries it says they are fully charged, ready to go. I recommend you give them a full charge before using them. It is my understanding that MaH batteries do not have memory like a Nicad so you can charge them even when partially charged without degrading their capacity.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

November 20, 2007 11:32 AM

1

0

That's right, NiMH and Li-Ion have no battery recharge memory.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amos 14 pts

November 20, 2007 8:04 PM

1

0

Hi Guys,
I got my camera about 3 months ago and I must say that there is definitely a design issue with the camera. The camera is supposed to cater to a range of battery. There are now so many complaints and even with people who uses very good high power battery. So the conclusion that I have is that the camera has a design issue and whoever that has a problem with this should try to send in their camera to canon and get them to check and repair them. Most important of all, get them to tell you the rootcause so that we can all know the real problem.

When I got my camera, I saw the problem. Thinking that it could be a defective set, I decided to change to a new set and the person was nice enough to change for me. But 2 weeks down the road, I saw the problem happening to my new set. I sent it down to the service centre and I collected 1 week later and they say nothing's wrong. But I still see the problem now. A FEW SHOT and the sign comes out even with newly charged batteries.

Please for the sake of the rest of the 570 user, please get canon to fix your camera. I bet they are telling their techs to not reveal the problem as it could become a global recall issue. But we should continue to pursue and see if we can get something done.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rej 2 pts

November 21, 2007 12:35 AM

1

0

I agree amos.. if we can find a way to express this view to someone at canon, i guess it woudl be helpful. It is really frustrating to see that there is a pattern across users. Any users forum on canon site you are aware of ?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Wary Consumer 1 pts

November 24, 2007 3:41 AM

1

0

Someone gave a negative review of the 570 on CNET and referenced this forum of fellow sufferrers. Having read the difficulty you all are having I have decided not to buy this camara. I realize this doesn't help those of you who have already purchased this camara, but maybe it will provide some sollace to know you at least helped to spare one poor bastard the same fate. Thanks for the heads-up.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 24, 2007 5:54 PM

1

Mini-Update..I went to THanksgiving with a fresh set of Sanyo Eneloops 2000 MaH and at 114 flash photo's plus about 7 min of movie's and showing everyone the pic's and playing the movies a few times they are still going. Not that this is at all conclusive but I will advise how many I get out oif this set of eneloops. My next move is to buy low discharge 2850 Mah but I am waiting to see how these eneloops do. So far they are MUCH better than standard alkaline or my regular Energizer 2500mah rechargables. MY energizers didn't hold up and failed after 25 shots - I was shocked. The Low Discharge Eneloop's 2000 mah are so much better. Standard alkalines should not be used in thsi camera.

I am going to try the highest MAh low discharge I can find, around 2700 or so..at least this will give me the best "shot."

I will update and would appreciate any further feedback from you.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

November 26, 2007 11:47 PM

0

1

UPdate: Eneloop's finally gave out after 209 Flash Photos and about 4 min of movies. This also included playing the movies a number of times and reviewing all the photos several times. I think this is respectable, all things considered for this camera.

I just put a new set of Eneloop's in the camera and I am going to let it set for a few days and see how this might impact the number of shots I can take.

How are you doing with straight flash photos? ANyone have some numbers to compare? I'm sure I would have gotten more if I hadn't shot the movies but I really wanted to give it a good test.

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

wei 1 pts

December 4, 2007 4:38 PM

1

0

I just had this problem with my canon S5. After trying several different brands of nimh batteries and measuring the voltage, I realized the voltage is not the problem. I have batteries with 1.49 volts right after charge, and still don't work. But another set 1.3 volt worked. I believe it's the amount of available current caused this problem. I used the DC power supply with 7.5 Volt, but 600 mA that gave the same problem, but 7.5Volt with 2A worked well.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Robert Sigmund 1 pts

December 5, 2007 5:46 PM

1

0

I have the same problem with a new 570IS. I got mine on ebay, supposedly new. The low battery indicator started acting up right away, with several different batteries. I took the camera to Canon in Montreal. They first told me that they wouldn't honor the warranty as the camera was bought from an ebay store in the US, not an authorized Canon distributor. I left the camera for repairs anyway. In fact they didn't charge me but sent me the camera saying to change the batteries. They didn't repair it at all.

There is definitely an issue with this camera. My solution for now is to carry an extra set of batteries at all times. I'll see how long I can live with that.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 5, 2007 6:32 PM

0

1

Thanks for the update. Try those Eneloops, seems they are the best solution so far. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Dale N 2 pts

December 5, 2007 11:16 PM

2

0

Here's one for you- I just purchased TWO 570IS cameras for gifts and decided to test one of them out. I install the two batteries and immediately get CHANGE BATTERIES after four or five shots and it shuts down, try three other sets (all new Duracell Alkaline) and the same thing. So I open up the other new camera box and all the same batteries are fine and no problem at all , I shot 50 pictures and no problem. So I will return the bad one tomorrow. It looks like maybe they have a manufacturing problem somewhere along the line? or at least a quality control problem.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts

December 6, 2007 6:54 AM

1

0

I agree with Dale. That's the only logical explanation. Dale, contact Canon. You at least can legitimately state you had a 50% failure rate :-D

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 6, 2007 8:47 AM

0

1

Dale: Very imnteresting post. Please advise on what Canon says. THanks

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amourek 7 pts

December 8, 2007 6:52 PM

7

0

Poor contact between the battery and the contacts on the cover will cause the camera to shut down claiming low battery. If you place something under the contacts to nudge them closer toward the batteries, this problem goes away. I cut up a toothpick and slid them in with the help of a sewing needle. The low battery icon does continue to show up, but I can continue taking pictures. Here is an image of what I did:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5500/dsc00243tu9.jpg

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

PH 1 pts

December 13, 2007 6:11 PM

1

0

Hi Everyone,

I'm having the same problem as well and my camera is 2 weeks old. The battery light keeps coming on. I haven't tried the Sanyo Eneloops yet, but since you guys swear by it, I'll pick some up. Do you guys have a preference on a charger as well (that doesn't break the bank)?

In the mean time, I took a mathematical approach. Since the specs indicated that 120 photos can be taken with the LCD screen on (and I also left everything else on.. like the flash) and 400 with LCD off (and I turned off the sound, the start up screen and such), that indicated to me that the ratio of flash photos to no flash photos was 30%. I performed a mix of taking photos with everything on and everything off and I got the same 30% before the 'replace your batteries' sentence came up. This yielded to about 250 photos taken during this test.

Although I hate seeing that flashing red battery telling me that my battery life is low (when I just put some new ones in, and not to mention that this situation is an utter annoyance), I was still able to continue taking photos. I'm guessing that even though the charge in the batteries are still good, I agree with the idea that the threshold on the camera to indicate that the batteries are low might be set too high.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 13, 2007 6:26 PM

0

1

As far as the Eneloop's, if you are near a Costco (requires membership) they have a super deal right now. 8 AA Eneloop's, 2 AAA, 2 D & 2 C batteries + charger for $25... These are the low-discharge 2000 Nimah batteries that have worked the best so far in this camera at least for me. I just bought a bunch of them atr Costco...

I use my camera with all the bells and whistles..I'd rather just carry a few extra batteries with me so I can enjoy an otherwise excellent camera. I carry four extra batteries plus the set of 2 in the camera. That will cover anything. When I travel, I take the little charger with me. IT fast charges 4 at a time.

I'd still be interested in any other metrics on how many shots you are getting so we can see if there is any consistency to this.

Thanks,

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Andrew 1 pts

December 18, 2007 3:06 AM

1

0

Does anyone know if Canon has made available a firmware fix for the A570? That could resolve the issue.

This is ridiculous, my camera is a month old, I paid 200$ and eats batteries like theres no tomorrow.

I should have gone with the Sony. The lithium batteries for the Sony are available everywhere.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

john bowe 5 pts

December 18, 2007 4:31 PM

1

0

I bought new at best buy 11-27-07... have tried several batteries and have had freshly charged (reading 1.365v) set off the change batteries alert. only getting 30-40 shots mixed flash. love the results when it works but sending back and looking for a replacement
like a fuji... this my first Canon in 25 years... probably last if they have deaf eared service.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

MK 3 pts

December 21, 2007 3:03 AM

3

1

Amourek is right - this problem is connected with poor battery contact, I had the same, just opened the battery door took one battery in my hand, forced to the contact and started to "drill" till the contact became smooth, repeated this procedure with rest of contacts and problem gone away.
Beside this small issue, taking its size, features and quality to price ratio, I think that a570is is a awesome camera.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 21, 2007 9:23 AM

1

MK: Since you adjuusted the contacts, what kind of picture capacity are you getting (before & after) and what kind of batteries are you using? Tnxs for the update.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

MK 1 pts

December 22, 2007 6:27 PM

1

0

Didn't exactly count, but I had 2500NiMH FOREVER cells and after several photos low barttery indicator started to blinking, after doing above procedure, the same batteries took about 50 or more pictures with flash and no blinks at all. I have also 2800 NiMH and with fully chrged can't took more than 10 pics. without blinking, and now there is no such kind problem, but I don't exactly know in what condition these cells really are, because it have over 2 years - didn't try experiments with new one.
Maybe thyere is not only alone contact issue, but poor contact does matter here - I'm sure.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

JimK 0 pts

December 24, 2007 2:23 PM

1

0

Amourek's (8 posts previous)tooth pick is the solution. I was getting the flashing battery icon on freshly charged batteries. Put the toothpicks in and the same batteries worked fine.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 24, 2007 3:10 PM

1

Thanks everyone for the continuing updates. I put the toothpicks under my contacts on the top and I had a hard time getting the battery door to close. I removed one of the toothpicks and only put it on the side where it contacts the positive side of the battery. If you look closely that is where there is less surface for the contact to touch the battery and also where if it is slightly out of alignment, a contact issue could arise.

I have not taken many shots recently but have taken 60 so far on this set of eneloops with flash since 12/2 so that is 22 days with these batteries sitting in the camera. I just put the toothpick fix in so I will see how that works.

Jim: Please let us know how many shots you get with the toothpick fix before the low-batt light comes on again.

Thanks everyone. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 24, 2007 3:14 PM

0

1

Canon: When I first had this problem I contacted Canon and eventually got to speak to a Tech. They said they had no report of an issue with the Low-battery item. He did suggest that I "clean" my contacts. I told him it was a new camera so the contacts should not need cleaning. I did however clean them using a pencil eraser. It masde no difference. The point I want to make is that the Tech did suggest it was a contact issue so possibly the toothpick solution is really the way to go.

I have also taken a file to touch up the positive and negative sides of the batteries and I also touched up the contact tips on the battery door with the file to try to make sure there is minimum resistance between the contacts and the batteries, at least on the battery door.

I am trying it and will let you all know what my results are. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dale 3 pts

December 26, 2007 6:42 PM

1

0

I bought two A570is cameras for presents this year with two sets of Energizer nickel nimh. Both cameras have the same intermitent issue of the battery low indicator coming on with freshly charged batteries after only a couple shots. Hate having to tell the people I gave these to that they'll just have to get used to seeing the flashing warning. Thanks all for the reports on your investigations.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 26, 2007 7:02 PM

1

Be sure to follow some of the ideas on this forum. I am currently running a test after cleaning my battery cover contacts with a file and also just putting the toothpick fix under the positive contact side of the battery compartment.

I currently have 237 flash shots and still going without a low batt light. I will let everyone know how far I get until the light goes on and then how many more shots until it dies...

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

john bowe 5 pts

December 26, 2007 7:26 PM

1

0

Here's some information fo those who like I, did not know the variables in chargers and batteries. I earlier expected 1.2 volt batteries to function with my new a570. Had new batteries with fresh charge reading 1.35 to1.370 volts. They would shortly show low battery and change batteries alert. I am now using an Energizer charger which is producing fresh charged batteries reading 1.45 and up. This the third charger I've triein three weeks and by fr the strongest. I haven't had a chance to use the camera since I just changed card and batteries a minute ago. Will run it all the way down tomrrow and report back. I expect better performance with these much higher voltages. In short... get your voltmeters out and and use toothpicks for your teeth.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 26, 2007 7:42 PM

1

LOL...I suppose having the toothpicks available for "picking" could be a good alternative. I will get my VOM out of mothballs and see what kind of voltage I'm getting off a fresh charged Eneloop and report back.

John if you look closely at the positive contact on the batt compartment cover I suspect you will see the possibility of it being slightly out of alignment. The contact surface with the positive side is very small. I don't know if it is really the issue but I am leaving no small item untried. I refuse to have to live with the 25-50 shot battery issue. From the ideas shared on this forum it seems to me that we are reaching a functional solution.

tnx

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 26, 2007 8:07 PM

0

1

FYI: I just took some voltage measurements: On a Eneloop 2000 nimh sitting for 30 days I got 1.30v. On the set currently in my camera with 237 flash shots and still going I got 1.25 volts.

I am going to fresh charge a set and see what kind of voltage I get right out of the charger. The Eneloop is a low discharge battery so it is supposed to hold it's voltage discharge curve without too much drop off. Looking at the above referenced numbers it certainly appears it is working that way.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 26, 2007 11:06 PM

0

1

Just tested an Eneloop right out of the charger: 1.45v. I think it is important to top off your batteries and not let them sit too long without a fresh charge. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

john bowe 5 pts

December 27, 2007 9:39 AM

1

0

I agree TB. Noticed slight drop in a couple days. One point I may not have made clear earlier is there was a difference in chargers max voltage. Still seems like MY camera should operate at 1.3 v without warnings. Hmmm.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 27, 2007 9:56 AM

0

1

John my electronics knowledge is a bit rusty... How important is the voltage vs. the amp's? I have tried Energizer 2850 NIMH and they crapped out after 25 or so shots... The Eneloop 2000 NIMH are working supurbly so far. ANother thing I've observed at least with the Eneloop's is that they seem to be getting better with each charge.

John, what kind of batteries are you running, Energizers ?- if so they didn't work for me..very disappointing and somewhat illogical that a lower 2000vnimh would work better.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

john bowe 5 pts

December 27, 2007 10:26 PM

1

0

Tom, my electronics knowledge is quite limited actually. Did some testing today.... no name 2000 starting voltage1.445 ran almost 40 minutes of video record and playback. 1.314 volts took about 30 flash shots and low battery alert. 1.296v and proceded to shoot 200 non flash shots 1.292v and tried some flash shots an the recovered slowly between shots. My initial thinking is charge from new 15 minute quick charger is only difference between poor and acceptable performance. The contacts are clean and line up fine. In the next few days I will try the higher capacity (2650) Duracells. I am anticipating better results. Seems the flash draws most and taking rapid flash shots slows recovery time but, after sitting, resting, and cooling the battries a minute or two will improve recovery time. I think the charger makes the difference with my camera. John

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

john bowe 5 pts

December 27, 2007 10:26 PM

1

0

Tom, my electronics knowledge is quite limited actually. Did some testing today.... no name 2000 starting voltage1.445 ran almost 40 minutes of video record and playback. 1.314 volts took about 30 flash shots and low battery alert. 1.296v and proceded to shoot 200 non flash shots 1.292v and tried some flash shots an the recovered slowly between shots. My initial thinking is charge from new 15 minute quick charger is only difference between poor and acceptable performance. The contacts are clean and line up fine. In the next few days I will try the higher capacity (2650) Duracells. I am anticipating better results. Seems the flash draws most and taking rapid flash shots slows recovery time but, after sitting, resting, and cooling the battries a minute or two will improve recovery time. I think the charger makes the difference with my camera. John

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 29, 2007 10:15 AM

3

1

TEST UPDATE: 489 FLASH shots until first time low battery indicator flashed. I tested the voltage on the battery and it was around 1.21 v. when this happened. This seems to be the threshold for this.

