Ann Althouse has this small Sony, and a look at her blog will illustrate that it does excellent work. Unlike mine, though, it uses a proprietary rechargeable battery instead of AA batteries. I like the flexibility of being able to pick up fresh batteries anywhere in a pinch, though in truth I seldom have to do that.But you end up with a clunkier camera! Look how elegantly slim mine is! If you're really worried about running low, buy an extra battery. It's tiny -- 1.4 x .2 x 1.8 inches. Really, that would be much better than having to look around for a store where you could buy batteries, which isn't always so easy anyway.
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Why this strange preference for a digital camera with AA batteries?
Glenn Reynolds has a big post about digital cameras with this line:
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I'm with you, Ann, about the AA batteries. The last digital camera I had took 'em and sucked 'em dry at an alarming rate. Everytime I wanted to use the thing, the batteries were dead, and I never seemed to have any on hand. I can't tell you how much I spent on batteries before I switched to the Canon I have now, with its lithium ion battery that never seems to lose power.
I prefer AAs precisely because I don't use my digital camera often, and keeping a proprietary rechargeable charged is a pain.
(Plus when I do want it I'm often camping or the like, and can't possibly charge it. But I can just pull a few AAs out of the pack in the car or my bag and dump them in.)
Current cameras don't seem to suck batteries as badly as old ones do (especially if, like me, you don't use the LCD screen to compose shots) - and I'm talking about using cheap alkalines from IKEA, not even NiMH rechargeables.
This seems to vary by camera and manufacturer, according to reviews, with some cameras using a lot more battery than others for design reasons.
Me, I also don't want a camera much smaller than the A520 I have now - too small becomes too small to hold and too small to have decent optical zoom - and it's still smaller and lighter than any film camera I've ever owned except the Kiev 35A or a Minox.
And I just have a dislike for proprietary battery systems; though this is to some extent irrational because unlike film cameras, digitals improve so much over time, and price-per-quality drops so much that by the time you can't get a new battery, you're better off buying a new one anyway.
(I can't imagine using a digital from 10 years ago for anything, ever; at the same time I regularly use film cameras that are 40 or 50 years old.)
Not to mention the fact that non-rechargeable batteries are an environmental anathema.
No thanks to you from the planet, Glenn.
Ann and Sony ... environmentally sound, eco-caring, to be applauded.
I know this is ancient history for the digicam world, but I bought a Canon S-100 (the first digital elph) when they first came out back in 2000. It used a proprietary li-ion battery - seemed to work great at first, held a charge for a long time, etc.
However after awhile the batteries didn't seem to hold as much charge - eventually I would get about half a dozen pictures then the little low battery light would start flashing on the screen.
I had a couple spare Canon batteries and also a 3rd party battery I bought somewhat later, but they all gave the same results...perhaps it was an issue with the camera(?)
At this point as the camera was a few years old I wasn't too interested in sinking another $50 for a new battery - also I was shooting a lot of film still so I didn't want to upgrade to a new digicam yet. At least rechargeable AA's would be useful for more than one device.
I did eventually buy an S3IS, which runs on AA's and seems to last quite awhile on a set of batteries...and yes, I am using rechargeables, but I do like having the option of being able to get batteries at almost any store if needed.
Still want more of a 'pocket camera', but will probably lean towards an AA camera for that two.
I like the AA batteries because you can buy more at any drugstore. I used to do the NiMH rechargables, but I now swear by Lithium AA's. They last for a good long time, and I no longer deal with chargers.
I discovered Lithium AA's when I was on vacation and my rechargables were about to die out, and went into a drug store, and bought them, and was stunned to find that they were still working months later.
My Nikon Coolpix only takes two AA's, and it's a small enough camera. The battery chamber requires one end of the camera to have a bit of a bulge, which serves as a good grip to hold onto the camera
I know you can buy AA batteries in a lot of stores, but often when you're doing photography, you're out somewhere in a noncommercial area, perhaps on foot. My camera holds a charge for a long time, so it would never run out on one day, even if I took a lot of pictures. So as long as I charge it overnight, it will always get me through the day. And the charger is a single, lightweight plastic rectangle with a built-in plug (no cord or "base station" or whatever). It's smaller than a pack of cards.
