Digital Camera Batteries
April 6, 2004 1:33 PM Subscribe
My digital camera can eat up four AA cells in less than an hour. Suggestions? Short of getting a second job to pay for batteries.
Turn off the display. My camera goes through a battery (and one of the hyperexpensive moderately-difficult-to-find unusual types, not simple AAs) in about 90 minutes if I have the display on, but will last several hours with it off.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:37 PM on April 6, 2004
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 1:37 PM on April 6, 2004
buy some NiMH (nickel metal hydride) batteries and a one-hour charger. The initial investment can be heavy, but you'll save a ton over time.
posted by krunk at 1:37 PM on April 6, 2004
posted by krunk at 1:37 PM on April 6, 2004
NiMH (Nickel Metal-Hydride) rechargeables. They're pricy, but you only need to buy them once, and they have an excellent lifespan in electronic devices.
I use them in pretty much everything.
On preview, what krunk said.
posted by rafter at 1:38 PM on April 6, 2004
I use them in pretty much everything.
On preview, what krunk said.
posted by rafter at 1:38 PM on April 6, 2004
Specifically, NiMH rechargeables with the highest mAH you can find. Powerex 2200 mAH are good.
Alkaline batteries have a different power curve than NiMH batteries. NiMH is much better suited to digical cameras.
posted by kaefer at 1:41 PM on April 6, 2004
Alkaline batteries have a different power curve than NiMH batteries. NiMH is much better suited to digical cameras.
posted by kaefer at 1:41 PM on April 6, 2004
ditto on all the nimh feedback. with my nikon 990, i rotated two sets and never ran out of power (and saved some significant $$$).
posted by heather at 1:51 PM on April 6, 2004
posted by heather at 1:51 PM on April 6, 2004
Ditto on turning off the LCD screen. All three digital camera that I have owned over the last four years actually turned out better pictures, too, if I ignored the LCD screen and learned to intuit what kind of pictures I would get from what the viewfinder was giving me—just like on a film camera. Of course, this is assuming your camera has a viewfinder. Some don't, and that's a shame.
posted by Mo Nickels at 2:08 PM on April 6, 2004
posted by Mo Nickels at 2:08 PM on April 6, 2004
Response by poster: The way I go through batteries, I've probably bought a charger + rechargables several times over. Also, it didn't occur to me that the display was devouring so much.
Thanks! I'll give the Powerex 2200 a try. (And work on becoming more viewfinder-dependent.)
posted by precocious at 2:21 PM on April 6, 2004
Thanks! I'll give the Powerex 2200 a try. (And work on becoming more viewfinder-dependent.)
posted by precocious at 2:21 PM on April 6, 2004
If you can adjust the screen's brightness (I know my Nikon 775 allows this), setting it to the dimmest mode will extend battery life. The LCD's backlight really is the number one power draw, and turning it down helps tremendously. I can now easily go an entire weekend, shooting a couple hundred pictures, on one battery.
Personally, I'm unable to use viewfinders -- I wear glasses, and if I remove them to look into the eyepiece, I can't see a damn thing.
I've also found that the "battery low" warning tends to come on quite early, at least in my camera. Often, if I'm careful about turning it on and off, I can eke another afternoon's worth of pictures out of it before the battery truly expires.
posted by majick at 2:49 PM on April 6, 2004
Personally, I'm unable to use viewfinders -- I wear glasses, and if I remove them to look into the eyepiece, I can't see a damn thing.
I've also found that the "battery low" warning tends to come on quite early, at least in my camera. Often, if I'm careful about turning it on and off, I can eke another afternoon's worth of pictures out of it before the battery truly expires.
posted by majick at 2:49 PM on April 6, 2004
Resurrecting my old comment. I have not bought any batteries since.
Be sure that you "train" your rechargeables (several load + empty cycles) [more].
For a charger, try a universal one (110/220/12V), so that you can use it anywhere (you do use your camera on trips, don't you?). Also, get a battery holder.
posted by MzB at 2:51 PM on April 6, 2004
Be sure that you "train" your rechargeables (several load + empty cycles) [more].
For a charger, try a universal one (110/220/12V), so that you can use it anywhere (you do use your camera on trips, don't you?). Also, get a battery holder.
posted by MzB at 2:51 PM on April 6, 2004
May I piggyback a related question? My digicam also eats batteries like candy even though I almost never use the LCD and I do use rechargeables. A salesguy at my neighborhood electronics megastore told me that downloading the images via USB is a major battery drainer. I thought USB provided some power to the attached device (mice and keyboards anyway, not enough for a printer of course). Was this guy talking out of his hat?
posted by Alylex at 3:10 PM on April 6, 2004
posted by Alylex at 3:10 PM on April 6, 2004
NiHM are the way to go. As high a mAH as you can find. When I bought my camera I found a deal online after a little bit of googleing, got 12 batteries and a charger for around $30. By my estimate I've saved $100 in AA alkalines since then.
posted by Grod at 3:18 PM on April 6, 2004
posted by Grod at 3:18 PM on April 6, 2004
USB can provide power, but I'd be surprised if the camera was using it in any meaningful way. Buy a USB card reader for your media of choice (or get a 6-in-one model to hedge your bets for the future). Better yet, make it USB 2.0 Full Speed or FireWire.
