I've changed my mind about AA batteries.

David J Taylor wrote:
SMS wrote:
[]
6. NiMH AA cells can be charged from a 5 volt USB port, while larger
Li-Ion packs (7.4V) cannot.

Just don't tell the people who design or make DC-DC convertor ICs!

David

It wouldn't help much. With only 500mA guaranteed from the USB port
(though most will go close to 1000 before shutting down) and the losses
in the DC-DC converter, you'd be somewhere around 225-250mA at a voltage
high enough to charge a 7.4 volt battery. It would take about ten hours
to charge it. For a 3.7 volt Li-Ion battery it would work okay.

Most of the USB AA chargers charge only two cells at a time. Charging
two AA cells from the USB port still takes quite a while.

That spare will still cost many times what a set of Eneloop (or similar)
batteries, and will you still be able to buy a battery for that camera 10
years from now?
-------------------------------------------------------

I believe that my Canon G2 is coming up on eight years old, and the
batteries are still fairly readily available.

It is however, a moot point, as the camera is sitting unused in a drawer
while I use a camera with three times the resolution.

EQR

kilbyfan@aoldotcom (just bob) wrote:

Wait until you buy a flash: You are going to need AA batts still!

I have 20, I don't think I'm going to run out of batteries in a hurry.
:-)

Andrew McP

In article 1207558525.695047@ftpsrv1, frederick says...
Ron Hunter wrote:


That spare will still cost many times what a set of Eneloop (or similar)
batteries, and will you still be able to buy a battery for that camera
10 years from now?

Does anyone seriously think that they'll still be wanting to use their
current camera in 10 years time?

well, I'm into my eighth year of using my Canon G1 many times a week for
everyday work photos. Its a bit battered, being out in all weathers and
dirty environments. I would not even think of using my expensive DSLR
in such places (building sites mostly)

BTW, the one original and one cheapo lithium battery are still going
strong after about 34,000 photos. IIRC the canon would have been £45
and the cheapo was £22, not bad for about £8 per year on batteries
--
mick

SMS wrote:
David J Taylor wrote:
SMS wrote:
[]
6. NiMH AA cells can be charged from a 5 volt USB port, while larger
Li-Ion packs (7.4V) cannot.

Just don't tell the people who design or make DC-DC convertor ICs!

David

It wouldn't help much. With only 500mA guaranteed from the USB port
(though most will go close to 1000 before shutting down) and the
losses in the DC-DC converter, you'd be somewhere around 225-250mA at
a voltage high enough to charge a 7.4 volt battery. It would take
about ten hours to charge it. For a 3.7 volt Li-Ion battery it would
work okay.
Most of the USB AA chargers charge only two cells at a time. Charging
two AA cells from the USB port still takes quite a while.

My main camera battery is 7.4V at 1000mAh, so 5V @ 0.5A, and, say, 80%
efficiency in conversion, is 2 watts, giving a charge time of about 4
hours, not ten hours. For NiMH of the same energy capacity, the charge
time would be about the same.

Cheers,
David

Andrew MacPherson wrote:
All my digital cameras until recently were AA for a combination of
convenience, interoperability, and the ability to use disposables in an
emergency. And, in general, I've been pleased with the AA performance.
However one slightly dodgy battery in a set of 4 can be hard to track
down, and the fairly rapid decay on NiMh can be annoying if you find your
camera dead when you need it.

I have had great success with Hybrio batteries for my K100D DSLR, but the
same batteries don't work in my Oly SP-550 for some reason. So I was
carrying different sets of AAs for different cameras, and the novelty was
wearing off.

I recently decided to buy a new DSLR, and narrowed it down to the 40D or
D300... cameras with very different price tags, but very good AF
performance, which is what I wanted for use at airshows in particular.

In the end the 40D won thanks to the 100-400L and Canon's recent
aggressive pricing. So the 40D was almost half the price of the D300,
leaving me plenty of cash free to buy spare batteries.

