Avoid gas station batteries like the plage

[wesd]

I went out this weekend to photograph some of the flooding going on, but I forgot to grab some fresh batts off the charger. Needless to say after a short while of takeing shots, and some cold weather the batts in the camera died, and I had to do some backtracking up route 1 to piortsmouth, nh. I stoped at a gas station, and all they had for AA batts was "Everready", so I picked up a pack of 4. So i headed up the coast on route 1 north this time and after 5 count 5 shots they were dead, no flash or anything. So here is a tip for other photographers out there if you have to stop to buy batteries try and find a place that has some stock turn over so your batteries will be fresh. Also get a good brand like duracell (myfavorate), or energizer.
Wes

 

[Garbz]

Everready is actually a common and good brand. And all brands are the same. But yes batteries have a natrual discharge, some worse than others. Fresh batteries are happy batteries

 

[jwkwd]

Don't most have expiration dates on them ?

 

[MPowerM3]

I go to Portsmouth once a year, nice town. I too wanted to take pictures of the flooding, but it was raining slightly and was late, I really missed out though. Some good oppurnities. I bought some digital Energizers that I throw in my bag for back up to the rechargeable ones, just in case. Costco, 16 pack packed in cases of 4. Works well.

 

[Unreal Tuner]

maybe they were already expired?

 

[J Crew]

This has been many years ago now, but I once (only once) bought some everready's from a gas station as well. I was driving from Atlanta, GA to my home in Pensacola, FL and wanted to listen to a CD on my portable player (car didn't have one then). So I stopped and picked up the only batteries that the gas station had. This is serious... I was able to play one full song, and the batteries died in the middle of the second song. Never again have I used that brand. Althouh as some have stated, the batteries very well may have been expired. There's no telling how long they sit on the shelves of a gas station.

- Jason

 

[Mike_E]

If you really need your batterys to work, use Lithium batteries. They have a shelf life of 10 years. Check the voltage tolerances though!

mike

 

[fmw]

Lambasting the practice of buying batteries from a gas station as a generic warning is a stretch from a single experience of getting bad batteries at a single gas station in New Hampshire.

 

[TheOtherBob]

I wouldn't put it past a gas station owner to just put dead or almost-dead batteries into a new package and sell them as new - it wouldn't be the first time. (This would be especially true with an interstate gas station, where it's very unlikely that the person would come back.) Maybe that's being too distrustful, but it wouldn't be surprising.

 

[rmh159]

Lambasting the practice of buying batteries from a gas station as a generic warning is a stretch from a single experience of getting bad batteries at a single gas station in New Hampshire.

Agree.

Most batteries do have an expiration date on them and certain batteries are specifically designed for hard use (as with a digital cam). I want to say Lithium Ion batteries are the type to buy for digital cams. Buying the wrong type will not work with the camera. Sorry... I'm going to have to say "User Error" on this one.

 

[wesd]

I go to Portsmouth once a year, nice town. I too wanted to take pictures of the flooding, but it was raining slightly and was late, I really missed out though. Some good oppurnities. I bought some digital Energizers that I throw in my bag for back up to the rechargeable ones, just in case. Costco, 16 pack packed in cases of 4. Works well.

The rain wasn't too bad, but I did get a couple of ruend shots because of a drop on the lense on a couple occations.
Wes

 

[wesd]

Agree.

Most batteries do have an expiration date on them and certain batteries are specifically designed for hard use (as with a digital cam). I want to say Lithium Ion batteries are the type to buy for digital cams. Buying the wrong type will not work with the camera. Sorry... I'm going to have to say "User Error" on this one.

Im sure that if I actualy checked the expiration date on the batteries I would have discoverd thet they were not fresh, but I am also sure that it is not only one gas station, and one brand of batteries. Oh ya they claimed on the package they would work with digital cameras, but anyway. I just thought I would put out a warning to other photographers that might make the same mistake I did, going to a wal-mart, or a grocery store would probly prove In the best intrests if you do not have any rechargeables on hand.
Wes

 

[AJ Jewell]

the easy answer to this is that you bought zinc-carbon batteries rather than alkaline batteries. zinc-carbon are used for remote controls, flashlights, or pretty much anything that does not use a high burst, or high constant burst of current. You can tell a zinc-carbon battery by the weight, these types are very light as compared to alkaline.

Eveready is an Energizer company and is their discount brand.

 

[sabbath999]

I dunno... fresh batteries are important to me... but, to be perfectly honest, if I had to choose, I would have to choose that avoiding getting the plague is a wee more important to me than stopping at a gas station for batteries.

I mean... if you get the plague, you bleed all over your equipment which causes all kinds of electrical problems, and then you die... which makes it even more difficult to take pictures.

 

[CFRacer22]

Everready is actually a common and good brand. And all brands are the same. But yes batteries have a natrual discharge, some worse than others. Fresh batteries are happy batteries

all brands are actually not the same. I have seen tests done where they put different brand batteries in the exact same devices and the better brand name (duracell and energizer, etc) allways lasted longer