I am aware that many other people have posted similar problems but so far I haven't read about a solution. Here is my story...
When I first bought the camera, back in November 2009, it was fine. But then, every now and again, and even though the battery was fully charged up, it would display the every-annoying message: CHARGE THE BATTERY PACK. I'd switch it back on and nine times out of ten, it would power back up and perform with no problems. Over time however, thre problem began to get worse, with the CTBP message popping up opver 50% of the time, sometimes over and over and over.
I bought a new battery.
The very same thing happened, except not in a delayed fashion like the previous battery, but straight away. The message would pop up just when I would whip the camera out, seeing some wonderous sight in Kathmandu or Dhaka. And this problem continues to plague me to this day. I have no trust in the camera. But when it does work (which seems more and more random these days) it is fine.
What makes it even stranger is that when the CTBP message pops up, if I press the play button, then it will show me the photos I've taken and videos I've shot with no problem, but go back to the 'take photo' mode, and the message is still there. Then after maybe 10 attempts, it will power back up and show full battery strangth.
This is my first Canon camera and it may be my last.
Can anyone help, short of suggesting I visit a hardware shop to purchase a large hammer?
Actually, the problem here is that there isn't enough pressure on the battery. You need to put a small piece of cardboard on the battery facing the door to the battery chamber. That will force the battery onto the contacts a bit more.
Give it a try. It should work. That's how I got rid of the same error message.
Yes this is the fix! I've had this problem for over 6months, and drove me buggy on a trip to Ecuador. I tried this and it worked like a charm. Give this a shot before you go out spending money on SD cards.
this is not a contact problem. how do you explain that there is a battery to start the machine in play mode and that sometimes will not turn in the normal way of shooting? And this happens only after 50% use of battery.
Hi guys - this instantly fixed my problem! Just took a small piece of paper and folded it a couple of times, now camera functions perfectly and no more Please Change Battery Pack observed!
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My gf's Canon S90 has the same problem. I took the battery out to give the battery a longer life. When she inserted the battery, she putted in the wrong direction which means the three contact points of the battery were on the right (wrong) in stead of left (correct). After that, the camera keeps showing the error message" change the battery pack".
I think the reason why is because she pressed the battery in opposite direction so the three pins down there were bent.I used to a metal stick and pulled the pins back up a little bit. Now the camera is working fine. I dont think this is a SD card problem. I hope this fix can help!
Simple! with my Canon S90 had the same problem until I changed the SD card from LEXAR for a TOSHIBA SD card and the message " Change the Battery Pack"disappeared.
seems that the solution lies in the speed of the SD card. the Toshiba is class 4 and the other is class 2. I have experienced with this card faster and the message has appeared much less often.
Thank you very much for your comment.
Apparently the problem is related with the SD card. Try to remove the SD card and then turn ON the camera.
My troubleshoot way very obvious. I removed the SD and turned ON and OFF the camera around 10 times continuously and it was always fine. Afterwards I introduced the SD card and it wouldn't turn ON. Removed again the SD card and it worked at first try.
What I do not understand is why this didn't happened on the first weeks when I started using the current SD card.
even with a faster card and other brand, I still see the low battery message after using more than half of the battery. I found another way to overcome this message: I turn ON my Canon s90 by the play button (to preview my photos) and then press the shutter button.
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After reading all of the above I concentrated on the SD card. I tried it another Canon that I have and it came back with Card Error. I was unable to access the card to delete any photos/ videos.
I put the SD card into my computer and imported all the files, but this time I did not save the ones on the SD card but asked for them to be deleted after importing.
Eh presto it appears to have overcome my problem.
Your camera is still under warranty. I would contact Canon support and get the procedure to return your camera for warranty repair.
I think the message is wrong!
It should be "Check the battery" instead "Change battery pack"
Why do I buy new battery pack if it is contact problem?
I just cleaned the three contacts on the battery with a rubber eraser, then swabbed with alcohol and dried with canned air. Also dusted the compartment with canned air. The problem seems to have completely resolved.
I switched cards to no avail but I did take it to a Vietnamese camera shop where he scratched the surface of the battery clean and the contacts inside the camera. When I say cleaned I mean he used dentist tools and small files along with some alcohol. Turns out just a little humidity and some invisible corrosion appears causing this problem. Kind of surprised canon has not figured this out as it seems to be a problem with the powershot series. My gf camera did this and she has stopped using it until I came home and mimicked what the guy did. Works like new!
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Well I took it to the Canon repair shop here in Doha, Qatar and explained the problem, even showing the guy what happened - and it happened in front of his eyes -he wrote down the symptoms and said a technician would look at it and get back to me in a couple of days.
The technician rang me today. This is what he said:
Tech: There is no problem with your camera, sir.
Me: Have you fixed it then?
Tech: No sir, I switched it on and it worked fine.
Me: Yes, but did you try it again? Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
Tech: I left it on for 8 hours and the camera worked fine, sir!
Me: (Itrritated) Yes, but did you try it again after that? Like I said, once it's on, it's fine - that's not the issue. It's when it's switched off and then back on. You did do that?
Tech: There is nothing wrong with your camera, please caome and collect it. Goodday, sir.
So there we go. A knackered camera I have no trust in. I'm going to buy the hammer and smash it. Then I'll buy another digital camera and stay away from any camera made by Canon.
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