Batteries and Charger Help

rojicha07 · Jul 13, 2010

Hello everyone:

I have recently bought the Fuji HS10 camera, but now I am confused about which batteries and charger should I buy.

I am interested in the Maha/Powerex 2700mAh batteries and in the Eneloop batteries... What do you think about these batteries? Are they good? Are there any others better than them? What do you recommend me?

By the other hand, I've been looking to the La Crosse BC-9009 charger. However, I am worried about this charger because of the "melting problem" that many users have experienced. Has this issue been solved by now? Is this a good charger or which one do you recommend me (not very expensive please, hahaha)?

Thanks in advance for any help. Every advice will be highly appreciated, because I am a newbie in this of photography.

Regards!

Alpha · Jul 14, 2010

I know it's not very eco-conscious of me but I use nothing but non-rechargable lithium batteries. When you're carrying a lot of battery-based equipment the light weight of lithiums becomes a life-saver. Measured over the scope of all the equipment I carry, the total weight savings is only .5-1lb, but when it comes to individual devices, say a camera or flash that takes 6AA's, my equipment just feels much more maneuverable and less of a drag to work with.

speedemon105 · Jul 14, 2010

I can't remember where (try searching), but I did see a very thorough test of a wide range of chargers with regard to speed and effectiveness (how high of a charge level they were able to attain), and the Maha/Powerex chargers were consistently able to best everything out there. Not sure if the one you mentioned was compared though.
Regardless, it came with 4 of the powerex 2700 mah batteries when I bought it over a year ago now. I still haven't noticed any loss of life in the batteries, although I don't have any definitive way of testing (they still outlast a set of alkalines roughly 4 to 1 in the camera). I am pretty good at making sure they keep a charge, although I don't leave a set sitting in the charger (I do remember the test said the charger would be fine with leaving a pair sit in the charger on maintenance, though I just can't bring myself to do it). The only other batteries I have to compare are a pair of energizers which have done well also (just bought eneloops a few days ago, so I can't comment on them, though from comments I've read all over they do seem to live up to the no self discharge hype).
The maha/powerex charger also came with a case and a car charger cord so you could charge in the car.

Big Mike · Jul 15, 2010

I don't know if the Powerex batteries are 'low discharge' but the Eneloops are.

Typical NiMH batteries work really well, the only problem is that they loose their charge, even when you're not using them. So you might pick up your camera after not using it for a few weeks/months, to find that the batteries are almost dead. This also means that when you buy them in a store, they need to be charged before you can use them.

There is a new type of NiMH, which doesn't loose it's charge on it's own, or at least, it does at a much lower rate. This means they behave a lot more like Alkaline batteries and they can be sold as 'pre-charged' batteries. The Sanyo Eneloops are these type.

So, for something like a camera, the Eneloops would probably be a good idea.

I use regular NiMH batteries for my flashes, but I also fully charge them before a gig...so the Eneloops wouldn't be a necessity for that.

speedemon105 · Jul 15, 2010

Big Mike said:
I don't know if the Powerex batteries are 'low discharge' but the Eneloops are.

No, the powerex batteries are definitely not low discharge. You'll notice a difference if you don't charge them before use.

The eneloops would be more user friendly in this case, and would probably be better for someone who hasn't used them before, or doesn't use batteries enough that they constantly keep stuff rotated.