camera batteries.. ..?

Question

I'm starting to take photography as a serious hobby.
& am thinking of getting a new camera.

Would you recommend a camera with a rechargable battery or one with AA batteries?

Answer 1

I have an Olympus digital with a rechargeable Lithium ion battery. They also made a similar model that took two AA cells, and you could use rechargeable batteries for that. This camera is a little bulkier than mine because of the size of the batteries, but otherwise offers similar features.

However, if I run out of batteries, I have to find somewhere to recharge. If you are really stuck using AA batteries, you can use ordinary alkaline cells. They may not have as long a life, but they are available world wide.

That said, in four years of using this camera and its predecessor, I have only once not been in a position to recharge when I the batteries were flat.

Answer 2

Normal alkaline batteries just don't do it for digital cameras because of the high instantaneous current required to run a digital camera. (This includes all batteries such as "Duracell" and "Super Heavy Duty" etc) These types of batteries will appear to the camera to be flat even when they aren't because they just don't have the capacity to give the camera what it wants.

Some places still sell rechargeable Nickel Cadmium Batteries (NiCd), and these batteries cannot cut it for digital cameras. There are also rechargeable alkaline batteries and these aren't great either.

The only type of rechargeable to get is Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), and the higher capacity the better. This capacity is typically rated in milliamp hours. A medium capacity battery for a camera will have say 1600 MAH whereas a high capacity battery will have more than 2000 MAH. Some even go as high as 2600 MAH. Get the highest that you can.

One downside is that NiMH batteries go flat in the camera if you do not use them. In a camera that uses 2 batteries, this can happen in as little as a week.

My advice is get a couple of sets of high capacity NiMH rechargeable batteries (2000 MAH or higher) and use these as much as possible. Also however buy one or two sets of Lithium batteries (non rechargeable) these last a long time but are wickedly expensive. Have one set of lithiums for backup in case you need the shot but the rechargeables are all flat. Soon as you can put freshly recharged batteries in and again keep the lithiums in reserve. Unused lithium batteries will last for years.

Many cameras have a menu setting which can flatten the batteries for you prior to recharging. ONLY IF you are using NiMH batteries is this a good idea. Vendors tell you that NiMH are not prone to "memory effect" and therefore do not need to be totally flat before being recharged, but this is not true. NiMH bateries should be discharged before being recharged. If the camera can't automatically discharge them, then keep using the camera until it won't go anymore, then recharge them.

Try to avoid a camera that uses two 'AA' batteries (except perhaps the Kodaks that can use the CR3 Lithium ion Battery Pack). Get a camera that either uses four, or one with its own dedicated Lithium Ion battery pack. (If you want to keep it for a long time, check the price and availability of replacement batteries. perhaps ebay?)

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Either way.

The cameras that have battery packs, tend to be the ultra compact cameras. The lithium ion batteries are nice in that they can display a very accurate fuel guage that predicts their remaining charge. AA batteries usually give a short warning before the camera shuts itself down.

On the plus side - AA batteries can be bought for cheap just about anywhere in the event you suddenly need fresh batteries.

Lithium ion battery packs last a long time, but they are expensive.

I recommend that if you decide on a camera that uses AA batteries, that you get rechargable Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries with the highest milliamp hour rating that you can find. Kodak makes a 2500 mAh that is very good. They're affordable, last a long time and charge in an hour.

I've been using a camera that's powered by two AA NiMH batteries and they last sufficiently long enough to last for a day of shooting (over 200 shots + several short videos).

Read camera reviews that compare battery life.

Answer 4

even if it has AA batteries
they still have to be rechargeable

Answer 5

what is the budget ?