Beginner Canon 50E + BP-50 - some uncertainty with AA batteries

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Rosssiiii

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Hi everyone,

I spent the day testing this camera with and without the battery grip I got.

I put some newly purchased Energizer AA batteries in the battery grip, and I positioned the switch on the battery grip so the red mark isn't visible.

1) I noticed that when I take photos with the camera's internal flash, the camera turns off when I use the battery grip with its AA batteries. Is this normal?

2) I also noticed that with the battery grip, as soon as I turn the switch to P, the camera indicates low battery with the battery symbol flashing on the display. Then I go back to L and back to P, and then it turns back on, that don't happen every times but sometimes it happens. with 2cr5 is never happende.

3) Overall, it seems a little less reliable when using AA batteries, yet the battery grip is in excellent condition with no damage and no scratch at all. The battery terminals don't appear to be oxidized. What can I do to try to remove any possible buildup that might be there but isn't visible without causing any damage?

4) Another thing that's very different from the Canon 3000n, 300v, and 300 I have. When you load the film with the door open, you have to do it with the camera off. Once the door is closed, you can turn the camera on. I noticed, however, that it doesn't rewind the entire roll like on the more basic models, where the first photo you take is imprinted on frame 36 of the film. On this one, the first frame is imprinted on the first frame of the film, right?

5) I'd read a bit about the door. Is there a way to prevent it? That is, when you close it, which I think is the tricky part, it's probably best to push down on the side release button to open it, close the back, and release the button so you don't hear the click, which could stress the plastic part. That's what I'll do. (I hope I explained myself well.)
 
I have three of these cameras, two with the BP-50 grips so let me try and answer your questions:

1) I noticed that when I take photos with the camera's internal flash, the camera turns off when I use the battery grip with its AA batteries. Is this normal? NO it isn't normal, are you sure they are fresh alkaline batteries from a reputable source? For what it's worth, I have found that Energizer batteries are not as reliable as Duracell - but that's a personal opinion and I have no affiliation with any battery company. :)

2) I also noticed that with the battery grip, as soon as I turn the switch to P, the camera indicates low battery with the battery symbol flashing on the display. Then I go back to L and back to P, and then it turns back on, that don't happen every times but sometimes it happens. with 2cr5 is never happende. This is not normal, see comment above

3) Overall, it seems a little less reliable when using AA batteries, yet the battery grip is in excellent condition with no damage and no scratch at all. The battery terminals don't appear to be oxidized. What can I do to try to remove any possible buildup that might be there but isn't visible without causing any damage?

4) Another thing that's very different from the Canon 3000n, 300v, and 300 I have. When you load the film with the door open, you have to do it with the camera off. You should do this every time, it is not good practice to change/load a film or remover/change a lens with the camera powered on. Once the door is closed, you can turn the camera on. I noticed, however, that it doesn't rewind the entire roll like on the more basic models, where the first photo you take is imprinted on frame 36 of the film. On this one, the first frame is imprinted on the first frame of the film, right? Correct, this is the normal behaviour for this camera

5) I'd read a bit about the door. Is there a way to prevent it? That is, when you close it, which I think is the tricky part, it's probably best to push down on the side release button to open it, close the back, and release the button so you don't hear the click, which could stress the plastic part. That's what I'll do. (I hope I explained myself well.) I'm pleased that you do this and when you come to open the door, gently press the door closed and then move the button to the OPEN position and then release the door to open. NOTE: When the camera is not in use, leave the door slightly open to take the strain off the very fragile internal latch. I keep mine in zip-lock bags with a small sachet of silica gel trapped in the door - see photo. Use a light rubber band to keep the silica gel packet in place.

A gentle wipe with a spectacle lens cleaning swab is the safest and best method I have found for cleaning lightly oxidised contacts. On the camera, the contacts at the bottom of the battery compartment are the likely suspects.

These are superb cameras Rob and it's well worth the time reading the manual and getting to know the camera. I wear glasses and have eyesight issues so I have never been able to use the eye-focusing system.

I hope this helps.

