EOS 1v battery draining problem

pekelnik · Dec 7, 2011

I have a EOS 1v which I got about half a year ago off Ebay and it has a strange problem. In those 6 months I went through 4 batteries
(while shooting maybe 10 films with it). Last time I took it out on Sunday, battery was dead. Thought I must have left it on and pushing the
release in the bag, I got a new battery. All worked fine until I took it out of my bag today and battery dead again. This time I'm 100% sure I
turned it off. Does anyone have any idea what to try/troubleshoot/etc? Am I doing something horribly wrong by having it in my bag? The
lens on it was a MF Oly 50/1.4 with a chipped OM-EOS adapter. Thanks!

MattKing · Dec 7, 2011

Do you have a Canon EF lens you could leave on it as a test? Just in case it is a problem with the adapter.

ath · Dec 7, 2011

The EOS's are never really "off". They go into a kind of sleep mode and wake up periodically to drive the LCD and check the "ON" switch.
When I get a new electronic camera I routinely check the current consumption. While checking the canons I found that even in sleep mode some button presses cause normal operating current for a second or two.

That said I think that either you got a damage in the camera or the adapter empties the battery. On my EOS3 2 pins on the lens mount are powered when the camera is "off".

Poisson Du Jour · Dec 7, 2011

The EOS 1v, like those pro-level models before it, consume a miniscule amount of battery power even when off. Any deviation certainly indicates a fault in the electronics possibly the interface of the lens adaptor you are using. I would strongly recommend testing the camera without the adaptor and with a Canon EF or manual focus (e.g. TS-E) lens in place, with the camera used for shooting, and also turned off to observe any unexplained battery consumption. The 1v has a venerable reputation for brute strength and reliability and I do have a gut feeling from your story that something needs to be professionally checked out.

sandermarijn · Dec 7, 2011

ath said:
The EOS's are never really "off". [...] That said I think that either you got a damage in the camera or the adapter empties the battery. On my EOS3 2 pins on the lens mount are powered when the camera is "off".

Indeed, when you mount onto an off-mode EOS camera an EOS lens that has its aperture preset to a certain value, the first thing the camera does (even in off mode) is reset that aperture to fully open. Which goes to show that EOS cameras are 'constantly' reading the lens, even when switched off. It doesn't seem entirely unlikely that the chipped OM-adapter is not giving a proper, definitive answer to the body (e.g. while in off-mode), thus draining the battery.

[You can preset the aperture on an EOS lens by taking off the lens while holding the DOF-preview button pressed. This trick can be useful if you want to use the EOS lens stopped down on a foreign body, such as a digital Sony NEX.]

pekelnik · Dec 7, 2011

Thanks guys. I'll watch it, 3 times before I had a EF lens on it when it happened, this time was the fastest of all. I'm afraid I'll need to have it checked out as you say. Or just keep it with the battery out for some time and see if it goes away.

Poisson Du Jour · Dec 7, 2011

A thorough look-in of the 1v is much, much better and reassuring than speculation. This is not a camera that would let anybody down, even if it is soaked, battered, knocked, swung, rolled or used as a lethal weapon in self-defence!

Chan Tran · Dec 7, 2011

So you could have a problem with switching electronics. They can possibly failed to shut off and drain your battery. If you can verify current draw is good thing to try but I know that not everyone can do it. I think you should have Canon check your camera out.

shutterclank · Dec 7, 2011

Poisson Du Jour said:
A thorough look-in of the 1v is much, much better and reassuring than speculation. This is not a camera that would let anybody down, even if it is soaked, battered, knocked, swung, rolled or used as a lethal weapon in self-defence!

i had one of the 1v-hs canons and i fell into the pacific ocean with it... i didnt have a lens with seals, and slat water is not a friend of electronics.

but back on topic, do you have the hs battery or the regular one?

markrewald · Dec 7, 2011

I have a EOS-1n with the same problem. Got to the point I take the battery out when I am done shooting. that is if I remember to. I would love to hear of a solution.

pekelnik · Dec 7, 2011

shutterclank said:
i had one of the 1v-hs canons and i fell into the pacific ocean with it... i didnt have a lens with seals, and slat water is not a friend of electronics.

but back on topic, do you have the hs battery or the regular one?

Regular 2CR5 battery. The problem doesn't happen all the time though. The camera will sit on the shelf for month with battery at 100% and then suddenly it's dry. I can check for the current draw once I get a new batch of batteries. Maybe I should get some rechargeable ones as this is getting expensive. I'll have to wait for the check up probably as service like that is likely to be impossible or cost more than 2 1vs in Switzerland.

Poisson Du Jour · Dec 7, 2011

2CR5 batteries are patently lousy power sources. Switch to AA NiCd or lith ion rechargeables. My old (retired) EOS 5 barely got 5 rolls out of a 2CR5. Enter, the EOS 1n in 1996, with power drive booster. AA lithium batteeries have been changed over just twice over that time (!) and I have no idea now how many rolls have gone through the camera. The EOS 1v by comparison should be up there with the best of the frugal power users on AA power sources, significantly less with 2CR5. I'm thinking about moisture ingress somewhere, but the 1v is darned well sealed so it seems improbable.

pekelnik · Dec 14, 2011

So the adapter seems to be the culprit actually. Just rigged a multimeter between the battery and the camera after much poking. Normally the meter shows 0 on stand-by (not sensitive enough), but shows about .1 amp draw when the chipped OM adapter is on the camera, no matter if the camera is on or off.