With High Performance Energizer 2850 NIMh rehargables I also got the 25-50 shot threshold low battery so I changed to the Eneloops.

THis is the latest update on my Flash Test with the following parameters:
1. Flash on ALL shots: ALL bells & whistles turned on: AUTO MODE.
2. Toothpick Fix on Positive Side only on battery door to assure best contact. (Not sure this is necessary but I am keeping it that way, can't hurt. See #3)
3. Filing both contacts on battery door to assure minimum resistance with battery contact. (Just touched them up so they were shiney).
4. 2000 Nimh Eneloop low-discharge batteries.

I started test with fresh batteries on 12/2 and wanted to see if time sitting contributed to battery drawdown. Today's date 12/29. My conclusion, this is NOT a factor.

I will now continue shooting until the camera will not fire anymore flash photos so I can get a total count.

I hope this information is helpful to all of us with A 570 IS challanges. Please continue to share your metrics so we all can get to the best solution.

Thanks to all of you for your contributions.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

December 29, 2007 5:05 PM

4

1

Mini Update: 970 FLASH SHOTS until CHANGE BATTERY INDICATOR ..see below for test and results:

After getting the first low-batt indicator - I was rapid firing the flash, I waited about 5 min before continuing. Then I would shoot 10-15 shots and then let it rest a bit and then pick it up and shoot somemore. As you know in reality almost no one shoots continuous flash shots anyway so ths is probably a severe test.

I went from 489 to 616 flash shots (same batt's) before the low-batt indicator came on the second time. I measured the Eneloop voltage and now it is 1.20v. Down from 1.21v previously. After letting it sit for about six minutes the Low Batt indicator is off again and I am shooting flash again in 10-15 shot bunches and then letting it rest for 5 minutes or so. I will keep doing this until the Low-Batt indicator comes on and stays on and report back with the numbers.

781 shots before low-batt indicator came on for 3rd time.: using flash taking 10-15 shots in a row and then letting it rest for 5 min-6min... I may be hitting it too many times in a row for the batteries to recover.

816 flash shots and low-batt indicator is flashing for 4th time. Measured the voltage about 1.15-1.17v.

What is interesting here is that the batteries recover very quickly and in normal use I think they would actually go much further without the low-batt indicator flashing.

I let it sit for another 3 minutes and now I'm up to 850 flash shots and still going - no low-batt right now, though it's got to be getting low on gas...

866 shots: Low-batt ind came on and is now staying on (was getting worried low-batt ind was broken, LOL)
Continued shooting until 970 shots when camera shut down and change battery indicator came on. Voltage 1.125ish.

As far as I'm concerned, CASE CLOSED at least for me. If anyone needs any further info, please post and I'll be glad to share whatever I can.

Thanks everyone for your help and interest.

Please add any comments or experiences you are having to this forum. Appreciate all your help. I will add any new info I get.

Best,

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

DB 2 pts

December 31, 2007 9:30 PM

1

0

Tom B,
These marvelous results you got... are they

-with OR without toothpicks?

-with the Sanyo rechargeables?

-Also, what is the NiMH on the batteries you are using.

I have a friend very discouraged with the camera she purchased on my recommendation, because the batteries go sooo fast. I'd raher help her with this cam than recommend another battery hog!

Thank you,
DB

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

January 1, 2008 12:10 PM

1

DB: I put the toothpick only under the positive side on the battery cover. If you look you will see there is not much contact area on that battery, that is the side with the "+." I do not know if that was the real issue or if it was high resistance on those contacts. I would try it without the tooth pick with just cleaning the contacts. You can use a battery and twist it to shine up the contacts at the bottom of the battery compartment, otherwise you cannot reach them. The variable here I believe is not so much the batteries but the contacts. I also took a file to the battery contacts on the door and touched them up so they were shiney - not a lot - just shiney. If you still have an issue you can always put a toothpick in there. I am leaving mine in there.

I am using the Sanyo Eneloop's they are 2,000 NiMH. They are a low-discharge battery - all that means is they hold their charge longer when they are stored vs a regular discharge NiMh - I don't know if that really matters in the scheme of things unless you leave your batteries in your camera for 6 months or longer. I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to remove them if you weren't going to use it for an extended time anyway. Actually I have no idea why they work better than the Energizer 2850 that I have that failed at 25-50 shots. I haven't tried them again since I switched to the Eneloops - but they might work with the clean contacts and the toothpick fix.

CHARGER: Another issue I discovered is the variables among chargers. I have found, at least on my Eneloop's that I get a charge up to 1.45v right out of the charger with a Sanyo charger and 1.35v 24hr later. The point here is I have another charger and they come out at 1.25v I think this might make a difference. The test I ran above was on the lower output charger 1.25v. so again this is a variable but seems not a do or die issue - just an observation. I have read above that a good charger can be very critcal with some batteries.

I have read that the ENeloops are rated for 1,000 recharges on a slow recharge and if you use a rapid recharger it cuts the battery life in about half. Since these batteries are now inexpensive, I don't think it matters. You can buy them at www.thomas-distributing.com for apx $9.00 US for 4. If you have a Costco they have a great deal for $25. for Eneloop's: 8 AA, 4 AAA and a Charger.

I really like this camera. You cannot use ordinary alkalines in it.
When I spoke to a Canon Tech about this problem they said to clean the contacts but they never specified what needed to be done. I think if you try the above you should be in good shape.

Let us know how it works.

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

DB 2 pts

January 1, 2008 6:55 PM

0

1

Thank you, Tom, I'm passing on this info to my friend!

God bless you! Happy New year!
-db

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dallas7 9 pts

January 1, 2008 7:22 PM

2

0

I had used CNET to shop for a new camera earlier this year and in April I purchased an A570IS as a result of the reviews there. When I read the other day it made it as the best cam in 2007 for under $200 I learned from the user comments that I wasn't alone in my encounters with battery strangeness. I got to this forum and now I know there's an issue with the camera and not my batteries. Here are my experiences with my A570IS:

1) Even brand new cheapo alkalines (i.e. Walgreen's Ultra, No. American UltraLast) will effect a low battery or change battery condition immediately or within a few shots.

2) I have several NEXcell 2100 and Radio Shack 1600 Ni-MH batteries that do well in other devices but fail quickly in the A570Is. So, I figured I just didn't have good enough batteries and went on to try non-rechargeables. See number three, next.

3) The only non-rechargeable battery worth a darn is the Energizer e2 lithium.

4) Now here is the strangestness of them all: On Thanksgiving I was doing some shooting when the low battery warning showed. Fully expecting a couple of e2 lithiums to fall into my hands from the camera, imagine my surprise when I saw two Radio Shack 1000 ni-cads in my palm. Yes, nickel cadmiums a family member threw into the camera a few weeks earlier. I've rotated six of these ni-cads in two led flashlights for about five years.

5) Yet even stranger: About 15 years ago I purchased a Yaesu handi-talkie which came with a rechargeable battery pack. After a few years the pack gave out and I cracked it open to find four Sanyo 750 mAh ni-cads, two of which were bad. The other two have since been powering a portable AM/FM radio that gets daily usage. Just for grins, I tried them in the A570IS. I took dozens of flash shots over the holidays on the fully charged 750 Sanyos and they're still going.

I've tested several hundred non-flash shots with the RS 1000s before the low battery icon came on. I'm not going to hammer the camera or the flash to test these ni-cads to full depletion. Needless to say, I think I've found my batteries.

Go figure!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dale 3 pts

January 1, 2008 8:14 PM

2

0

I've found with both the A570IS' that I bought if I open and close the battery compartment lid and restart the camera, more often than not the "low battery" warning will disapear...indicative of some kind of problem with the lid/battery connection--not enough to cause the camera to not work but enough to cause this warning. Wonder when Canon is going to aknowledge the problem.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Greg 0 pts

January 5, 2008 12:17 AM

0

Greetings All! This does sound like a connection problem for sure! I don't know if it will help shed some light on the subject or not but here it is.

I worked in a shop a while back and we were having a problem with a particular group of battery powered equipment only ours were not rechargable. After getting in touch with a knowlegable service tech about the units working for a short time, then not powering back up, he said that we should have used duracell batteries.
He said that most of the other batteries would develop a film on ends of the batteries,causing a bad connection. We really didn't think there was that much difference in the batteries, but switching to the duracells solved the problem. My point is that different mfgs use different materials and this could make a difference in some of the results that you may be seeing. I am not endorsing duracells, because I don't even know if they make the nimh or not! I gave my daughter an a570 that is having the same trouble, so I'll be trying to help her find a solution with hers when she brings it over. May be that cleaning the contacts and batteries will help. I also try to avoid getting the oil from my hands on them after they're cleaned!
Let's see where are those toothpicks, I may need those too!
Thanks everyone for the info. if I find anything else I post back!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Gsquared (gsquared) 0 pts

January 7, 2008 12:28 AM

0

Here's a new scenario!!!

BOUGHT THIS CAMERA "NEW" TODAY along with a slow charging Duracell 2500mAh Charger and batteries. 10 minutes into taking general photos around the house, the batteries that came with the camera either died or were victim to the dreaded "low battery" warning or shutdown. I have come to realize after visiting this forum that it's the camera and not the batteries. It's not old batteries, dirty contacts, batteries left in the camera, mAh variances or any of the other scenario that has been thrown around this thread.

I fully charged the Duracell set and just 18 shots in, I either get the low battery warning or camera shut off. I played with the contacts but to no avail. I can clearly see the battery makes full contact with the contacts on the door so there is no connection issue there. The low battery warning is intermittent from turning the camera on and off and I was able to take dozens of pictures with the blinking red warning icon showing. At other times though, I'd get the "change batteries" text and the camera would shut off. Again, all with the same set of batteries.

Against my wife's wishes not to buy another PowerShot camera, (our A75 had similar full battery/no power issues a couple years into the purchase) the A570 IS was just taking fantastic pictures for the money ($179 US at BestBuy) and figured the power issue was taken care of.

The writing is on the wall here folks. This camera has some serious and annoying power issues and nobody should have to go on wild goose chases looking for batteries that "might" just keep this camera working. Mine is going back! Good luck and thanks for the thread.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

gsquaredd 0 pts

January 7, 2008 9:04 AM

0

Update!

As I was putting everything back in the box to return, I put the original alkaline batteries back in the camera and tried to see how many pictures I could take and now I'm snapping picture after picture without a single warning. I put the 2500mAh Duracell's back in too and out of say 60 pictures, shutting the camera on and off, switching each battery location (-/+,+/-), turning functions on and off, I only recieved the a low battery once and for the life of me I can't get it to duplicate which you know will also happen at the return desk. I'm going to try some Duracell 2650mAh's to see how those perform and I'll post the results. Maybe it's somewhere in the battery door since it is pretty fragile piece of plastic.

So, do I A) return it not even 24 hours into the purchase? B) try to exchange it for another one hoping this one was made on a Friday a minute before the bell rang for the weekend? Or C), spend $100 extra for the only other camera I liked at BestBuy? I'm kind of stuck there unless I want to get nailed with a %15 restocking fee and go somewhere else. You all don't need to answer, I'm just typing out loud. Just wanted to give you the update.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

john bowe 5 pts

January 7, 2008 9:31 AM

0

You can dismiss my posts about the level charge and effect of which charger is used but... its the only apparent change I initiated and am now enjoying all the options this camera delivers with 4 different brands and mAh's.

Or... and I say this because I believe its possible... after a short "break in period" it works. Could a contact need cleaning? I didn't and no toothpicks either.
At any rate I personally am very content.

It would be nice if it recovered quicker after a flash but I'm really enjoying short 30-45 sec videos. I load everything in the laptop and everyone coos over the new grandbaby. Much of which in low holiday lighting.

Glad I kept mine, good luck, John

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Gsquared (gsquared) 0 pts

January 7, 2008 4:42 PM

0

Well, I just exchanged the camera for the same model and this time used the Duracell 2650mAh set. Took about 30 pictures and then after turning the camera back on, (auto power save was on) the "low battery" icon started blinking. This is with freshly charged batteries. Third time will NOT be the charm for me.

I'm going to try the Canon SX100IS for about $80 more. I have read the reviews and although some still mention it's not the best on battery life, most give it about 250-325 shot count on 2500mAh batteries which is more than enough for my shooting style. Most importantly though, no talk of premature low battery warnings or instances of the camera just shutting off. I could go with another brand that they sell, but I'd like to stay with the SD format and stay away from cameras that use proprietary batteries.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

January 7, 2008 6:07 PM

0

1

I certianly understand the point -return it why should anyone want to deal with this. As consumers this is not what we should experience. However, after the minor adjustrments here..I love my camera.. The answers are here if anyone seeks them..Good luck. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Greg 0 pts

January 7, 2008 6:31 PM

0

Thanks Tom! Can you give everone your short verision of recommendations?
Batteries - Eneloop 2000 NIMH?
Charger - ?
Toothpicks -?
Thanks
Greg

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Illa 1 pts

January 13, 2008 2:21 PM

0

I've just read all of the user comments about this camera and I believe
"Dale" on Jan 1/07 got it correct (and those people with the toothpick solution)! If you check out both reviews of this camera on the links below, both reviewers noted a problem with the battery compartment door and battery usage. These are the guys who tested for Canon! They thought it was just their "test" camera. One solution was to just open and shut the battery compartment door. It does appear to be a connection/contact problem rather than a battery problem. I suggested a friend buy the 570IS two days ago and we've been having the same problem with flashing battery warning after only a few shots. VERY annoying! Opening and closing the battery door did get rid of the flashing battery warning every time. I'm going to suggest cleaning the contacts better AND the "toothpick solution" immediately!
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A570IS/A570ISA.HTM
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona570is/

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

January 13, 2008 3:14 PM

0

1

Greg: If you review my 12/29/07 and 1/1/08 posts you should have all the info you need.

I do agree that the contacts and battery door are questionable, definately a design issue. I am enjoying my camera and it takes excellent photos. I just returned from Mexico with it. I hooked it up to the TV using the Video connection so I could view the photos on a larger screen - they were magnificent (at least to me- sunsets - vivid colors..etc.). My batteries did run down and started flashing after about 300 mixed flash/no flash shots but I reviewed my photos on the TV about 5X so I think that used a bit of juice not to mention turning it on and off a zillion times.

I am keeping an eye on it and will report here if I find the results inconsistent. However, I am satisfied with the camera and will live with it. OF course, if I had it to do all over again, I would not buy this camera I'm sure their are comparable cameras out there that would not require this investment of time and energy. However, since I rec'd this as a gift (from my wife :) I want to make it work. LOL

Let me know if I can be of further help.

Best,

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Illa 1 pts

January 13, 2008 7:04 PM

1

0

Update: Tried the toothpick and tried cleaning the contacts better. The problem of the flashing battery warning light did not improve. As a last resort, took the camera back and exchanged it for another one. Exact same type and make. Canon A570IS. Works perfectly without problems with the battery contacts. Have been shooting with flash all afternoon and some video - no warning light yet. This may be an intermittent manufacturing glich. So I suggest this return and exchange resolution if at all possible as it may work for others too. Otherwise love the camera.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

PH 1 pts

January 14, 2008 12:05 AM

0

Update - Tom, I took your advice and picked up the eneloops and left it in the camera for about a month because I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I went out and took 150 photos or so today - all bells and whistles, everything on, multiple display, zoom in and out, turning it on and off a lot of times. You'll be glad to know that I experienced no problems with the battery warning coming on. I inspected the battery door thing - it looks like mine doesn't have a contact problem, so I didn't even bother with the tooth pick thing.

