Lithium Batteries

[Garbz]

i've heard some pretty bad things about the energizer nickel metal-hyrdride rechargables,

Like what? I've been using them for years and asside from their eventual failure which all batteries suffer from they were just great. Or is this something recent I should worry about my new set...

 

[Big Mike]

I use them as well.

And you can really extend their life span if you have a charger with a 'refresh' option. A photographer I know has said that he's brought his rechargeables back to life...long after thinking they were no longer useful.

 

[RyanLilly]

The one time use Lithiums do last long, but are pricey. NiMH or lithium-ion are the way to go environmentally and economically, for me anyway. My experience has been that NiMH AA greatly outlast alkaline batteries per charge. alkalies are not designed to have a heavy duty cycle, they last long with small loads or intermittent duty, but they get overtaxed easily in photography. You can find deals on AA NiMH online for about a buck a piece if you buy a 20 pack.

 

[notelliot]

Like what? ...

I use them as well.

And you can really extend their life span if you have a charger with a 'refresh' option. A photographer I know has said that he's brought his rechargeables back to life...long after thinking they were no longer useful.

i bet that would solve 90% of the problems with those batteries i've heard of. apparently they don't hold charge for very long - the overall life is real short. but what do i know. i don't use them.

 

[Lostfiniel]

From my experience with rechargables, the longer your charger takes to recharge the battery to full power, the better charge you will get on it. The Sony I got has a lithium ion battery and it came with a charger that needs something like 3 hours for a full charge. Sony also sells a charger that only takes about 1.5 hours. I had bought the faster charger but now I never use it because the batteries don't perform as well.