Technical > Digital Imaging Technology > Battery bias?

Battery bias?

i think in the long run the rechargable Li-Ion systems will give you more shots and if you carry a spare you would likely fill two memory cards before being out of juice.
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reply to fiestaware
if you like spending money and spending money then get one that takes AA's otherwise a spare and the OE battery do just fine. I have a fuji that uses AA's and i hate it becasue of that. my pentax and panasonic and cannon all use proprietery Li-ion and they do great just a few cents to charge.

i also tried the ni metal hydride rechargeable types and they didnt work so good because of the lower voltage 1.2 each vs 1.5 each.

reply to fiestaware
Never really had an issue with an proprietary batteries. My 9 year old Sony camcorder batteries still function well. Having just picked up another camera that does use AA's, I still don't prefer them. Don't rule out good cameras just for this reason.

Going from a 35mm Minolta SLR to ANY P&S is a major step backwards in image quality.

I'm not certain as I never kept up with Minolta but, are there any new DSLR's that you can use your Minolta SLR lenses on?

reply to fiestaware
But a good set of (affordable - under $20) NiMH AAs can last nearly two years if treated properly.

Guy-at-camera-shop says that the ($60-80) Li-ions last a year and a half. Is he underestimating here?

My 4 1/2 year old original Canon Li-Ion 1200 mah Rebel battery is down to about 130 shots from 400 when new. The 2 aftermarket 2000 mah batteries purchased about 3 1/2 years ago are beginning to show their age, probably getting 300 shots instead of the original 500.

I bought 2 more aftermarket 2000 mah batteries 18 months ago for a vacation in Europe and these still give the same number of shots as the day they were new.

The strange thing is that around 2002 I bought three sets of NIMH AA's for my old Nikon 950 and although the camera is long gone, I still use the AA's for my present flash and they work great getting at least 100 or so flashes per charge. I can only guess that they lasted so long because they do not have that many charge cycles on them.

reply to fiestaware
Nothing wrong with battery packs!

All our digital cameras except for the Panasonic LZ2 use them. No issues at all. Never even had the need for a 2nd battery on our Panasonic FZ8 out shooting for the day either!

Also, as for your choices, I vote for the Panasonic. If you check around they are winning just about every test/comparison/competition on each level of camera! Yes, they did beat out the G10 as well from Canon. The FZ28 is an amazing camera! And if you are printing normal sized pictures you will NOT see any difference between it and your 35mm Minolta, if anything, the Panasonic images will look a bit better due to the in camera processing done. .

P.S. Also, with 3rd party manufacturers like SterlingTek making battery packs for almost all cameras, you can buy extra battery packs dirt cheap, and they actually last longer and out perform the OEM ones too!
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reply to fiestaware
can they be charged on the OEM charger?

Yes the 3rd party packs can be charged on OEM charger, well, atleast the sterlingtek ones can.
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reply to fiestaware
I've used Sterling Tek's in the past and I had no problems charging them with my OEM charger. Also from my experience they do last longer. My Sterling Tek's became the primary and the OEM's the back-up battery.

reply to fiestaware
I used to agree with you in preferring AA to Li-ion packs. I got my Panasonic FZ7 though and it changed my mind. It takes tons of shots on each charge and only takes an hour or so to charge. (Just charge it before going out on a big shoot and you'll be fine.) Even if it's flashing red, I can usually take a dozen or so photos.

Meanwhile, my wife's P&S camera is having battery problems. We put charged reusable batteries in it and she was good for a day before it said it needed new batteries. So we decided to use non-rechargables (thinking perhaps our charger or batteries were bad). Well, she opened a package, stuck them in, and the indicator decided to flash red! So while she has to constantly swap out new AA batteries (or risk that the indicator is correct), I'm fine with my Li-ion pack.
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-Jason Levine
Support a children's charity. Buy a calendar and/or a photo book. Shooting For A Cause

reply to fiestaware
On rechargeables, I've been using the Sanyo Eneloop AA cells in my 580EX II shoe flash on the 20D.

I also use these in my Golflogix GPS unit. But I'll also say I've used the Energizer units with good results.

I realize the proprietary batteries are on the pricey side, but really I've had good luck with them. I have four Li-ion packs for my 20D, and they've performed flawlessly. One set I've had since I got the camera in 2006, the other pair I picked up before last year's Rolex 24.

One set has lasted me the entire Rolex 24 weekend, 1200 or so shots. I could NEVER say that about AA cells on my old P&S. I'd be changing out cells 3-4 times a day. Total FAIL in my view.
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reply to fiestaware
There are also the 3rs party alternatives to OEM batteries. When you factor their cost in compared to other alternatives it becomes a bargain.

reply to boogi man

reply to Jodokast96

reply to fiestaware
Yes, Sterling Tek's.
»www.sterlingtek.com/index.html

reply to fiestaware
I thank you guys for the discussion.

Frankly, I'm not convinced; proprietary batteries - in reality - mean adding an add'l ~$50-100 to the purchase price of those cameras, plus the expense (and nuisance!) of adding the same cost again a couple of years down the line. That can easily push a $400 Pana LX3 (for example) nearer to the $500-600 price point. Suddenly seems not worth it.

Even with the seeming availability of "affordable" 3rd party substitutions, the other problem of universal availability is not solved. The site referenced ^above doesn't carry batteries for the first four camera models I checked. And I sometimes go places where electricity is scarce and camera shoppes are non-existent. What would I do then? I would cry, is what.

So rather than get a beautiful TZ5 or G9 that'll make me cry, I'm probably getting an SX model.

reply to fiestaware
Well, first off don't search site by camera, search by batter model. They carry almost all.

Secondly, think what you will, but the rest of the World disagrees.

Also, how do you figure proprietary battery adds extra $50-$100 to cost!? That doesn't even make sense, lol. Considering you can even get quality aftermarket batteries for around $10 or so each for any camera on Ebay, lol.

There is a reason most manufacturers are switching to battery packs.

There is also a reason Pros shoot cameras that allow battery packs, reason manufacturers don't make pro level equipment without battery packs, reason many manufacturers are doing away with anything but battery packs.

Your arguments may have held some weight 5 years ago, but doesn't today, sorry.

Heck, 2 battery packs and you can shoot thousands of shots, how much more you need!? My batteries are years old and still going strong, so your argument about replacing in a year or 2 is invalid as well.

But, it is your choice to go with a lesser quality camera to full fill your outdated reasons, and for the most part, invalid as well. And, lastly, why even bother to make a thread and ask, when you don't bother to even listen to anyone anyways!?
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