K-x new firmware v1.01 - fixed the battery indicator problem

[sethp]

Hi seniors,

I am a dslr newbie and is utterly convinced that the Pentax K-x is the dslr for me, based on the ratings of this forum. I have also persuaded a Canon-user friend to convert based on the Pentax's excellent reviews.

However, I am do worried about the battery problem though. Is the battery indicator problem common amongst the model, or is it only limited to only a couple of users? What can I do to check for the issue before downing $1k to buy the camera?

 

[elavan]

indicator inaccuracy is not an uncommon problem, it seems like it's very slow to meter the battery accurately. but it's not a power-drain or power consumption inconsistency, so i guess need not be too alarmed..we can wait for more feedback on this...

you can google, it should be a well-documented issue, or judge the rate of complaints about the new firmware here. if there isn't much, prolly no biggie, really, it's far from being a broken camera.

 

[tootboink]

i think the new batches(like now) are okay..

i got mine 5 weeks ago and it works like a charm.

man, the battery is still full after 5 weeks and 500 shots!

 

[wongcho]

Did some search on the hissing sound observed during charging :

Extract below:
NiMH -
A Hissing or popping sound from your battery pack (or if your pack gets excessively hot during charging or after flight) is not normal and is an indication of an unsafe charge rate or unsafe discharge rate. DISCONNECT THE PACK IMMEDIATELY AND LET IT COOL DOWN BEFORE DISPOSING.

Looks like the battery problem:
Since the Eneloops battery pack comes with the new purchase wonder if the shop will replace?

 

[airconvent]

Just to keep those interested updated. My Kx battery indicator finally went red last week but I continued to shoot without recharging it. Was using a mixture of LV+movie mode and normal modes plus flash (in dimly lit science centre) yesterday and the battery still has not conked on me. Image count is around 980 since last full charge (eneloops). Will report final number once the battery shuts down the camera.

BTW, if you own a Sanyo eneloop charger, its normal for the charger to have a soft hissing sound. All the chargers I have made this noise including the one that came with the kx. I previously brought an earlier one to the local sanyo agent for checking and they said it is normal too. So no worries. But can't understand if GP charger does not make that noise, why sanyo can't design it the same. Also, in a 3pin plug country, why are all the local agent selling us 2 pin models? I bought 1 charger in HK and it came with a 3 pin plug. In fact, everything they sold there has a 3pin plug or came with a 3 pin adapter.

 

[wongcho]

Wow you got very good number of shots (way above the 640 mentioned by pentax for normal recording).

My old NiCd/NiMH charger got no hissing sound.
It could be the design of the charger or the selection of the parts/components for the charger.

You brought up a very good point why we use 2 pins plug (with a standard 3pin plug supply).
Wonder if there is any difference if one plug in one way or the other way?

I remember in one of the battery charger I used, the instruction manual specifically say must be plug in face up(for the 2 pin plug) or something like that.

 

[tootboink]

my eneloops charger hisses like mad rather loudly too, and i have no idea why also :bsmilie:

but unless i suddenly learn that it is dangerous or something i probably will ignore it.

 

[airconvent]

ok. Was at the Egyptian exhibition at the National museum just now. No flash allowed. After about 20+ odd shots, the camera totally shutdown. So I guess final tally for a full charged set of eneloops on the k-x with firmware v1.01 is 1000. i won't be repeating the test because it takes too long and not good for deep discharges for NiMH batteries.

BTW, if you use those 1 hr chargers, you will get lesser mileage. Part of the 1 hr miracle (aside from higher charging current0 is the battery is registered as "full charged" when charge reaches 80-90%. So use slow over night chargers if possible. I guess the eneloop "quick" charger is ok also because its not that fast

 

[airconvent]

my eneloops charger hisses like mad rather loudly too, and i have no idea why also :bsmilie:

but unless i suddenly learn that it is dangerous or something i probably will ignore it.

The hissing is likely due to poor filtering of the transformer. Can't understand why sanyo being a world class brand will leave it like that but as I said, the agent confirms it is normal and so far all the sanyo chargers I came across has this characteristics. My old GP charger does not make this sound.

 

[wongcho]

Actually I feel very uneasy with the hissing sound. I worried about safety.
Though Sanyo can claim it is normal - but how loud the sound is considered normal and how loud is it not normal?
World class already then becomes complacent?

 

[Ahren]

I also notice a hissing sound when I used the eneloop charger. It was not loud and I did not pay too much attention to it.

I have a much older Sanyo charger and it never had that sound. Strange.

 

[spheredome]

Those who can hear the hissing sound means you are still young and hearing is good, thus this is a good news.

Senior citizen normally cannot hear these sound and that is the fact.

 

[wongcho]

There are varying degree of loudness. If you did not hear; means you are the luckier guy.

If you can hear; then can consider buy 4D, toto or lottery lo.

I think if you have been using chargers that gives no audible sound and then use the new set giving you the hissing sound - you will find this scary.
Just keep your fingers cross that there is no firecrackers, as there are reports of leaky batteries leading to explosion.

If fact there are recommendations that when we are charge the batteries, we should be around and not just plug it in and come back a few hours later.

 

[cubicon]

ah ... only got 700 odd shots from my free batts ...

i notice lo ... after the i load in the enenlop one .... took a few shots the meter become orange liao :bigeyes: . do u guys keep ur batt detection on auto or the batts u put in ?

 

[sircam]

nimh and lithium settings are the two main battery metering algorithms.

the auto setting is an algorithm which takes it time to decide which of the above two settings the camera should use. it seems the auto algorithm needs to be perhaps tweaked and improved further.

thus, use auto only when changing battery types. if you are using only one type of battery (e.g. nimh) then its wisest to leave the battery setting to nimh. this will allow the camera to straight away choose the appropriate algorithm for the battery type in use without needing to take time to 'guess' (auto setting.)

i won't be surprised if the K-x battery metering algorithms get tweaked even further in the next firmware upgrade announcement. but there is definitely an improvement with the current firmware upgrade from what many others are opining on the Internet!

also, using a new set of Eneloop batteries fully charged will always seem to last *noticeably longer* than an older Eneloop set which is two or three years old.

 

[airconvent]

ah ... only got 700 odd shots from my free batts ...

i notice lo ... after the i load in the enenlop one .... took a few shots the meter become orange liao :bigeyes: . do u guys keep ur batt detection on auto or the batts u put in ?

Best to set your battery setting to NimH if you are using eneloops. Also ensure your firmware version is 1.01 as earlier ver 1 may have battery status problems. Ensure your eneloops are fully charged. best to use overnight normal charge instead of fast charge (<2 hrs) if you want maximum live. As i said earlier, after I upgraded the software, the battery indicator initially showed orange for a few minutes but then remained green up to almost 700-800 shots. Once the orange indicator comes on, you can still take a few hundred shots before it dies on you. My experiment for 1 set if fully charged eneloops is 1000 shots with some flash shots, occasional LV movie taking.