Cameras and batteries

December 9, 2006 4:37 PM

Why are my kids' digital cameras devouring batteries?

Each of my kids (17 and 19) has a Kodak EasyShare that we got them about a year ago. They run through batteries like crazy. I suggested that they use rechargeables, but they say that those last only about 20 seconds. That's probably an exaggeration, but point made.

Is there a significant variation among digital cameras WRT power consumption?

posted by yclipse to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (18 answers total)

Are you using Lithium ion batteries in them? The nickel cadmiums lasted maybe two days per pair in my camera. It wasn't the kind of batteries required for it.
posted by Tuwa at 4:48 PM on December 9, 2006

Try switching to NiMH or Li-ion batteries. Alkaline and Ni-Cads tend not to last very long in digital cameras because they draw a lot of current. You may find that other devices think the batteries are just fine after the digital camera thinks they're empty, just because they can't put out enough amps to satisfy the camera. I had one that only lasted about 10 minutes on two alkaline AAs, but lasted for hours with two NiMH AAs.
posted by Emanuel at 4:50 PM on December 9, 2006

Also, try using the viewfinder and turning the LCD screen off. That display draws a lot of power. Sometimes it's useful, but often unnecessary.
posted by SBMike at 4:52 PM on December 9, 2006

Seconding NiMH rechargables. They're a bit more expensive but they last longer than even alkaline batteries.
posted by Mwongozi at 4:54 PM on December 9, 2006

Use Energizer NiMH rechargeable batteries - they were designed to work in digital cameras. One of their chargers will recharge four AA/AAA batteries in 15 minutes. These batteries can be recharged 500 times. I keep two sets of batteries charged and travel with a battery charger. I keep my extra set of batteries in my camera case.
posted by plokent at 4:59 PM on December 9, 2006

First off, Kodak Cameras have a ridicoulsy high requirement for a "good" battery. Drain a battery a little and Kodak says it is no good even it will power other electronics and even flashlights like new.

Second, their cameras drain batteries some even when you shut off the camera. (and if you remove batteries for long, the camera forgets the date/time and maybe other settings)

So, if you put fresh batteries in a camera, take a dozen pictures, then turn if off - in a few days the batteries will be drained to the point that the camera thinks they are no good.

One partial solution, if you are using regular batteries, is to to use 2 sets of bateries. When the camera thinks the first set is bad, install a fresh set only to take pictures. Once finished taking pictures, reinstall the "bad" batteries. They contain enough juice to keep the camera from losing its mind, and meanwhile you sill have a good set which is not being drained.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 5:28 PM on December 9, 2006

Also your kids are probably snapping photos and then immediately passing the camera around to show their friends. Powering the LCD for more than just taking photos probably eats up the batteries too.
posted by wfrgms at 5:34 PM on December 9, 2006

The fast battery chargers are pretty brutal to the batteries; if you use a gentler charger, you can extend the lifespan quite a bit longer. It's a tradeoff between convenience (batteries NOW) versus cost (buy more batteries).

I've bought a lot of the Maha brand batteries from Thomas Distributing. They have usually had newer technology sooner than most. The Mahas were at 2500Mah well before the Energizers, and they're up to 2700 now. Most often, the Mahas will actually exceed their rating a bit... it's not just marketing speak.

I bought this $30 charger from them, and I've been very happy with it. It's very small, so it's easy to take traveling, and claims to be quite sophisticated internally. It'll do both AA and AAA. I've been using the batteries and charger for more than a year, and I haven't noticed very much power loss.

The site also offers higher-end chargers, ones with digital readouts and individual cell charging and support for batteries of all flavors, even 9V and D, which you don't see often. But you probably don't need any of that, the simpler charger is very good.

Basically, Thomas Distributing is battery geek heaven. The website is a bit ... umm... I guess hokey would be the right word, but the products I've ordered have been excellent.
posted by Malor at 5:39 PM on December 9, 2006

Emanuel is right, and I third the recommendation for NiMHs. Alkaline AA batteries, while higher voltage than NiMH (1.5v vs 1.2) can't deliver the current that digital cameras need for very long. They're not going dead -- you could still put them in a small flashlight and they'll work for a good long time -- they're just dropping below the point where the camera will use them. NiMH rechargeables produce the kind of digital cameras need and they can be recharged hundreds of times. Don't bother with NiCds, they're pretty old tech and they have lots of problems.
posted by George_Spiggott at 6:49 PM on December 9, 2006

Seconding those that said use the viewfinder. LCD screens suck a ton of power. My batteries usually last a long time, but I only use the LCD screen to delete images.
posted by Glitter Ninja at 7:02 PM on December 9, 2006

One of the reasons is that in some cameras the microprocessor keeps running as long as there are batteries in the camera, in order to keep the clock going. So the batteries are being drained continuously, 24 hours per day, as long as they're installed.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 7:16 PM on December 9, 2006

Seconding Maha and Thomas Distributing. The only place I'd ever go for my rechargables.
posted by mendel at 7:23 PM on December 9, 2006

LCD screen, the flash and (oops) leaving the camera (like hours) plugged in to the computer after downloading the images all seem to drain my batteries.

Luckily, we have about 5 sets of rechargables, and they will often let me take 300 pictures (no flash, daylight) no problems.
posted by b33j at 12:37 AM on December 10, 2006

Response by poster: About half of these answers could be marked as best, and all are excellent comments. Thank you.

I personally have no familiarity with using rechargeables in a camera, but I may soon. If a set of (good quality) batteries is recharged, about how long would they hold the charge if NOT used right away?
posted by yclipse at 5:29 AM on December 10, 2006

My experience is that rechargable batteries last longer than regular one-timers.
I suggest you buy each kid a recharger kit, complete with rechargable batteries (c.$25 at Radio Shack), and put them in control of their battery usage. Inform them that using the LCD display is eating up the battery power, and that if they want the batteries to last longer, they'll have to use the display off. Tell them if they want to use one-time batteries, they'll have to buy them with their own money.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 7:06 AM on December 10, 2006

What MonkeySaltedNuts said, especially about the Kodak using the batteries when the camera is off; I can use the LCD all the time and one set of alkaline batteries will last me a week of fairly regular use, as long as I take the batteries out when the camera isn't in use. This is, of course, a pain, because it loses the date (etc) memory, and my communications with customer service lead me to believe that it's designed that way to get you to buy their charging dock and batteries.
posted by Cricket at 2:01 PM on December 10, 2006

yclipse: That's the big drawback to NiMH rechargeables... the charge drops off whether you're using them or not. I don't remember the exact figure, but after 60 days or so, the batteries will be completely flat. They hold a lot of juice, and they can deliver high current, but each charge has a short shelf life. I try to use mine within a week or so of charging, and I generally keep a set in the charger all the time.
posted by Malor at 3:11 PM on December 10, 2006

Try and buy batteries with a minimum 2000mAh, pref 2500mAh.
posted by lalochezia at 6:28 AM on December 11, 2006