SX60 HS - how long keep settings without main battery

[Blokhi]

SX60 HS doesn't keep date/time settings and seems other setting too when main battery is taken out for recharge. How long camera must keep settings without main battery? I have sent camera for repair, got refirbished with the same problem - memory loss.

Should I continue sending camera for warranty repair until Canon will do something reasonable? Or retun money for that camera?

[John_ · Accepted solution]

The internal date and time battery should charge up in 4 hours with a charged battery pack installed. Then it should hold the date and time setting for about 3 weeks once charged and the battery pack removed.

If it is not doing that or close enough to that then by all means send it back for repairs or replacement or refund.

To my knowledge that is not a chronic problem with the SX60's so in all liklihood you got a defective one they need to fix.

[Blokhi]

Thanks, but it didn't work with initial camera. Now got replacement. Will try again: insert fully charged battery wait for couple days, take main battery out for few days. Then send camera again to repair, because repaired/refurbished didn't keep settings even for one day.
Soon I will know names of all customer service representative and managers (if Canon will not fire them periodically).
generally camera worked rather good, except of interface my old Canon G10 much friendlier. Looks like Canon let teenagers/ computer gamers to design interface, not people who travel with camera and ready to make a good shot without digging into too many useless options. Or options that doesn't work - High contrast shots in mountains were trash..

[Grazie]

The battery you are using, how long have you had it?

[Blokhi]

 Camera and batteries were new in September 2015. I got replacement camera (different one, refurbished)  and  battery with charger (didn't need those).  Now making experiment - inserted fully charged battey for several days, then will take it out and see how long camera will keep settings.

On climb to Kilimanjaro summit, I charged batteries almost every day from solar, and have to update settings every day if forgotten to put battery into the camera overnight. Most annoying was not date and time but other settings. I never had even thought like that with my old G10 camera.

[Waddizzle]

What temperature is the camera being stored at?  Cold temperatures can make a fully charged battery seem like it is dead.

[Blokhi]

>65F - at home overnight. And that "dead" battery was working when inserted into the camera. It is not main battery problem. It might be that something is still running in camera when it switched off and consuming too much. Could be firmware problem, bad backup battery batch, bad design - Canon should know, but,...

[Waddizzle]

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@Blokhi wrote:
>65F - at home overnight. And that "dead" battery was working when inserted into the camera. It is not main battery problem. It might be that something is still running in camera when it switched off and consuming too much. Could be firmware problem, bad backup battery batch, bad design - Canon should know, but,...

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No, I did mean the internal battery.  You do not seem to have a storage temperature issue.  Some folks leave stuff in their cars for some reason. 

The only thing that could be running inside of it would be the real time clock, which should draw much current.  The camera has built in WiFi, but that should only operate off of the main battery.  But, disable it, anyway, and see if it makes a difference.

[Blokhi]

Thank you

No it wasn't in the car. I understand effect of cold on a battery. Still should not be that strong. On Kilimajaro camera and batteries were with me in sleeping bag overnight, temperature in the tent was below freezing.

I think that replacement camera has default setting when came from Canon. I will check with WiFi and without. It will take some time. In a while I will still use my G10 that prooved to be very reliable. But not good for making shots of resting black rhino in Ngoro Ngora crater from a long distance. SX60 was good at that, even without tripoid on maximum zoom.

[TTMartin]

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@Blokhi wrote:
Thanks, but it didn't work with initial camera. Now got replacement. Will try again: insert fully charged battery wait for couple days, take main battery out for few days. Then send camera again to repair, because repaired/refurbished didn't keep settings even for one day.
Soon I will know names of all customer service representative and managers (if Canon will not fire them periodically).
generally camera worked rather good, except of interface my old Canon G10 much friendlier. Looks like Canon let teenagers/ computer gamers to design interface, not people who travel with camera and ready to make a good shot without digging into too many useless options. Or options that doesn't work - High contrast shots in mountains were trash..

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Why are you taking the main battery out for a couple of days?

The only time you should take the main battery out is to recharge it, or for long term storage.

After long term storage you would expect to have to reset the date and time.