Keep you updated with when they run out. So far, I'm pretty happy with it.

-PH

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

PC 1 pts

January 17, 2008 2:59 AM

1

0

The battery compartment's door was the issue for my camera's low-battery problem as well; I don't know whether this post addresses all the issues mentioned above, but for me the door led to the following scenario:

(1) camera shows dead battery with flashing red icon; additionally, optional (and free) software shows the battery at 2.1V.

(2) I open the door, and reclose it. Immediately after powerup, the voltage is back near 2.3V, and remains at that voltage steadily.

Note that pressing the closed battery door at various locations causes wild fluctuations in the displayed battery voltage; thus clearly some contact somewhere is to blame for apparent loss of power...

Try cleaning both the battery terminals and camera terminals by gently rubbing with a pencil erasor; this removes any blocking residue or oxidization. Or anything gentle action you could think of that causes better contact.

[I'm using brand new energizer 2500mAh NiMH batteries.]

So for me in any case, battery contact is the issue.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

January 17, 2008 9:58 AM

0

1

PC: Thanks for the update. GLad to hear you've got it under control.

Could you clue us in on the free software that allows you to monitor battery voltage, if I understood your post correctly.

THanks,

Tom B.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

PC 1 pts

January 17, 2008 2:51 PM

1

0

Sure: check out http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

After cleaning the battery contacts, and the camera contacts--including the ones deep inside the battery compartment--the voltage is now relatively constant at 2.4V, despite taking pictures for an hour or so. So, thus far the issue seems resolved (for me in any case).

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Billy 0 pts

January 28, 2008 11:58 PM

0

I just bought the canon A570IS and I cant get the battery cocer open. Can someone help.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

LKB (lkbhughes) 0 pts

January 30, 2008 7:03 PM

0

I had that problem also - you need to slide the door to the side while you push the lock button down. It doesn't tell you that in the instructions.
I got my camera yesterday, hoping I would not get one with the low battery problem, but after taking about a dozen pictures, I am already getting it. I proably should just return it, but it is a nice little camera and just what I was looking for. But I don't want to go fooling around with adding toothpicks. I find the battery compartment door hard to close as it is and it feels rather fragile. If I break it, I won't be able to return it.
Does anyone know if Cannon makes a more reliable point and shoot in the same price range?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jaws 0 pts

February 4, 2008 6:57 PM

0

I´ve just bought a Canon A570 IS last week, I have the same problem with flash and batteries, due to I can´t take photos with flash and also the red indicator is blinking after taking some shoots. I´m using Energizer NimHi 2000mAh recheargable batteries, is this the problem? I also tried with alkaline non-rechargeable batteries but it shows the same result. I´m thinking in contact the vendor to make a warranty claim, but I want to be sure first this problem are not the batteries I´m using, could anybody help me with this matter, please?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 4, 2008 7:01 PM

0

1

If you review my 12/29/07 and 1/1/08 posts you should have all the info you need

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Nacho 0 pts

February 5, 2008 6:55 AM

0

Hi,

I have the same problem with the battery indicator.

Using Eneloops batteries resolved the problem.

Regards

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

sean 0 pts

February 8, 2008 7:47 AM

0

This problem won't go away - I have the same experience as everyone above. Post details of what's happening on every review and discussion site you can find and maybe Canon will do something

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 8, 2008 9:07 AM

0

1

All of us have resolved the issue, read the posts going back to late Dec to early Jan for solution. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

sean 2 pts

February 8, 2008 9:14 AM

2

0

Tom - well, if Canon are selling a camera which requires you to insert toothpicks, file down contacts and buy specialist batteries maybe they should say so on the tin....

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dallas7 9 pts

February 13, 2008 3:16 PM

5

0

OK saints and sinners, I think I have this battery/contact/power thing figured out.

First I need to update my January 1 posting and report that the Radio Shack 1000 mAh NiCads do in fact rapidly die out unlike the Sanyo 700 mAh NiCads which go on and on in the face of logic.

I am also experiencing rapid battery failures from lithiums, titaniums, ultras, supers and all sorts of similar non-rechargeables whose packaging is splattered with "lasts forever" promises. I also tried the "open and close the hatch" work around with mixed results.

I recently purchased a set of Maha Powerex 2700 mAh NiMH AAs which I can report work 100% in my A570IS and far, far longer than the Sanyo 700s I've been depending on.

Check this out: have a look at the contact on the battery door for the top (plus) of the AA battery. There are two spikes that've been pranged into the metal which one would assume are there to "bite" into the battery terminal. I don't have a micrometer, but the spacing between these spikes is about 3 mm. The diameter of the top contact of just about any battery I've got is... about 3 mm! EXCEPT for the Powerex at 5 mm and the rinky dink 700 mAh Sanyo at 6 mm. Just hold the top of an average AA up close to those two spikes and you can actually see they could never BOTH dig in! This could explain why the toothpick fix works - the contact is deformed enough for at least one of the spikes to dig in. Similarly, opening and closing the hatch might allow one spike to dig in until normal handling allows the battery to shift to an inefficient centering between the two spikes to evoke a low battery condition.

Clearly, the batteries with a larger diameter plus contact do the job for me. To help verify my experience, we need folks to report on the top diameter of the batteries they use successfully in the A570IS.

Will some one please measure and report on the highly popular eneloop?

It would also be interesting to see if Canon might have redesigned that contact. Does anyone have something other than two of those little spikes 3 mm apart?

I've also noticed at chdk.wikia.com there are two firmware versions for the A570IS but it's way too complicated trying to determine who has what and if the low battery issue might have been addressed by the later version (by means of easing up on the level at which the low battery warning is triggered).

By the way, isn't this pathetic?! I bought this camera so I didn't have to depend on some proprietary pricey battery pack. And here it is, not worth a darn even with a brand new pair of expensive lithiums!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 13, 2008 3:32 PM

1

Good points about the distance on the positive contacts... Also I'[d be interested in learning more about the firmware..I'm a bit shy about going that route unless there is a way to put it back to orig spec if I mess it up..

Tnx,

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

sean 0 pts

February 13, 2008 3:33 PM

0

dallas - thanks for that. Will try the eneloops if I can get some - not currently available in UK or Ireland...

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 13, 2008 3:44 PM

1

www.thomasdistributing.com

Try this site..they sell them for apx $9. US for 4.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Ramus 1 pts

February 14, 2008 9:05 AM

1

0

I get the very same problem with A560 - using Energizer 2300 mah - fully charged batteries are gone after about 20 pictures or 2 days storying in the camera. This definitely is a whole-series problem which Canon is unwilling to recognize (as they refused to do with faulty Sony CCD imagers). We must push them to correct this instead of fooling around and checking which batteries will kindly work fine!!!!!! I am very very disappointed by Canon !!!!!! What kind of output quality checks do they have if they declare 400 pics per set of batteries and we are unable to make more than 50 tops?? Chinese production as everything ????

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 14, 2008 9:22 AM

1

2

Ramus: There re really only 2 choices at this time: Return it or invest a little time to resolve the issue based on what others have found. You are correct about what Canon "should" do. However, since this problem seems to not be across the full production line of this camera, this is probably your best alternative. After fooling with these solutions I am very happy with the camera and the quality of photos/movies it takes.
Like you I wish this wasn't a problem and shame on them for not addressing it but with the low cost of this camera I think the horse is out of the barn.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

sean 0 pts

February 14, 2008 11:20 AM

0

Whatever the cause eneloops seem to fix it. Finally

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 14, 2008 11:25 AM

1

Great Sean..Logically the Eneloops are only 2000Nimh as compared to other higher strength batteries..I have no idea why they work better but they do...

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dallas7 9 pts

February 15, 2008 1:12 AM

0

The Maha PowerEx 2700 kicks @$$.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 15, 2008 7:28 AM

0

1

dallas, did you also try the Eneloops and compare against the MaHa 2700's ? If so do you have any metrics on shot comparisons? TNx

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

LKB (lkbhughes) 0 pts

February 15, 2008 12:08 PM

0

The Eneloops have worked for me also - it's working fine now. And I never did use the toothpick solution. For one thing, my battery door closes firmly so my contacts may be ok. I think some people may have damaged the door trying to figure out how to get the thing open.
Now if I could only figure out how to get a sharp pictue!! But I think that is operator error not the camera.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Sam 1 pts

February 15, 2008 1:04 PM

1

0

Got tired of wifey telling that I bought piece of crap camera because of battery problems. Finally decided to return it to walmart but can't do since return policy is 1 months on cameras. Researched more on internet and finally came to this forum . PROBLEM SOLVED.
Tooth pick solution was brillent. Instead, I looked around and saw coke's packing (cardboard), cut it is small tiny piece with scissors and places underneath the positive terminal tab. Worked like a charm. TOOK 150 PICTURES WITH FLASH , battery used is 2000 mhz Digital battery , (from walmart too). Still can take the pictures but I don't want to push my luck. Darn thing hasn't taken more than 10 pictures at a time and now it can take more than 150 pictures. Can't wait until I tell my wife that I opened it and saw there was a problem and used my soldering thing to fix it. She will think that I am genious...LOL.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 15, 2008 2:39 PM

0

1

LOL...Excellent...If you are interested check my posts from 12/07 - 1/08. I believe I got 900 flash photos on a set of Eneloop's or such.. Glad to hear you are happy with your results...

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Phil 1 pts

February 17, 2008 8:48 AM

1

0

I had the same problem as everybody else and fixed it by using a doubled piece of cardboard from a battery box (just for irony). I also filed the contacts just for good measure (my dad taught me that most electrical problems are dirty contacts). You can file the inside contacts by sticking a little piece of emery paper to the positive contact of an AA battery, inserting it positive end first and twisting it gently.

It is shameful that Canon is selling millions of these cameras without acknowledging or trying to fix this problem. Anyone who uses this camera even once will immediately realize that the battery compartment cover is flimsy and prone to breakage. The first time I changed the batteries I thought to myself "Well, this isn't going to last very long."

I now have my Canon 570IS with a piece of cardboard in the battery compartment, and my Panasonic 3CCD video camera with a piece of mounting tape inside the tape compartment (to fix a completely different problem, that Panasonic refused to acknowledge or fix). Welcome to cheap Chinese manufacturing folks. When price becomes the only deciding factor for consumers, this is the junk that we get for our hard earned money.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dallas7 9 pts

February 17, 2008 11:20 PM

0

Tom B: I held off on the eneloops as I needed new batts for my GPS and discovered they worked in the cam. I will be needing some new AAA and 9v batts soon and may snag some eneloops for their low discharge feature.

I am 100% convinced it is the trap door + contact that is the culprit in this battery failure issue and ANY batt with a + term of 4mm or greater is the fix. Along with mangling the trap door + contact. :-(

Tom B and LKB!!:
What is the diameter of the + terminal on your eneloops?
Thanks.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 18, 2008 8:45 AM

0

1

I don't have a micrometer - they look "normal" to me. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Ray 0 pts

February 18, 2008 9:11 PM

0

Tom,Do you Have a Make or Model number for the Charger that YOU Recommend? I'd like to get the Same Charger and Batteries that you got. I Found the Battery Info on your Earlier Post, but The Charger info was'nt clear to me. Thank you In Advance, Ray..

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 18, 2008 9:47 PM

0

Ray: I have a Sanyo NiMh charger but ut you can go to www.thomasdistributing.com , I'd call them and tell them what you need and ASK about the differences in chargers. I really don't know. There are chargers that are rapid charge and also regular. They also have them where after the battery is charged it will give it a trickle charge.

I'd call those guys and see what they recommend. Make sure it is a better one, IMHO..though they are relatively cheap. If you have a charger now and a voltmeter you can check the voltage on your batteries and compare it to some of the readings I and a few others have taken and see if you are ok.

LEt us know.

BEst,

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

February 19, 2008 10:21 PM

0

I don't know about problems with the camera in this forum, but I have switched over to eneloop AA's for use in my Nikon digital camera battery grip, a electronic flash, CD player, flashlight, and wireless mouse. Before purchase, I Googled eneloop, and was quite impressed by what Sanyo and forums said about them..So, bought a eneloop charger with 4 AA's and 16 Kodak AA batteries that I believe are made by Sanyo - same specifications. eneloops rated at 2000mah, and Kodaks at 2100mah. There may be other brands now available. All my new batteries performed well right out of the package, and have not lost charge just sitting on the shelf - not noticeable anyway during the last 8 weeks. The packages claim precharged and hold charge 4x longer than standard himhi.

The eneloop is the best AA battery I have ever had during 45 years using rechargeables. eneloop is a new technology with far better characteristics than the standard nimhi types, no matter the maximum rating. And the price is right. A slow charger is recommended.

These links give more and better explanation than I can:

http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/sanyo_eneloop.html
http://www.eneloop.info/whatseneloop.html

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Dhruman 0 pts

February 23, 2008 3:12 AM

0

Well folks, I just read this post becos I was having similar issue with my A570IS purchased in India 2 months back. I use Uniross 2100mah batteries, and it was giving me 40-50 snaps with flash ... All the time there is intermittent low battery indicator.

Today, I put in 2 freshly charged 2100 uniross batteries, and immediately it told me to change batteries! I was shocked.. Then after reading the loose contact suggestions on this post, I tried to fiddle around with the battery shutter door...

I am 100% convinced now that it is a contact issue or whatever - something wrong with the battery door mechanism. Its nothing to do with the batteries we use..

The same battery which gave me "change batteries" error - now i have removed and reinserted, and closed the shutter little more firmly and gently .. now its working fine .. It has already taken some 25 shots with flash ..

Hope this helps ...

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Ramus 1 pts

February 23, 2008 4:56 AM

0

Thanks to all of you falks trying to solve this issue "on the user basis" BUT it is obviously a Canon manufacturing problem and once you start fiddling with the camera you lose any right to file complaints with Canon. Has anybody tried sending the camera back to the technical support?? What was their response? I wrote about my problem to our local Canon service and was told they HAVE NOT seen this problem with these cameras. Either they lie or nobody really bothered to send the camera back. Funny. Are we here really the only ones having this problem? Don't think so. I guess it is time to push Canon to take action.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 23, 2008 9:16 AM

0

1

When I first got my camera and experienced this problem (reference my earlier posts - Nov '07), I contacted Canon and eventually got to speak to a technician who said they had "NO RECORD" of a problem but suggested that I should "clean the contacts." I told him that the cameera was new and that I had used 2650 NImh Rechargables and that it went bad after 25 shots. He said "clean the contacts." I asked, how can the contacts need cleaning when it is new? What he was saying, IMHO (reading betw the lines) was that there is a contact issue. IT made no sense to me.

If you read further baclk on this forum you will see that several posters sent their cameras forf repair and got them back the same way or exchanged them and had the same issue. Also it seems one did an exchange and the problem was resovled. So it appears to be a faulty manufacturing process.

IF you read the reviews from a testers, they had the same problem with a prerelease sample but thought it was because it was prerelease. They gave it a thumbs up - and now this.

If you can exchange it you should - nobody should have to go through this. I got mine for a gift and it was purchased several months before I rec'd it - so I am stuck, so I had no choice but to seek a solution. This forum is the solution. MY camera works great now and it takes terriffic pictures without any battery issues.

Nobody should end up going through this. Condiering the low cost of the camera, I can't imagine Canon recalling it - shame on them...

