? about batteries

Rifleman1776 · Jan 4, 2009

I am new here, but I did try a search before posting this question.
From the experience of those here:
Are Li batteries really worth the extra cost?
e.g. alkalines cost about fifty cents each, Li cost about $2.50 each.
Do the Li last five times, or more, longer in everyday use in a digi cam?
My digi cam is a mid-range type, Sony DSC-H2.
BTW, I am not looking for laboratory reports or manufacturers claims. What I want, and what I think we all need, is actual field use experience.
Thanks, Frank

MACollum · Jan 4, 2009

Look into rechargeable batteries. I pay about $10 for a pack of 4 AA's (Energizer brand at Walmart) but you can buy a few packs and use them over and over. I think I paid about $40 for the charger, and it came with 4 AA batteries (and a car charger). The ones I have I've been using for well over a year now.

Rifleman1776 · Jan 5, 2009

MACollum said:
Look into rechargeable batteries. I pay about $10 for a pack of 4 AA's (Energizer brand at Walmart) but you can buy a few packs and use them over and over. I think I paid about $40 for the charger, and it came with 4 AA batteries (and a car charger). The ones I have I've been using for well over a year now.

I have a bunch of rechargables already and several chargers. After limited use they only give a few exposures before pooping out. Thanks, but been there tried that.

Rifleman1776 · Jan 9, 2009

This is partially a bump for the topic.
But, I have to admit, I'm dissapointed at the lack of responses.
My question has to do with Li batteries and I have not received a singe response that discusses Li compared to alkalines.
Maybe it is in the wrong forum. I'll try elsewhere but would appreciate some responses. I believe batteries are a common factor with all photographers that use digi cams and should be of interest. I know, I like long battery life and saving money. And, I believe other folks like to save money also.

Big Mike · Jan 9, 2009

This is partially a bump for the topic.
But, I have to admit, I'm dissapointed at the lack of responses.
My question has to do with Li batteries and I have not received a singe response that discusses Li compared to alkalines.
Maybe it is in the wrong forum. I'll try elsewhere but would appreciate some responses. I believe batteries are a common factor with all photographers that use digi cams and should be of interest. I know, I like long battery life and saving money. And, I believe other folks like to save money also.

Most of us use DSLR cameras which have their own Li batteries...and therefore don't use AA batteries. Some DSLR cameras can take AA batteries with an accessory grip, but most probably still use the regular battery.

I have a bunch of rechargables already and several chargers. After limited use they only give a few exposures before pooping out. Thanks, but been there tried that.

I would still recommend a good set (or two) of NiMH rechargeable batteries. They will probably work fine in your camera, but you need to charge them frequently because they can loose power even when not in use. Although, there are new ones that don't (Sanyo Eneloop etc.)

Rechargeables will cost less in the long run and they also keep disposable batteries out of landfills.

mrodgers · Jan 9, 2009

Rifleman1776 said:
I have a bunch of rechargables already and several chargers. After limited use they only give a few exposures before pooping out. Thanks, but been there tried that.

You had old batteries, you had junk batteries, or you didn't charge them correctly.

I just tossed my set of 4 AA NiMH 2500 mah batteries (Rayovac). I tossed them because they were nearly 4 years old. They were part of a set of batteries that I used in my micro RC airplanes, which I used in the controller to charge the little lipo battery in the plane. I had hundreds of charges on those.

When I got my camera Christmas 2007, I put the same AA NiMH batteries from my airplane that were 3 years old in the camera (Fuji S5700).

I went on a trip for work in March and had the camera turned on the entire 5 hour car trip. I left the camera on the entire time we were at Bass Pro Shops for 2+ hours. That night, I turned the camera on and set the battery discharge setting to let them discharge before I recharged them. The camera was on for 2 hours trying to discharge the batteries. They still had juice left in them.

That day, from the time I left work at 10 am until I went to bed around midnight, the camera was on for at least 9 hours. I took almost 500 shots that day. This is on 3 year old NiMH AA batteries that had very heavy useage in the RC airplane.

I charged them over night. The next day, after our training session (work trip, remember) we all went to a hockey game. I had the camera on and took about 300 shots all evening at the hockey game for about 3+ hours.

I had these batteries until around Thanksgiving this past year. They finally quit holding a charge for me. Through that past year with my camera and these batteries, I would go 3 weeks before needing to charge them. When they went, they went immediately. On one charge, it lasted for weeks. Then I charged them and they lasted 5 shots. That's how quickly they went.

I bought a new set of 4 around Thanksgiving for $5 at Walmart.

I will third the recommendation for getting NiMH AA rechargable batteries. Even if they last you a year, that's $5 or if you want a spare set, $10. With the lithium disposable batteries, you would still probably go through a set every 2 weeks if even that long. Regular alkalines would only last me about a day and a half.

Get NiMH!

Big Mike · Jan 9, 2009

Side note to post by mrogers....

NiMH batteries do get old and loose their ability to hold a charge...many of them are actually well below their rated capacity before they would be considered old. With the right charger, you can actually 'force' a charge into them which brings them up to capacity and can even give new life to those old batteries.

The charger that I know of, that does this...is the C-9000 with it's 'break-in' mode.