I purchased a new camera last year, Fuji F810 along with the Iklite housing for it. The problem is diving in the Great Lakes and it's cold waters, -50. My battery shuts down and turns the camera off. Is there anything that I can do to prevnt this or to keep the cavity warm? Maybe its a bad battery? Please help. It worked fine in Jamacia.
Cold Water Problem
- Thread starter Gamehunter
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Cold is a real battery killer. The cut off occurs when a minimum voltage is reached and in general your options are to:
1. Get more than one battery and use a fresh one on every dive. Although that means opening and closing the housing more, which increases the chance of dirt, lint, etc on an o-ring and a resulting leak as well as an increased potential for condensation inside the housing during the cold water dive. Everything has a price.
2. Use a higher capacity battery if/when available, or
3. Use a type of battery with a slightly higher initial voltage.
Many rechargable batteries for example have a slightly lower maximum voltage and a very flat discharge curve, while an alkaline battery has a higher intial voltage and a more sloped discharge curve. In cold water, the alkaline pack can offer an advantage out to the point where the respective discharge curves meet.
I am guessing that your Fine Pix has a NiMH battery. You might see if you can get an alkaline disposable pack for it and see if that works better in very cold water.
Other than that keeping the camera warm before the dive and during a surface interval can help slightly as it then takes longer for the warmer camera to cold soak to the point the battery fails.
1. Get more than one battery and use a fresh one on every dive. Although that means opening and closing the housing more, which increases the chance of dirt, lint, etc on an o-ring and a resulting leak as well as an increased potential for condensation inside the housing during the cold water dive. Everything has a price.
2. Use a higher capacity battery if/when available, or
3. Use a type of battery with a slightly higher initial voltage.
Many rechargable batteries for example have a slightly lower maximum voltage and a very flat discharge curve, while an alkaline battery has a higher intial voltage and a more sloped discharge curve. In cold water, the alkaline pack can offer an advantage out to the point where the respective discharge curves meet.
I am guessing that your Fine Pix has a NiMH battery. You might see if you can get an alkaline disposable pack for it and see if that works better in very cold water.
Other than that keeping the camera warm before the dive and during a surface interval can help slightly as it then takes longer for the warmer camera to cold soak to the point the battery fails.
Cold_H2O
Guest
I borrowed a camera for my trip to Utila. Took pics on both morning dives each averaged about an hour. I would not change batteries before the third dive of the day.
I never had any problems.
Returned to the beautiful but cold PNW. Popped freshly charged batteries in the camera.
1/2 way thru my second dive batteries died. I could not understand why. My dive buddy and fellow photographer shared that cold water shortens battery life.
Has anyone considered or tried placing one of those disposible heating packets in the UW case?
I would be interested in hearing thought or comments on it.
If you have done it please share if it worked or caused any issues. I would hate to damage my buddies camera. But don't want to swap out batteries between dives or run out mid dive again.
I never had any problems.
Returned to the beautiful but cold PNW. Popped freshly charged batteries in the camera.
1/2 way thru my second dive batteries died. I could not understand why. My dive buddy and fellow photographer shared that cold water shortens battery life.
Has anyone considered or tried placing one of those disposible heating packets in the UW case?
I would be interested in hearing thought or comments on it.
If you have done it please share if it worked or caused any issues. I would hate to damage my buddies camera. But don't want to swap out batteries between dives or run out mid dive again.
Cold_H20,
Remember when I was up there diving with you guys and I complained of the same thing? It was actually happening before I got to WA because I was diving in the winter down here in TX. How did I fix this?
My camera has an external power jack. I got a Maha PowerBank from here and removed the batteries and electronics from its case to fit it in my Ikelite housing. It was a perfect fit. I now have plenty of juice for several dives. I took about 316 pictures on one day at the Flower Gardens last weekend. I'm happy with it.
Richard
My Upcoming Trips in 2006
05.27.06 - NC Wreck Diving (U-352, Papoose, and Caribsea)
05.09.06 - Oriskany {tentative}
06.23.06 - NC Wreck Diving (City of Houston, Normannia, & John D Gill)
07.04.06 - Oriskany (largest artificial reef in the world)
08.19.06 - Flower Gardens (...Whale sharks in the summer)
09.02.06 - Channel Islands (Sea lions, kelp, etc.)
10.13.06 - Catalina Island & Jazz Fest (...the California kelp)
Remember when I was up there diving with you guys and I complained of the same thing? It was actually happening before I got to WA because I was diving in the winter down here in TX. How did I fix this?
My camera has an external power jack. I got a Maha PowerBank from here and removed the batteries and electronics from its case to fit it in my Ikelite housing. It was a perfect fit. I now have plenty of juice for several dives. I took about 316 pictures on one day at the Flower Gardens last weekend. I'm happy with it.
Richard
My Upcoming Trips in 2006
05.27.06 - NC Wreck Diving (U-352, Papoose, and Caribsea)
05.09.06 - Oriskany {tentative}
06.23.06 - NC Wreck Diving (City of Houston, Normannia, & John D Gill)
07.04.06 - Oriskany (largest artificial reef in the world)
08.19.06 - Flower Gardens (...Whale sharks in the summer)
09.02.06 - Channel Islands (Sea lions, kelp, etc.)
10.13.06 - Catalina Island & Jazz Fest (...the California kelp)
Cecil
Contributor
I do not think heating the inside of your housing is a good idea. That's one way to fog up your housing real quick.
Have you tried leaving your camera on less to conserve your battery. Only turn it on to take a shot, then turn it off. If you do not have an off button decrease the time to auto-off in your setup.
Have you tried leaving your camera on less to conserve your battery. Only turn it on to take a shot, then turn it off. If you do not have an off button decrease the time to auto-off in your setup.
Cecil:
At least in my case, that didn't help. I could only get about a dozen shots before the battery would crap out. On land and outside of the housing, I could take over 300 pictures WITH the flash. The moment I take it underwater in cool to cold water, it just wouldn't last. It really Pi$$ed me off before I solved the problem.
Richard
Cecil
Contributor
Interesting, I've never had that problem with my Sony and I dive some pretty cold water. My old Sony did not have a great battery and it was tough to get two dives. My new one lasts for three or four dives without a problem.
OP
I checked out the Powerbank but my camera is 3.7 and not 7v. I appreciate the feedback here but it does not seem there is a easy solution to this problem. I will continue to do some research and post my finds on this thread. I would appreciate anyone else that may have a solution to post here to help your cold water friends
vetdiver
Contributor
We have actually had this problem diving locally (back in January - water temps were high 30's/low 40's) using alkaline batteries in a brand new Sea and Sea, when we forgot to put in a rechargeable battery. I could get one or two snaps off, then the camera would turn off - within 10 minutes, the low battery light was flashing, the camera turned off, and that was all, folks. We took the same camera out a month later with a rechargeable NiMH battery, and used it for about 1 hour with no problems whatsoever.
Edit - we only dove for an hour...and it was still going strong when we got out of the water - I imagine we'd easily have gotten another dive out of it!!!
Edit - we only dove for an hour...and it was still going strong when we got out of the water - I imagine we'd easily have gotten another dive out of it!!!
AndyT
Contributor
A friend of mine has the same setup as you do and uses 2200 Nimh batteries also in 50 deg water and less and gets at least 2 dives out of his batteries and some viewing of images in between .
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