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

February 23, 2008 2:28 PM

0

The first posting on this thread:
My canon A570 IS has battery indication problem after about 40-50 shots using Uniross 2100mAh rechargeables...is it due to the batteries..what do you advice??should I go for 2700 mAh batteries,and whether I can use 2700s with powershot A570?...Moreover would my uniross mini charger I am using for 2100s can charge 2700s or would I have to buy a new charger....If so plz suggest some good 2700mAh battery+charger combination.
Thanx

This tread could have been 2 threads. The battery contacts seem to be a problem identified and solved.

The other thread here is about batteries and has a lot of good information, invaluable to any digital camera user wanting to use rechargables. The new technology AA batteries can be identified by statements like 'Precharged' and 'Holds charge longer than standard rechargables'. These are inexpensive, give more pictures without recharging, and are a green alternative to throwaways. Available at Wal-Mart cheaply and others.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 23, 2008 2:40 PM

0

1

Many of s have had luck with the Eneloop's, they are 2000NImh made by Sanyo. They are low discharge, not sure if that is the variable though. MAny of us have tried national brand NImh with HIgher specs but they don't work. So, at least for me the 2,000 Eneloops are the answer. Don't really know why but that seems to do it. Also the positive contact on the door can be an issue.

Eneloops are available at Costco and www.thomasdistributors.com

Good luck.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Ramus 1 pts

February 25, 2008 1:31 AM

0

2

I know this is a "low cost" camera BUT it is a product under warranty for which "WE CUSTOMERS" have paid!!!! That's what the warranty is here for. If the product ain't working as it should it must be replaced or fixed. If Canon is ready to lose more customers over this issue OK. But wouldn't it be at least worth a shot to send a few hundred complaint e-mails to Canon headquarters? If this is the way the market works and the customers respond, no wonder we end up getting more and more shitty output quality checks and products. "Give us your money for "the product" and leave us alone".

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 25, 2008 8:10 AM

0

2

I'm certianly not going to defend Canon..the purpose of this forum is, as you know, to solve an issue that Canon will not. Nobody here would disagree with you. However, if solving the issue is what you wish to do, the solutions are here.

Best,

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dallas7 9 pts

February 25, 2008 7:31 PM

2

0

Good golly Miss Molly! This thread is getting bloated...

For those not interested in the Toothpick Fix, I have published this short piece for those seeking a battery solution as well as an explanation of the issue. Please feel free pass on this link or print out the document for whatever reason you want:

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dfdjv7qt_10g2mwc7d6&hl=en

Here are your choices in batteries:

Sanyo eneloop 2000 mAh low discharge NiMH if you want this flavor of technology.
Maha Powerex 2700 mAh conventional NiMH with a kick.
Any alkaline battery with a top contact flat of 4 mm or more. These are hard to find and if you stumble on some, since they have a shelf life measured in years, snag a pair and keep them with your A570IS in the event you should find yourself with depleted rechargeables.

And if you need a charger:

The Maha MH-C204W (white plastic) or MH-C204B (black plastic) is featured with the eneloops at ThomasDistributing.com. This is a fast charger and will only do NiMHs.

I am partial to the slow charging Maha MH-C401FS because of its negative pulse technology, four independent charging circuits and its ability to handle NiCads.

Otherwise, any "conditioning" or "microprocessor controlled" NiMH charger you purchased within the last two or three years will work just fine.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 25, 2008 10:27 PM

0

1

Dallas, NICE JOB..WELL DONE.. (applause) Good explanation...

BTW: Have you run the Powerex against the Eneloop's for a shot comparison? I'd be interested in knowing what the spread is.

Thanks for your contribution,

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

February 26, 2008 10:22 AM

0

FYI: Kodak AA's pre-charged NiMH rechargeable's have a top contact flat of 4 mm. $7.88 for 4 at Wal-Mart. Work great for me.

John

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jesus 0 pts

February 28, 2008 8:50 AM

0

1

I do not see a problem with the battery issue, I am using two AA batteries and they are lasting me about a week or 200 pics. That is more than my rechargeable I Pod last in one day. So, what is the problem? Speaking in Layman's terms flash should kill your batteries faster, otherwise, turn it off the flash when not needed. I recon I dont know much about voltage and Amps but, hey it works for me.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 28, 2008 8:56 AM

0

3

J: This is a manufacturing issue with a large number of these cameras as evidenced by the experiences of the users in this forum. Consider yourself lucky if you have a non-defective camera.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

ND (ND) 23 pts

February 29, 2008 2:04 PM

0

Any other high capacity battery(2700 or more) with large contact diameter,other than Powerex??Powerex is not available in my city :((

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

February 29, 2008 11:19 PM

0

1

ND: I think www.thomasdistributors.com has them. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Ramus 1 pts

March 3, 2008 3:52 AM

0

Just got my camera back from Canon warranty service (29 days after filing a complaint), service report reads: electric panel changed, product cleaned and tested. Put in my freshly recharged 2100 NIMha Energizers and guess what .... after 15 shots low-battery indicator on again. After switching to picture view no indicator. The next day indicator on all the time, after replacing the batteries no indicator for some ten pics or so. But the problem is definitely NOT fixed. Don't know what to think of Canon testing. What do they use to test? Gonna try the eneloops but I am not happy with the warranty service at all.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 3, 2008 8:38 AM

0

1

R: Good try. It only reinforces that they either don't have a clue or more like it do not have a solution. Good luck with trying some of the baatery solutions or possibly even the toothpick fix.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dallas7 9 pts

March 3, 2008 1:31 PM

0

Tom B: thank you and you're welcome! I don't have eneloops. Since I'm ok with the Powerex I don't have a need for them unless I'd want to play with the new low self-discharge technology. In any event, if a battery set doesn't give me a low indicator or a "change batteries" message right away or within a few shots, they pass my "test." :-) I really don't want to hammer my camera seeing if this set gets 287 shots and that set gets 166. The best so far... the Powerex got me 90 shots last week along with a 12 minute video and they still registered "good' on my dinky Radio Shack battery tester.

Jesus: what's your point?

Ramus: thanks for your report, tho it's not Good News.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dallas7 9 pts

March 3, 2008 1:39 PM

0

Oops. Almost forgot...

ND: Powerex batteries are made by Maha, a world-wide leader for a looooong time. You didn't mention what city you're in or if you're in a region or country with restricted services.

Go to this site and see what your options are: http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/buy.asp

Otherwise, http://www.thomasdistributing.com or http://www.zbattery.com are A-OK.

Good luck.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

DLD 0 pts

March 17, 2008 11:16 AM

0

Thanks everyone .I had this same problem and it was driving me crazy!
Tried Amourek's toothpick trick - problem solved.
I'm so happy.:)

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 17, 2008 11:28 AM

0

1

I'm loving my camera..takes great shots, and the battery thing is really a non-event at this point. BTW, I have seen these new for about $145. Even with the problems it is a great value for the price.

Unfortunately mine cost closer to $300 last year...GRRR..

Best,

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Robert Sigmund 1 pts

March 17, 2008 1:36 PM

0

Hi everyone.

I've been following this post since last fall when my new camera started showing the battery alerts after a couple dozen photos. (see my post of dec. 5).

I tried the eneloops last month and they have indeed solved the problem. I've taken a couple of hundred pictures with one set of them and still no alert!

So I join the ranks of those whose problems are solved. And it is a great camera!

RS

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

dallas7 9 pts

March 19, 2008 6:38 PM

0

"Unfortunately mine cost closer to $300 last year...GRRR.."
I hear you on that!! In fact, I bumped into this thread about the battery issue when I clicked on the link at cnet showing it as the best cam for under $200. Under 200?! GRRR But, yeah, for $145 it can't be beat.

BTW: I picked up 8 AA and 4 AAA eneloops and a Sanyo N05 charger and a pair each of AA-C and AA-D adapters in a package sold for $26 at Costco. That's right, $26.00. At best pricing, separately that all would come to $58. I almost picked up two. But, I have no need for so many chargers and I want to wait a while and see if they boost them over 2000 mAh before I buy any more. Maha has 'em at 2100, so I think it's just a matter or time.

Amazon has the same deal for $37, still a good deal especially if you don't have a charger:
http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-Eneloop-Battery-Charger-Batteries/dp/B000WPJIME/ref=pd_sim_e?ie=UTF8&qid=1205969709&sr=8-2
Hope that link works. If not, do a search...

D77

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

mrsuyyagh 27 pts

March 21, 2008 2:01 PM

0

I have bought this camera two days ago. When I used the Panasonic batteries that came with it, i could only shoot 7 pictures before the low battery indicator popped up. After two images, the change battery alarm came up too and the camera shuts itself down. I replaced only one of the batteries with KodaK alkaline and could shoot another 24 pictures until I stopped an hour ago. The indicator still lights up but the camera does not shut itself (so far)! I tried to place a piece of toothpick to fix it but the problem persists. Could you please post shots of the best way to insert the (plastic, wood ...) pieces to fix the contacts, the their thickness and how the contacts should look like after the fix. Some said the battery + side protrusion should be more than 4 mm wide in order for the camera to work properly, is that the case? Moreover, in my country we don't have eneloops batteries to buy, can't return items we buy and the camera costs 50% of my income that i have been saving for months to own a camera which had one of the best reviews nearly everywhere, i am so disappointed, please help me.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 21, 2008 2:31 PM

0

1

Thisw thread has photos and also where you can order Eneloops if you wat them. There are several other brands that seem to work also. Read back from November in the forum. All the info is there. You can solve the problem..and enjoy the camera.

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Greg 0 pts

March 21, 2008 4:47 PM

0

try cleaning all the contacts and battery ends with isopropyl alcohol, and avoid getting oil from your hands on them!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Samir 0 pts

March 24, 2008 7:58 AM

0

I got panasonic 2800 mah rechargeables. Anyone had luck with these ?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 24, 2008 8:24 AM

0

1

Read about the baateries that "have" worked. Many haven't. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 24, 2008 8:52 AM

0

I was considering this camera because it has manual features and although it is said to not have quick flash recycle which annoys some. I like the idea of the aa's instead of a proprietary battery

I read a test report on this camera and it seems this camera has a battery DOOR problem the door is loose or something. it seems to fit loosely if I remember . interesting. perhaps this camera is designed so that one end of the contacts is pathed through a metal plate on the inside of the door cover and then through the hinges back into the camera. that may be why the problem exists. the hinge is loose because of play and doesnt get solid contact which might be remedied by a firmer contact (toothpicks pushing them out) putting tooth picks under the contacts (I havent seen the picture yet) pushes on the battery and hence the battery may push against the door to tighten the whole thing up.

i would be curious to see if the premium batteries that some are having success with are not actually just a part of a millemeter longer.

another thing I read is that these batteries need at least four complete charge and complete discharge times before they run at their peak ability. I am not sure if this is true with the higher tech nickle metal hydride or lithum ion whatever. worth a try charge fully and discharge the battery in other device that drains the batteries all the way down. run it to nothing and do this four time.s

by the way since this camera is older tech one of the few criticisms is the lower resolution lcd can any one comment on this to inform me if the camera has suitable viewing in most situations my wife and I both have eyesight that needs all the help we can get and are new to dig camera. we have seen later tech lcds in the store that are adequate but I am not sure if this lower resolution LCD will do it for us. for me a purchase will be made on line

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 24, 2008 9:19 AM

0

1

Obvious advice is to go to a store and check it out first. I find the LCD more than adequate, even in most bright sunligt conditions. Probably any LCD will not work in very bright direct sunlight though. This camera also has an optical viewfinder which works reasonably well for those times when the LCD is washed out.

With my Eneloop's I found that they seemed to work better with a few charge cycles. They are supposed to be ready to go right out of the package but I found that it didn't hurt to top them off first. I also give them a topping off before taking them on a trip eventhough they are a low discharge battery. I have the Canon camera case for this camera. It has a space for spare batteries and holds 4. More than enough for a an intensive week or 2 of shooting for me.

COnsidering online prices in the $150 range, this camera, problems and all, once addressed, is a good camera, IMHO. You must be willing to deal with the door/contact issue and have the correct batteries. The typical Energizer NIMH, etc batteries and many others that have been tried on this forum just don't work. Apply the info here and you should have a great camera.

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 24, 2008 9:36 AM

0

tom, thanks for the reply. this is our first dig and I want to have full manual controls and of course IS. another advantage is a CHDK and I wont go into that here if you know what that is fine, i will not elaborate on the forum.

Circuit city has one on display but the batteries were dead I didnt want to obligatet the clerk too much because their price is considerably higher than the average price I see around. I think Ritz has it for only $10-20 more than the low $140 I saw from Amazon partners but dont know who they might be , buying through amazon may have certain protections I have to check about return policy. paying an extra $20 from my local RITZ store may not be a bad idea anyway.

have to see if the wife will be okay with the lcc and handling she may even be more comfortable with it as it has a grip where the batts are. in the store they have the camera attached to an antitheft device and she is not perceiving what these cameras are like (small arent they?)

thanks for your advice. I have always been partial to Maha chargers and Powerex but will read through the battery selections posted above and meditate

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 24, 2008 10:20 AM

1

0

found a post on another forum that mentions that in inquiry to Canon about battery life suggested that one check to see if a battery door spring RECALL that was apparently done in the past might be relevant to owner's A series cameras.

just FYI

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 24, 2008 10:42 AM

0

1

Not aware of that. Also thyose who have sent their cameras in under warranty to address this issue have rec'd their cameras back with the same problem..Issue seems to be contact related with the positive contacts. ON my calera the door seems to function properly. It closes and their is a slide latch so a sping does not create any tension between the batteries and the contacts. It seems the positive side contacts are actually 2 little pronged tips and they may not make adequate contact. The toothpick fix plus the better batteries, at least in my case took care of it. I have not the batteries withoput the toothpick just to see if the batteries alone would fix it. Currently all works fine for me.

Thanks for the info.

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 24, 2008 11:23 AM

0

Tom B and others, you have been very helpful. I wll try the maha 204 and maybe the more elaborate one suggested above depending on the price. I havent decided to order it with the Maha 2700s or the enveloop 2000s. guess I wil have to try both out.

Why am I considering this Canon A570 IS even though the problems its older technology Its only in the $150 range (for our first digital camera) and although it has its problems obvioiusly what has been discussed here, and although some of the canons have that e18 error which can totally trash your purchase 100% ($150 is better than $225 or even $300 for newer ones) I get total manual control which I think I want plus IS AND I can use CHKD with it. which is a freeware hack program that goes on your memory card and with it you can save your pictures in RAW format. Low light without flash the IS and higher ISO settings plus the ability to save in raw and then process in computer sounds to me like unbeatable for $150 or so!

thanks again for the help with this camera

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 24, 2008 11:50 AM

0

Tom B and others, you have been very helpful. I wll try the maha 204 and maybe the more elaborate one suggested above depending on the price. I havent decided to order it with the Maha 2700s or the enveloop 2000s. guess I wil have to try both out.

Why am I considering this Canon A570 IS even though the problems its older technology Its only in the $150 range (for our first digital camera) and although it has its problems obvioiusly what has been discussed here, and although some of the canons have that e18 error which can totally trash your purchase 100% ($150 is better than $225 or even $300 for newer ones) I get total manual control which I think I want plus IS AND I can use CHKD with it. which is a freeware hack program that goes on your memory card and with it you can save your pictures in RAW format. Low light without flash the IS and higher ISO settings plus the ability to save in raw and then process in computer sounds to me like unbeatable for $150 or so!

thanks again for the help with this camera

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Samir 0 pts

March 25, 2008 1:09 AM

0

@ bear45..