Canon 50E.jpg
 
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Just a couple of thoughts that occur to me. Have you tried putting the 2cr5 in the BP50 to see if you get the same issues as the AAs?

I only use my 50E maybe once or twice a year, so always use the BP50 with rechargeable AAs. I recognise the flashing battery light you mention, but had assumed it was because the rechargeables are pretty old. Switching off and on again works fine for me, and I haven't had to fit the spare AAs I have in the bag.

I've never used the flash, so can't comment on that.
 
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From ye olden days when my goto camera was a 50E... The use of NiCd/NiMH rechargeables always generated the low battery warning (1.2V terminal voltage); alkalines of any description didn't last long at all. The redeeming feature being that you can get AA batteries anywhere, 2CR5 not so much.
 
I have no idea why, but the early rechargeable batteries were awful as noted by @hunnymonster above, however, I find modern high capacity ones are excellent and I've never had a problem of flashing lights with them in the grips of my 50E's. The was one issue that cropped up four or five years ago when I bought some off a well-known auction site and found that the diameter of the batteries was such that they wouldn't fit into any of my devices. I sent them to the recycling centre and now I only buy from reputable companies.

I might add that all three of my 50E's were bought with broken door latches which I repaired quite easily with replacement latches bought off the 'net. Whenever the camera back door is closed, the latch is under constant pressure and, being plastic, will eventually fail. Leaving the door ajar when there is no film in the camera, as shown in my photo, is a no-brainer and it takes the strain off the latch and no doubt lengthens its life - I have had no failures since I adopted this idea.
 
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now i have make it more clean, but i would like to see what is inside the bp-50 because still i have issues.

yesterday one of the contacts inside the BP-50 was dirty like that: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1udvLyFR4wg3q2BfFuyPRr-dgH0NslQnb/view?usp=sharing now i have cleaned it but still give issues even with a 2cr5 inside, i will give new test tomorrow.

a 2CR5 battery at 6,05v how much discharged is it ? with canon 1000n F is working.

because this evening that battery that in the past days worked without any issue is going to let go off the camera 50e when i take pictures even without a flash and battery in the body of the camera.

now i took a new Panasonic 2cr5 on amazon that i will receive tomorrow to test the camera and see how it works, but other day i took many many pictures without any issue...i only saw issues with battery grip.

i give a clean also to the contact inside the body of the 50e, where the 2cr5 battery go on it, i had to use some light sandpaper because those were a bit oxidized too, was working with 2cr5 past days anyway.

tomorrow i will test with the new 2cr5 battery.

  • Is it normal that when I turn the camera, I gently shake it and feel a constant ticking sound inside? I read that it could be some sort of gyroscope from the time that this camera used ?
 
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Rosssiiii said:
  • Is it normal that when I turn the camera, I gently shake it and feel a constant ticking sound inside? I read that it could be some sort of gyroscope from the time that this camera used ?
Click to expand...
You can hear the image stabilisation motors in some of the longer Canon EF lenses but not in the bodies.
 
zx9 said:
You can hear the image stabilisation motors in some of the longer Canon EF lenses but not in the bodies.
Click to expand...
i have read that it could be a smal bal that rotate to understand how is tilted the camera to let work properly the Eye control unit.

Anyway, fingers crossed, it seems like everything's resolved now. I disassembled the battery grip and thoroughly cleaned the contacts between the batteries, removing any signs of oxidation with sandpaper.

I also gently sanded the contacts in the camera's battery compartment, which weren't exactly shiny, and when I used the grip, it made things worse.

I unscrewed everything from the grip and only solved the problem after removing the grip's on/off switch. I didn't do anything major there, but I had to disassemble it twice. Let's hope it's completely resolved, but yesterday, burst and flash shots worked flawlessly with the IKEA rechargeable batteries.

here inside the Battery grip:

Parte interna Battery grip BP-50 – Google Drive

drive.google.com drive.google.com
 
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None of my three have a rattle, I wonder if a screw has come undone in yours and is loose in the body somewhere?
 
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