Olympus C700 - Progress at last!

Looks like we're making progress -- thanks to that real nice feller who
posted and suggested I try using the camera with an AC adapter.

[Note to the "try a new battery" crowd: No, it wasn't the batteries.]

I picked up an adapter at Frys Electronics for $19.99. I saw some on ebay
and elsewhere online cheaper, but by the time you add the $5-10 "shipping
and handling" and wonder what kind of adapter you're "really" going to get
and when.... I thought this one was the best choice. And it's a universal
job - all kinds of voltages, and current up to 2500 mA, so that's fine for
the C700 and my other junk too.

First I tried the camera as is - that is on good (new) alkaline batteries
only - to be sure that it was giving the same problem. Sure enough, same
problem - one shot or moving the zoom lever and "battery bad" message pops
up.

Then I plugged the AC adapter into it and first time every time, the camera
works again, just like it's supposed to, time after time, zoom in, zoom out,
click, click, click, click, click....

Then I removed the AC adapter and used it with the same batteries only again
and it worked every time, zooms in/out, etc. just fine and no battery bad
message.

Someone also said that there might be charging problem -- might be it. May
be still a partially open circuit, bad solder joint or failing component
somewhere between the batteries and the power circuit. AC adapter may have
temporarily charged up capacitors enough to get a few shots from the
battery-only.

Time will tell -- will see how many photos I get out of a new set of
batteries and report back.

Thanks again to all for all the dozen of constructive help! It took
several months, but saved me $155 in repair charges and I gain a great deal
of knowledge about how these things work.

And a special thanks to all the whiners, complainers, know-it-alls and the
"just buy another one" boys. Without your endless jabs and ignorant
comments, I probably would've dropped this months ago! B^)

Fred