Did u use chdk to change shutter speed to 1/20000 ? That's 10 times lower than the max allowed in manual mode with no chdk. Won't it damage the basic shutter functionality of the 570 IS in the long run ?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Samir 0 pts

March 26, 2008 9:45 AM

0

The uniross 'hybrio' rechargeables are just like sanyo eneloops 'low self discharge' ready to use off-pack. I bought them from a local store in kolkata, west bengal. But one minor problem is they are 1900 mAh only. Since i read one member stating nicd batteries (which are even lower mAhs) worked with 570 IS, i chose them. The pack said 'imported in march 2007..meaning manufactured even earlier. Perhaps that's the reason the batteries didn't work for me off-pack and i have put them to charge for 16hrs as stated in the manual. I hope they work tomorrow. By the way can anyone say what is the lowest mAh requirement for the canon A570 IS ?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 26, 2008 9:57 AM

0

Samir_ I wasnt sure you were asking me or not, about the CHDK question.
I havent obtained the camera yet, and havent worked with CHKD yet. I want to use it for saving in RAW plus the idea that you get a constant battery charge readout in your camera, how many shots left or percentage of battery. I suggest going to the CHDK page and I think there is a forum. I will be doing the same. you can search for CHDK wiki.

Some of the better chargers like the MAHA and the LaCross have a discharge charge feature which refreshes batteries that have been sitting you may get better results with that.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Samir 0 pts

March 26, 2008 10:51 AM

0

I would definitely go for the chdk after i master the inbuilt features of the 570. But first i need to find my batteries. So far (i bought my camera 3 weeks back) i have found duracell Alkalines to be the best. But this mAh requirement is really bugging me. I particularly have spotted that the low battery indicators actually get triggered by the zoom functions of the camera. One touch at the zoom button..bam! the low battery blinks up!!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 26, 2008 11:10 AM

0

1

www.thomasdistributing.com has a good selection of chargers and low-discharge batteries. Mist of us use Sanyo Eneloop's successfully.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Samir 0 pts

March 27, 2008 2:33 AM

0

The fully recharged uniross hybrio are working like gems !!Smile Took 40 snaps right off most of them with flash on, sound on, IS on, lcd on, Face detect on, Focus beam on. Even took a 1 minute 640 x 480 30 fps video. All the while extensively using the zoom features. No sign of the low battery indicator yet. But now to keep the batteries in the camera and see after a few hours if they go on working with this prowess. So 1900 maH is not inadequate after all.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

khaled 0 pts

March 27, 2008 3:09 AM

0

I got this camera a month ago (my first digital finally) and after fiddling around with it using the original panasonic batteries, I found the following:

- The Camera has great features. The IS works fine. Even my young daughter can take good shots with it.

- This battery problem is a very odd indeed. Using the original batteries, I took about 80 pictures, and something like 8 minutes movies at low rate. I measure the voltage on the batteries and they seem OK. They can operate my analog Ricoh nicely. Is this OK?? I think it disappointing to me.

The camera can still work in the playback mode though.

After the low battery indicator popped in, I bought some new Eveready, not alkaline, stupid I know but they work fine for my other camera. These never worked, the camera would shot down immeidtaelty or just take one shot even with the toothpick tricks.

In where I am there is no much variety in rechargables. Only Energizer at 2100 or 3000 or Varta at 2400 and so on.

Anyway, I think I will not buy Canon anymore. I previously had a Canon color printer and was a piece of junk.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Samir 0 pts

March 27, 2008 3:43 AM

0

khaled, without this typical battery problem the 570 IS is unbeatable. Canon is the no.1 brand as far as camera goes. 90% professional photographers use them. Even NASA used canon lens glass in the hubble telescope. See, these kind of problems happen and there are solutions. Nothing or nobody is 100% perfect. I wish they were.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

mrsuyyagh 27 pts

March 28, 2008 4:42 AM

0

Dear all,

I applied the toothpick fix to my a570, I used it with a new pair of Kodak Alkaline batteries (manufactered in 2006 !!) and was able to shoot 30 indoor pictures (all with flash) before the low battery indicator came up. (in comparison to 5 shots with the Panasonic batteries that came with the battery).

I want to ask if such number of photos makes it liable to say that the toothpick fix worked? Moreover, I am considering to buy rechargeables but only found that the only rechargeables in my city stores are Energizer 2000mA and 2500mA, will these rechargables give me good number of pictures, which one should i go for the 2000mA or the 2500mA.

Thank you all in advance.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Greg 0 pts

March 28, 2008 5:16 AM

0

some walmart stores sell the eneloop batteries (4 pack) with charger for about $20. i would get those. they are great!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jesus 0 pts

March 28, 2008 5:57 AM

0

I have not encountered such a problem with my camera, though for the sake of research I decided to conduct an experiment. I installed Reyovac alkaline batteries a month ago, I was able to shoot just under 200 pictures and 5x2 minute movies without a low battery light. After the low battery light came on I was still able to take pictures at lower settings, such as: lower zoom and no flash. I also installed regular heavy duty batteries which were a waste of time. I then installed some rechargeable batteries I have laying around and encountered the problem most people are talking about. My conclusion is, I am not installing rechargeable batteries in my camera. The Reyovacs' are generally inexpensive (18 x $5) and work. I see why people would want rechargeable batteries, you have one set and "reduce cost" but for me I like the independence of not having to lug around another cord and charger when I travel, all I do is install a new set before I leave and put two in my pocket just in case. Which brings me to another part of the experiment I failed to mention, Those batteries I installed for a month were left to sit in the camera for a week, then I used it sparingly around the house, let it sit for another week and then went on a week long trip, where it was used as a tourist. Now, back home the batteries still work but at lower settings.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 28, 2008 8:17 AM

1

mrsyyaygth: you can do much better. Follow some of the posts earlier. Try making sure the contacts are clean Also a different battery will probably work better. I think when I ran a test on a set of 2000 NIMH ENeloops I got 900 or so flash photos out of it. IT does seem to be a combination of contact/battery issue.

YOu can purchase Eneloops from www.thomasdistributing.com They seem to work well for everyone. IF you look back in the forum to Nov, Dec 2007 there is much detail on what seemed to work. The issue with the camera is a manufacturing defect which does not affect all of the cameras - only the lucky few here.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 28, 2008 8:31 AM

1

0

attention to all here:

http://www.caig.com/

this company makes a pro line of contact cleaners and conditioners. I have saved this bookmark for years and first read about them from high end audio and ham radio resources.

I see that Radio Shack and Guitar Center now vend some of their products.

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.I/id.28/.f

I am on my way over to RS today to see if they have this in stock. see the first product pictured on the page linked just above. From what I have heard of this product in the past, it is definitely worth checking out. For those not in the U.S. check out their distributor page.

I am certain I will be buying the Canon A720 which has most of the features of the A570 and 590 but is newer vintage, yes, with the same flimsy battery arrangement and the AA battery usage. ( has USB 2.0 but not high speed but I will live with that. takes SD but not SDHD but does take MMC cards which at this point I know NOTHING about) the lens is said to be much better than the other two. CHDK program under development for that model

just FYI and I would think that the two CAIG products are essentials for this and any camera (and bettery ends too)

thanks again to all for the dialog and recommendations I am also checking out the LaCrosse 900 charger and will be perfectly happy I think with the Enveloops

again great info, thanks!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Samir 0 pts

March 29, 2008 7:16 AM

0

Updates with the uniross batteries: After about 80 pics, the low battery icon started blinking. I opened up the battery lid, exchanged their places in the slots and started my camera.Walla! no low battery warning. Took 50 more shots with flash fully playing with the zooming and the macros and aperture and shutter speeds..still no sign of the warning. Let's see if i can cross the 200 shots mark this way. By the way, i do have a small thin cardboard folded and placed under the +ve contact. Also, the batteries were in the camera for 2 days and 2 nights without using the camera. Nothing can be said about the low discharge claimed by hybrios within such a small time. Um..Patience Patience.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 29, 2008 7:51 AM

0

1

I apologise for this repost but I thought it might help those who are new here. This the results of a test I did with a freshly charged set of Eneloop2000 nimh s and the tooth-pick fix.

TEST RESULTS:: 970 FLASH SHOTS until CHANGE BATTERY INDICATOR ..see below for test and results:

After getting the first low-batt indicator - I was rapid firing the flash, I waited about 5 min before continuing. Then I would shoot 10-15 shots and then let it rest a bit and then pick it up and shoot somemore. As you know in reality almost no one shoots continuous flash shots anyway so ths is probably a severe test.

I went from 489 to 616 flash shots (same batt's) before the low-batt indicator came on the second time. I measured the Eneloop voltage and now it is 1.20v. Down from 1.21v previously. After letting it sit for about six minutes the Low Batt indicator is off again and I am shooting flash again in 10-15 shot bunches and then letting it rest for 5 minutes or so. I will keep doing this until the Low-Batt indicator comes on and stays on and report back with the numbers.

781 shots before low-batt indicator came on for 3rd time.: using flash taking 10-15 shots in a row and then letting it rest for 5 min-6min... I may be hitting it too many times in a row for the batteries to recover.

816 flash shots and low-batt indicator is flashing for 4th time. Measured the voltage about 1.15-1.17v.

What is interesting here is that the batteries recover very quickly and in normal use I think they would actually go much further without the low-batt indicator flashing.

I let it sit for another 3 minutes and now I'm up to 850 flash shots and still going - no low-batt right now, though it's got to be getting low on gas...

866 shots: Low-batt ind came on and is now staying on (was getting worried low-batt ind was broken, LOL)
Continued shooting until 970 shots when camera shut down and change battery indicator came on. Voltage 1.125ish.

I hope this shows at least what I got, previously with other high NIMH batteries and NO toothpick I was getting 25 shots or so.

Tom B

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Greg 0 pts

March 29, 2008 8:04 AM

0

cleaning the batteries and contacts fixed my daughters problem, but I saw the eneloops at wal mart and picked up a set because of the low discharge rate. great batteries! good luck all!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 29, 2008 9:13 AM

0

I had referenced all this information on another forum and someone replied
with the information that they use Elite 1700 mah cells in an A710.

The cells drop the flash recycle time by 1-2 seconds over other cells. Elite cells are designed for very high discharge rates (20+ amps) and so have very low internal resistance.

The poster stated he can take over 400 medium powered flash images and the cells will still be reading about 1.3v each and the recycle time is less than 3 seconds. Full-power flash recycle time is 9 seconds. Low powered flash recycle time is less than one second.

Elite 1700 cells are designed for paintball guns and supposedly the lower internal resistance allows faster shooting.

I wonder if anyone notices any difference in flash RECYCLE times with their chosen batteries or just battery life.

Just wonder if these higher amperage batteries pose a problem in with any damage to the ciruit. But I am being overcautious here. If someone is using them then I suppose there isn't that problem I am not really knowledgable of electronics.

Except for one thing. I remember that battery voltage should be tested only UNDER A LOAD. not just sitting there and read with a voltmeter. Thats how they test your battery in your car. Those battery testers that you can buy in Radio Shack etc. for your home battery work that way I am told.

I remember that the way to test a battery is with a resistor of a certain value in series when using the voltmeter. Batteries actual reading will differ under a load which is how the battery is used. Perhaps the poster's information of the Elites having 'less internal resistance' is part of this.

I wonder if those who did some voltage tests could go back and retest under a load. I suppose this might be why different brands of batteries are more succesful than others in these tests. Testing this way could shed better light on different battery's performance here.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

March 29, 2008 12:50 PM

0

Tom B. ...
'Continued shooting until 970 shots when camera shut down and change battery indicator came on. Voltage 1.125ish.'

That is an incredible number of shots!

Camera settings (no. pixels, jpeg compression, and other features) would seem to have an effect on the number of shots. On my camera, high quality settings make for longer time delay between pictures, most likely additional time for processing and writing to the media. Seems the more work a camera does, the more energy needed.

I am curious to know the settings for your test?

Thanks ..... John L.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 29, 2008 12:57 PM

0

1

I had everything on and was shooting the next step up from the 640X... resolution. MY wife has the camera on a trip so I don't remember. I shot flash on auto, face detect on, IS on, grid on, lcd...everthing on literally.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

March 29, 2008 11:34 PM

0

Tom B

'... shooting the next step up from the 640X...'

The next higher resolution would be 1600x1200, or 1.92 megapixels. The camera is capable of 7.1 megapixels. I don't know total effect for sure, but most likely a higher resolution and a low compression ratio would probably reduce the number of shots significantly, but the number still would be impressive.

It would be intereting to know how many shots in a high resolution, low compression test.

John L.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 30, 2008 9:50 AM

0

1

I'm sure the higher resolution would be as factor but for my hobbyist use the 1600X1200 takes a teriffic, sharp shot. Even if I got hafl the shots at 400 I'd be thrilled. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Samir 0 pts

March 31, 2008 8:24 AM

0

umm..my uniross hybrios gave up after about 180 shots and the camera shut off stating to replace batteries. So 180 shots, 2 videos of 1 minute full res. each, a lot of display mode dwindling=> in one single charge; not unacceptable, but could have been better. So there..i can depend on the hybrios for a trip or two with one full charge.

By the way, did u people notice one thing ? If u select the postcard sized mode (1600 x 1200 and fine compression), u cannot select digital zooming in the options menu ? Only when u select something other than postcard mode will the digital zoom option be selectable. The manual should have stated that clearly. I thought the camera was having some more problems other than battery life!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Abraham 0 pts

April 7, 2008 11:04 AM

0

Can anyone suggest a comparable Canon camera that does NOT have this battery/compartment issue?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

April 7, 2008 11:57 AM

0

Abraham, seems that most of the A series has this battery compartment issue and perhaps some of the newer ones if you very carefully study the pictures in this thread and then go to the test reports and canons site with the photos of the various cameras then go down to a camera store that has one you will see the answer to your question its a design thing and is built into the bodies and the entire camera had to be redesigned to get away from it if they did

I am not sure how the new SD series is but take a look they are nice cameras. I just placed my order for the A720 as it just went on sale on amazon for $170 US dollars it has some manual bells and whistles I wanted to get out of my system for my first digital camera (have had film slrs in early days)

It was features and price.

It seems that the battery problem isnt such a problem when you use premium rechargables particularly the Sanyo enveloops I did go into Ritz camera here to see one of the A models and the salesperson said to use Enveloops that gets them off the hook if you look at a few of the a series on ritz website you see they are offering enveloops right on the same page to me that says thats safe way out of the "problem" for this camera

but if you like the newer canon sd series and other brands go for it seems that alll the a series after this year will be replaced anyway. I am taking a gamble with the battery thing and another problem or two but if you have the money go up in price range.

see if you can find a canon of the sd series in the camera shop and take a look at the battery comporatment you can tell if its the same design as the older a series.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

mrsuyyagh 27 pts

April 7, 2008 12:35 PM

0

Dear all,

I currently reside in Jordan - Middle East and here I could not find any decent rechargeable batteries except for the energizer 2000mAH which are also overpriced. There is no way that I could obtain the eneloops batteries even if i bought them from the net because most refuse to send such items to the middle east. So my question goes as follows: If I used the energizer batteries and applied the toothpick fix, will that solve the problem? (I consider the problem solved if i could get approx 150-200 pictures and few minutes video before recharging), moreover, is it true that it is better to use chargers that take hours to do the job rather than the 15-minute chargers?

thanks in advance :)

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

April 7, 2008 12:48 PM

0

I hope others answer more experienced than I perhaps for you it may not be worth the investment if there is a question. - a 15 minute charger is not as good for these rechargable batteries the slow charge is better the battery life will be longer and the batteries also as I understand it will "top off" better, in time.

Hope others who have contributed here will answer your question.