We have two cameras, one uses AA batteries the other is rechargeable. I much prefer using the AA batteries made for digital cameras because they last for months with regular use, even with snippets of video. With the rechargeable you just never know when it will drain out, it could be at the worst possible time.
The charge on a Sony battery is utterly ridiculous! I've had to charge mine roughly three times a year (I'm a pretty light user).
I like Li-based batteries, I mean, how hard is it to have the disipline to maintain one fully charged battery at all times?
I agree on the double AA as a requirement for any new camera I buy. Have a great Minolta Dimage X pocket camera that I still use but at $35 per battery I now have $140 into them. Takes two as a minimum when you shoot a couple hundred pictures a day on a trip. As they age they get down to under 50 shots per charge.
My newer Minolta Z (semi-SLR)is double A based and the Lithiums will last at least 2 to 4 hundred shots. In a pinch, a replacement is available anywhere, any country.
One of the things that sold me on Coolpix camera I have is the ability to either use a dedicated battery or a pair of AA.
If the dedicated battery dies, stop and pick up a pair of AA to get you thorugh the day. Very handy.
I use my digital camera most when I'm traveling overseas for 1-3 weeks. Unless I want to carry around a charger and a power converter in my backpack the entire time, it's AAs all the way.
I guess I should have something brilliant to say on this subject since it's my bailiwick, but I'm not sure. For a pocket camera, I enthusiastically endorse the Fuji F30 (F31 coming out real soon) which uses a small lithium-ion battery which yields something like 500 shots. Yeow. That'll keep me going for days and I'm a heavy shooter. Even when the battery indicator starts showing less than full, I know I can shoot a ton of shots before it dies. A lot of people complain about the small size saying that they can't hold it still. There's an old saying... Any camera you have with you is better than the one that's at home. A tiny camera is as easy to carry with you as a pair of sunglasses. You're a lot more likely to have it with you if it's small.
Having said that... professionally, I also use the Nikon D200 (with the add-on battery pack) and a Fuji S3. I love the fact that both of these cameras can run on AA batteries. The Nikon has 2 big lithium batteries but it also has a magazine for AA batteries that I can use in an emergency... and I can buy batteries at any 7-11 in America.
I recommended a line of Canon Powershot digital cameras for my newspaper (North County Times) precisely because it uses AAs. (These are for reporters, of course, the real photogs have professional digitals).
Our staff will be using these cameras a lot, and we need to be certain of having fresh batteries every time we go out on assignment. With a pool of rechargeable AAs on hand, along with an unused set of alkaline or lithium batteries as backup, we can be certain that is the case.
Last night my friend's daughter's new Sony rechargeable battery caught fire and subsequently started her room on fire. The daughter's friend was standing in the room when it happened and said it just suddenly burst into flames. Fortunately, they were able to put the fire out before it went too far. It reminded me of the problem laptops where having some months ago.
So... be careful, be aware! This was a brand new battery. And, it was a Sony. Beware ANN and all of you other Sony users. My guess is that there's a recall coming. I saw the thread and thought you should be notified. Thank God the timing was such that someone literally saw it happen and they were able to react and put out the fire!
OK,
I'm late to the game here, but I need some advice. I'm in the market for my first digital camera. Price isn't a huge issue. I want something mid range but fairly idiot proof.
I have no digital experience, but used a Nikon 35mm quite a bit years ago.
thanks
Hey, just stopped in utterly clueless about the battery issue. I(like Drill Srgt) am attempting my maiden voyage into the waters of digital-camera purchasing. Glad to find all these facts and personal experience! Of all google dug up, this has been the most informative, with such a variety of points. Thanks for the help!
How do you charge a battery in a rural part of India? You can buy AA batteries anywhere!
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