battery on digital pentax spot meter died?

[Daniel_Buck]

So the battery on my digital pentax spot meter died yesterday.

I really only use it on the weekends, I've only had the meter for about a year, and the battery already died. Is this a normal expected lifespan?

I guess there is no way to check the status of the battery (without a battery checker, heh!) So I guess I'm just going to throw a few extra batteries into my little tool kit for the future. I didn't do this before because I was expecting the battery to last a very long time (since it gets used very little, only on the weekends, and probably only for about a total of 1 minute throughout each the trip!).

Does this meter drain the battery when it's not in use? or does it only drain when the trigger is pulled?

Just curious :)

[RPNugent]

Mine usually takes quite a while to need a new battery. The one time it quit quickly I figured out the trigger must have been depressed while it was in the carrying case due to a roll of film I had tucked away at the end of the day and forgot until the next morning.

[Ben Hopson]

The battery should only drain when the trigger is pulled. I am not sure how long the battery in my Pentax digital spot meter lasts. I think I have gone for a couple years on one, but when I plan to be on the road photographing for a month or two I usually change the battery to avoid an unpleasant surprise. I also keep a spare battery in whichever camera case or backpack I have with me.

Unless you got a battery that was weak already from sitting on a store shelf for a long time, I would think it should have lasted longer baring environmental factors such as extreme temperatures for an extended period.

[Eric Woodbury]

I would expect that battery to last a couple years at least, but it could have been a bad bat. Always carry an extra, because with a bat, they aren't much use. Or just change all your bats once a year (I think this is a bit wasteful, but maybe not).

By the way, no reason to use the lithium here. Alkaline will work just as well and last just as long. Lithium is for high current use and your meter probably takes 10 or 20 mA.

[Daniel_Buck]

Thanks for the replies!

Bob, you may be right, I may have stuffed the meter into my bag and the trigger may have been pressed! I'll have to look and see how I throw it into my bag and try to avoid that :-)

[john borrelli]

Hi Daniel,

I don't know if my experience is applicable to yours but FYI... I own the digital version of the Pentax spot meter. I noticed I was replacing batteries a little sooner than in the past.

Eventually, after shooting slide film rather than the Black and White I had been using, I noticed my metering seemed a little off. I sent the thing into Pentax and they replaced some of the electronics. I haven't changed a battery since and my metering is back on track again. The charge was over $100.00. They also fixed the diopter adjustment lock on the eyepiece which had never worked correctly.

The only problem was that the repair took longer than their estimate which was a little frustrating as it is my only meter.

[Ed Richards]

The advantage of Li is shelf life, which makes it perfect for a light meter. Li batteries are good for at least 10 years just sitting around.

[Sanjay Sen]

The batteries should last a while - I got my meter about a couple of years back, and the battery is still good, and it's the one that came with the meter.

I usually carry a (new) spare battery, just to be safe.

[Eric Woodbury]

Ed

True enough. Li is about 0.5% per year at 20C while Alk is about 3.5% per year at same. At 40C it is 2.5% and 10%. So if you are buying batteries for sporadic use oveer 10 years or more, then get the Li. If you live somewhere that it's very hot all the time, then Li is better. Li is a little more expensive, but worth it for the above conditions.

From personal experience, my spot meter has the original alk. battery from 5 years ago and doing fine. I don't use it every day and the meter I use can tolerate about 4V and still operate as long as the current is about 10mA.

[Frank Petronio]

I used to change the ones in mine ever 7 or 8 years whether I needed to or not! Check how you're packing it, get a holster (and the all the related TSA problems.)

[Brad Rippe]

Daniel,
I had a strange experience with my Pentax a few years ago. I thought the battery died but the interior housing for the battery had come loose and the meter worked sporadically as the battery moved around.

Thanks to advice from members of this forum, I was able to disassemble the meter and fix the housing.
-Brad

[Bruce Barlow]

We have a segment on "Camera Repair in the Field with Richard Ritter" where he talks about triggers getting depressed when meters are put in camera bags. draining batteries quickly. Photographers are later depressed when they don't have spare batteries. A year of sporadic use is way too short.

And replacements are expensive, too.

[Sal Santamaura]

The Pentax Digital Spot does not appear to have voltage regulation. It instead seems to rely on the flat discharge curve of a silver PX-28 for consistent performance. I've previously used lithiums in mine, and, since they decline in voltage with use, noticed a 1/3 stop difference in readings near the end of battery life. The meter reads 1/3 stop higher with a low battery than with a fresh one. Silver cells hang on to the end, then drop precipitously. I now use only silver in the meter, and keep a spare with me at all times. Replacing the battery once a year has precluded ever having to install the spare.

[Jeffrey Sipress]

What? You don't carry a spare battery?!?!

[Daniel_Buck]

What? You don't carry a spare battery?!?!

I will now :) I was expecting it to last a very long time, since it hardly ever gets used. (I guess I was wrong!) And, I didn't even have a spare at home, just didn't think about it since it's the only thing I carry (flashlight aside) that uses electricity. I guess I've just gotten used to the large format stuff not using batteries. When I go shooting digital, I always have spare batteries.

I just picked up a pack of batteries, I'm going to throw a few of them into my tool-kit that I bring with me :)