I’ve tried using ordinary rechargeables for my Samsung S860, but have grown tired of them dying rather quickly. Is there some kind made specifically for digital cameras, that maybe I could get from Walmart or Newegg? Any recommendations? Thanks.
I highly recommend Sanyo Eneloops. I have been very pleased with their performance in my digital camera. They also have very slow discharge rates if not used, so if you leave your camera in the closet for months at a time these are a good choice.
The package deal (link below) comes with nifty adapters so you can use the AAs to replace C or D cells in a pinch. Costco also carries Eneloops, and you can usually get a good deal on the package deal with charger, as well as extra AAs.
You want Low Discharge NiMH batteries, like the Sanyo Enloops mentioned by Bolt, but I’ve found that most major brands all work very well. I’m using Duracell batteries myself.
I third the recommendation. Now, they tend to have slightly lower capacity than traditional NiMH batteries, but they’ll hold a charge for months. For me, that’s perfect, since I like to be able to pull out my camera and take a few pictures without charging the batteries up the night before. But if you go on vacation, and want to be able to take lots of pictures over a few days, it might be good to have a few high-capacity standard NiMH batteries around as well.
I figure I might pick up some of these LSD batteries today at Walmart, but do I really need to buy a charger with them? I’ll only need the AA’s, and have already got a couple Rayovac AA rechargers, as well as an Energizer one.
You don’t need anything special for a charger. Any standard NiMH charger will work for low self-discharge batteries.
However, I understand that some chargers are better than others, and can charge faster and/or be gentler with the batteries. I think the Eneloop branded charger is supposed to be pretty good. But if you’re other chargers have been serving you well, might as well keep 'em.
batteries are measured in milli amps. Buy the battery with the highest mA number in the same category type. Since battery claim is also suspect I would check out this comparison of NIMH batteries.
same site only with more batteries listed.
That would be milliAmp-hours (mAh), not milliamps.
And don’t just buy the largest capacity. Low-self-discharge batteries (like the Eneloops mentioned above) have somewhat lower mAh rating than others, but more than make up for it with the low self-discharge property under typical use.
Eneloops batteries are fantastic. I have several sets and use them for all sorts of things, including portable speakers, cordless mice, and the flash for my DSLR. (I don’t use them in cameras, but only because all my cameras use proprietary Li-Ion batteries.)
The low self discharge rate is nice if you let batteries sit on the shelf but it doesn’t mean anything compared to a freshly charged battery. And while the Enoloops return their mAh rating they are only 2000 mAh batteries. You are better off using the higher mAh batteries in cameras for planned events such as vacations.