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Apple QuickTake 200 General Maintenance

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The QuickTake 200's terminal door, with the DIGITAL, VIDEO OUT and DC IN 6V sockets (Apple press photo)

Cleaning, batteries, storage cards, power and storage for the Apple QuickTake 200. Apple serviced the camera by exchanging the whole unit in most countries and published no take-apart procedure or parts list for it.[1] The user's guide tells owners not to modify or take the camera apart because of the risk of fire or electric shock.[2] Before opening one, remove the batteries and the storage card and unplug the adapter.

Cleaning

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Apple's instructions:[2]

  • Keep the camera away from moisture, steam and excessive heat, and do not use it in very humid, dirty, dusty or smoky places. Sand can cause irreparable damage.
  • Wipe dust off with a clean, dry cloth. Do not use harsh or abrasive cleaners.
  • Clean the lens with a camera lens cleaning kit. Do not press hard and never wipe a dry lens. Use only fluids made for camera lenses, not chemically treated tissues made for spectacles.
  • Do not scrape the LCD or wipe it with anything abrasive; its surface scratches easily.
  • If the camera is brought from the cold into a warm room, condensation can form inside it or on the lens. Switch it off and wait an hour before using it.

Batteries

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The camera takes four AA cells, 3.6 to 5.4 V in total.[1] It comes with lithium cells; high-energy alkaline cells and NiCads also work.[2] Apple's support note says lithium cells last about twice as long as alkaline ones,[3] and the Service Source recommends long-life 1,000 mAh NiCads for short battery life.[1]

  • Open the battery door by pressing its push button and sliding it.[2]
  • Fit the cells by the + and − markings. Apple warns that reversed cells can split or leak and cause a fire, injury or damage to the camera.[2]
  • Do not mix old and new cells or different types, and do not try to charge lithium or alkaline cells.[2]
  • Clean the contacts with a clean pencil eraser or a cloth.[2]
  • Take the cells out if the camera will be unused for a long time. If they have leaked, clean and wipe the compartment carefully and wash your hands after touching the fluid.[2] See Battery Explosion, Capacitor or Corrosion Damage.
  • In cold weather keep the cells warm in a pocket and load them just before use.[1]
  • The date and time survive up to five minutes without batteries. Change the cells quickly, or set the clock again afterwards.[2]

To save power, fit the clip-on viewfinder and put the LCD to sleep (press the action button twice in Record or Record-Fine mode). The screen then shows each picture for 5 to 8 seconds after it is taken and goes back to sleep.[1][3]

Storage card care

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The camera with its storage card, AA lithium cells, viewfinder, cables and AC adapter (Apple press photo)

From Apple's guide and Fujifilm's instructions for the MG-2 card supplied with the camera:[2][4]

  • Store the card in its plastic sleeve or static-free case when it is out of the camera, and take it out of the camera for long storage.
  • Never open the card door or remove the card while the camera is recording. Opening the door switches the camera off and can damage the card or corrupt its data.[1]
  • Do not bend, drop or knock the card, and keep it out of hot, humid or corrosive places. Fujifilm also warns against carrying it in a trouser pocket.
  • Do not touch the gold contacts. Wipe dirt off with a dry, lint-free cloth.
  • If condensation forms on the card, take it out and wait an hour.
  • Formatting erases the whole card, protected pictures included.
  • Use only the write-protect seals and index labels made for the card. A dirty seal may stop protecting it.
  • Fujifilm rates the card for at least 250,000 writes and says it will eventually stop holding data. Apple's troubleshooting list includes "The storage card is old and must be replaced."[4][2]

External power

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The QuickTake 200 AC Adapter (Apple press photo)

Use only the QuickTake 200 AC Adapter. Apple warns that other power sources might cause a fire. Connect it to the DC IN 6V socket with the camera switched off, then plug it in and switch on. The adapter does not charge cells left in the camera.[2] Apple's specification gives the external supply range as 4.5 V DC at 1.75 A to 8.0 V DC at 1.0 A.[1] Fujifilm's manual for the DS-7, the same camera under Fujifilm's name, specifies its own AC-DS7 adapter at 6 V DC and warns that any other adapter may damage the camera.[5]

Apple recommends the adapter for playback, erasing, connection to a computer or television, and whenever auto-power-off is disabled.[2] The camera switches itself off after two minutes unused, except in Computer mode. Holding the action button while switching on disables auto-power-off until the camera is next switched off.[1] The camera also switches off if it overheats; let it cool before switching on again.[2]

Storing the camera

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Take out the batteries and the storage card and keep the card in its case.[2] Apple's environmental limits:[1][2]

QuickTake 200 environmental limits
Condition Range
Operating 0 to 40 °C; 10 to 85 per cent humidity, non-condensing
Storage (6 months) −20 to 60 °C
Transit (72 hours) −40 to 65 °C

The Service Source prints the storage minimum as "-3" °F; −20 °C is −4 °F, the figure the user's guide gives.[1][2]

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Apple Computer, QuickTake 200 Service Source, PDF dated 13 February 1997, hosted as File:Apple QuickTake 200 Service Source 1997.pdf. Basics: Overview p. 1 (whole-unit exchange), Camera Operation pp. 6-11 (card door warning, auto-power-off and how to disable it); Specifications: Environmental p. 4, Electrical p. 5; Troubleshooting: Symptom Charts/Power p. 2 (overheating cut-out, long-life 1,000 mAh NiCad cells, cold weather).
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 Apple Computer, Apple QuickTake 200 For Mac OS users, 1997, part number 034-0023-A, hosted as File:Apple QuickTake 200 Users Guide for Mac OS 1997.pdf. Important safety instructions p. vii-viii; batteries p. 6-7; storage card p. 7-9; date and time p. 11-12; auto-power-off p. 27; AC adapter p. 28; caring for the camera and lens p. 61-62; handling the storage card p. 62-63; solving problems p. 63-65; specifications (Appendix A) p. 67-68; battery information (Appendix B) p. 69-70.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Apple Computer, "Apple QuickTake 200: Extending Battery Life (2/97)", Tech Info Library article 20984 (TA36513), in the archive.org collection Apple's Technical Information Library Articles, https://archive.org/details/APPLE_TIL_ARTICLES, file TA30000-TA39999. Source for: lithium cells lasting about twice as long as alkaline; battery-saving mode with the clip-on viewfinder, which shows each picture for 5 to 8 seconds before the screen sleeps; auto-power-off after two minutes; using the AC adapter when the camera is connected to a computer.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fuji Photo Film Co., Image Memory Card MG-2 Operating Instructions, archive.org item ffds-7, file ImageMemoryCard_MG-2.pdf (retrieved 2026-10-02). Source for: NAND flash memory; at least 250,000 writes; eventual loss of the card's ability to store data; causes of data loss; the static-free case; not touching the contact area; cleaning with a soft dry cloth; using only the supplied index labels and write-protect seals; operating temperature 0 to 40 °C and humidity up to 80 per cent.
  5. ↑ Fuji Photo Film Co., Fujifilm Digital Camera DS-7 Owner's Manual, archive.org item ffds-7, file 0wnersManual.pdf (retrieved 2026-10-02), p. 40-41 and the notes on the AC adapter. Source for: power from four AA cells or 6 V DC through the AC-DS7 adapter; the warning that other adapters may damage the camera; use of the MG-2 card only.


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