Digital Camera Battery Tips And Tricks Learn how to find the best battery for your digital camera!

Not all digital camera batteries (or any batteries for that matter) are made the same. There's a couple of things you should consider when replacing or buying new batteries for digital cameras. And the true cost is not necessarily just the purchase price, it's also how long they last.

We're all familiar with the basic use of any battery and common sizes. But what you may not realize is that the amount of volts and materials makes a huge difference on how long the battery might last. And not all rechargeable batteries are equal either.

One of my must have requirements for any digital camera I buy is to take a common battery size. I really don't care about the size but I do care if I'm able to buy a replacement easily when the situation dictates. I prefer rechargeable batteries whenever possible but it's a very good thing to have a battery size that you can find easily when the rechargeable ones go sideways while in the heat of shooting pictures.

Before we discuss the different factors as far as voltage and number of shots per battery, let me give you a heads up on some other battery issues that are all too common. First, I always remove the batteries from my digital camera when it's not in use. I'm not sure that this holds the charge better but I do know that if the battery decides to break down or leak it won't destroy my camera. I've seen this happen way too often to ignore the risk.

Another important aspect of storing batteries and digital cameras is to make sure there is little to no moisture that can corrode or damage the camera or batteries. A cool and dry place is best and if necessary you can get some waterproof storage boxes fairly cheap. I'm often around water (beach, lakes, rivers) and my waterproof boxes have saved my equipment more than once.

And also keep in mind that when you are in cold temperatures (winter sports) your battery can have issues. Below freezing can impact most batteries and cause problems. Of course your digital camera could also have issues with extreme cold. So keep your camera and batteries stored next to your body to keep them at a reasonable temperature between shots.

OK, back to the batteries. Two things to look at first are the materials the battery is made from and the amount of voltage put out. Without getting too technical, here's some common battery sizes and their info:

(Normal battery sizes of AA, AAA, C, and D)
Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries - 1.2 volts
Ni-MH rechargeable batteries – 1.2 and 1.5
Ni-ZN rechargeable batteries - 1.6 volts
Standard alkaline battery are 1.5 volts

Most rechargeable batteries are also rated at their mAh amount like 1500 mAh (mAh stands for milli Amp hour, and indicates battery’s energy storage capacity). This is important since the higher the number, the longer the battery will last under use. Another issue is charging, the length of time it takes to recharge and even the number of times the battery will take a charge.

So if you wanted to judge a battery solely on it's lasting ability, storage capacity, and amount of voltage, the newer Nickel-Zinc Hydride (Ni-ZN) was the best choice. They seem to perform almost 50% better than any of the other rechargeable style batteries.

Now lets talk about price since many people look at the cost first. If you go into your local WalMart, you'll find the regular AA batteries for about $.60 each in lots of 8. The alkaline batteries for $1.35 each in lots of 4 to 8. And the Ni-MH 750 mAH rechargeable batteries for about $2.50 each in 4 and 8 packs. And the most powerful Ni-MH 1500 mAH for about $5 each in packs of 4.

The newer Ni-ZN run about the same cost as the high end Ni-MH but put out a little more punch and are excellent for digital cameras, especially when using the flash. Most users report that the recycle time is less than half the time with the Ni-ZN compared to the Ni-MH lower 750 mAH batteries. The Ni-ZN are reported to take twice the number of charges of Ni-MH and have much better shelf life (time the charge will hold when stored).

So based on the above pricing and abilities, if you can recharge the highest price batteries at least 15 times, they are cheaper to use in the long run. And if they hold up anywhere near the claim of 500-1000 charges, well, you can do the math.  xxheap photo prints are easy to get if you do a little research and look for the best bargain. This subject comes up on every holiday, event, or vacation. Some people just have to get or make actual prints of photos and be able to touch and pass around physical prints. Even though with digital cameras you can view the photos on your computer, television, or even send them digitally to family and friends.

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