Your opinion on digital cameras that use Ni-Mh battery packs

[Frijid]

Today, i decided to buy a new digital camera (the one i use now was made in 2006)

I was looking over the models (trying to keep it under 100 bucks) and i noticed the battery bay was real thin. So i just assume they now took AAA batteries.
Well, came to find out they now make them with battery packs. The battery pack was a 3.7 V Li-Ion, and was roughly about the size small match book. I was instantly turned away from this. So i keep looking, and ALL of the cameras there used them.

Well i wrote down the model number of the camera i would have liked to have and came home and did some research, came to find out a spare battery was 36 dollars.

my Point for not liking this is as follow

It charged thru a usb port. So if i'm in the woods and the battery runs down do i find a usb plug on tree trunk? run home to charge it? waste 36 dollars for another battery? and i have to have the same exact battery to replace it with.
what if i loose the usb cable or it the usb cable stops working?

I would have rather have an AA type and use my own Ni-Mh batteries or alkalines in a pinch. Guess i'll just have to shop around for an AA model

What is ya'lls take on this topic?

I guess you can also use this in a way towards flashlights that use battery packs. That is why the only flashlights i use are the ones that use regular size batteries

 

[StarHalo]

That would be a Li-ion cell, not NiMh. And it's an inevitability that complex devices have them, 3 volts with plenty of sag is just not enough to power a ~15 megapixel sensor connected to a small imaging computer. I've used exclusively Sony digital camera products since they first made them available, all of which used Li-ion packs, and I can report that they have always been reliable and worked without issue; but you do have to buy a second one if you plan on all-day shooting.

 

[Frijid]

That would be a Li-ion cell, not NiMh.

oops, your right. my mistake.

Like is say, i haven't noticed anything about new digital cameras. mine is so old, it doesn't even have a zoom feature and if you try to take 3 pictures in a row, it slows down and the screen turns blue with a hourglass icon and it says processing. they had some DSLR cameras that used 4 AA's. i'm not looking for an over expensive camera.

 

[Mr Happy]

I know it's a pain. I have only ever bought cameras that take AA cells, but it could be hard these days. Try looking online for older models from a two or three years back, from Canon for instance. The SX130 is nice, the only drawback is that it takes a while for the flash to recharge. You need more voltage for a faster flash cycle time and that's one reason they have gone over to lithium ion in newer cameras.

 

[StarHalo]

But in actual use, you'd see that the older used camera and the current camera aren't comparable; each new generation of digital cameras is a significant jump over the older one. I paid quite a bit extra for a top-of-the-line point and shoot about six years ago because it allowed SLR settings like F-stop and shutter, now even the basic entry-level cameras do that, and with more pixels..

 

[greenlight]

If it has to go in your pocket, splurge and buy the camera with the Lithium battery. For my DSLR I chose Pentax because it uses 4AA batteries.

 

[Norm]

I have only ever bought cameras that take AA cells, but it could be hard these days.

I was looking at cameras today and there seems to be a whole new generation of cameras using AA cells.

Cameras that take AA batteries


Google the last twelve months for aa battery powered camera

Ended up buying a clearance Sony NEX5N. It came complete with two lenses and I managed to get them to through in 3 X 32GB Class 10 SD cards.

Norm

 

[uk_caver]

There may well be third-party battery packs available for popular cameras, much cheaper than the manufacturer-brand ones, with not much lower capacity.

 

[apagogeas]

Actually more and more cameras come out that allow AA's inside compared to the past years. Lion is the primary choice because of the higher voltage/energy capacity/size and lower self-discharge compared to alkalines which aren't reliable and older NiMH which could be found dead when needed. LSD changed that quite a bit and since there is demand for AA cameras, manufacturers make more cameras of that type nowadays.

 

[lightseeker2009]

I bought a new Nikon camera yesterday. It came with a lithium. I'm not really dissappointed about that, but what bothers me is that the battery is only 1100mah. This is not a lot and is exactly 50% the capacity of the AA NIMH's my old camera uses. So only time will tell me whether this is acceptable or not.

I would have prefered it to use 4XAA's which never gave me any problems.

 

[ryansoh3]

I bought a new Nikon camera yesterday. It came with a lithium. I'm not really dissappointed about that, but what bothers me is that the battery is only 1100mah. This is not a lot and is exactly 50% the capacity of the AA NIMH's my old camera uses. So only time will tell me whether this is acceptable or not.

I would have prefered it to use 4XAA's which never gave me any problems.

