Nikon F6 eats batteries

quixotic · Nov 23, 2019

Hi All,

I have an F6 that is on its 2nd roll of film and third set of batteries. On the last set (brand new), I measured voltage before inserting (3.26v), and then the morning after, with no use in between, the voltage was already down to 3.04v. Can I safely assume that the internal re-chargeable battery is kaput (date/time will not hold between battery switches), and that perhaps it is a source of a short circuit?

Thanks in advance.

Evan

quixotic · Nov 23, 2019

Wow. That same afternoon, I checked the batteries and took 3 more photos. During those 3 photos (with a Nikkor zoom that works just fine with my Nikon Df), the battery voltage went from 3.03v to 2.89v. The camera at that point went dead.

Chan Tran · Nov 23, 2019

Since the internal battery couldn't hold date and time and your main battery is draining badly I think you're right in that the internal battery is shorted and drawing current from the main battery continuously.

quixotic · Nov 23, 2019

Correction. Not dead. The voltage is still wandering around in the 2.9v area, but I think my problem was simply that the camera would not fire if the subject was not in focus. Guess I'll just have to keep my thumb on the Af-On button if I'm swinging around while composing a photo.

quixotic · Nov 23, 2019

Chan Tran said:
Since the internal battery couldn't hold date and time and your main battery is draining badly I think you're right in that the internal battery is shorted and drawing current from the main battery continuously.

Thanks, but I'm still not sure what's going on. The internal battery is definitely shot, since I'm prompted to re-set the date/time each time I check the voltage of the CR123 batteries. But I now know that the occasionally non-functioning autofocus sometimes tricks me into thinking that the camera batteries are dead. Guess I'll just have to take it out a bit more and see how it performs.

BMbikerider · Nov 24, 2019

That is perfectly normal not firing if the camera lens is not in focus! You can swap the continuous AF and single point AF or manual focus with the switch on the bottom left side of the body next to the lens mount. On Single point AF and Manual unless it is in focus the shutter will not fire, the continuous AF it will. Try changing these and best of all read the manual!

vlasta · Nov 24, 2019

Chan Tran said:
Since the internal battery couldn't hold date and time and your main battery is draining badly I think you're right in that the internal battery is shorted and drawing current from the main battery continuously.

I can't see any connection between dead internal clock battery and main battery draining!
For beginning just compare the capacity of both, at list 1:1.000.
Aside electrical interconnection in body.

Chan Tran · Nov 24, 2019

quixotic said:
Correction. Not dead. The voltage is still wandering around in the 2.9v area, but I think my problem was simply that the camera would not fire if the subject was not in focus. Guess I'll just have to keep my thumb on the Af-On button if I'm swinging around while composing a photo.

If I take a CR123 battery out and measure it with only a voltmeter and the reading is 2.9V I consider it dead.

Chan Tran · Nov 24, 2019

vlasta said:
I can't see any connection between dead internal clock battery and main battery draining!
For beginning just compare the capacity of both, at list 1:1.000.
Aside electrical interconnection in body.

The internal battery must be charged by the CR123. If it's dead then it would draw current from the CR123 all the time.

quixotic · Nov 24, 2019

Chan Tran said:
The internal battery must be charged by the CR123. If it's dead then it would draw current from the CR123 all the time.

I think perhaps that is my problem. I just did a test roll of 24 at 0 degrees Celsius. It would have been the second roll of 24 for this brand new set of CR123s. And by the time I got half way through the 2nd roll, the battery indicator was already down to 2 bars.

Chan Tran · Nov 24, 2019

quixotic said:
I think perhaps that is my problem. I just did a test roll of 24 at 0 degrees Celsius. It would have been the second roll of 24 for this brand new set of CR123s. And by the time I got half way through the 2nd roll, the battery indicator was already down to 2 bars.

How much time elapsed from the time you installed the batteries and the time the battery indicator was down 2 bars. I am trying to estimate how much current was drawing from the batteries.

quixotic · Nov 24, 2019

Chan Tran said:
How much time elapsed from the time you installed the batteries and the time the battery indicator was down 2 bars. I am trying to estimate how much current was drawing from the batteries.

It's currently down to 2 bars (ie "begun to decline" as per the manual). That would have been over about 1.5 days at the most, and also going through about 1.5 rolls of 24 exposures each.

Added note: OK, now it's back up to 3 bars. The batteries are at 2.94v.

Earlier today, I left the camera outside for a couple of hours at 0 degrees celsius (actually warmer than when I'll need to be using it in the future). Then, when shooting outdoors (using a fit of AF), and about half way through the roll, the indicator went down to 2 bars, so I finished the roll (the camera re-wound just fine), and brought it indoors (sealed for a couple of hours to avoid condensation). Later , when I brought it out of the sealed bag, it was still a tad cool and at 2 bars, but ten minutes later, it went back up to the 3 bars.

One thing I'll do is remove the batteries overnight to see if the custom menu loses my custom settings (the clock time is certainly lost each time I remove the batteries, but to me, that's rather a minor inconvenience).

By Wednesday, I'll be able to test it at minus 10 degrees celsius, which is the type of temperature I bought it for (I thought the excellent exposure meter would be great for taking photos of snowy landscapes).

