S3: Battery at 50% - “Please change”

[sincurves]

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I got the message to replace battery after I shot ~250 frames today. Battery still shows 50% charge left. No LV and little playback. Is this a typical number of shots to be expected from a fully charged battery? I’m used to S 006 which seemed to last forever before requiring a recharge.

[helged]

41 minutes ago, sincurves said:

I got the message to replace battery after I shot ~250 frames today. Battery still shows 50% charge left. No LV and little playback. Is this a typical number of shots to be expected from a fully charged battery? I’m used to S 006 which seemed to last forever before requiring a recharge.

Hello! S3 may need a little more power to process/store larger files, plus use of live view requires power. Despite this, the battery on S3 still lasts close to 'forever'. Do check, however, that you use the S007/S3 batteries on S3, the latter being modified compared to the S006 battery):

 

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[sincurves]

Thanks, Helge. The battery is a 16039 with very little use. Display shows 3 bars, but still get the 'Battery low, please change the battery'. I'll take it to the Leica Store and try it on another S.

[Stuart Richardson]

Perhaps just shoot it until it discharges and then fully charge it? A lot of lithium batteries require being used fully to recalibrate their charge information. It should probably not be done every time it is used, but it necessary every once in awhile.

I should say that I have never see a battery warning on the S3, but I typically shoot for several hours in a day, not the entire day without charging.

[sincurves]

3 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

Perhaps just shoot it until it discharges and then fully charge it? A lot of lithium batteries require being used fully to recalibrate their charge information. It should probably not be done every time it is used, but it necessary every once in awhile.

I should say that I have never see a battery warning on the S3, but I typically shoot for several hours in a day, not the entire day without charging.

Thanks, Stuart. I'll give it a complete cycle. I put the battery back in the dual charger and it was indeed flat even if the display showed three bars which indicates the charge information is off.

[LeicaR10]

Sincurves,  I sent you a PM.  r/ Mark

Edited May 31, 2021 by LeicaR10

[mgrayson3]

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When I traded in my S(007), I was told that the battery meter in the camera wasn't reporting battery drain properly. I wonder if this is a common bug. I just thought that the batteries lasted forever. Which they do 😉.

[LeicaR10]

Mgrayson3,   I just wrote Sincurves about my S3 experience.  When I owned the S007, I never had any issue.  Just the battery drain with the S3.  It is essentially the same board in the S007 as S3.  I tried a camera reset twice, that cleared it for a short time but came back.  As I wrote Sincurves, I sent a detailed description of the issue and battery  with the S3 and it was fixed in a very expeditious manner at Wetzlar.   You might call Leica at Wetzlar and talk with them.  I have since sold my S system to my assistants due to semi-retirement.  r/ Mark 

[mgrayson3]

3 hours ago, LeicaR10 said:

Mgrayson3,   I just wrote Sincurves about my S3 experience.  When I owned the S007, I never had any issue.  Just the battery drain with the S3.  It is essentially the same board in the S007 as S3.  I tried a camera reset twice, that cleared it for a short time but came back.  As I wrote Sincurves, I sent a detailed description of the issue and battery  with the S3 and it was fixed in a very expeditious manner at Wetzlar.   You might call Leica at Wetzlar and talk with them.  I have since sold my S system to my assistants due to semi-retirement.  r/ Mark 

Thank you, Mark. It was the old 007 that had the problem. If I notice it on the S3, I'll be sure to report to Wetzlar.

Matt