If it were me I would choose a camera with a different battery type

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Ben C. (Ben2112) 1 pts

April 9, 2008 11:05 PM

1

0

I bought this camera for $240.00 at Best Buy six months ago and now it’s dropped to $150.00. ARRRG!
The Alkaline battery’s that came in the box didn’t last long before the battery light came on.
I then bought Rayovac 2500 Nickel Metal Hydride batteries at Walmart. They latest longer but still the battery light came on too soon. By then, Best Buys’ 14 day, take back period was over and I was stuck with the camera.

After some researching on the internet I read people had done tests on the camera showing that the cameras low battery light comes on at 1.1 volt per battery, for a total of 2.2 volts for both batteries. The camera shuts off at 1.0 volt per battery or a total 2.0 volts for both batteries in the camera. This is a really bad shut off voltage for a digital camera because most AA batteries can’t hold that high a voltage for the length of their charge.
I then found someone had done voltage drop off tests and charts, which showed various batteries, and how their voltage drops off. Here is the link.

http://www.users.on.net/~mhains/Reviews.html

The enveloop 2000 seemed to have the highest voltage for the full length of their charge, which makes them perfect for this camera. They also have the new long life technology, which makes them hold 85% of their charge for a whole year. They come precharged. Regular NiMH batteries lose 30 % of their charge per month so they need to be charged every month.

The User Guide manual that came with the camera says to use AA- sized Alkaline batteries or Canon AA- Sized NiMH batteries. So this probably saves Canon from any lawsuits. I have yet to see someone on here use Canon batteries and have a problem. The Canon batteries must just start off with a higher voltage, which then stays high enough for the length of their charge. But they are expensive and I don’t think they have the long life technology, which means they will have to be charged every month or the camera will be dead.
I bought my eneloop batteries and charger at Amazon.com for about $15.00. This solved the problem for me. I also bought extra eneloop batteries at Circuit City.

Ben

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

April 10, 2008 4:13 AM

0

I just read a newsletter and there was a reader problem mentioned with a brand new Canon A720. I just ordered mine and should get it in a day or two. Just something else to worry about.

It seems that this user indicates that the button battery for the time/date is not holding. He keeps having to replace it. These button batteries should last a long time.

Apparently the AAs are the only thing running the time/date in this user's camera and it has to be reset each time the AAs are removed, recharged and put back in.

Has anyone here had that problem?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Sergio 1 pts

April 11, 2008 5:16 AM

1

0

Hello all, my little contribution to the matter. I bought the A570IS on February 2nd, 2008 with PANASONIC alkaline batteries enclosed. Shot more than 200 picts and then I got the usual low on batteries message. Shot about other 100 picts then camera did not switch on anymore. Tried to use the camera with rechargeable batteries: ENERGIZER (1,2V/2200mh) and CAMELION (1.2V/2100mh). No way to shot more than 10 picts, even after full recharge of batteries. Used the toothpick trick without succes, so brought camera to service. They told me that no issues are reported for batteries on this camera, no needed to use toothpick trick, just read carefully the manual (suggest use of CANON batteries - Nominal 1.2V/2500mh, minimum 1.2V/2300mh): in any case they fixed the lower contacts of battery box. Now the batteries, when inserted, are out from camera of about 2mm and closing of battery door is slightly more hard: this should ensure good contact at the bottom side, and battery door side too. Bought rechargeable batteries and charger 1.2V/2700mh (UNIROSS batteries and charger and BILORA batteries like backup) and now take more than 200 picts without appearing the damn battery message: I am still waiting for it, but I hope to be able to shot few other hundreds of picts. Summarising, in my case the issue seems to be related to the use of batteries with insufficient power... that is all! Suggest to try with high capacity battery (1.2V/2700mh or more): hope this help and good luck.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

mrsuyyagh 27 pts

April 11, 2008 10:59 AM

0

Using Kodak Alkaline Batteries I was able to get 43 indoor all Flash shots with 2.14 min video before the "change the batteries" message popped up. Note that I fixed the battery contacts with a small piece of rubber. Hope the results I got are promising before I get to buy the rechargeables.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

fiddle 0 pts

April 18, 2008 11:17 PM

0

Have been using NiMH rechargeables for quite a while. a DXG digital, an electric toothbrush, and a batteryoperated shaver. Have been using Energex AA 2500 mah, and Energex AAA's. I have always had low battery capacity. Then I started using a very useful battery tester which indicates "good, weak, or dead" and discovered that in almost every case of low battery (this is using a battery pair like in the «Canon A570) one battery indicated "weak" or "dead" while the other showed "good"! By throwing out all those which showed up weak or dead I finally ended up at the beginning of this year with one pair of good cells. About this time I bought a Canon A570, and after the free alkaline that came with the camera started giving "low battery" signals I put in the two good NiMh's. Have read all the threads and got all the contact problems, but by pressin the battery door and wiggling it each time I start a session I sometimes get the low battery signal but I ignore it. (got change battery once but wiggled the door and started again) I have not had to recharge yet. Have discovered in documentation that all tese cells have an internal resistance which is not necessarily the same for all cells. I believe that this causes one of the cells (don't know which one)to run down faster than the other. The bigger the difference between cells the more one cell is loaded. The better quality cells would have smaller differences thus using all the capacity of the TWO cells. This would address the discussion on which cell manufacturer has the better operating characteristics. Would someon check this out.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

fiddle 0 pts

April 20, 2008 9:26 PM

0

Correction to my post of April 19 :- Energex batteries should read ENERGIZER batteries.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

mdocod 3 pts

April 22, 2008 12:14 PM

3

0

I just happened to be searching the net for something else and came across this thread, looks like yall could use some help:

Don't worry about capacity when buying NIMH cells for use in cameras, worry about internal resistance and voltage maintenance. You'll get more shots without a low battery indicator from low resistance cells than you will from high capacity cells. Unfortunately manufactures don't list internal resistance on the package. Eneloop 2000mAH cells are some of the lowest internal resistance cells on the consumer market. Sure they have a lower number on the package, and will probably deliver less pictures than a 2700mAH cell when compared *straight* off the charger in some cameras, but what about the next day? 2500mAH and higher capacity cells are prone to develop rapid self discharge. They can sit in a device (or on the shelf for that matter) and be completely dead in a few days. This is because the platelets and insulators within the cells are packed in so tight that they start to "leak" stored energy between the layers. The result is a cell that discharges rapidly without any current drawn from it. Those thin, tightly packed internals are the reason the high capacity cells have more internal resistance and poor voltage-under-load characteristics as well. The eneloops, also sold re-badged under different brands (white top duracell 2000mAH LSD cells, for example), have thicker insulating barriers within the cell, and thicker plates, they can pass current more freely, and as a result, often deliver more useful watt-hours than a cell that is rated high mAH. Remember, a camera is a "regulated" device that will pull more current from a set of cells to off-set low input voltage to run a component within the camera, so a cell that suffers from high internal resistance will have the camera try to pull more current from it to offset that low voltage, in doing so, more power will be wasted as heat within the cell (because of resistance).

It's important to note that not ALL high capacity cells develop extremely rapid self discharge, but MANY of them do. They will perform and work as expected usually within the first few dozen charge/discharge cycles, but then they will start to rapidly degrade, their internal resistance will increase, their voltage maintenance will go down the tubes, and their self discharge will become unmanageable. In my experience, most consumer cells will not deliver a useful performance past 100 cycles. Eneloops handle the rigors in the long run much better, even if you don't get as many shots straight off the charger as another cell, the eneloops will pay for themselves in the long run by not needing to be replaced as soon.

Another option would be to look into some hobby grade (super low resistance) cells. Usually found where RC guys can be found. They are usually about 5 mOhm give or take and hold voltages up around 1.35V into most light loads without any problems. They are usually rated around 1500-1700mAH capacity, but remember, capacity ratings aren't everything!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Troy 0 pts

April 22, 2008 12:25 PM

0

I read a few of the responses b/c I'm experiencing the same problems with my camera that after two or three photos, I get the low battery indicator light coming on. It seems that a lot of people are blaming the batteries for this and not the camera. I have Energizer 2500mAH batteries, brand new and fully charged, and still get the same issue after taking two pictures. I've tried it with older Energizer NiMH rechargeable batteries and got the same issue. I know these batteries work well, since I have them running in an older Canon model digital camera with no issues and the new batteries work in that camera with no issues as well. It's an older 4mp PowerShot as well, requiring 4xAA and uses a CF card instead of SD.

Even with the low battery indicator on, it will randomnly turn on and off at will whenever the camera is used and I can still take several pictures, up in the hundreds before the batteries are actually discharged. I suspect that it's an issue with the firmware on the camera itself, especially after talking with a few Canon approved repair facilities who've said that they've had quite a few cameras come in with the same issue.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

April 22, 2008 1:23 PM

0

1

For whatever reason Canon has not addressed or even admitted that there is an issue. If it could be fixed with a firmware update I imagine by now they would have done it... IMHO.

tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

fiddle 0 pts

April 24, 2008 8:37 PM

0

Has anybody got some experience with the new "hybrid" NiMH,s?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

khaled 0 pts

May 8, 2008 5:25 AM

0

I would like to report my new exerience with the A570IS. after my previous post of March 27, I went shopping for rechargable batteries. In the local market here in Cairo/Egypt, only Energizer, Varta, Sony, and some cheap chinese brands were available. I chose the Varta 2500 mAh because of its higher mAh and the good experience I had before with its regular batteries.

It was a reasonble choice, with the first charge, I was able to take 210 shots and about 20 minutes of video over a period of one month (so there was no internal discharge). I think it is OK now but I have to say the quality is still not what I would compare to my analog Pentax and Ricoh SLR's. Maybe I still have to get used to the adjustments. I found that the Prorgram mode with exposure compensation provides much better results than the fully automatic mode. Also, recently the white balance functions seems to work wonders sometimes.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

GEH 3 pts

May 13, 2008 2:11 PM

2

0

I believe that part of the low battery problem may be associated with the plastic lugs each side of the + terminal in the battery cover. If the + terminal on the AA battery sticks out only a small amount above the battery body, then the plastic lugs will prevent the terminal making a good contact with the cover. The "toothpick" solution helps to solve this problem by raising the + contact in the battery cover in relation to the plastic lugs. If you can find a battery with a longer + terminal you may not need to resort to the toothpick.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Canon Woes 0 pts

May 19, 2008 12:54 PM

0

I have EXACTLY the same problem.... I have had this camera for 9 months and from day one I am lucky to get 10 shots from the camera. I had a set of 8 energizer NiMh 2500 mAh batteries all fully charged and all give the same result -10 pictures. I have tried all sorts of new alkaline batteries, some causing it to simply boot up and immediately shut down. It is sooo frustrating to be ready to take a picture and then have the stupid camera shut down after like 2 pictures. This is not acceptable, why else would you buy a camera that takes AA cells...so that if necessary on a trip you can walk into a store and buy a couple of alkaline cells...but even with re-chargables it does not work well. This MUST be a design issue with this camera. There are waaay too many people having this problem for it not to be a design issue with this camera.
Canon better come up with a solution or this will be the last Canon product I will buy.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

GEH 3 pts

May 19, 2008 3:56 PM

1

0

This is for Canon Woes.

Look at the post by Amourek at 18.52 on 8/12/2007 and the attached picture. Use a thin piece of flat wood & slide it under the +ve terminal in the battery cover where shown to raise the contact up slightly (Don't bother with the -ve terminal). Then replace your batteries with Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables and I believe your problem will be solved. A bit of a bodge but at the end of the day it looks like Canon are unlikely to accept there's a problem.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

mrsuyyagh 27 pts

May 20, 2008 12:57 AM

2

0

I fixed the battery contacts (both + and -, focusing on the plus) with a small piece of rubber and used Energizer 2500 mAh rechargables and I was able to get 250+ indoor with flash pictures and 20 minutes of video since then. I can only say that I am now relieved and satisfied. :)

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Amit 1 pts

May 21, 2008 11:20 AM

1

0

Thank you guys for all the information you have put together. I am also using A570IS and having the same battery problem. I haven't tried any of the ideas yet but it seems from many of you that toothpick may resolve this issue for better. I will also give a try to it and let you guys know.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

June 1, 2008 8:50 PM

2

0

Many thanks to this forum for solving the battery problem. It really was just bad contacts.

Not having toothpicks, I solved it by using a small screwdriver to gently bend out the contacts in the lid. Perfect, and a very good battery life, even using the screen and the flash.

This is a brilliant camera, but Canon should have sorted this problem.

Jim (J.Baker @ ex.ac.uk)

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tasha 2 pts

June 6, 2008 9:41 AM

1

0

Recently I left a fresh set of rechargeables for my camera at home and the batteries died while out. Fortunately my boyfriend had a spare set of AA alkaline batteries I could use (don't remember if Energizer or Duracell). I was always getting the low battery icon with my rechargeable Rayovac batteries from a few years ago and definitely not the high power kind available now. I popped in the alkalines and didn't get the battery icon once at all and snapped pictures all day long. They ended up dying after a day of photos and short videos. I went back to using my rechargeables and of course get the low battery icon. I never threw the alkalines away and was wondering why they worked and not my trusty rechargeables that worked well in my old A520 and my GPS without problems. Last night I compared the diameter of the + connectors and they were the same. I then compared the length of the batteries. Low and behold the alklaline battery was a few mm longer than my rechargeable. If this whole battery icon issue is from poor contacts, having a longer battery may be a way to make the contacts better, in addition to using the toothpick fix. I know others have talked about the diameter of the + contact, maybe it is the fact that longer batteries make better contact and who thinks to compare lengths. Maybe the Eneloops are better because they happen to be a tad bit longer than others out there. Just a thought.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

June 6, 2008 9:53 AM

1

Thanks to Tasha for extra information on this. My bending the contacts probably did the same as having slightly longer batteries, it did improve things a lot, but I have since discovered that this is not the entire solution. After a while the low battery icon appeared again, but I ignored it and was able to take many photos with the thing flashing.

I think one day's shooting on one set of alkaline is OK, although other cameras do much better. My theory is that the firmware needs modifying, so that it does not give the warning so early, ie, before it is necessary. The flashing warning is very distracting and is NOT telling us the truth. Don't let it shut down the camera; you can turn this off in the options.

Jim
----------------

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

June 6, 2008 10:44 AM

0

1

JIm: Where can you tuen it off in tyhe options? IF it is off, does the camera shut down without any indicator? Of course you could just shoot until it shuts down. If the option is turned off does it still tell you to change batteries wyhen it shuts down or are all battery alerts turned off?

Thanks,

Tom B.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

June 6, 2008 10:54 AM

0

1

To turn off auto shut down:

MENU
Right for settings
Select Power saving
Change Auto Power Down to OFF

This only stops the auto power down. Nothing else is affected.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

June 6, 2008 2:40 PM

1

JIm: Does the auto-power down refer to when it shuts off to save battery after XX amt of time or when it goes low & the auto-power signals the low-battery with the flashing icon and/or the change battery text comes up?? Does this disable all of the above or some of the above?

If this is disabled does this mean there will be no power down, no alert and no change battery alerts. The camera will just go dead when it is time to change batteries??

Thanks for clarifing,

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

June 6, 2008 2:58 PM

1

As far as I can tell, this ONLY prevents the camera shutting down when it thinks the power is low.

You will still get the battery low icon and eventually, it will just stop working and say "Change batteries".

This may not be of any great help, as I think the auto-power down is usually just if the camera has not been used for a while, but I suspect that it might also do the shut down when it thinks the power is low.

In any case, nothing else seems to be affected, so why not try it? I would rather decide when to turn off my camera than let it decide!

There remain two questions.

(1) Why do you get the low battery icon after taking only a small number of photos with a new set of batteries?
(2) Why can you then go on to take a lot more photos with the icon flashing all the time?

