Canon EOS 3: Changing the Battery

[Chazzy]

I feel like an idiot for asking this question, but even after using the manual for the camera, it isn't clear to me how to change the battery. It's easy enough to get the grip off, but after that I don't see the "battery release lever" mentioned in the manual. As it stands now, the battery is hidden from view. How do I get it out of there?

Incidentally, I think I could get spoiled on some of the automated features of this camera. How did we ever survive before cameras could automatically compute the minimum f-stop necessary to achieve the depth of field necessary to cover the space between two specified focus points?

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I feel like an idiot for asking this question, but even after using the manual for the camera, it isn't clear to me how to change the battery. It's easy enough to get the grip off, but after that I don't see the "battery release lever" mentioned in the manual. As it stands now, the battery is hidden from view. How do I get it out of there?

Incidentally, I think I could get spoiled on some of the automated features of this camera. How did we ever survive before cameras could automatically compute the minimum f-stop necessary to achieve the depth of field necessary to cover the space between two specified focus points??

The battery release lever on the EOS 3 grip is at the top of the grip once it is removed.

That depth of field feature ("DEPTH-of-FIELD AE") has been around a long time on EOS cameras, certainly not restricted to the EOS 3. You can do a much better job by understanding the relationship between aperture and depth of field instead of running on 'auto pilot' for everything. See this excellent tutorial by Philip Chong: Dead Link Removed .

 

[Chazzy]

Well, I finally got the battery door open, as soon as I gave up on finding a "lever" and put my thumb in the indentation, and pulled the cover back clockwise. There it is--the battery! For the life of me, I still don't see anything that looks like a "lever," but it doesn't matter now.

As for depth of field and aperture, I'm very used to thinking about those things, since my favorite camera is totally manual (ditto with my 4x5). I'm just having fun seeing such things automated for the first time. I don't know how much use I will make of the feature, but I'm impressed with the "coolness" of it.

Since I have a strong preference for medium format, I will probably use the EOS 3 more for rapid, hand-held grab shots, where some of the automated features might be handy. In other words, the sort of shots which are a little harder to do with the Koni-Omega (although that too is a very rapid camera to work with). I expect that I'll keep the camera on aperture priority most of the time.

I have the 35mm/f2, and plan to walk around South Bend with it and see what I can do. I suppose that the next lens after that will be the 85mm/f1.8.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

A pat on the back for you for wrangling the mysterious battery!
But the lever should be obvious, unless of course it has been broken off.
I do like your considered choice of camera for the circumstances at hand. I'm only starting to use my new 4x5 more often with hand held metering; it's hard to shake off the spontaneity and 'feedback' of the EOS 1N / RS, but the 4x5 is a much more engaging creature. I plan to do my first large format star trails shot with it soon — as soon as I can work out a scenic destination free of the bright lights of the city.

 

[Chazzy]

But the lever should be obvious, unless of course it has been broken off.

I guess that's the only possible conclusion, at this point. The damage wasn't disclosed in the auction. But as long as I can get to the battery, I guess it doesn't really matter.