Go with Standard AA or proprietary battery?

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.dcameras (More info?)

I have been narrowing down the cameras I'm looking at but most of the
cheaper cameras use standard AA NiMH batteries. Are these good to go
with or should I go with the more proprietary lithium batteries? I
know they cost more but though they may last much longer.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.dcameras (More info?)

On Sun, 28 Aug 2005 03:01:22 -0700, MarkW
<markwco@RemoveNoSpamcomcast.net> wrote:

>I have been narrowing down the cameras I'm looking at but most of the
>cheaper cameras use standard AA NiMH batteries. Are these good to go
>with or should I go with the more proprietary lithium batteries? I
>know they cost more but though they may last much longer.

With my (2MP) Canon PowerShot A60 powered by 2000mAh NIMHs made by
Hähnel I could take 130-150 pictures before changing to the spare
set, and that's with the LCD on most of the time. And if the (3MP)
A70 still leads in number of shots possible over at DPreview (see
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona70/page9.asp at the bottom)
for an compact/ultracompact I have not checked!

What goes against the lithium batteries is the cost of a spare (or
you could just charge it before every trip...) - while good (and
high-powered) NiMHs are available for not that much money from sites
like http://www.thomas-distributing.com/ and last very long in
digital cameras. Higher number usually means more pictures!

I would go to the cameras section of http://dcviews.com/ and locate
reviews of the different cameras you have decided to 'keep in the
race' and see if any single review site have compared battery life.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.dcameras (More info?)

MarkW wrote:
> I have been narrowing down the cameras I'm looking at but most of the
> cheaper cameras use standard AA NiMH batteries. Are these good to go
> with or should I go with the more proprietary lithium batteries? I
> know they cost more but though they may last much longer.

Not anymore... nowadays they last as long as Lithium's...like in new Canon
S2 i can make over 500 shots with one NiMH pack. It's just...if you want
small and lighter camera, go with Lithiums. But having AA can be advantage,
like if you have a dead NiMH, you can always go any buy alkaline set in any
store, while if having dead Lithium you can just observe and feel sorry
since you can't shoot...

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.dcameras (More info?)

"SleeperMan" <SleeperMan@too.sleepy> wrote in message
news😛NiQe.1795$cE1.258827@news.siol.net...
> MarkW wrote:
> > I have been narrowing down the cameras I'm looking at but most of
the
> > cheaper cameras use standard AA NiMH batteries. Are these good to
go
> > with or should I go with the more proprietary lithium batteries? I
> > know they cost more but though they may last much longer.
>
> Not anymore... nowadays they last as long as Lithium's...like in new
Canon
> S2 i can make over 500 shots with one NiMH pack. It's just...if you
want
> small and lighter camera, go with Lithiums. But having AA can be
advantage,
> like if you have a dead NiMH, you can always go any buy alkaline set
in any
> store, while if having dead Lithium you can just observe and feel
sorry
> since you can't shoot...

What bothers me is the high cost of lithium batteries if you wanted to
buy an extra. I am in Toronto, Canada and the prices of cameras,
especially new ones, are a lot more expensive than in the US, though
some older cameras eventually drop in price and are more comparable and
some are even cheaper, depending on the camera of course, but you have
to wait a while till the prices come down. Maybe lithium batteries are
fairly cheap in the US but they are VERY expensive here.
The ones I've seen are around $70.00 Can. - approx. $58.00 US. I've been
looking around for a point and shoot camera for a few months, and when I
look around at battery prices, there is not much selection of lithiums
and only for certain cameras. AA's are available everywhere, and MUCH
cheaper. The one good thing about lithium batteries is they make the
camera lighter to carry around than with AA's, but for the high price of
lithiums, along with difficulty finding them, it doesn't seem worth it.

Kath

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.dcameras (More info?)