It does seem like a bug in the firmware to me.

Jim
-----------------

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

June 6, 2008 3:09 PM

2

0

This site has an excellent review and some tips on the camera:
http://kenrockwell.com/canon/compacts/a570.htm

The review has this to say about the battery problem:

-----------------------------------------------------
POWER

Battery Life and Meter

The A570 has the same overly sensitive low battery warning as the other A-series Canons I've used. It often will flash the red battery symbol or shut down, even if the batteries are fine or new. Don't believe it; keep trying and keep shooting. My 4-year-old Canon A70 has always done the same thing.

I made 300 shots on the A570 on a set of 2,100 mAh Ni-MH and they were still going when I returned the camera to my friend from my photo club.

Since I couldn't kill the battery in the short time I had it, I don't know if I'd get more than 300 shots. The battery meter was telling me I was out of juice, but the open circuit voltage of the cells was each 1.29V, which is fine for Ni-MH. It is probably happier with throw-away lithium.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

June 6, 2008 3:52 PM

3

0

Life is too short to fight a little camera really, but this problem has really got me. I could just go out and buy something else, but I love Canon and this little camera is a gem in every other way. The performance is quite outstanding and I have used it in preference to my big Canon digital SLR on many occasions, simply because it is so small and convenient (and has IS).

Here is another suggestion from elsewhere. I have just tried it, inserted new batteries, and will report if it helps...

----------------

mikedodd's Full Review: Canon PowerShot A570 IS Digital Camera

I really like the PowerShot A570IS. It's a big step up from the A80 I had before it. However, I've experienced the low-battery warning problem that has been mentioned multiple times on the 'Net.

The problem manifests itself when the camera turns on the low-battery warning indicator even with a fresh set of batteries installed. It happened to me repeatedly after turning on the power only for five times with a fresh set of batteries.

I discovered I could make the warning indicator go away by simply opening and closing the battery compartment cover. After I did this, the camera would operate normally with the same set of batteries. But after 4 or 5 power-cycles, the low-battery indicator would again come on.

I expected the battery compartment cover and I believe the design of the metal electrical contacts is flawed. These contacts are made of springy metal, but there isn't enough force to press the metal securely against the battery. Even worse, the end of each contact has a metal tab that prevents it from being bent further out to increase the tension. I believe these contacts are the cause of the low-battery warning.

I fixed my camera by inserting tiny pieces of plastic foam (i.e., spongy, like from "foam rubber" pillows) under the metal contacts. I used a small screwdriver to gently bend up each metal strip, and stuffed a small piece of foam under it. This provides enough force to keep the contact securely touching the battery. Since I made this fix, I have power-cycled the camera at least two dozen times, and never once did the low-battery warning come on. In other words, I believe the problem is fixed.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rick 4 pts

June 17, 2008 10:15 AM

2

0

I had the exact same issue. Both Energizer 2500mAh and RayOVac Hybrid 2000mAh batteries, freshly charged, would either immediately display a low battery warning, or take at the most 10-12 pictures before displaying the warning.

I applied a bit of DeOxit on the terminals of a couple of batteries, inserted them, and opened and closed the battery door a couple of times. Afterwards, I shot 250+ flash photos with no low battery warning. Try it out if you get a chance, it might be a little simpler than wedging something under the contacts. You can find DeOxit at Radio Shack, Fry's, MCM Electronics, etc. Or at www.caig.com

It's fairly expensive, but it's the best contact cleaner I've ever used.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

June 17, 2008 10:40 AM

1

DId you put it on the teminals both positive and negative or on the batteries or both?

tnx

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rick 4 pts

June 17, 2008 3:49 PM

2

0

Both terminals on the batteries, and a tiny amount on the contacts on the door.

Update: Up to over 400 shots on this charge now.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

June 17, 2008 3:51 PM

1

I also used a fine file to touch up the contacts and battery ends..worked well also.. tb

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

June 17, 2008 4:12 PM

5

0

I have been very busy and not devoted time to this. My current position is that I have cleaned the contacts really well. Made sure that the battery contacts made good contact with the batteries.

I still get the warning, but was able to take dozens of photos with the warning flashing.

I write software for embedded systems like this (not cameras), so I am a bit of an expert. This is my theory:

The software is too sensitive to the battery voltage. It does drop dramatically as a photo is taken, and maybe the software picks up on this and reports "low battery". Instead of realising the the voltage is soon OK, it continues to report the warning. You can confirm this by opening the battery compartment and closing it again. The warning will often go away, but come back again when you take another photo.

Maybe it's just an annoyance, but I do feel that Canon should address this. It does spoil a wonderful little camera.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Hallohallo 4 pts

July 18, 2008 4:11 PM

0

New camera, same problem. Eneloops are coming from China, but this problem is still quite nasty.

Has anybody tried CHDK software and decreasing the battery warning? Perhaps that will help.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Robert Sigmund 1 pts

July 21, 2008 7:31 PM

0

Hi. My problem has been solved since using eneloop batteries and putting a toothpick under the battery contact. I've now taken nearly 400 pictures with one charge, the last twenty or of which were taken with the low battery warning.

I finally decided to recharge my first set of batteries.

My question is: can I charge two batteries in a four-battery charger?

Thanks!

RS

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Rick 4 pts

July 21, 2008 9:14 PM

0

Charging two batteries depends on the charger, but generally the answer is yes.

I'd strongly recommend picking up a good charger that can recondition/test/restore batteries as well as charge any number at once. The Maha Powerex MH-C9000 is the one I use, and it works great.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

July 21, 2008 10:43 PM

0

Robert Sigmund: I got the eneloop 4 position charger packaged with my first set of 4 eneloop batteries. The charger is identified as "MQN04 Standard-Charger for 4 Batteries". The following is copied from FAQ's on the eneloop U.S.A. site:

'Do I have to charge 4 batteries at a time in the 4-position charger, or may I charge only one?
The eneloop 4-position charger battery slots are designed in pairs. It is designed so that it may accommodate charging 2 batteries at a time - 2 in the inside positions or 2 outside positions - or 4 batteries at a time. The charger charges AA or AAA only.'

This charger has worked frequently and perfectly for 9 months. I charge 2 cells often in either the inside or outside positions, and also 4 at a time - no problems.

No doubt the Maha Powerex MH-C9000 has more features and may be better in the long run. It costs $57.95 plus shipping from Amazon.

Link to the FAQ section of the U.S. site:

http://www.eneloopusa.com/eneloop.html

Hope this is helpful. ..... John L.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tasha 2 pts

July 21, 2008 10:51 PM

1

0

I commented earlier about longer batteries possibly allowing better contacts. I picked myself up some Energizer 2450mA batteries that were longer than my old rechargeable Rayovacs. I put some small strips of paper under the contacts since I didn't have toothpicks (this didn't work with the rayovacs) and since switching to these batteries, I have yet to get the low battery indicator. I used to get it with my rayovacs from the get go, but have yet after days of use and many shots, to get this indicator with these new energizer ones. Very annoying to have to try different batteries and stick paper under the contacts just to use the camera, but this is otherwise a good camera and I am willing to do what it takes to work.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Stan 0 pts

July 28, 2008 7:59 AM

0

A happy conclusion - Eneloops.

My problem: Energizer 1850 mAH NiMH's get rejected when they are still well charged. They will then go on until they are flat in GPS, torch, etc.

I tried 'toothpick' and DeOxit and they did not help in my case.

I borrowed some Uniross 800 mAH NiCad's and without using DeOxit or toothpick managed to use them until they were genuinely fairly well discharged. Occasionally I had to wipe them and reload them. Incidently these have small positive terminals.

I came to believe that my camera does not suffer from bad contacts, but that the Energizer batteries have too much internal resistance. See "mdocod" on 22 April 2008. Eneloops have low internal resistance so I got some.

These batteries went on and on until even the GPS agreed they well well run down, and without using DeOxit or toothpick and without having to reload them at all. I used the method in the manual page 116 (monitor on, alternate flash and zoom, etc.) and "Change the batteries" came up after 397 shots. The low battery warning first came up after 368 shots. This trial was over a period of 8 days.

Thankyou everyone. It seems the solution is not the same in every case.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

David G 2 pts

August 18, 2008 6:07 AM

1

0

There appears to be a switch inside the camera that is operated by a plunger in the corner of the battery compartment, right next to the SD card. This plunger gets pushed down by the end of the slider inside the battery compartment lid that is part of the locking-catch mechanism. If you gently press the locking-catch sideways without actually releasing the compartment lid, the power to the camera is disconnected, and is reconnected when the catch is allowed to return into position. If I do this repeatedly on my A570, It fixes or causes the low-battery problem randomly. It therefore seems that we have an additional source of variable contact resistance in this camera's design.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Hallohallo 4 pts

August 18, 2008 6:36 AM

1

0

Dunno, eneloops fixed my problem...

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

MOCHO Phil 1 pts

August 25, 2008 3:30 AM

1

0

Might this be fixed with a firmware from them also..

I mean the "low battery warning sign" because it will become useless if so.

CANON! Make firmware to fix this issue!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

giga2007 2 pts

August 30, 2008 8:58 AM

2

0

I decide to black list canon product for a while.
When a company too giant, they start forget they valuable customer, what a shame.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

David G 2 pts

August 30, 2008 9:08 AM

1

0

Mocho Phil: I am sure a lowering of the threshold levels at which the indicator comes on, and at which the camera shuts down, could be made the subject of firmware change. Canon however seems unwilling to do this. The plunger switch is a hardware thing. If there happens to be a poor contact there, the only thing would be to change the camera and cross your fingers that the replacement was going to be ok! Having said all this, Eneloops fixed my problem but I know it hasn't done so for everyone.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

wabo 1 pts

September 8, 2008 11:12 AM

1

0

CHDK solve my to fast A540 auto shut down battery problem

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

September 8, 2008 11:25 AM

1

I do noth think that CHDK has solved any problems with A570.

Tom

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

michael 5 pts

September 10, 2008 8:31 PM

2

0

I'm so glad I found this forum, I have the same dreaded low battery warning with my Canon A710 IS. Camera worked flawlessley for about 1 year, and then the low battery problem started. Doesn't matter what kind of battery or brand, regular alkaline, lithium or rechargeable. Opening the compartment door might fix the problem, at least for another 10-15 shots.

I called Canon and they told me there are no reports of such an issue and as it is out of warranty, I could mail it back. Average cost to fix is $129.

Have these folks heard of the internet? Are they aware that people can now share their experience? Is anybody from Canon reading this? I told them this was my first, and likely last Canon purchase. Why should anybody have to fiddle with toothpicks when there is a design flaw. Outrageous in my opinion. Love the camera otherwise, but Canon is not doing the right thing here.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

September 10, 2008 10:26 PM

1

0

michael,

You are right about Canon, but ...

Since you have had it a year and like it, you might try the toothpick trick - very cheap and simple. Metal contacts should not become too compressed to make good contact, but this is a common problem, not only this model and Canon - even in the film point and shoots.

After trying the toothpick trick, check if you are using the newer NiMH technology rechargables as discussed several times in this thread. They make a world of difference over the older ones.

Happy shooting ..... Johnny.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

September 11, 2008 5:54 AM

1

0

I have the greatest sympathy with Michael and what he has written. Canon could sort this out and they ought to.

Perhaps all who read this forum should email them?

This is a design fault, despite my expertise in electronics and software, I am not sure I understand quite what is wrong.

BUT, don't give up on Canon. Absolutely fantastic cameras. My digital Canon SLR is a miracle of technology, quite amazing. This little one performs incredibly, despite the problem.

I am sure someone from Canon must be reading this. Please sort it out. You have some of the best technologists on the planet, so just solve this small problem, please.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

michael 5 pts

September 14, 2008 6:20 PM

0

1

Hey Folks,

Thanks for the replies. I have tried cleaning my contacts with a clean eraser, but that has not helped at all. I'm going to try the toothpick trick and see if that helps.

So, is there an email address for Canon, it would be great if folks could email them to be sure they are aware of the scope of the problem?

-michael

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

September 14, 2008 9:17 PM

2

0

Too bad this forum has gone on so long. The answers to the problem have been solved many times above, but it is like reading an encyclopedia.

By now, anyone writing to Canon to fix this problem is whistling in the wind. They will do nothing, as amply stated several times above.

Just get the contacts working, with a toothpick or whatever, and get some of the new type of Nickel Metal Hydride batteries and charger - Eneloops or whatever other bands have the new technology. These are rechargeable, almost nothing to recharge, with hardly any self-discharging, and are much, much cheaper than the polluting throw-away ones. You, your camera, and the environment will be happier.

Maybe someone can write a summery of these fixes, and let this issue be put to bed, and everyone just enjoy the great pictures possible.

Johnny.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Hallohallo 4 pts

September 15, 2008 2:14 AM

2

0

Well, toothpicks and cleaning contacts did not help many people, so summary is:

Buy Sanyo Eneloop batteries. It is possible to take about 700 photos continuously with the LCD on with them or even more.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

soft 2 pts

October 19, 2008 10:41 AM

2

0

Problem with canon low battery indication and cutoff is due to its drawback in design.Canon is having is very high

cutoff.ie: it will cut off after a slight change in voltage drop of battery assuming battery is low.It is designed for

battery protection to get maximum life unfortunately indication level for canon was too early.So it needs either

a firmware update or change in its circuit to overcome this.I am waiting for reply from canon for the same

problem.So everybody give a complaint at canon site.link is- http://www.canon.co.in/ComplainForm.asp

thanks

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

October 19, 2008 2:52 PM

0

1

Soft,

It is doubtful you will get any response from Canon, and if you do get one, they will do nothing. This problem and solutions have been discussed many times in this forum, including the 2 comments above yours.

Good luck ..... Johnny.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

October 19, 2008 3:29 PM

3

1

Soft is correct. This a software (firmware) problem and Canon should respond. They usually provide good customer support, in fact, I am a big fan, but they have certainly failed on this one.

I would encourage others to hassle them for a fix.

A wonderful little camera, spoilt by a minor bug.

I must say that my Canon digital SLR is quite remarkable, fantastic technology, good user interface, brilliant results. Canon are good, bu they are letting customers down with this problem.

Jim
-------------------------

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

michael 5 pts

October 19, 2008 9:42 PM

0

Hi,

I responded in another thread. I've tried the toothpick problem and the camera now works as it did when new. No low battery indicator, and no problems with any type of battery.

As said in previous notes, it's a nice camera but Canon has dropped the ball. My first and last Canon as they know full well about the problem, but choose to ignore when you call them and reference this and all the other threads on various forums of users complaining about this identical issue.

Thanks to the prior users who solved the problem on Canon's behalf,
michael

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom 0 pts

November 25, 2008 11:22 PM

0

1

I took mine in before the warranty since the Canon website says bring in for service. The had it back to me in 4 days. They said nothing was wrong. All they said they did was clean the contacts. Putting my batteries back in the door seem to close more solidly. Haven't had a problem, it's like a totally different camera. Have low discharge Panasonic batteries and they have been fine for over a week. I think they know what the fix is but don't want to admit it.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

jason c 3 pts

November 28, 2008 12:47 PM

3

0

It is pretty sad to say that a big company like Canon (like others) refuse to help out consumers when their product fails in great numbers. I contacted a Canon repair shop about this exact problem and gave details. The service tech acted like it was a problem that had not been seen or heard of before. It has gotten to the point that I am missing picture moments. I have given my money to Canon in the past but will not make that mistaked again. Customer service is very important in business today. Poor customer service and tech support will force me to buy a differant brand soon. It should not be this hard to keep this camera working.

