Bronica ETRS eats batteries!

[wildbill]

My wifes etrs has the ae prism on it and seems to kill the batteries even when not in use. Every time she takes it out, the meter doesn't work and requires a new battery. She keeps it in a camera backpack with the shutter release locked. Are bronica's known for this or is she doing something wrong that's using power?

thanks

vinny

 

[Steve Smith]

I don't have the metering prism but when I first got my ETRS it used to flatten the battery in a couple of weeks. I asked here and on Photo Net but no one hade a similar experience.

For no reason that I can work out, it is now o.k. and has had the same battery in for about a year.

Perhaps storing it with the prism removed would help.


Steve.

 

[Ole]

I changed the battery in my second-hand ETRS after 11 years. Then two years ago I bought an AE prism, and the battery is still fine.

So it shouldn't eat batteries.

 

[Nick Zentena]

The older AE prism is reported to use more power then the AE III.

"LCD display (using far less power than previous models)"

That's Bronica's claim for the III finder.

 

[blaze-on]

Mine seems to last pretty well Vinny..

 

[Uncle Goose]

what brand do you use?? and what type of battery, sometimes they drain faster with some types or brands.

 

[Edwardv]

What might be happening is the meter is left on, and when the camera is put away the button to the ETRs is being pressed turning on the meter and leaving it on. Lock the button to prevent the meter being turned on, even if you have a speed grip. OR the meter is off but the button to the ETR is not lock. Lock the button so it is not pressed in.

I hope it is understandable. Having one of those days for communicating.

Good luck.

 

[John Koehrer]

Easy to determine whether it's prism or body.
As suggested above carry the camera with the prism physically removed from the body. If battery remains OK the you may have a short in the prism.

 

[benjiboy]

From my experience, generally when cameras eat batteries they have an electrical fault, if it was mine I would get it checked by a qualified camera repairer.

 

[Otter]

Bronica ETRS eats batteries.

From my experience, generally when cameras eat batteries they have an electrical fault, if it was mine I would get it checked by a qualified camera repairer.

I have to agree with BENJIBOY, as I have had similar frustrations with dead batteries.

I found that the fault lie with the lens, not the AE II finder. Whether the finder was installed and not turned on or not, or not installed made no difference.

Removing the lens while the camera was not used/stored kept the battery from being drained.
The lens system defaults (no electrical power) to 1/500 second shutter speed and uses electrical power to keep the shutter 'open' for longer durations (1/250 through 8 seconds).
I decided to replace the lens with another (KEH) and haven't had the problem since.
Another alternative solution might be to select 1/500 second shutter speed and AE prism to M (manual) if not OFF.

Good luck

Otter

 

[David Henderson]

I had a similar problem with a SQ-Ai I bought ten years ago and it seemed like I couldn't use the camera for a whole day without changing batteries. I took it to the UK repairer who eventually diagnosed a complex electrical fault which involved a circuit board if I recall correctly. Anyway they cured the problem though I don't know how much it would have cost had it not been under a warranty from the selling dealer. I now get several hundred frames and about ten days use from a set of batteries if I use the metered prism, more without it.