On Sun, 28 Aug 2005 18:08:45 -0400, "Kath" <not@nothing.com> wrote:


>What bothers me is the high cost of lithium batteries if you wanted to
>buy an extra. I am in Toronto, Canada and the prices of cameras,
>especially new ones, are a lot more expensive than in the US, though
>some older cameras eventually drop in price and are more comparable and
>some are even cheaper, depending on the camera of course, but you have
>to wait a while till the prices come down. Maybe lithium batteries are
>fairly cheap in the US but they are VERY expensive here.

I thought the same thing after reading the reviews all the time. I was
actually afraid to buy any cams with non-standard batteries. But I
actually ended up getting a cam the last few weeks since the newest
version of the model which replaced the older version doesnt use AAs
anymore.

I couldnt believe the improvement. Sure I can still see the point
people make about using standard AAs in a pinch for emergencies. THe
problem though is standard AAs run out just like that. I remember my
Toshiba cam I had my first digicam. I was taking pics and my
rechargeables ran out . I bought some AAs. Besides having to buy them
at the local high priced convenience store at a ridiculously high
price they died in no time even compared to my low rated 1100 mAh
rechargeables. Terrible cost to pics taken ratio.

The other thing is whenever I take pics now I end up planning anyway.
So I recharge several sets of batteries before I go etc. Im almost
always prepared anyway if I take my semiserious cams with me. So what
might be a good idea is have a cheapo 100-200 pocket cam P&S that uses
AAs if you want to take that casual pic on a whim. in an impromtu
moment. However any other time Im pretty prepared so it doesnt matter
if it uses AAs or not for me.

Then there are the benefits. I was amazed at the new version of the
cam I bought that used a lithium ion battery that was rechargeble. Not
only did it come with battery and charger the older version didnt so
it ended up costing me the same anyway vs the older version where I
had to buy a charger and several sets of batteries. But the lithium
battery lasted much much longer - of course thats compared to my 1100
mAhs and you can buy 2000 mAhs now. But I only had to handle one
small wafer battery when its used up to put another on in vs carrying
and handling 8-12 AAs in your bag and taking them out and puttign them
in a way bigger hassle. Plus it only took 2 hrs to charge . Once again
sure you can buy 15min-2 hr AA chargers too now but the 15 min
batteries cost more last time I looked. The small battery also made
the camera way lighter and they made the body smaller because of this
too. The AAs in fact probably add most of the weight to the camera.
And the cost --- there are lots of generics floating around now. Sure
most are junk. Ive seen lith ion rechargeables all over the place now
- generics on Ebay and other online stores for $2-3 !!!! And for the
expensive cams $10 ! Most of these are JUNK and I would stay away from
them. However at places like Thomas Distrib which is a reputable place
often cited - they sell replacements for the battery I have lith ion
rechargeable for around $18 and Ive seen the same brand for as low as
15. So overall Im very happy and surprised . I really thought I would
hate the liths because of the common reason mentioned which I also
used to say.

In fact I just bought another high end P&S with a lith ion battery
too.

Around Xmas Im going to get a DSLR with lith ion. Hopefully the Canon
Rebel XT.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.dcameras (More info?)

"John@Smith.com" <xxxxspud@newscene.com> wrote in message
news:69v4h1l42k2gn3vf5t9hjhf4dhafqbhg2c@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 28 Aug 2005 18:08:45 -0400, "Kath" <not@nothing.com> wrote:
>
>
> >What bothers me is the high cost of lithium batteries if you wanted
to
> >buy an extra. I am in Toronto, Canada and the prices of cameras,
> >especially new ones, are a lot more expensive than in the US, though
> >some older cameras eventually drop in price and are more comparable
and
> >some are even cheaper, depending on the camera of course, but you
have
> >to wait a while till the prices come down. Maybe lithium batteries
are
> >fairly cheap in the US but they are VERY expensive here.
>
> I thought the same thing after reading the reviews all the time. I was
> actually afraid to buy any cams with non-standard batteries. But I
> actually ended up getting a cam the last few weeks since the newest
> version of the model which replaced the older version doesnt use AAs
> anymore.

