Trouble with camera holding charge

Yes. It sure could have caused the problem. You didn't say which Nikon camera you have, so consider this a general answer. NMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries are rechargeable and alkaline batteries are not. When your camera is set for rechargeable, the recharging circuit is activated when your camera is plugged into the wall outlet. When the camera is set to alkaline, the charging circuit is disabled. Therefore, if you had the camera set to alkaline and you used rechargeable batteries, you batteries were never getting charged. Since your NMH batteries were in a discharged state, your camera gave you correct information.

If the rechargeable battery is more than 3 - 4 years old then the battery could be worn out. Rechargeable batteries have a finite number of charge and discharge cycles and will lose their charge capacity over time, i.e. won't charge to 100% and gradually the charge reduces until the battery won't charge up at all. OR The battery shows a 100% charge but when the adapter is disconnected the battery drops off to zero capacity in a very short time. If the battery drops to an unacceptable charge level then the battery needs to be replaced. Rechargeable batteries will fail if stored in a discharged state for long periods.

There is no way to revive a rechargeable battery once they go bad. Rechargeable batteries have a lifespan that is affected by how many times they have been discharged and recharged and how fully discharged they are between recharges. Most batteries will last longer if they are fully discharged before recharging and allowed to cool completely before recharging, heat being the main culprit to their longgevity. They will eventually reach a point where they will not charge anymore or if they do they will not hold a full charge for any appreciable time. The best test for the batteries ability to take a charge is to completely deplete the battery either through working it or sitting on the couch with the trigger pulled until it stops working completely, let it cool down then put it in the charger. If it charges, use it to see how long it lasts. If it dies quickly it needs to be replaced.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00614986&tmp_task=solveCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=437165Solution two: Use the right battery What AA battery should I use for best performance? The following table summarizes how AA batteries perform in different types of use. Type of Use Alkaline NiCd Ni-MH Oxyride Photo Lithium Most economical when taking more than 30 pictures per month Poor Good Good Poor Fair Most economical when taking less than 30 pictures per month Fair Fair Fair Fair Good Heavy use of flash, frequent pictures Poor Good Good Fair Good Heavy use of video Poor Good Good Fair Good Heavy use of Live View Poor Good Good Fair Good Overall battery life Poor Fair Fair Fair Good Low temperature/winter use Poor Good Fair Poor Good Infrequent use (without dock) Fair Fair Fair Fair Good Infrequent use (with dock) Fair Good Good Fair Good Recharge batteries No Yes Yes No No Solution three: Make sure that your batteries are completely charged Follow the steps below for your battery type: Ni-MH rechargeable batteries Ni-MH batteries lose charge, or self-discharge, at a rate of one to two percent per day, whether they are installed in the camera or not. This means that if a battery is fully charged, after several weeks, the battery will be low or dead even if it was not installed in the camera or if it was installed in the camera but no pictures were taken. Ni-MH batteries are best for those who use the camera frequently and recharge often. The amount of charge that Ni-MH batteries can hold gradually decreases because of usage, aging, and lack of maintenance. To maintain your batteries at maximum capacity, "condition" them when they are new or have not been used for over a month. Follow these steps to maintain (condition) your batteries:

1. Completely discharge the batteries by using the camera normally until it will not operate.
2. Recharge the batteries.
3. Do this three or four times.

NiCd rechargeable batteries Nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries lose charge or self-discharge at a rate of one percent per day. Store NiCd batteries in a cold place such as the refrigerator or freezer to minimize the loss. To store in a cold place, place the batteries in a tightly sealed container to keep the moisture out. Before using them, warm the batteries to room temperature. The amount of charge that Ni-Cd batteries can hold gradually decreases because of usage, aging, and lack of maintenance. To maintain your batteries at maximum capacity, "condition" them when they are new or have not been used for over a month. Follow these steps to maintain (condition) your batteries:

1. Completely discharge the batteries by using the camera normally until it will not operate.
2. Recharge the batteries.
3. Do this three or four times.