Chan Tran · Dec 14, 2011

congrat! you have gotten it! 0.1 amp is very high draw.

pekelnik · Dec 14, 2011

Yup. Normally the highest draw (focusing + IS) seems to be about .2 which makes sense, running the IS for 7 hours seems like a thing that would just about drain the 1500mAh 2cr5. Quite strange though. My non-chipped 14mm Samyang works fine.

Chan Tran · Dec 14, 2011

Well so now you know and it wouldn't even preventing you from using the OM adapter. You just need to remove it when you don't use the camera.

Newt_on_Swings · Dec 14, 2011

sandermarijn said:
[You can preset the aperture on an EOS lens by taking off the lens while holding the DOF-preview button pressed. This trick can be useful if you want to use the EOS lens stopped down on a foreign body, such as a digital Sony NEX.]

Cool trick! I will have to try this out! I have had drain issues as well with my Canon gear. I usually just rip out the batteries and pop them in when I need the camera. But I think in my case it is the off brand grip I have on mine.

Oh well.

Meow7 · Dec 12, 2016

I realize this is an old thread, but instead of starting a new one I'll use it, since this is my issue! My EOS 1 has died after new battery change on Oct. 28. I think I shot maybe 2 rolls of film and went out this morning and bam, dead as a doornail. Using a 17-40 1:4L lens. It does have a command back but it is off, could that drain it? Even when off? How would I adapt it to use the NiCad AA batteries? My son has an EOS A2 that does not have this problem, nor does the EOS 630... thanks...

Meow7 · Dec 12, 2016

Ahhhh, I guess never mind. EP-B1 battery pack... Plus I guess I could also get the rechargeable 2CR5s

Poisson Du Jour · Dec 12, 2016

If you are using a 2CR5 battery, switch to AA lithium or alkaline.
2CR5 batteries have a long, long history of problems with all EOS bodies. The easy workaround is to fit the separate battery pack of power drive booster.

Meow7 said:
I realize this is an old thread, but instead of starting a new one I'll use it, since this is my issue! My EOS 1 has died after new battery change on Oct. 28. I think I shot maybe 2 rolls of film and went out this morning and bam, dead as a doornail. Using a 17-40 1:4L lens. It does have a command back but it is off, could that drain it? Even when off? How would I adapt it to use the NiCad AA batteries? My son has an EOS A2 that does not have this problem, nor does the EOS 630... thanks...

The '1' predates the EOS 1N by two years, and that had several improvements at system and drive level.
I have an EOS 1N which is still trooping along 22 years after I paid a kidney and spleen for it. All that time it has been shod (and functioned without flaw or fail) with the power drive booster E1 (sometimes running lithium AA but more commonly plain ol' alkaline) and, like you, the standard lens is the EF 17-40mm f4L. And I have the intervalometer fitted, often used for 6-7 hour overnight star trails. I suspect there is an internal (age related?) fault that is draining the battery, but you need to fit a power drive booster to effectively rule this out. That booster definitely makes a difference. As I have mentioned above, 2CR5 batteries are piss-weak for EOS cameras (and to mention it, that applies to the EOS 5 too).

Meow7 · Dec 13, 2016

I have ordered the power booster. We shall see. It could be, as you say a flaw due to age. But as I stated neither the A2 or 630 have this issue, both being about the same age. The command back could be the issue. If it is an internal issue can it be fixed? Where would I send it? or do I just deal will using batteries. I've also ordered the chargeable 2cr5 battery as well. I think the command back is always on even though it's off. It's always saying off on the LCD, so obviously it's using power, if only to tell me it's of!!! Thanks!

Poisson Du Jour · Dec 13, 2016

Meow7 said:
I have ordered the power booster. We shall see. It could be, as you say a flaw due to age. But as I stated neither the A2 or 630 have this issue, both being about the same age. The command back could be the issue. If it is an internal issue can it be fixed? Where would I send it? or do I just deal will using batteries. I've also ordered the chargeable 2cr5 battery as well. I think the command back is always on even though it's off. It's always saying off on the LCD, so obviously it's using power, if only to tell me it's of!!! Thanks!

The command back and E1 intervalometer consume a miniscule amount of power in their off state, and also when they are detached from the camera (as they have their own power supply). The power drain is entirely inconsequential and both backs can go almost a decade between button-cell replacements.

It is also true that all EOS bodies also consume a very, very tiny amount of power when turned off, such as the LCD display and volatile memory storing ISO and Cf functions, among others. If a battery is not lasting for its expected 2-3 years, then a fault in the body is certainly indicated. EOS bodies are straightforward to service but the service people must have experience with them, or taken them to Canon's own repair facility (but be prepared to wait MONTHS for the repair to be completed!).

Miskolczi Renátó · Jun 27, 2018

Hi Pekelnik!!
I noticed the same problem like you, yesterday...

Did you find any solutions for the problem?

I hope to hear from you soon.
Best wishes,
Renátó

EOS 1v battery draining problem

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