<snip>

I guess you are in the US?

> most are junk. Ive seen lith ion rechargeables all over the place now
> - generics on Ebay and other online stores for $2-3 !!!! And for the
> expensive cams $10 ! Most of these are JUNK and I would stay away from
> them. However at places like Thomas Distrib which is a reputable place
> often cited - they sell replacements for the battery I have lith ion
> rechargeable for around $18 and Ive seen the same brand for as low as
> 15. So overall Im very happy and surprised . I really thought I would
> hate the liths because of the common reason mentioned which I also
> used to say.

Thats OK if you can find the lithium ion batteries easily such as Thomas
Distrib, which we don't have here, but I have never seen any lith ion
batteries for around $18.00 in any store here in Toronto and I don't go
much on Ebay. As I said, more like $58.00 US and some are more. Even if
I decided to get a camera with lith ion and was prepared to pay the high
cost of an extra lith ion, or had to get a replacement lith ion, finding
one could be a bigger problem than the cost. We have Best Buy, Future
Shop (owned by Best Buy) who are the main chain stores to get batteries,
and I look at the digital camera batteries to see how much they cost,
and they never have much selection. In the US you have more selection
and more stores to choose from than we do. I was just presenting a
different point of view from some of us newsgroup readers who do not
live in the US .

Kath

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.dcameras (More info?)

In article <2q23h1l8cgfmqe5sidg2n438pdh8nri5pv@4ax.com>,
markwco@RemoveNoSpamcomcast.net (MarkW) wrote:

> Are these good to go with or should I go with the more
> proprietary lithium batteries?

I run a Canon S1 IS with 4x2300mAh NiMH AAs and they last a *long* time.
I'm very impressed. The camera even powers up and takes shots after
sitting for a few weeks on the shelf (though I wouldn't want to rely on
that, obviously).

I always carry a spare set when I'm out, but I usually fill my 1Gb CF
card before the batteries run out. I'm now contemplating buying a
Panasonic FZ30, but to be honest the cost of spare batteries is what
puts me off most. AAs are very flexible in most of my electronics kit
and I'd like to stick to that format if possible.

Andrew McP

 

[Cs]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.dcameras (More info?)

"Andrew MacPherson" <andrew.mcp@dsl.pipex.com> wrote in message
news:memo.20050829091713.1848C@address_disguised.address_disguised...
> In article <2q23h1l8cgfmqe5sidg2n438pdh8nri5pv@4ax.com>,
> markwco@RemoveNoSpamcomcast.net (MarkW) wrote:
>
>> Are these good to go with or should I go with the more
>> proprietary lithium batteries?
>
> I run a Canon S1 IS with 4x2300mAh NiMH AAs and they last a *long* time.
> I'm very impressed. The camera even powers up and takes shots after
> sitting for a few weeks on the shelf (though I wouldn't want to rely on
> that, obviously).
>
> I always carry a spare set when I'm out, but I usually fill my 1Gb CF
> card before the batteries run out. I'm now contemplating buying a
> Panasonic FZ30, but to be honest the cost of spare batteries is what
> puts me off most. AAs are very flexible in most of my electronics kit
> and I'd like to stick to that format if possible.
>
> Andrew McP


I have based my buying decision as to my last two digital cameras in part on
the camera's ability to use AA batteries. If nothing else, for the peace of
mind that I could get spares pretty much anywhere in the world if needed (I
travel to some out-of-the-way places). I already use rechargeable AAs in my
handheld GPS, and used rechargeable AAAs in my handheld, so this was a high
priority for me.

My current Olympus uses disposable AA, rechargeable NiMH AA, and also
disposable CRV3 lithium cells. The CRV3 cells are especially nice if you
don't use the camera frequently--good capacity and long shelf life.