Non-motoring > Digital camera eating rechargeables Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Focusless Replies: 22
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New Wed 24 Mar 10 22:50 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Focusless
The Fujifilm A170 I bought for about £50 last year took some time to get through the 2 AAs it came with. But using freshly charged rechargeables, it starts on 2 (out of 3) bars on the battery level indicator, and goes into the red after only a few photos (<10, not much flash) a day or 2 later.

It shouldn't do that, should it?
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New Wed 24 Mar 10 22:59 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Manatee
Don't think so. I have a couple of cameras that use AAs. Both go lots longer on NiMh rechargeables than alkalines.

Rechargeables do lose their goodness though. Not ancient NiCads are they?

7dayshop.com is a good source.
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New Wed 24 Mar 10 23:02 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - rtj70
How long ago had the batteries been charged. Recently charge NiMH should last a while. If charged a while ago they will discharge like all NiMH's. Hence Hybrio batteries can be good.

The Lithium Ion battery on my Sony dSLR lasts for ages. Can go on a two week holiday and not need to recharge it including use of the flash.
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New Wed 24 Mar 10 23:06 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Focusless
>> How long ago had the batteries been charged.

Charged Saturday, took a few pictures Sunday (2 bars), took one this evening and into red.
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New Wed 24 Mar 10 23:04 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Focusless
>> Both go lots longer on NiMh rechargeables than alkalines.

That's what I was expecting based on experience with previous camera.

>> Rechargeables do lose their goodness though. Not ancient NiCads are they?

Not that young, but seemed ok in previous camera. Did try some brand new ones on our Finnish weekend earlier this year - same result, but that might have been due to the low (eg. -15C) temperatures. If I could find them I'd give them another go...
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New Wed 24 Mar 10 23:43 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - rtj70
My Hybrio comment is about NiMH discharging when not used. They could be flat in a month after no use. Hybrio's are better. But you charged them.

My high capacity AA's in the Canon A95 lasted ages and I had two sets. Then after a car accident they failed and got one set. One set only because of how good the Sony a100 battery is and it replaced the other camera for main use.

Sounds like either a camera or battery issue. The Canon A95 did take 4xAA making it bigger and heavier mind.

Fancy a Panasonic Lumix G2 or G10 Four Thirds soon. I'll wait until I stop paying temp rent and convince the better half once there is no payments 'like a mortgage' each month. Maybe a present for my fortieth birthday.... just thought about that. Should be able to save £2000 by then easy ;-)
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New Thu 25 Mar 10 07:55 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Fenlander
Until last month we've had 3 Sony Cybershots used heavily for about 7yrs.... they all used 2xAA batteries. Our experience was that the supplied Sony Stamina rechargeables were far longer lasting than others... both in terms of their life on a single charge and how many years they lasted before the performance tailed off. Panasonic batteries came second best and all other lesser/budget brands trailed behind.

Sony Stamina batteries are available at just a few pounds more than cheaper brands and well worth it.

BTW I don't see any mention of capacity. If they are older batteries they could be as low as 1.3mAh or as high as 2.8mAh for a modern one... big difference in performance.

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New Thu 25 Mar 10 08:04 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Focusless
>> BTW I don't see any mention of capacity

I've got some Jessops 2000s and 7dayshop 2500s, both types used previously without any problems in a Canon. Last night ordered some of the 7dayshop "good to go" 2100s (£4 for 4) which are supposed to hold their charge longer than the 'normal' type.
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New Thu 25 Mar 10 08:09 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Tigger
Rechargeables have a slightly lower voltage than regular batteries. It might be that the batteries have plenty of life left, but the camera is being sensitive to the lower voltage.

In which case, all you can is run the camera on regular batteries.
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New Thu 25 Mar 10 08:22 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Focusless
>> Rechargeables have a slightly lower voltage than regular batteries. It might be that the batteries
>> have plenty of life left but the camera is being sensitive to the lower voltage.

I thought the lower voltage (1.2?) might explain why you only see 2 bars with a fresh set rather than 3, but I don't think it explains the sudden drop into the red. Also, I haven't seen anything in reviews of this model about it not taking rechargeables, which I would have thought would be considered a major drawback and would have to be mentioned in the manual I think (it isn't).
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New Thu 25 Mar 10 08:32 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Focusless
>> Also I haven't seen anything in reviews of this model about it
>> not taking rechargeables which I would have thought would be considered a major drawback and
>> would have to be mentioned in the manual I think (it isn't).

