Digital Camera Batteries - good info!!

[SGT Rock]

After a conversation at Hardcore about good methods of digital camera batteries, I have been trying to find out better information about getting the most out of my digital cameras. Searching the web I found a pretty cool site:

Green Batteries.com (http://www.greenbatteries.com/)

Looks like for standard stuff like head lamps, alkaline works fine, but in digital cameras, the alkaline's design causes it to not work so well. It looks like Lithium Ion is the way to go since you can reacharge it and it will perform like a lithium battery for charge life and cold weather performance. Unfortunately Lithium Ion is not yet available for AAA and AA form factor, and may never be.

I have had some bad experiences with NiMH batteries in some devices, so I never tried them for digital cameras. But according to their facts, it looks like a rechargeable NiMH battery system would actually work better than alkaline, and save money in the long haul. Since my latest backpacking camera uses AAA, I have ordered a set of AAA NiMH with the highest mAh available (800) and a recharger that can also discharge for good battery maintenance which will prevent the "memory effect" which is also supposed to be less of an issue than I have been led to belive in the past.

As for trail use. It looks like starting with NiMH on a fresh charge for the AAA with a set of Lithium batteries in my repair kit as back up is the reccomended course of action. In case you haven't heard, AAA Lithium batteries will finally be available from Energizer around December.

I thought this was a cool site with some good info that backpackers could use, so I'm passing it along.

[jack daniels]

I used AA, 1800mah NiMH batteries on a 16 day AT section hike in my Olympus C700 series digital camera and never came close to running out of juice. I carried a spare charged set as a back up but sent them home to save weight about 5 days out. I took between 100-200 photos (did not use a lot of flash though) and found them to be perfect. You can get 2300mah AA NiMH's now -- I've had good luck with batteries from:

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/batteries.htm

I never heard of most of the brands I've bought from them but they have performed exceptionally well. As a matter of fact I've quit buying disposable batteries altogether and use NiMH exclusively now in everything I have that needs battery power.

[SGT Rock]

I recently found another solution. Some AA Cameras can use a Lithium CRV3 battery. Very recently rechargable Lithium-Ion batteries have become available. So for a good initial investment you can get some really long lasting, good performin batteries that can be recharged. I have been thinking of getting two of these and a camera that can run off one so that I can have one and a back up for my thru-hike. Then bounce the recharger.

[jack daniels]

I just read on a lightweight hiking forum that lithium rechargable AA's are, as you just said, now available AND weigh 50% less than NiMH. Darn, I just ordered 8 of the 2300mah NiMH.

[SGT Rock]

I know how you feel. I just got a new recharger and 4 NiMH battries for my other digital camera I used in Iraq.