Alkaline, Photo Lithium, and Oxyride non-rechargeable batteries Make sure that the batteries are new and have not been used for anything else. . Solution seven: Try a new set of batteries If you have tried all the solutions described above but your batteries still do not last very long, try a new set of batteries. If the old batteries are damaged, a fresh set of batteries will solve the problem. Batteries can be damaged in the following ways:

• NiCd and Ni-MH batteries can be damaged by over-charging. After a battery has been recharged, do not try to add additional charge to the battery by sending it through another recharge cycle before using it.
• Batteries can be damaged by dropping or sudden impacts. Even if there is no apparent external damage, the rechargeable battery could later develop an internal short or leak while in the camera and cause damage.
• If batteries have become wet, they may short out and will not work properly.

Sometimes when the battery is no longer functional, a charger will say it is fully charged but the camera knows it has no life. I experienced this with my Canon Powershot Pro and had to get a new one.

Batteries can lose their ability to recharge if they have been dropped, recharged too often when they were not fully discharged, or just plain reached the end of their life, as happens with most things.

However, if you are using ordinary rechargeable batteries (not proprietory ones), and you have tested them on another appliance and know they are good, then the problem must be with the camera.

Did you go online and look up this troubleshooting tip from HP?  Did you make sure the batteries are rechargeable and in the correct orientation ( + and - )? Here is the results from looking up the error code M627-435 at the HP website:
Solution

1. Ensure that the batteries are rechargeable. If the batteries are not rechargeable, replace them with rechargeable batteries.
2. If the batteries are rechargeable, take them out and check for obvious physical damage. If the batteries are damaged, replace the batteries with rechargeable batteries in good physical condition.
3. If the batteries are in good condition, charge the batteries using the external charger that shipped with the camera before using them in the camera for the first time.
4. If you have tried each of the steps above and the status message still displays when you try to charge the batteries, replace the batteries.

Cause The Batteries cannot be charged status message is usually caused by one of the following:

• When first connected to an optional HP AC power adapter or placed on an optional dock, the camera performs a test to determine if the batteries are rechargeable. If the test determines that the batteries are non-rechargeable, an status message displays in the LCD.
• If the battery charge falls below 1.1 volts, the camera cannot detect that the batteries are rechargeable. The camera does not charge batteries below a 1.1-volt threshold to prevent charging non-rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries discharged below 1.1 volts can be charged in an external charger.
  Apparently, your batteries are either seriously discharged where you need to use an external AC charger to recharge the batteries or their damagaed and need replacing. Hope this helps.

Rechargable batteries actually do not recharge the 100 times advertised. After maybe 10 times they are reduced in capacity noticably. For instance, new alkaline batteries will last me maybe 60 pictures, however the rechargables are only good for about 5. To test this try taking out the batteries, and put back in before you wish to try them, also turn off the flash if it is not needed.(flash uses a lot of power)

Hi, thsi indicate the internal short in circuit which draining excess current and battery get discharged. You nee dto chek internal circuit from technical expert. some component must be short . let em knwo when it solved. thanks Sangita

totally discharge the batteries [by putting them in a torch to tun them right down] the rechagre them fully, If this does not improvethings = the repair djop but be warned it can be pricey - almost new camera time perhaps.

If your camera doesn't work with NiMH, then it's most likely that you have either one or more bad atteries, or your camera is defective. p. 6 from the user guide: "..Ni-MH batteries left unused in storage for long periods can become ?deactivated?. Also,repeatedly charging Ni-MH batteries that are only partially discharged can cause them to suffer from the ?memory effect?. Ni-MH batteries that are ?deactivated? or affected by ?memory? suffer from the problem of only providing power for a short time after being charged. To prevent this problem, discharge and recharge them several times using the camera?s ?Discharging rechargeable batteries? function. By repeating this cycle several times, the temporary reduction in performance caused by ?memory? or ?deactivation? can be remedied and the batteries can be restored to their original performance levels. ..." Sorry i cant help you more..