Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Camera

[carl]

I am very unsatisfied with the Digipower DPS1800 charger and its 2000mAh AA batteries which I got from Costco. I take 1 pic per day and need to recharge every 5 days. I am thinking about getting the Lenmar Mach 1 charger advertised as being able to charge in 1 hour along with the iPower 2100mAh AA batteries advertised as being able to take 400 pics on a single charge. (ref:Zbattery)
I need help. What do you folks think?

 

[RussH]

Maha Charger. I like the MH401FS. Get 2000 or 2100mah AAs whatever has best price or Sanyo (Rayovac?) for best performance. I believe that it was the Walmart? Rayovacs with HC on the end that were made by Sanyo - search this site for more info on chargers & batteries. Try Froogle for best prices or see Thomas Distributing.

 

[JasonC8301]

I have a Lenmar Pro541 slow charger with 4 NexCell 2100 mAh cells running in a Canon Powershot A10. I got a lot of pictures (5 days worth or so) while down in Orlando Florida. These pictures were taken with the LCD screen on and also edititng (deleting) a lot of the crappy pictures.

I also picked up two 4 packs of the Energizer 2100mAh supposedly made by Sanyo as RussH said.

MY godfather has a Lenmar MACH1 Charger and I want one now. Its a smart charger and has a built in fan. The batteries never get hot, only a little warm.

From Thomas Distributing, PowerEx batteries seem like the way to go based upon all the reviews I read. They cost above average but performance is supposedly good.

I wouldn't go on advertised but proven. There was a link for a battery shoot out on the forum somewhere but my searching skills suck at this momeny (turkey sub hmmmmm.)

If you only take a picture a day, alkalines might work better. They have a better shelf life than rechargables which self-discharge about 1% or so a day.

 

[eluminator]

Something's wrong for sure. I get many hundreds of pictures on a charge.

One thing I would do is run the batteries through a few charge-discharge cycles. I suppose that ain't easy if your charger doesn't have that feature. Newly bought cells often need several charge-discharge cycles before they reach full capacity.

That's why I'm never far from my CCrane charger. It's on-board display tells me if a cell is suffering from voltage depletion, and the discharge-charge function fixes it.

I don't place much value on one hour chargers. Two or three hours is fine and is probably easier on the batteries. Just get an extra set of batteries.

It's more important to get a charger that will charge them to nearly maximum capacity.

I often buy batteries from Thomas Distributing because they give you free plastic battery holders for AA cells.

You can store the spare set in the refrigerator for a month or two without losing much charge.

 

[louie]

You may have a defective battery or camera. I've used NiMH and Radio Shack, Rayovac and now Maha C401FS chargers. I've tried Nexcell, RadioShack, Rayovac and Powerex NiMH AAs, and anecdotally, through 3 digicams, the Maha and Powerex 2000mAh are excellent. Part of this may be better power management on the camera's part (Canon A70), but recharging every 5 days sounds like a defect somewhere. I have almost given up on obsessively carrying around extra AAs for a day's shooting now.

I've run into bad AA cells, and it's tough to find them. One clue is to run them hard until the camera conks out, then immediately check the voltage of each cell. I think bad cells will have a significantly lower voltage, at least for several seconds.

 

[drs2000]

[ QUOTE ]
louie said:
You may have a defective battery or camera. I've used NiMH and Radio Shack, Rayovac and now Maha C401FS chargers. I've tried Nexcell, RadioShack, Rayovac and Powerex NiMH AAs, and anecdotally, through 3 digicams, the Maha and Powerex 2000mAh are excellent. Part of this may be better power management on the camera's part (Canon A70), but recharging every 5 days sounds like a defect somewhere. I have almost given up on obsessively carrying around extra AAs for a day's shooting now.

I've run into bad AA cells, and it's tough to find them. One clue is to run them hard until the camera conks out, then immediately check the voltage of each cell. I think bad cells will have a significantly lower voltage, at least for several seconds.

[/ QUOTE ]

Almost all digital cameras adore Nimh batteries. They like the stiff power. Alks rarely work well. I'd go with the charger being bad, or a battery failure. A quick and good way to test for the bad cell(s) that I've used in the past is to run 'til failure, then pop 'em out and hook each one to a 1 or 2 cell PR bulb, preferably a hi-current one. (2.4V at .5A for example.) This loads 'em decent, and hold it for a bit, watching for fadeout. Test a known good one fresh from charge, so you know what it should look like. If you have a shot cell, this'll almost definitely show it.

I don't know the camera model specs, but it's a possibility that if your batteries are good, that it's ill or not designed for the lower voltage from rechargable batts. Almost all are designed for them, tho..

Good luck!!

I hated my digicams 'til I tried a good set of Nimh in them. Then, it's flash 'til the cards fill up!

Yours, drs the crazed..

 

[carbonsparky]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

It may be your camera is a battery pig. How long does alkalines last in it? Some of the cameras out there should never have been sold, they use up batteries so fast as to make them selves useless. I have heard of and own a camera that is lucky to get 25 pictures from one set of batteries but my other camera can get a couple hundred pictures from the same batteries.

