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#1
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
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. |
#2
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
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. AF for an airshow? Almost every picture at an airshow will have the subject more than 50 feet away from the camera, which means you wouldn't be using the AF at all, as the setting would be, basically 'infinity' all the time. Just set the focus at infinity, and turn AF off. With no AF working all the time, your lithium ion battery would last several times as long. 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. 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? 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. The issues of convenience and availability are still as important to me as they have ever been. |
#3
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
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? |
#4
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
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#5
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
Andrew MacPherson wrote:
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. Of course if you really want AA back-up you can also use the vertical grip. I tried it once on my 20D, just to see how well it worked, but it's quite a hassle to have to have two chargers to charge all six batteries at once, or to buy a larger charger. |
#6
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
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. " |
#7
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
Wait until you buy a flash: You are going to need AA batts still!
"Andrew MacPherson" wrote in message ddress_disguised... 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. |
#8
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
Ron Hunter wrote:
That spare will still cost many times what a set of Eneloop (or similar) batteries, Actually it won't. A set of six Eneloops for a digital SLR vertical grip would cost about the same as a Li-Ion for the same camera. I.e. a 2000mAH, 7.4V BP511 costs around $12. Six 2000mAH 1.2V Eneloops for the vertical grip would cost around $14, and would provide the same WH. The difference is that you can go to Smarty-Mart and buy those Eneloops for $2.25 to $2.50 each, but to buy a decent aftermarket BP-511 for $12 you have to order it from an online source. This is one advantage of AA batteries versus Li-Ion. Some real advantages of AA batteries a 1. Li-Ion packs are proprietary, you can't substitute disposable AA cells if your battery goes dead in the middle of nowhere, and you have no spare battery, and no AC or DC power for charging 2. Longer shelf life 3. Faster charging 4. AA cells will always be available, while less popular Li-Ion packs may be discontinued 5. Multiple devices that use AA or AAA cells can share batteries and chargers (though there are now Li-Ion chargers that can charge many different battery types) 6. NiMH AA cells can be charged from a 5 volt USB port, while larger Li-Ion packs (7.4V) cannot. 7. Hot Shoe Flash and Camera Can Use the Same Type of Battery and will you still be able to buy a battery for that camera 10 years from now? Batteries for the very popular digital SLRs will easily be available for ten years. For second tier digital SLRs they'll probably still be available, but not at low prices. It's rather moot since none of the good digital SLRs use AA batteries except in the vertical grip. |
#9
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
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 |
#10
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I've changed my mind about AA batteries.
just bob wrote:
Wait until you buy a flash: You are going to need AA batts still! This is true. It's too bad that they don't make a flash that uses the same type of Li-Ion battery as the camera. |
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