...but what it does tell you (ahem) is how to change the battery setting from Alkaline to NiMH...

To be fair it is buried way down in the setup menu...

RTFM!

Thanks everyone. The battery indicator has gone from red to 2 bars.
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New Thu 25 Mar 10 09:09 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - spamcan61
Even most cheapie compacts these days have a setting somewhere in the menus to define the battery type as alkaline or nimh; because, as rightly pointed out, their discharge characteristics are very different, and the battery indication will be wrong if the wrong type is selected.

edit: plan B would be to see if a local Sainsbury's still has one of these:-

www.hotukdeals.com/item/638038/panasonic-lumix-dmcls80-digital-cam
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Thu 25 Mar 10 at 09:11
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New Thu 25 Mar 10 09:33 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - MD
site.greenbatteries.com/documents/Battery_Guide.pdf
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New Thu 25 Mar 10 09:41 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Focusless
>> site.greenbatteries.com/documents/Battery_Guide.pdf

Looks useful MD - thanks.
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New Thu 25 Mar 10 18:51 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - MD
Welcome Sir, any time.

Martin.
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New Fri 26 Mar 10 14:42 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Mapmaker
Strangely I was about to post exactly the same question. I have a Minolta c2003 or 2004. Batteries (NiMH) last about three shots.

The LCD display screen is certainly a serious battery user.
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New Fri 26 Mar 10 15:36 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Focusless
>> Strangely I was about to post exactly the same question. I have a Minolta c2003
>> or 2004. Batteries (NiMH) last about three shots.

...and there isn't a battery type setting somewhere in the menu(s)? (just checking)

EDIT: and apologies if you've already found the answer
Last edited by: Focus on Fri 26 Mar 10 at 15:37
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New Fri 26 Mar 10 16:14 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - Redviper
Hi i think it depends on the mAh (milliampere-hour) rating ( I think!!!!! Of the top of my head)

for digital camera's you would need a mah rating of around 2400 these are the ones i use, some rechargables only have a mah rating of 500 and the camera would feast on these very quickyl

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New Fri 26 Mar 10 16:29 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - spamcan61
Yes the mAH rating should determine how many shots you will get before the voltage drops too low for the camera to use. An NiMh rechargeable battery will give about 1.25V between 95% and 10% charge and the volts then drop off very suddenly, An alkaline will start at close to 1.5V and then drop at a fairly constant rate to around 1.0V at approx. 15% charge, then the voltage will start to drop much more rapidly. Hence cameras need to know what type of battery is in use to stand a reasonable chance of estimating remaining capacity.

Mapmaker, has this Minolta suddenly started eating batteries or has it always been sponsored by Duracell?
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Fri 26 Mar 10 at 16:29
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New Fri 26 Mar 10 18:05 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - rtj70
I don't think my old Canon A95 had a battery setting. If it did I never had to use it. The 2000 and 2400mAh batteries all lasted well. Until shaken up in a car accident and started leaking.
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New Fri 26 Mar 10 18:07 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - spamcan61
>> I don't think my old Canon A95 had a battery setting. If it did I
>> never had to use it. The 2000 and 2400mAh batteries all lasted well. Until shaken
>> up in a car accident and started leaking.
>>

No I don't think the old two digit A models did have that option, Canon have just nicely repaired my dead A70 for free, and that doesn't have one for sure.
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New Fri 26 Mar 10 18:13 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - rtj70
I rarely use it now since going for a Sony dSLR in 2006. Now that battery does last for ages. I can take loads of pictures on a two week holiday and perhaps not charge it once. I don't use the flash though.

The problem with normal NiMH is they discharge when not in use too. So if I ever start using the Canon again I need to get some hybrid batteries so it's not flat when I want to use it next.
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New Fri 26 Mar 10 18:46 
 Digital camera eating rechargeables - spamcan61
Yes I've switched almost entirely to hybrids although I did relent last week when Currys were selling off 4 packs of old school AA rechargables for £1.97 a go and bought a couple of packs.

I've been using the A70 as a more or less pocket sized camera when I don't want to cart my Lumix FZ20 around, but I've just succumbed to a new TZ65 so the Canon probably won't see much use now.
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