This is The Digital Story Podcast #936, Feb. 27, 2024. Today's theme is "Is Something Really Wrong, or Is It Me?" I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue


Even people who use electronics all the time can be baffled by them. You turn it on, get a warning light, and wonder, "Is something really wrong, or is it me?" It could go either way. And it's hard not to jump to conclusions. I've had a rash of these experiences lately. And I'll share a couple of them with you, if for no other reason, to demonstrate that we all fall into this trap. I hope you enjoy the show.



Digital Photography Podcast 936






Tune-In Via Your Favorite Podcast App!






Apple Podcasts -- Spotify Podcasts -- Stitcher
Podbean Podcasts -- Podbay FM -- Tune In





Is Something Really Wrong, or Is It Me?

I do admit, I push the envelope sometimes, especially if I can save a few dollars. In my mind, I am the king of repurposing. And for the most part, this works well for me.



But every now and then I trip on my own shoelaces. My latest folly, which I have to admit makes me laugh at myself, is a story about the Nikon Zf, which comes with one battery and no charger.



We all know that a happening photographer can not survive on one battery alone. And to buy a second would tack on $60 to the budget. So I examined an extra battery I already owned, the Nikon EN-EL15 that came with my aging D610 DSLR. It looked just like the EN-EL15c that came with the Zf with just a little less horsepower.



And sure enough, when I inserted the EL15 into the Zf, everything worked normally. Problem solved! I checked this substitution online and Nikon officially states that the EL15 was not supported in the Zf. But it was working great.



And to make things even better, the Nikon Battery Charger MH-25 that was also included with the D610 charged both the old and the new Nikon batteries. I was in frugal heaven.



Life has been good since this discovery. I have two batteries for the Zf, and that's all I need for my everyday photography. I keep the newer one in the camera and pack the older one as a backup.







Then on a Saturday Theresa and I had some errands out in wine country. The rain had subsided, and the forecast was fantastic. "I'm bringing the Nikon," I said to myself.



I didn't have the battery charger at home. It was at the studio. "No problem," I thought. I can charge the Zf via a USB-C cable. So I dug around in my bag, found a nice substantial one, and connected the camera to a power source.



The charging light started blinking, continued for 30 seconds, then went dark.
"Hmmm," I thought. "Seems like it should stay on while charging." I checked the LCD screen and noticed that it was not charging.



"That's odd," I thought. I'll try again. Same thing happened. 30 seconds of blinking then nothing.



My next thought was shrouded in darkness. "Oh no! I have a defective camera." I took a deep breath. "Now hold on there cowboy. It's probably something simple. Maybe it's the cord or the power brick."



So, I found another cord and another brick. Same result. I tried yet another tandem. No charge. At this point I had the contents of my equipment bag spread all over the couch, and a battery that was only 40 percent charged.



When all else fails, read the owners manual. I found the PDF on my iPad and looked up charging. There was a note that stated when the light blinks for 30 seconds and goes out, it's a charging error. Excellent. I have the only Nikon Zf in California that won't charge via USB.



I felt defeated. I repacked the contents of my cord pouch and stuffed it back in the backpack. "Might as well tidy up," I thought. Then I poured myself another cup of coffee and pondered my situation.



"Why won't it work? Is it really broken?"



Then I thought of one last-ditch effort. What if I switched batteries and tried charging the backup? Who know, right?



I fetched the backup battery out of my backpack and switched it out with the one in the camera. Plugged