Fortunately the 40D has some very cheap and well regarded spares
available. So I bought three, just to make sure I'd have enough juice for
a long day out.

Now I'm not sure why I bothered. :-) The supplied battery is only on its
second charge, has already lasted through about 600 photographs, and
still shows as fully charged.

Ok, I wouldn't rely on the meter reading, but all the same, I'm really
impressed. So I apologise for being a doubting Thomas for so long! I
suppose I knew lithium batteries were vastly superior, it was always the
idea of being stuck far from a charger which bothered me. Now I'd just
stuff a spare in my pocket and not worry at all.

Andrew McP

PS I suppose to be fair the latest generation of cameras do seem to be
very good at saving energy. In the past there may have been more of a
case for sticking with AAs.

I got over 500 shots with a set of Eneloops in a A95. Only ever charged
them once in well over a year.
Given a choice I would opt for AA's, but it wouldn't be the deciding
factor unless other things were equal. Since I doubt I would get a dslr,
if I had to replace it would be one of the later A series which use AA's
anyway. I like how I can keep a spare charger in the car.
Dave Cohen

er wrote:
That spare will still cost many times what a set of Eneloop (or similar)
batteries, and will you still be able to buy a battery for that camera 10
years from now?
-------------------------------------------------------

I believe that my Canon G2 is coming up on eight years old, and the
batteries are still fairly readily available.

It is however, a moot point, as the camera is sitting unused in a drawer
while I use a camera with three times the resolution.

I still use my G2 quite a bit. The tilt/swivel makes it useful in many
situations where my higher resolution cameras cannot be used.

wrote in message
...

In the end the 40D won thanks to the 100-400L and Canon's recent
aggressive pricing. So the 40D was almost half the price of the D300,
leaving me plenty of cash free to buy spare batteries.

Fortunately the 40D has some very cheap and well regarded spares
available. So I bought three, just to make sure I'd have enough juice for
a long day out.

You should of done some research before you bought spare Li-ion
batteries. They degrade from time of manufacturing, even without
being used.

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

From the link: "Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later
use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock,
even if sold at clearance prices. "

I went out and bought a couple of spare lithium batteries when bought my
camera in January, 2004. I'm still using the original and don't know for
certain where the spares are. Wish I'd have been smarter then.

http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

From the link: "Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later
use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock,
even if sold at clearance prices. "

I went out and bought a couple of spare lithium batteries when bought my
camera in January, 2004. I'm still using the original and don't know for
certain where the spares are. Wish I'd have been smarter then.

Did you look in the refrigerator? That would be the best place to
store Li-ion's for extended periods.

er wrote:
That spare will still cost many times what a set of Eneloop (or similar)
batteries, and will you still be able to buy a battery for that camera
10 years from now?
-------------------------------------------------------

I believe that my Canon G2 is coming up on eight years old, and the
batteries are still fairly readily available.

It is however, a moot point, as the camera is sitting unused in a drawer
while I use a camera with three times the resolution.

I still use my G2 quite a bit. The tilt/swivel makes it useful in many
situations where my higher resolution cameras cannot be used.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Replacement for my G2 was a Konica Minolta A200 - which I still use more
often than anything else. It has 8MP and a tilt and swivel, 28-200mm (35mm
equivalent) lens. With the WA & Tele auxillary lenses, I'm good from under
24mm all the way out to 300mm. We have a couple of SLR's in the family
which I am able to use whenever it suits me, hence the reference to three
times the G2 resolution, but the A200 is my personal favorite. When a
compact digital SLR hits the market with live view and the tilt/swivel, I'll
be all over it. Right now, the Olympus E3, and the Panasonic L-10 are the
only real options, and they are just too big, heavy and expensive.

I've been as happy with the Minolta for the past two years as I was with the
Canon for about four years. I can wait patiently while technology catches
up with my dreams.

EQR