Alternative to NiMH AA's for Digi Cam?

I am in the market for a new digi cam, Canon A570 IS, it takes 2xAA's. I currently have 2100 mAh & 2500 mAh Sony AA's, and Sanyo 2500 mAh AA's.

What would be best for Digi Cams?
Is there an alternative to NiMH AA's ?(besides Lithiums or NiCD). Like 18500's or whatever the size.

Also, I am not sure if it can take CR-V3's

if its anything like the excellent 530, a pair of ni-mhys will last a long time.
2x1.2v 2000 or 2500ma batteries is a lot of juice to shove into a "compact" camera, many compacts use a li-ion with less total power, the ones that use 2x and 4x AAs do a whole lotta pics, and carrying spares is easy cheap and fast.

so i believe you will find that even a pair of enloopies (for intermittant use over time) or some good high-cap 2500s will give you all that you need , and having a spare is easy too.

18650s wont fit at all, wont be the correct voltage, and the 14500 li-ion rechargables will not be the right voltage either, even though they would fit.

i think you will find that the use of the simpelest AA rechargable will be awesome without any changes modifications or even high priced lithium cells.
look at how the battery container basically "sticks out" of the cam they really thought about POWER when they made those models. (its a handle, no its power)

as your "spares" if you ever need them (more than 300 pics +flash) get some "LSD" cells like enloop, then they will stay charged longer in your bag.

Thanks for the info VidPro .. I had to ask this because my old cam, Olympus C-3030 Zoom, ATE batteries like crazy, even the 2500 Sony & Sanyos.

What are these enelops..i've seen them here and there in CPF. I just thought they were fancy NiMH from Sanyo.

Oh yeah, will my current Sony & Sanyo 2500's be just fine? what are the best AA NiMH's for digi cams?

Nimh is just fine, it's the 2500 sanyos (don't know about sony) that sucked (developed rapid self-discharge). In my 530, nimh worked fine until I took a whole lot of flash pictures (like dozens) in a few minute period. I think something overheated inside and now the flash is extremely sluggish powering up with anything but L91 lithiums (higher voltage) and maybe not even with those. It's out of warranty so I don't know if I'll try putting in a claim with my credit card company's extended warranty plan, or just try to fob off the thing as a beamshot camera on BST (so the flash is not needed) and buy another camera.

enloops and other LSD (low self discharge) cells are great for intermittant use of high powered devices. they will still have most of thier power left ready to go months later.
wheras
lots of the High-Cap (over 2200) ni-mhy cells not only will be lower in capacity in one month when good., but many brands of them developed a very rapid self discharge that made them useless for anything but using them right after charging (within a few days or a week). This occurance happens after many cycles of use, and is not apparent at first.
so
if your neer a charging station hi-caps are just fine, but for the usual consumer sporatic usage of a battery, the enloops, and other LSD cells, work great.

flash is the major consumption of a cam like that for sure. the 530 had a pretty potent flash, also flash is "regulated" to need so the flash would do a 1/16th flash on a close shot, and a shot going into a black hole would use a Full flash. so when using flash how MUCH flash the cam decides to use based on how much feedback it gets , can greatly vary number of shots.
so that might have been the overheating issue, and the short runtime issues, when a full flash was needed for the shots ?? i donno, but i do know a full recharge of the caps is Much more power than say a 1/4 flash.

of course all "compacts" the flash isnt usefull beyond 11-15 feet anyways . . . but the 530 had one that made it further than most (compacts).

My flash shots were all close range, 1-2 feet.

paulr said:

My flash shots were all close range, 1-2 feet.

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i would want my money back. :mecry:

I have the A560 (nearly identical), and NiMH works just fine. Depending on your use, I would recommend either a LSD cell, or a high capacity one. ROV Hybrids work just fine in the camera, and will take hundreds of pictures for me.

