Sony RX100 IV overnight battery depletion to zero when switched off

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Andy
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I'm wondering if anyone else has had this. My new RX100 IV depletes its battery down to zero when it's switched off.

I've tried several batteries (I have 4, 2 OEM and 2 third party) with the same results. I've also tried charging via USB to the camera and charging the batteries on an external charger. Same result.

Any ideas? Thanks.
 
I think all versions have a small current drain when switched off, this to maintain settings like date/time. In fact I think if you store the cameras for a time with no battery they will lose their date/time setting.

Over what sort of period does your battery deplete ?

My mk3 certainly depletes but over a extended period, we are talking weeks !
 
No GPS on this camera unfortunately.

The battery drains out over about 6 hours while the camera is definitely switched off, which is obviously wrong. I have a RX100 Mk2 which keeps it's battery for weeks with no issues.

I've removed the memory card to see if that had an impact, but the battery still drains out. Testing the voltage of a drained battery, there's 3.5v in there when the camera reports "battery exhausted" versus 4.2v in one fresh off the charger. The same batteries work fine and don't get drained out in the Mk2 I have.

I should add that the camera is sitting on a desk when I've been doing these drainage tests, not in a pocket or case where a button could be inadvertently pressed.

Of course, I bought the camera while on a trip to the USA a week ago. Not sure how I stand with sending it into Sony UK to get them to sort it out. Any ideas on that or the draining issue? Ta.
 
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It has to be a fault, I'd talk to Sony here in the uk and see what they say. I've left my DSLR turned on and still not managed to drain the battery in 6 hours, even an iPhone has better battery life than that!
 
" The battery drains out over about 6 hours while the camera is definitely switched off, which is obviously wrong. "

Shucks ! that sucks. I guess Sony will fix it but I doubt they will do it under warranty.

Contact Sony here http://www.sonypencoed.co.uk/ they are efficient but I think the minimum charge is around £110.00 Ouch.
 
Not sure how warranties work but might it be more economic to send it back to the US?
 
Definitely doesn't sound right. I have the RX100 M3 and it can lie for weeks without use and still retains battery life.
 
Well, the overnight current drain issue persists after installing firmware 1.2. I have an RX100 ii as well and so can swap batteries, charge one inside the other camera etc in order to eliminate as many possible problems (like duff batteries) as I can.

Anyway, I'm going to send it in to Sony having raised a case number etc.

Before I do though, I've decided to do a bit of investigation myself. I've bought a voltage data logger from Maplin and wired up some connections to the battery + and - terminals so I can check the battery voltage while it is in the camera. The data logger checks the battery voltage every 2 seconds and records the results internally. You then plug the datalogger into a computer (USB) and download the results. It will be interesting if this records anything strange, like sudden voltage drops. I'll report back for the benefit of the collective.
 
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Well this is interesting. I ran a simple test for a few hours, with the voltage logger checking the battery voltage every 2 seconds. Here's the result:

RX100IV Voltage Test 1 by Tobers, on Flickr

Obviously the voltage data logger could but impacting the results, so I'll be doing a control test with the same battery and my RX100 II as a direct comparison. Before that, I'll charge the battery up again in the camera via USB, then run the test overnight to give a much longer sampling period. The little voltage data logger is very cool by the way.
 
I have had an RX100 ii for almost 2 years now and if I don't use it much for several weeks have never found any significant loss of battery power. I have actually felt the battery on standby is excellent.
 
Have you tried turning the drop sensor off?

Does the Mk IV have one (like the Mk I) ?

If it does, it is in the set up menu. This caused the power drain with the Mk I.
 
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There's no drop sensor on this model.

Here's a longer overnight test graph showing gradual depletion. The points where the camera is switched on were me pressing the power button to turn it on, rather than the camera doing it itself. Airplane mode was on. Tonight I'll do a control test with the same battery and my RX100 mkII.

RX100IV battery test 2 by Tobers, on Flickr
 
And for completeness, here's a comparison of my RX100IV battery drain versus my RX100II using the same battery. Timescale is about 10 hours. It's been a fun academic challenge to get these measurements, but in the end I just want Sony to fix my camera. In the meantime I hope this info might be useful for anyone else with the same problem.

RX100IV v RX100II battery test results by Tobers, on Flickr
 
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I've been following this closely and I don't even own an RX100, will be very interested to hear what Sony do for you, hope it ends well.
 
Me too. I just like to know!
 
As the camera was brand new, I would have rejected the repair option and gone for a replacement via the retailer... Shame that's not really an easy option for you.
 
At least it's going to be fixed. I presume free of charge?

Sorry you've had trouble with your camera, BUT great thread! Loved the dedication, thank you.
 
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