As for the alkalines, they have a high internal resistance and are terrible for high-drain electronics such as digital cameras. As others have suggested, get a set of NiMH rechargeables, they last a LOT longer and you'll save money over the long run. Get a set of lithium AAs (not alkaline) for when the rechargeables go dead and you don't have anything else handy. They last forever in a digicam and they have a nice long shelf life too, so they'll be fresh when you need them.
posted by kindall at 3:21 PM on April 6, 2004
As for the alkalines, they have a high internal resistance and are terrible for high-drain electronics such as digital cameras. As others have suggested, get a set of NiMH rechargeables, they last a LOT longer and you'll save money over the long run. Get a set of lithium AAs (not alkaline) for when the rechargeables go dead and you don't have anything else handy. They last forever in a digicam and they have a nice long shelf life too, so they'll be fresh when you need them.
posted by kindall at 3:21 PM on April 6, 2004
The obvious way around the power drain of downloading via usb directly from the camera is to get a usb adapter for your memory card (some will handle several types of memory, the cheaper ones just do one kind). These are powered from the computers usb bus -- they effectively turn the card into a pen drive.
As for the original question, even mediocre NiMH rechargeables and a slow charger are way better than disposables -- you really can't lose with them.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 4:59 PM on April 6, 2004
As for the original question, even mediocre NiMH rechargeables and a slow charger are way better than disposables -- you really can't lose with them.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 4:59 PM on April 6, 2004
Alylex - I've had this experience, too, with my Olympus C3030. I guessed that since the camera doesn't have a recharge circuit for the batteries (why would it need to? charge them with a charger!), and it already has an AC in (for power when it's stationary, indoors), why would the designers include a power-over-USB feature?
My recommedation - spend $10 on a USB card reader. Your batteries will last much longer, and you'll feel cooler doing the 'tiny-card-out-of-one-device-and-into-another' sci-fi dance.
posted by armoured-ant at 5:02 PM on April 6, 2004
My recommedation - spend $10 on a USB card reader. Your batteries will last much longer, and you'll feel cooler doing the 'tiny-card-out-of-one-device-and-into-another' sci-fi dance.
posted by armoured-ant at 5:02 PM on April 6, 2004
NiMH. Never use regular AA's in a digital cam! Waste of money!
posted by gramcracker at 5:08 PM on April 6, 2004
posted by gramcracker at 5:08 PM on April 6, 2004
An hour isn't bad. My four-year-old digital camera can only take about four shots with regular AA alkaline batteries. I used nickel-metal-hydride rechargables for a while, but then got frustrated when they pooped-out on me and woudn't charge. Now I just buy lithium ("photo") AA batteries, which last quite a long time. Note that the alkalines once they've stopped working in a digital camera, probably still have enough charge left in them to be useful in other devices.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 6:04 PM on April 6, 2004
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 6:04 PM on April 6, 2004
Another option, depending on your camera and your desired use is a battery pack. This Maha PowerBank is a great universal battery pack. Some camera can use the lithium version while most use the NiMH version.
If you have a point and shoot digital camera, they tend to function very differently if you use the view finder. If you are going to sacrifice the LCD, be certain of the results. You will have better results if the view finder is through the lens. Another thing to note is that even if it's through the lens, you're pretty much going to see more or even less in the view finder than what is captured. Learn what the difference is before you fly without the LCD.
Digital SLR cameras are easier in this respect, but with a price tag to match. After I test the lighting and white balance, I don't use the LCD at all.
When you're transferring images, use a card reader or at least use an AC adapter. You'll save a lot of batteries, especially if your using a large flash card and USB 1.1.
If you choose rechargeable, please read The Great Battery Shootout. Spend the time and if necessary, the extra money, to buy batteries that fit your needs. I use a variety of PowerEx batteries. I have a set in the camera charged, a set in the bag and a set in my pocket. I also have two sets for my external flash. The point is, if you shoot frequently and for extended periods of time, have an extra set of rechargeables handy. You may also want to stash away in your camera bag an emergency back up set of disposables.
If you have a MicroDrive or any kind mechanical removable storage medium, they can eat through batteries as well. You may want to consider solid state storage if you find NiMH don't meet your expectations.
The very last option is that many manufacturers make battery packs that can be inserted in place of the AA batteries. You can find a variety of them here or at the manufacturer of the cameras web site.
posted by sequential at 6:12 PM on April 6, 2004
If you have a point and shoot digital camera, they tend to function very differently if you use the view finder. If you are going to sacrifice the LCD, be certain of the results. You will have better results if the view finder is through the lens. Another thing to note is that even if it's through the lens, you're pretty much going to see more or even less in the view finder than what is captured. Learn what the difference is before you fly without the LCD.
Digital SLR cameras are easier in this respect, but with a price tag to match. After I test the lighting and white balance, I don't use the LCD at all.
When you're transferring images, use a card reader or at least use an AC adapter. You'll save a lot of batteries, especially if your using a large flash card and USB 1.1.
If you choose rechargeable, please read The Great Battery Shootout. Spend the time and if necessary, the extra money, to buy batteries that fit your needs. I use a variety of PowerEx batteries. I have a set in the camera charged, a set in the bag and a set in my pocket. I also have two sets for my external flash. The point is, if you shoot frequently and for extended periods of time, have an extra set of rechargeables handy. You may also want to stash away in your camera bag an emergency back up set of disposables.
If you have a MicroDrive or any kind mechanical removable storage medium, they can eat through batteries as well. You may want to consider solid state storage if you find NiMH don't meet your expectations.
The very last option is that many manufacturers make battery packs that can be inserted in place of the AA batteries. You can find a variety of them here or at the manufacturer of the cameras web site.
posted by sequential at 6:12 PM on April 6, 2004
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posted by blueshammer at 1:37 PM on April 6, 2004