jeweler53

I purchased a Nikon D300 used on eBay for a few bucks. When I install a fresh battery, I have to reset the date, and if I leave the battery in the camera overnight, it is drained in the morning. The date must be set again. It has the current firmware.

I purchased it to convert to IR, and it seems to work just fine with a fresh battery for about a day. A little less if I am using it, and when I install a new battery before the old one is "dead" the date stays current.

I have performed a "hard reset", but that didn't help. I can live with it since the camera seems to function just fine, but it's annoying.

Has anyone else experienced this? Suggestions?

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I had a D300 and I never experienced any problems with it. Those cameras have an internal battery that keeps the date running EVEN if the camera battery is not on. Calls my attention that your D300 drains the camera battery so fast. There is something very wrong there.
I do not know how much you paid for the D300 but repairs, if Nikon still services it could be more than the actual price of the camera.

jeweler53

It isn't worth the cost of a repair even if Nikon would be able to do it.

yorkiebyte Loc: Scottsdale, AZ/Bandon by the Sea, OR

...How old is that battery? Have you checked the service life left in it in the camera menu?
Page 322:

https://cdn-10.nikon-cdn.com/pdf/manuals/noprint/D300_en_noprint.pdf

jeweler53

I have 4 different batteries, all Nikon brand. They aren't "new", having come with the D300 and a D200 I purchased. They work just fine in the D200, and hold their charge for weeks, if not longer. I've also cleaned the batter terminals both in the camera and on the batteries.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

If the batteries don't discharge in the D200, then suspicion is placed (at least initially) on the D300. These cameras are complex devices, and sometimes things go wrong, and sometimes their brains just get "scrambled." The power switch is not a hardware device that physically breaks the supply circuit, but rather triggers a software-controlled camera shutdown process.

If the two-button reset didn't work, the next step is to remove the battery entirely and let the D300 sit for an extended period...maybe as long as 24 hours. Then replace the battery, do another factory reset and see if the problem is corrected.

The second possibility is that there might be a problem with the firmware...such as the prior owner improperly attempting a firmware update. Since the camera turns on, and since it apparently functions properly while the battery is charged, my next step would probably be to download and attempt to reinstall the latest firmware. Be sure to follow all the instructions on the download page. The process is neither complicated nor difficult, but it does need to be followed precisely. Instructions are provided on the site, and prompts appear on the camera screen during and at the end of the process.

The third thing that comes to mind is that the camera may have received some physical trauma during its life. It may have been dropped or been the victim of some other improper treatment. In this case, circuit boards or internal connectors may have been damaged. Some independent camera shops may still have the ability to repair it for you. Several years ago, I traded for a D300 that worked fine except that the aperture interface ring had been damaged. I found a junker body that had a good part, and a local shop was able to install it for me. Be aware, though, that opening the camera requires replacement of essentially all of the rubber grips. They do not go back on gracefully. Nikon no longer has these available, but some 3rd party ones that work pretty well are available. So let's hope it doesn't come down to the need for repair.

Good luck as you work to a solution.

Edit***After posting my reply, I reread your original post again. This time, I am interpreting that your issue is not with the main camera battery, but with the internal time and date battery. As proud as I was of my initial reply, my answer may not help if that is the problem. In that case, I'll refer you to the statement in the manual indicating that it requires several days for the internal battery to fully charge from the camera battery. This means that you need to leave the battery in the camera for several days until the backup battery can reach a full charge. Of course, like any other battery, that internal battery will eventually wear out and fail. I am not sure where it is located inside the camera or whether it can be replaced without major disassembly. If that is the actual problem you are experiencing, try leaving the EN-EL3 battery in the camera for several days and see if the results are any different.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

This is related to the internal battery that exists inside the all cameras but not accessible to anyone. It is similar in some ways to a computer BIOS support battery. Once this goes all the semi volatile memory goes, the particular settings you have are gone. It is a pain but you have a small way out.

First off this will not reset the date and time, you can just learn to not have that.
Second this method should be used with all cameras in the first place.

Step 1:
The camera offers a way to save the settings onto a memory card. When you install a new battery, just set everything you need or want as if everything is good. Save this to the memory card.
Step 2:
Restore the settings after changing the battery, using the backup you have created.

That's it. No fuss not muss, just a bit of time and accepting the loss of date/time.

jeweler53

I'll try the firmware re-install. Thanks for all the advice.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Deleted to preserve best conversation flow. Please see my edited comment above.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Honestly, this may be an artifact of the camera - perhaps this is even why you got such a good deal on it.
I have never had a Nikon DSLR, but I have used Pentax, which is similar. My "Super Program" {which I purchased in 1983} has always run down main batteries over-night; when it was my primary camera, I took them out every night just to keep my costs down. In theory, a modern camera can retain date & time info even if the main battery is removed, but my Pentax MILC {and many others I hear} will 'forget' within a few minutes, sometimes even in the time it takes me to change batteries. I used the "Super Program" that way for over decade with no obvious harm - and even these days I'll put batteries in and shoot a roll. I shoot maybe a dozen shots with the Q-7 every month. My advice remains to learn to live with whatever the 'problem' is, to not worry about it.

uhaas2009

The internal battery may not good anymore....

turp77 Loc: Connecticut, Plainfield

When you install a fresh battery and it discharges that means your battery is trying to charge the internal battery. You do need to have your internal battery replaced. Ask who will be doing your IR conversion if they will change the internal battery.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

agillot

i use a older D300 , 100k click in it , never had a problem , i dont use the clock , dont need it .so , in your case , if camera work fine beside the battery drain , use it , but remove battery after use .

jeweler53

Thanks everyone. This is exactly my plan.