Digital Cameras - Digital Camera Reviews - Digital Photography

Batteries are used to power the flash and the LCD display. Leaving the display on more than necessary is a surefire way to drain your batteries, and if you don't have a spare set on hand, that once-in-a-lifetime photo can be lost. Most digital cameras use AA batteries. These are available almost anywhere in the world and relatively inexpensive. Using nonrechargeable batteries, however, is uneconomical in the long run as well as being bad for the environment. It is much better to have several sets of rechargeable batteries on hand.

Digital cameras are 'high drain' electronic devices which mean they require batteries which have a comparatively high energy level over their energy cycle. The best type of rechargeable batteries for digital cameras is NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride). These relatively inexpensive batteries will keep your camera operating longer than any other standard type of battery. NiMH batteries are made from non-toxic materials so they are environmentally friendly.

Some manufacturers supply lithium-ion batteries for their digital cameras. They are more expensive than NiMH batteries but hold their charge almost twice as long. They also don't lose their charge while in storage the way that NiMH batteries do, and their power drains at a predictable rate so that it is easy to gauge how much power is left.

Alkaline batteries are not suitable for digital cameras. You can always use them if nothing else is available, but their power will be used up after just a few shots. Rechargeable alkaline batteries are even worse -- they may only be good for two or three shots.

A set of fully charged NiMH batteries may give you up to 100 shots if you are careful with power consumption. This number will be reduced if you use the flash a lot, leave the monitor on between shots, and do a lot of zooming and focusing.

Battery Chargers

Battery chargers come in a variety of models – be sure to get one that is rated for the type of batteries you are using for your digital camera. Some chargers can handle both NiMH and NiCad batteries but if these chargers are not set up properly they can damage the batteries by overcharging them.

Lithium-ion battery chargers are usually provided by the camera manufacturer. They may come as part of the digital camera package or be available as an accessory. Batteries have to be charged together as a set. If your digital camera uses four AA batteries you need a charger that can handle that number. Similarly if your camera uses two or three batteries -- the charger must be compatible.

Some of the inexpensive battery chargers keep on charging the batteries for a fixed length of time. This can be bad for the batteries because they can be overcharged. Look for a battery charger that has a micro processor which controls the charging cycle. This type of charger switches off automatically when the batteries reach their maximum charge.