Having half the mAh of a NiMH cell is perfectly acceptable because li-ions have a voltage 2-3 times greater.
If you're going to compare them, use the Wh figure calculated by volts x mAh.

To the OP, most cameras nowadays use proprietary li-ion cells for higher density and lighter weight.
Yes, they are quite expensive and the case we're dealing with is akin to that of printer inks. They're proprietary so only the specific company can make them and charge whatever they want to.

There are cheaper alternatives from non-branded companies that cost a fraction of the original, but if something goes wrong with the camera, the camera company won't be responsible.

 

[lightseeker2009]

Having half the mAh of a NiMH cell is perfectly acceptable because li-ions have a voltage 2-3 times greater.
If you're going to compare them, use the Wh figure calculated by volts x mAh.

Not if you are talking 4XAA's versus the single lithium. Then the WH figure is very much in favour of the AA's

 

[ryansoh3]

Not if you are talking 4XAA's versus the single lithium. Then the WH figure is very much in favour of the AA's

True, but we're probably looking at cameras of a different league.

Can you name specific models?

 

[lightseeker2009]

New camera is a Nikon P510

 

[ryansoh3]

Wow, it is indeed a small battery, both physically and capacity wise.

Here's a compatible set: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O4HTDE/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Not flashlight related, but not sure if I can post links.

 

[TEEJ]

The form factor of the camera is why the lions are used. For the SIZE, you can get more power to run the camera than with AAA's.

You simply can't jamb 4 AAA's into the space of a matchbook.

You can't even get one AAA into that space.

To make the camera able to fit AAA's, it would have to be larger and heavier, etc.

The OEM lion packs are typically ridiculously over priced, like $25-45 each....I found aftermarket replacements for $ 6-10, etc.

Typically, the newer, smaller, lighter camera use less energy to run...so, a little juice goes a long way. This goes out the window for cameras with GPS labeling for pics though, those go through go go juice like crazy.

 

[Mr Happy]

I think making the camera small is not too much of a big deal. Many of the zoom cameras are not that small anyway, and a bit of heft stabilizes the camera and reduces camera shake. My Canon A620 took four AA cells and was perfect until I dropped it on a rock and broke it :mecry:

 

[n3eg]

Most of the 2xAA cameras that I've used needed more than NiMH cells anyway. I had to go to NiZn or lithium rechargeables for them. The newer 4xAA ones are specifically designed for (and sometimes come with) NiMH cells.

 

[Russel]

I know that you are looking at point and shoot cameras, but I have been running my Nikon D200 with a MB-200 battery pack on AA Eneloops. Battery run times are excellent, just as they are were with the original Lithium ion batteries. It uses six AA cells and four more in the flash unit (if I'm using flash). But, I never worry about running low on charge. I use anything from a 17mm to 35mm F2.8 zoom to a 80 to 200mm f 2.8 zoom lens and many prime lenses in between. I just love Eneloop AA cells.

 

[SemiMan]

Today, i decided to buy a new digital camera (the one i use now was made in 2006)

I was looking over the models (trying to keep it under 100 bucks) and i noticed the battery bay was real thin. So i just assume they now took AAA batteries.
Well, came to find out they now make them with battery packs. The battery pack was a 3.7 V Li-Ion, and was roughly about the size small match book. I was instantly turned away from this. So i keep looking, and ALL of the cameras there used them.

Well i wrote down the model number of the camera i would have liked to have and came home and did some research, came to find out a spare battery was 36 dollars.

my Point for not liking this is as follow

It charged thru a usb port. So if i'm in the woods and the battery runs down do i find a usb plug on tree trunk? run home to charge it? waste 36 dollars for another battery? and i have to have the same exact battery to replace it with.
what if i loose the usb cable or it the usb cable stops working?

I would have rather have an AA type and use my own Ni-Mh batteries or alkalines in a pinch. Guess i'll just have to shop around for an AA model

What is ya'lls take on this topic?

I guess you can also use this in a way towards flashlights that use battery packs. That is why the only flashlights i use are the ones that use regular size batteries

\


My current cadre of cameras all run on Lithium battery packs (SLR, couple of point and shoots). Used to have a Canon point and shoot that took AA's but it was liberated from the car when the kids did not lock the doors at a hotel.

The lithium packs works great ... when they are charged. If you don't need a small form factor, AA powered is great. The best cameras is the one that gets used, and nothing is more frustrating than a dead battery in a camera, and either no ability to charge it or charge it quick enough.


Semiman