 

[carl]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

Thanks for all you help guys! Its nice to know that it's possible to get good performance out of NiMHs because I was getting a bit bummed about the whole rechargeable-battery scene. I was recharging so often I thought, "this may be the cheaper way to go by not buying batteries all the time but this is ridiculous". I appreciate all your helpful thoughts and experiences. Its nice to know I can log-on to CPF and get the help I need.

 

[carl]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

One more quick question: There are 2300mAh AAs available now. Is that the way to go?

 

[kitelights]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

I've been using Nexcell 2100s and I get 100 - 150 pics +. They're rated 3rd or 4th the last time I checked and I think BatteryStation still has some for $1.50. The PowerXs are really good, but there's no way I'll pay $3-4 per cell - they're not worth that much difference. If you can get a package deal with a charger and only pay $2-2.50, then that's not too bad.

The Maha 401 is considered one of the best chargers and the charger is at least as important as the cells. Whatever you get, make sure that it's a smart charger and I highly recommend that you get one that charges each cell independantly.

Sounds like you've got something wrong; a bad cell, bad charger, or bad camera. There's been alot of good advice posted here.

BTW, your cells will last much longer if they are topped off frequently, rather than letting them become fully discharged. They discharge on their own, even if they're not used. I top mine off about every 2 weeks, never more than 4 weeks, and more if I've been using them. If I know that I'm going to be taking pictures, I'll top them off just before and usually a spare set. Often it only takes 10 - 20 minutes to charge a set with the 401 when I'm just topping them off.

A good smart charger is a must and the better your cells are, the more important it is.

 

[eluminator]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

I wouldn't pay much of a premium for 2300 mah. Check prices. If I could get 2000 mah for 3/4 the price, or 1800 mah for 1/2 the price, that's what I'd do.

The quality of the charger is more important. For instance, my favorite charger will spend an extra hour in topoff mode when charging 4 AA cells. It puts an extra 10% charge in the cells.

I wouldn't be the first to buy the latest larger capacity cells either. The manufacturers often increase the physical size of the cells to squeeze in a little more capacity. The larger physical size makes them unusable in some equipment. I haven't seen this in AA size, but all the D NIMH cells I've seen are too long, and a PITA to use.
I have some oversize C cells that are almost totally useless.

 

[SilverFox]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

Hello Carl,

I agree, you should get a smart charger. It will save you money by taking better care of your batteries.

Something seems to be wrong with your set up. Lots of good advice has been given on how to sort out if it is the camera or a bad battery. Check it out.

Wal Mart is selling Energizer (Sanyo) 2300 mAh AA batteries. An 8 pack will set you back around $18.

Tom

 

[Pinter]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

Just found.
For a great charger comparison see
http://www.crypto.com/chargers/
Much like "The great battery shootout"
I knew that not all chargers created equal but the differences are serious.

 

[carl]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

Thanks again guys! Now I'll have to do a little homework and find the right charger/battery combo.. Thanks again.

 

[SilverFox]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

Hello Pinter,

Welcome to CPF.

Thanks for the link to an excellent article. The charger that I use was not reviewed, but there is enough information there to set up my own test.

Tom

 

[Oni]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

I use the 401 charger also. Has 4 independent channels and a slow charge and fast charge setting. I always use the slow charge and my batteries never get more than warm to the touch during charging.

Here is a good site with some battery reviews.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/digi_accessories.html#batteries

I also use the Powerex 2200 cells. Work great for me so far!

 

[cosco]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

I am using Ansmann Power line 4
http://www.ansmann.de/en/index.htm
It came with 4 2100 AA NiMh. It was not cheapest charger but has four independent slots for AA/AAA cells. It can do discharging as well. After charging fully it keeps cells with trickle current.
Has uP control inside.
But I do not know if it is available outside Europe. Their website is interesting anyway (having some rechargeable flashlights)

 

[kitelights]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

What a great link! Thanks!

I use a 401 and usually on fast, but I run a fan on it and the cells only get barely warm.

I had been considering the Mach because of the built in fan. Glad I read this. It doesn't charge fully enough.

 

[SilverFox]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

I just finished checking my Vanson BC-1HU charger. The battery temperature only got up to 38 C on a partial re-charge.

I have green lights that come on at full charge, but after reading that article, I am going to leave the batteries charging a few extra hours after the green light comes on. The trickle charge is a little high for storing batteries for an extended period of time, but overnight should not harm anything. This would give me the best chance of having them fully charged.

Tom

 

[gadget_lover]

Re: Need Help Re: Rechargeable AAs for Digital Ca

Nobody mentioned the rayovac IC3 batteries? I find they are ideal for my digital camera. The battery charges in only 15 minutes, and at 2000mah, it can provide a lot of pictures between charges.

In the absolute worst case, where I use the power hungry auto focus, the backlit LCD screen and the flash, it charges the
second set of batteries faster than I use up the first.

The batteries are cheap ($13 for 4 AAA at walmart) and so is the chrager ($29 or so with 2 or 4 AA cells included).

I've stopped using all my other cells.

Daniel