Chan Tran · Nov 25, 2019

Another test you could do is to not using the camera at all and see how long the battery last. I think the settings don't need battery power to retain their settings because modern cameras use flash memory for that. The clock however must have power to keep time. If you don't turn the camera on and the battery does last long then it's not the internal battery or the current drain when not using is the problem. In that case some of the components may use too much power like AF, shutter cocking and film advancing.

choiliefan · Nov 25, 2019

Is there some difficulty replacing the internal battery?

quixotic · Nov 25, 2019

choiliefan said:
Is there some difficulty replacing the internal battery?

Yes. Apparently, it's soldered into a circuit board deep in the innards of the body. It may even be more of a capacitor-type energy storage device than a conventional battery...though I'm just going off of my imperfect memory of my various google searches from the past few days, so don't take that for gospel.

Scott Micciche · Nov 26, 2019

It may have been asked, but does your camera have the latest firmware that corrected a battery issue? I had mine sent out for the update and have not had the camera go through batteries in any temperature.

quixotic · Nov 26, 2019

Scott Micciche said:
It may have been asked, but does your camera have the latest firmware that corrected a battery issue? I had mine sent out for the update and have not had the camera go through batteries in any temperature.

Yes, mine is one of those prior to the ser # 18*** cut-off point, thus requiring the firmware update. But apparently because it's a "grey market" unit from Japan, Nikon won't accept it for an upgrade (at least that's what I've gleaned from the various forums on the issue).

shutterfinger · Nov 26, 2019

I looked at Nikon's support and found nothing for an F6 in their firmware download section so I googled it and found https://drivers.softpedia.com/get/F...on-F6-Camera-Controller-Firmware-061015.shtml
I don't know if its what you need or not.

quixotic · Nov 26, 2019

shutterfinger said:
I looked at Nikon's support and found nothing for an F6 in their firmware download section so I googled it and found https://drivers.softpedia.com/get/F...on-F6-Camera-Controller-Firmware-061015.shtml
I don't know if its what you need or not.

Thanks. Looks intriguing, but when I google Nikon f6 and 061015, I don't find any chatter on the forums. A search for nikon f6 "controller" brings up a wireless remote shutter release. And soloshot.com just seems to be related to cable accessories. So my hunch is that it may just be software for some sort of bluetooth cable release...though I'd certainly like to proven wrong.

quixotic · Nov 27, 2019

Well, I'm considerably more reassured today than I was a few days ago. Took the F6 outside in minus 10 degrees celsius weather for the better part of an hour, and about a half dozen shots. Battery indicator was still at the full 3 bars at the end of it. I only hope that the issues with the dead internal battery leaching away some of the CR123's juice will have minimal effect rather than maximal effect.

I also got my first roll back, and I was very pleased. Tack-sharp and every shot metered perfectly.

Scott Micciche · Nov 29, 2019

quixotic said:
Yes, mine is one of those prior to the ser # 18*** cut-off point, thus requiring the firmware update. But apparently because it's a "grey market" unit from Japan, Nikon won't accept it for an upgrade (at least that's what I've gleaned from the various forums on the issue).

I had mine sent to Japan via Bellamy (Japan Camera Hunter), who made the entire process quite simple. If I remember the issue, when one battery dropped a bit of voltage, the indicator would drop the bars. So far, I don't go through them as much. I hope this helps.

quixotic · Nov 29, 2019

Scott Micciche said:
I had mine sent to Japan via Bellamy (Japan Camera Hunter), who made the entire process quite simple. If I remember the issue, when one battery dropped a bit of voltage, the indicator would drop the bars. So far, I don't go through them as much. I hope this helps.

Thanks for that. I may give them a shout.

Huss · Dec 4, 2019

I had a problem with mine eating Watson rechargeable batteries. A full charge lasted
maybe 3 rolls. Watson replaced them and they now last about 20 rolls. Nothing was
changed on the camera.

quixotic · Dec 4, 2019

Huss said:
I had a problem with mine eating Watson rechargeable batteries. A full charge lasted
maybe 3 rolls. Watson replaced them and they now last about 20 rolls. Nothing was
changed on the camera.

Do you have one of the cameras which has an internal clock battery that is kaput?

Henning Serger · Dec 5, 2019

quixotic said:
Do you have one of the cameras which has an internal clock battery that is kaput?

I have one. It works perfectly. The power consumption is not higher compared to the situation before, when the internal clock battery was fine.
I also have the permanent direct comparison, because I am using two F6 parallel. The one with the dead internal clock battery, and one with a fine internal clock battery.
Both have exactly the same (low) power consumption.
I use both my F6 with a MB-40 vertical grip (each camera has its own). And in them Panasonic Eneloop rechargeable batteries. They work perfectly, I can highly recommend them (I am using them also in my F90X, F100, F4 and F5 and in all my flashes).
I get 35 - 55 (!) 36Exp. rolls with one charge, depending on the needed power (AF use, long exposures etc.).

The dead internal clock battery of the one body is a non-issue for me. Because it is really only needed for running the internal clock when no batteries are in the camera. This batterey has no other functions. So the only thing I have to do with this body is to set the correct time again after I have recharged the Eneloops and put them back into the MB-40. It is an effort of some seconds, really negligible.

And in general I recommend using the MB-40 with the F6: Much higher battery capacity, much better ergonomics (especially for vertical shots), max. frame rate (8fps).

Best regards,
Henning

Nikon F6 eats batteries

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