Jason C

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Joe 1 pts

December 6, 2008 10:09 PM

1

0

I'm going to echo what everyone else here has already said: SANYO ENELOOPS! I've purchased a set of 4 for less than $10 from Thomas Distributing, and my A570 no longer gets the premature battery warning! Sticking a toothpick or a tiny piece of folded paper underneath the contacts also seemed to have helped mitigate symptoms

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

December 6, 2008 10:27 PM

1

0

Canon,

i am sure someone there at Canon is reading this, if so, please pass it on to senior management.

Look how many messages on here, and this is just one forum. This is a genuine problem.

Time to own up and correct this fault. OK, it will cost you a bit, but how much will it cost you to lose so many customers that love your cameras? And yes, you will lose us, for life; there are plenty of good alternatives. You have to give good service if you want to compete. You are not doing so.

Please do the right thing on this one.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Steve 3 pts

December 22, 2008 10:48 PM

3

0

I just purchased the Canon SX110. I am having the exact same low battery issue as everyone else here. I will be taking the camera back and purchasing a different brand. It is obvious to me that canon isn't going to do anything about this issue, or they wouldn't still be selling cameras with the same issue as over a year ago.

And the advantage to having a camera that uses AA batteries is that you shouldn't have to purchase special brands or types of battiers. Just normal duracell AAs should be fine.

I was pretty nervous about the battery cover anyway, you really have to push on it to open and close it. Probably best I take it back anyway, before that breaks.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Opuntia 3 pts

January 11, 2009 6:41 AM

2

1

Came here from battery problems with camera.
Thank everyone for their contributions.
My conclusion; The batteries are the problem.

The cause is the high internal resistance of the batteries!

Many NiMh batteries have a high internal resistance for use in the A720.
The same applies to the alkaline battery, including those of Duracell.
The Electo 2300 mAh NiMh batteries that I had used, have an internal resistance of 500 mOhm!
The NiCad's Sanyo 700 mAh give no problems.
NiCad's have a much lower internal resistance than NiMh batteries.

The internal resistance can be determined by measuring the battery voltage with load and without load.
For the load I used a resistance of 1 ohm.
Discharge current is then about 1 A.

Example.
Without load 1.3 V voltage measured.
With load of 1 Ohm a voltage of 1.2 V measured.
The internal resistance is approximately the voltage difference measured in ohms.
The internal resistance = 1.3 - 1.2 = 0.1 ohms.

As far as I can see Sanyo NiMh batteries and in particular the Eneloop AA 2000 mAh, which were listed here, are a good choice.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

JJ 0 pts

January 24, 2009 2:29 PM

0

I have had this camera a little over a year and I hate it. This camera has caused me to miss a lot of memories and all of my sons football season because either the batteries were dead or the pictures were too dark. I completely regret ever buying this camera and now I have my first grandchild on the way and I am not going to be screwed out of pictures because of this crappy performing camera. I am searching for a new one and it won't be a Canon. What a waste of money.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

January 24, 2009 7:14 PM

0

33, maybe you could read the suggestions which are plentiful in this forum. There is the toothpick trick, and using the right kind of batteries, and maybe there are other answers in the manual. Those who read what is here are often pleased with what you hate.

Did you read the manual? Did you go back to where you bought the camera and ask for help? did you call Canon?

Johnny.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

January 24, 2009 8:37 PM

1

JJ,

Perhaps I can save you some time. I bought the A720 which is essentially the same design camera. I had read through the suggestions here to get an idea of what was happening even before I took delivery in the camera.

I checked with a camera salesperson and mentioned the battery problem. The salesperson stated that there is no problem with batteries but covered that by stating that Sanyo Enveloops are the battery to buy for any device of this type taking AA batteries.

You should invest in Sanyo Enveloops as I did. Regardless of the cost of the camera, cost as a factor in that decision you are dealing with irreplaceable moments so why skimp on battery and charger? WE dont have to figure the cost of film and D&P anymore so skimping on batteries and charger is senseless.

Enveloops aren't expensive. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 for $13 and the package doubles as a carrying case for spares.

I read through the decisions and ordered a LaCrosse charger which was the bigger cost here. I have NOT regretted it.

Enveloops are designed to have long lasting battery shelf life in between charges. With the excellent LaCrosse charger topping off the batteries from the camera just before an outing with the camera, since the batteries retain a lot of charge, is rather quick. I always have a pack of spare batteries topped off (4 in the case that Sanyo supplies in my pocket. That gives me a MINIMUM of 500 full cycle flashes.

I ordered my batteries and LaCrosse charger from www.thomas-distributing.com Its a good investment! Mine selects the charging rate and also will recondition a battery with discharge/charge cycles. The instructions are comprehensive.

The toothpick trick referred to just uses a flat toothpick to shim up the contacts a bit as the batteries tend to fit loose which may contribute to the problem. An observant poster here noticed that the contacts on the ends of the Enveloop batteries are just a bit longer than some batteries and I have found that the toothpick trick was not necessary. I don't quite get the number of full flashes that some report here but with 2 sets of spares in my pocket it has NEVER been a a problem.

My next camera probably won't be a Canon but not just the battery problem. One of the problems is that they have opted a) to utilize AAs instead of a proprietary battery and b) some of these A series cameras only use two AAs instead of four.

Aside from the battery thing, you have to admit that Canon's A series cameras have pretty good picture quality. My A720 has been said to rival or even surpass entry level SLRs. It's the camera itself that gets a bit clumsy, way too slow for me for quick deciding camera shots. The LCD is terrible out in the sun, but the optical finder saves the bacon.

Good enough for me. Good luck!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jay 0 pts

January 28, 2009 2:31 AM

0

Been using A590IS with uniross 2100 for sometime now. I take around 200-300 shots , both with flash and without and a dozen videos. Never had any battery related problems so far.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom K 1 pts

March 14, 2009 5:52 PM

1

0

Hello Folks,

We have a Canon A710 IS. What a great camera. We've had it for a year or so and it's ability to use power from a fresh set of batteries has gradually weakened over time. VERY FRUSTRATING!

Recently it has gotten so bad that we are unable to put brand new recharged batteries in without it shutting down instantly. The only thing that would work are fresh regular alkaline 1.5V batteries. And then this workaround just failed to work. Reading through all these great posts I tried a few things without success:
1.0 Clean all 4 camera contacts (tried q-tip w QD electronic cleaner, then tried pencil erasure)
2.0 Clean all 4 battery ends
3.0 Remove the door, bend the positive and negative metal leads so they have more spring force, re-install.

I finally tried the "toothpick" solution. Although instead, I cut a 1/8 inch strip along side of the short side of a business card, folded it a few times, ripped off excess and inserted under the positive metal contactor.

VOILA! Worked like a charm

CONCLUSION: Since I had just bent the top contactor so it had at least it's original position (if not more) I think that the bottom metal contactor must gradually lose it's spring and the overall distance between top and bottom contactor gets so long that proper contact is not made.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

March 14, 2009 6:47 PM

0

This last suggestion sounds good. Lots of other suggestions here, so best to try them and see if anything works for you. There may be more than one problem involved.

But it is a design fault, isn't it? I have never had this kind of problem with any other battery powered equipment. Canon should fix it.

It is strange that such a brilliant high-tech camera should fail because of a badly designed battery compartment. The processor is rather more complex, and they got that right.

:-)

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Hallohallo 4 pts

March 15, 2009 2:18 AM

1

Tom K-s suggestion did not work on my camera, but Eneloops did. And I am very happy to have this problem, because that lead me to Eneloops which I am very fond of.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

March 15, 2009 11:18 AM

0

1

I have been using the Eneloops now for 16 months, and they are amazing.

There are other forums and internet questions where the problem of batteries in various models of digital cameras comes up. They take only a few pictures and poop out. And as far as I know, the camera instruction manuals don't cover the performance problems with various batteries, and don't promote the types compatible with digital's characteristics. Even another model of Canon point and shoot I recently bought as a gift didn't cover this battery situation.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Hallohallo 4 pts

March 15, 2009 11:20 AM

0

1

"They take only a few pictures and poop out" LOL. :D

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 15, 2009 11:29 AM

0

2

MY Canon works pretty well with the Eneloops since I posted in Feb last year. Still if it seems to draw down too fast, I will pop the battery compartyment and it seems to reset the battery sensor.. I routinely get over 200 shots with flash + movies out of it. I also carry several sets of Eneloops - just in case.

Otherwise as previously noted here, a great little camera...

Still, it is a shame Canon doesn't address this with a firmware upgrade to address the battery sensor issue. - BUMS... :)

Tom B.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

March 15, 2009 11:48 AM

1

I agree with Tom B of course, about Canon.

I might give in and get some Eneloops. They are good, if expensive. But they seem to work for many.

But I might try another solution first. It seems possible that Eneloops might work because they are a tiny bit longer than other batteries. If this is the case, there are other ways to effectively make the battery longer. This is what is behind the toothpick solution. I think I will put some solder on the positive terminal of some alkaline batteries, filed down to be just a few mm thick.

It might work?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

March 15, 2009 12:07 PM

0

"I might give in and get some Eneloops. They are good, if expensive."

They are surprisingly inexpensive at Costco here, charger and some AA's plus in one package. Another package is only batteries. My kids bought some there and both are really happy with them. You don't get the full selection, however - typical Costco marketing. Wal Mart also carries Eneloop at a excellent price.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Tom B 35 pts

March 15, 2009 12:17 PM

0

2

I've seen a set of them with charger at Costco for $20. ish. Worth every cent. I have the tooth-pick fix in place also. Works well..but ENeloop's are well worth a couple of bucks to reduce the aggrevation.

I also suggest you top off your Eneloops if they have been sitting for a while... especially if you are going on a trip. Never hurts though they do hold a charge in storage better than any other battery..

After spending a few dollars for this camera, don't fall over pennies to reduce the aggrevation, IMHO.

This camera takes awsome Pic's

Tom B.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

March 15, 2009 12:46 PM

0

1

Yes, maybe we should remember the good points about the camera.

I don't really understand how, but it often takes pics as good as my expensive SLR. Not so much control of course, or changing lenses, or big flash unit, and does not take a good pic of a black cat in a coal cellar by candlelight, (my SLR does), but it fits in my pocket!

That's why I have given so much time to trying to solve the battery problem.

I think the Eneloops are more expensive here in the UK, but I will look into it.

Thanks to Tom and others for advice on this. Much appreciated.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

slowpoke 5 pts

March 24, 2009 12:24 PM

4

0

You need to reset your camera after you change the type of battery! I just call the Canon because of the low battery warning. They told me that I need to remove the battery and hold down the power button for 30 seconds to reset the camera, and then put in the new or fresh recharged battery. Otherwise the camera would be confused about the voltage and give the warning. I think that fixed mine and it seems consistent to what many people described here, some battery works but some do, some A570 is fine but another one is not.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

March 24, 2009 1:08 PM

1

Good tip Slowpoke, thanks.

I got some Eneloop batteries. Quite expensive. They seem to work. Maybe problem solved?

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 24, 2009 1:50 PM

0

just to try and understand this directive...

I have the A20 which essentially I think is the same design, the same 2 AA cell battery scheme.

The way I see and understand it, if I remove my batteries the circuit is broken. If I hold down the on button for thirty seconds one would think that would not have an influence on the circuit in the camera.

Or is holding down the battery bleeding some held charge in the ciruit and logic somewhere?

not questioning this just trying to understand it. For future reference.

Enveloops seem to work for me well enough perhaps I dont get as may shots as otherss but I tested to about 200 flashes at full discharge so I think thats adequate for a camera of this type.

I am greatful that I have an inexpensive camera with good optics that can rival what entry level SLRS produce! the fact that the camera is slow in operation comes with the territory.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

March 24, 2009 2:50 PM

0

Good point.

The camera does also have a small battery cell, so not completely dead when main batteries are removed.

But I would guess that a proper reset needs to be done by holding the button down, with the main batteries inserted.

No one should complain if they get 200 shots.

The problem that this big thread is all about is getting less than 20 shots before the low battery warning. For most, the camera contiues to work, but it is a bug, and Canon should fix it!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

bear45 4 pts

March 24, 2009 4:13 PM

1

0

agreed Jim

just saw that perhaps that point needed clarifying somehow.

Can't figure Canons concept on the battery design thing. that camera that I have the A720 isnt compact anyway it will fit a coat pocket but not something else so I cant figure why they would go to some proprietary flat battery and be done with it. The camera is great basically and perhaps they dont want this price range camera to be TOO good as to cut into SLR sales Always leave em wanting more!!

Anyway enveloops do it for me!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

LP 4 pts

April 10, 2009 7:23 PM

3

0

I found a CNET review of the battery problem, and someone responded that, when changing to a different brand of batteries (with different characteristics, as extensively noted above), one should remove the batteries, and then hold the power button down for about 30 seconds before putting the new batteries in.

I did not try the "toothpick" solution or clean the contacts. But after I did this, a new set of duracell alkaline batteries, which repeatedly before had given the low-battery indication began to work just fine.

This problem appears to be multi-pronged, but the "firmware" problem, as someone called it above, may be addressed by this fix, which the CNET commenter claimed came from CANON.

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/canon-powershot-a570-is/4864-6501_7-32314644.html?ctype=msgid&messageSiteID=7&messageID=2527073&cval=2527073

Haven't seen if this works in the long term yet, but something definitely happened immediately. My batteries that refused to work a few moments ago (repeatedly) now work.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

April 10, 2009 8:48 PM

1

0

Thanks LP. That sounds like good evidence that the "reset" thing might help for some people. Worth a try - it's free! It does sound as if there may be more than one cause of this problem.

I got some of the eneloop batteries and so far, they seem to be working OK.

BUT, just to repeat my moan, Canon should sort this out!

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Pollybell 2 pts

April 17, 2009 12:46 PM

2

0

I have had this camera for nearly 2 years and only recently experienced the problem of the battery light indicator coming on. I tried a number of different makes of battery and foung that Duracell solved the problem. When looking at the various bateries I noticed that the Duracell is actually slightly taller than the other makes. Might be a coincidence but this would fit in with making a better contact with the cover.

If I knew how (and I don't) I'd add a photo to show the difference in height.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

Jim 24 pts

April 17, 2009 1:42 PM

1

0

Yes, you are right Polybell. My final(?) opinion on all this is that it is nothing to do with battery voltage or type of battery, after all, rechargeable batteries provide a lower output voltage than alkaline.

It is just the size of the battery, just that. Eneloops and Duracell are just that tiny bit bigger, a few mm. This is BAD battery compartment design by Canon. They get all the difficult hi-tech stuff right and the battery compartment wrong! I think there is a firmware problem too, as the camera should not be so sensitive to a temporary drop in battery voltage due to a bad connection. They could be forgiven if they did something about it, but they have not. I am afraid that my next camera will not be a Canon.

Jim
--------------

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

John L. 5 pts

April 17, 2009 10:49 PM

0

1

Jim ... quote: "My final(?) opinion on all this is that it is nothing to do with battery voltage or type of battery, after all, rechargeable batteries provide a lower output voltage than alkaline."

On all the flashes I have had over many years, rechargeable batteries perform significantly better than alkaline. This is in spite of their lower voltage, and they are quite inexpensive now, at least in the U.S. and Canada. The new technology NiMH batteries have overcome the problem of self-discharge. The electrical cost of recharging is insignificant.

There are economic, environmental and performance advantages of rechargeable batteries. Alkaline batteries are used once and dumped into the garbage.

Report Abuse Did you find this answer

helpful or

not helpful?

A	is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of digital cameras.
B	means they are good, with some standout features.
C	means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth.
D & F	mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs.