[metalhead72]

What are the best rechargeable batteries for use with a digital camera.. We currently use duracell but after a couple of shots there virtually flat ..

I did see the Gadget show do some testing and I belive there number one was a uniross performance battery ..?

[IAN P]

Lithium ion last the longest,by a long way.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Energizer-Ul...0119295&sr=8-3

You may find em' cheaper.

[loz]

get some of the new hybrid batteries such as Sanyo Eneloop or Uniross Hybrio.

As well as being good rechargeables, they don't self discharge as quickly as regular rechargeable, and so if you charged them today, they will still be ready for use next month (and the month after that) , whereas regular rechargeables will have gone flat again without even being used.

[FunkyMunkey]

Originally Posted by IAN P

Lithium ion last the longest,by a long way.

Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA Batteries: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

Those aren't rechargeable, so they're not very cost-effective for long-term use.

I've always used Uniross batteries, and they've generally been great.

Originally Posted by Holy_Pilgrim

We currently use duracell but after a couple of shots there virtually flat ..

I was having a similar problem with some rechargables, and I think it was because their capacity was higher than the charger could actually charge up. So even tho they were 2500 mah batteries, I only got a couple of shots out of them, whereas the 2100 mah batteries could take a couple of hundred.

[benwillcox]

Originally Posted by loz

get some of the new hybrid batteries such as Sanyo Eneloop or Uniross Hybrio.

As well as being good rechargeables, they don't self discharge as quickly as regular rechargeable, and so if you charged them today, they will still be ready for use next month (and the month after that) , whereas regular rechargeables will have gone flat again without even being used.

The hybrid batteries work very well in applications where you need them to hold their charge for a long time, I use them in my Pronto remote control where normal Ni-MH batteries used to go flat over a week or so without being used.

But, it depends how you use your digital camera, if you only need to go a day or so between recharges (usually you can recharge overnight) then you really just need the highest capacity cells you can find i.e. 3000mAh AA Ni-MH cells, maybe even higher.

Ben

[whatsupdoc]

I have found the NIMH ones from 7dayshop.com to be pretty good and they seem to have a good shelf life when not used for some time.

[Iccz]

Ansmann, Powerex or Energizer

Personally I think the Ansmann 2850's are by far the best i've ever used.

[Kevstir]

the gadget show did a test on rechargeables the other week there, the uniross 2700mah came out top.

video here

[Iccz]

Who in their right mind listens to the gadget show for genuine advice

[Gunhawk]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Who in their right mind listens to the gadget show for genuine advice

me! but i only watch it for suzie....mmmm

[Kevstir]

well yeah they aren't the best for advise (they do get it right sometimes)but at the end of the day its only batteries they tested, its easy to test how long they take to charge and discharge.

if you think that there is a back hander to make one make look better than another that's up to you.

personally i don't give a **** what you think i was only trying to help, seems there is to many snobs on this site and not enough joe blogs.

Please don't type in a manner to avoid the swear filter , thank you

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by Kevstir

well yeah they aren't the best for advise (they do get it right sometimes)but at the end of the day its only batteries they tested, its easy to test how long they take to charge and discharge.

if you think that there is a back hander to make one make look better than another that's up to you.

personally i don't give a **** what you think i was only trying to help, seems there is to many snobs on this site and not enough joe blogs.

Relax man, I made that comment light-heartedly, it wasn't an attack on you, more so the programme than anything, i'm not a snob and i'm certainly not elitist when it comes to batteries...

and I never said anything about backhanders

I'm not after an argument or to anger people, just... having seen that show a few times their selections are usually poor and very narrow.

[dakara]

Another vote for Uniross Hybrio. I use them in my DSLR, Voice Recorder, Mp3 Player, and Mouse.
I used regular NiMH rechargeables previously, but their self-discharge rates were so bad, that I have scrapped them all, and now only use the Hybrios.

[Vnb]

Uniross hybrio, and MyMemory are doing a 3 for 2 offer so not a bad deal.

Uniross HYBRIO Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries - 4 x AA 2100mAh £9.99 - Free Delivery

[JohnG]

Do rechargeables have a limited life ? I've had some for about 7 years now and they don't seem to last as long as some newer ones.

[Kevstir]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Relax man, I made that comment light-heartedly, it wasn't an attack on you, more so the programme than anything, i'm not a snob and i'm certainly not elitist when it comes to batteries...

and I never said anything about backhanders

I'm not after an argument or to anger people, just... having seen that show a few times their selections are usually poor and very narrow.

I apologise m8, had a bit to drink when i wrote that and had just had a wee tiff with the wife

just buy every ready battery's

[funkyspider]

Sanyo Eneloop - The can be left in things like digital cameras for ages and they dont discharge themselves. The pain with 'normal' rechargeables is they actually discharge quite quickly when not being used.

Uniross Hybrio are the same technology, but our local Argos/Homebase have stopped selling them, so whether this means they arent making them anymore I dont know.

I've got Eneloops in everything now. Wiimotes, 360 controllers, cameras, the other halfs 'special toys'


Happy christmas

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Do rechargeables have a limited life ? I've had some for about 7 years now and they don't seem to last as long as some newer ones.

The life of batteries is down to the usage of them and also what kind of battery they are.

Laptop batteries for example can have a constant flow of power in them and it will not drain their life too much, with them it's the heat that causes the chemical reaction that drains the life.

Standard batteries - non rechargable, will hold their life until the date on them if they are not used, the usage of the battery drains the power left in them, but when they are not used they do not lose charge.

Rechargeable batteries will lose their life if they go unused, they are sold without any charge in and require a full charge before use, they work in the same way as alkaline batteries as in they work by chemical reaction to make electrons flow in the right direction. During charge electrons are pumped back into the battery, in NiMH batteries the loss of life is due to oxidisation of the nickel. Using the charge reverses what happens in charge.
NiMH generally lose charge, just laws of science say that it cant fully hold all charge constantly, the newer LSD NiMH ones hold charge better though.

[jendo]

Woolworths are selling rechargeable batteries cheap at the moment. Just got 4 AA for £2.70 and 2 AAA for £1.70

[Praxidike]

I can recommend this if you can find it in stock anywhere:

Play.com (UK) : Uniross U0105453 Ultra Fast Sprint 1 Hour Charger : Electronics - Free Delivery

[johnscarlet]

There has been a few battery threads in the Digital Camera section of the forums , they may have some more options mentioned in there

[AnilS]

7dayshop.com ones are very good and priced well.

[Triggaaar]

Can I use my old NiCad charger with new NiMh batteries?

I've got some new batteries on order, but no charger yet, and I wondered if I could use my old charger. Obviously you need the right charger for the job, but if both NiCad and NiMh charge in the same way, then my old charger would work wouldn't it? I presume my charger is older than the NiMh technology, although that shouldn't be relevant.

Originally Posted by Praxidike

I can recommend this if you can find it in stock anywhere:

Play.com (UK) : Uniross U0105453 Ultra Fast Sprint 1 Hour Charger : Electronics - Free Delivery

That's available a pound cheaper at amazon, but 1 reviewer pointed out that they get twice as much use from their batteries when using their slower charger.

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by Triggaaar

Can I use my old NiCad charger with new NiMh batteries?

I've got some new batteries on order, but no charger yet, and I wondered if I could use my old charger. Obviously you need the right charger for the job, but if both NiCad and NiMh charge in the same way, then my old charger would work wouldn't it? I presume my charger is older than the NiMh technology, although that shouldn't be relevant.

The difference in Nicad / NiMh, is Nicad is a more robust cell so it can tolerate overcharging more than NiMh, also the NiMh will discharge at a higer rate.

You will be able to charge your NiMh with the charger but i'd look at getting a better charger to help you maintain the life of your batteries better.

What they say is that it takes a couple of charges/full drains to get the batteries to full potential, to me this seems to be 100% true.

Personally i'd look at getting a new charger, you can pick good ones up for around £15

I have a Quest BK1 Charger and it has a button to push to discharge the batteries before they are charged. If this is held down for 5 seconds it starts a 'formation charge' (or deep conditioning charge) for brand new batteries, which discharges & charges 3 times.