VidPro said:

enloops and other LSD (low self discharge) cells are great for intermittant use of high powered devices. they will still have most of thier power left ready to go months later.
wheras lots of the High-Cap (over 2200) ni-mhy cells not only will be lower in capacity in one month when good., but many brands of them developed a very rapid self discharge that made them useless for anything but using them right after charging (within a few days or a week). This occurance happens after many cycles of use, and is not apparent at first.
so if your neer a charging station hi-caps are just fine, but for the usual consumer sporatic usage of a battery, the enloops, and other LSD cells, work great.

flash is the major consumption of a cam like that for sure. the 530 had a pretty potent flash, also flash is "regulated" to need so the flash would do a 1/16th flash on a close shot, and a shot going into a black hole would use a Full flash. so when using flash how MUCH flash the cam decides to use based on how much feedback it gets , can greatly vary number of shots.
so that might have been the overheating issue, and the short runtime issues, when a full flash was needed for the shots ?? i donno, but i do know a full recharge of the caps is Much more power than say a 1/4 flash.

of course all "compacts" the flash isnt usefull beyond 11-15 feet anyways . . . but the 530 had one that made it further than most (compacts).

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So I should get 2100 mAh or less NiMH AA's?

What do you think of Powerex MAHA batteries?

Oh yeah my Sanyos are model HR-3U 2500's and the Sony's are model NH-AA HR15/51 (2100 & 2500)

Joshatdot said:

So I should get 2100 mAh or less NiMH AA's?

What do you think of Powerex MAHA batteries?

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You would probably be best served with a Low Self Discharge cell like Eneloop or Rayovac Hybrids or Kodak Precharged (all available at WalMart for example).

in my experience eneloops will often give you MORE pictures than higher capacity rated cells because they hold their voltage up better through the discharge, even after resting, the result is the camera doesn't freak out and *think* the cells are dead when they are not. I've had major problems with several other brands (rayovac, digital, kodak, energizer, powerizer, tenergy) all developing voltage suppression and self-discharge problems along with loss of capacity after only a few dozen cycles. This is TYPICAL behavior of NIMH from many brands and is the reason I recommend eneloops or other LSD cells REGARDLESS of your intended application. Their lower initial capacity is MORE THAN worth the tradeoff when you start weighing the differences. In my experience the self discharge can be so bad that even IF you use the cell right off the charger, it seems like it's self-discharging before your eyes, which results in a majorly reduced usable capacity. My Energizer 2500s got to the point that they would be dead in 48-96 hours from the time they were charged.

I have several cameras that take AAs. The latest is a Canon S5IS which uses 4. I have Energizer and Ultra 2500s and they work beautifully. BUT, all of my chargers are slow chargers and as soon as the chargers indicate full charge I take the batteries out. Out of 24 Energizers, I have on, over a year old, that is starting to give me a hard time and all 6 Ultras are fine. I can grab the camera after sitting for a month and it works fine. I also have 2 Canon Speedlights that i keep Energizers or Ultras in and I can slap one on the S5 or wither of my SLRs and I'm ready to go.

What I have found on several photo forums, is quick charge or overcharge of 2500+ cells causes shorter life, high SD and reduced capacity. For camera use the LSDs (Oh that acronym brings back memories) are great but properly used and cared for high capacity cells work very well, especially for someone that rarely lets a camera sit for a week anyway.

YMMV

I use eneloops, but there are probably alternatives for various situations.

Many AA cameras can use alkalines in a pinch, but you won't get a lot of pictures because of the high internal resistance.

The Energizer AA size lithiums are probably also a good alternative. They will give you a lot of pictures and they are light as a feather. They are rather expensive though. Note that these lithiums are quite different from most lithium batteries. They produce about the same voltage as an alkaline AA.

AAs last LOOONG time in that camera.

I beleive my charger is a slow charger...it's either 4hr or 8hr...i can't remember. Sony BCG-34HLD, Output DC 1.2V 360mA(AA)x4 or 140mA(AAA)x4
Where's a good place to get LSD's? I didn't see any on Battery Junction.

Joshatdot said:

Where's a good place to get LSD's? I didn't see any on Battery Junction.

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Target and Wal-Mart have the Ray-o-vac brand which are very good. Otherwise, Amazon has Eneloop brand. And Thomas Distributing has their brand of LSDs also, and they have a very good rep also.

GarageBoy said:

AAs last LOOONG time in that camera.

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Do you mean alkaline AAs?

My cameras are old and put a heavy load on the battery so alkalines don't last long. I guess newer cameras are more efficient and demand less from the battery. Some day when today's new cameras are old, I'll be able to get one cheap on eBay.

Alkalines don't work well in any camera. And the newer the camera, the shorter the life. These cameras are designed for NiMH rechargeables. 2XAA cameras generally get 100 to 150 shots depending on flash use. 4XAA cameras get 200 to 300 but cycle faster. Proprietary Lithium batteries give the best life. (And cost the most)