felloweskimo wrote:AA Batteries = eww.
But, not bad for the price. Just dont expect to get more than 50 pictures out of two standard batteries.
Unfortunately, higher-end cameras requiring proprietary rechargeable lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries are becoming more and more commonplace. For legitimate safety reasons among others, these batteries always require proprietary chargers. Now with AA batteries, you dont have to worry about carting along a charger or even worse a charger and dock for the batteries. you can slip a few rechargeable batteries in you pocket and be good for the weekend
This is one of the first questions new digital camera users ask, usually right after discovering the hard way how poorly alkalines perform in their camera.
The answer boils down to voltage and current delivery, the latter an inescapable issue far from the minds of most battery users. Unlike the most familiar portable electronic devices, digital cameras draw currents ranging from a trickle of tens of milliamps while asleep to a walloping amp or more during memory card writes. Keeping up with a digital camera at its hungriest takes a high-drain battery—one willing to dish up charge very rapidly on demand without a big drop in voltage. Alkaline batteries simply aren't up to this task.
Granted, alkalines store a lot of charge — typically upwards of 2500 mAh per AA. But when they meet a high current load, voltage droop quickly renders them impotent long before their charge can be fully tapped, at least from the standpoint of a camera requiring a certain minimum voltage to operate. Several factors contribute to alkaline voltage droop, including
an inherently high internal resistance
electrolyte depletion in the reaction zone with slow recovery due to an unsophisticated but cheap to produce internal cell geometry that hampers remixing
electrolyte dilution in the reaction zone due to the electrochemical production of water with slow recovery once again due to that cheap diffusion-limiting cell geometry
A typical digital camera running on alkalines shuts down within a dozen shots for lack of adequate instantaneous voltage and current flow, not available charge. Simply put, the alkalines choke up, and the bigger the draw, the bigger the voltage droop and current shortfall. An early battery withdrawal ensues, and everyone ends up mightily frustrated. To alkaline users familiar only with low-drain devices like flashlights, radios, CD and tape players, games, calculators and remote controls, this dismal high-drain performance often comes as a rude surprise.
Should such behavior be grounds for an early alkaline/digicam divorce? Absolutely, and the sooner the better! In most digital cameras, you'll find alkaline batteries of all types impractically short-lived and most unkind to both your wallet and the environment.
ickel-metal hydride (NiMH), of course. For routine use, none of the commonly compatible AA alternatives can match the winning NiMH combination of
Standard form factor (AA)
Low cost—under $2.50 per AA
High capacity (1300-1850 mAh per AA and climbing)
Excellent high-drain performance—just what digital cameras demand
Flat discharge curve—you can actually draw most of the rated capacity
Light weight
Carefree rechargeability—charge them whenever you like without fear of a NiCd-like "memory effect"
Minimal maintenance—very occasional conditioning will bring you peak performance, but it's by no means necessary
Long service life (500-1,000 charges per AA)
Environmentally friendly, thanks to their reusability and lack of toxic heavy metals
I'd say that's pretty close to a recipe for the ideal digital camera battery. Team up NiMH chemistry and efficient internal cell design with the flexibility and economy of the AA format and you've got yourself a hard-to-beat power delivery system for digital photography.
