digital camera batteries

mutley74

When buying a digital camera is it best to buy a camera with own unique battery that can be charged directly? Or a camera that uses AA/AAA batteries and needs a separate charger?

any advice welcome....thanks

Mikeyorks

Most with 'unique' batteries ... still tend to come with a separate charger (or you would buy one) . As it's always best to carry a charged spare?

IMHO - buy the camera that suits you (functionality / weight / size / lens etc) - and let the battery side be a minor consideration.

wobbley

I always go for camera's that use standard batteries (AA & AAA). If you run out of power you can buy some more virtually anywhere in the world. Mind you, if you were out in the wilds, or on a boat or something like that then it may be better to have the dedicated lithium ion type as they are supposed to last that bit longer. But most of the dedicated batteries are hideously expensive whereas a set of rechargable AAs can be bought for about a fiver. Not many makers now do camera's that take AAs and AAAs, I know Canon still do and they tend to get very good reviews.

mutley74

thanks for the quick replies.

i was looking for a basic digi camera approx. 4M, with digi and optical zoom and video out function. basically to take photos when i am out with kid and later in year i plan to do some trips abroad.

Astaroth

Battery should be one of the last concerns - the dedicated ones tend to hold much more charge but are much more expensive to buy extra ones and you cant just buy a fully charged one from any shop if you run out and have emergency need of taking photos.

Both by cameras take dedicated batteries - for the point and shoot it has the advantage of enabling the camera to be exceptionally thin so good for stuffing in pockets

phill79

If you know the spec of the camera you want, then look for that spec but with the longest battery life.
EG, I knew I wanted optical zoom, high res, etc, so I then found one with a good battery life (special design for the camera, rather than AA). I bought a Fuji F10 and the battery life is extraordinary. Charged up before I went to USA for a week, took 600 pics and videos and only charged up for an hour during the trip because I didn't believe it would last. But still a month later, its still not had a charge.

AA batteries may be redily available, but if they don't last as long, is it as convenient.

T4i

I always got for cameras that can use AA/AAA's too.

Couple reasons for me, those special batteries cost a damn fortune, complete rip off if you want to carry a spare. The special batteries can be only charged up via the camera so if you need to charge the battery you cant use the camera (I'd rather have a stand-alone plug charger)

......and finally, AA/AAA batteries can be picked up from most places so if your out and about and the battery dies you can find a local newsagents and carry on clicking....

espresso

I would have to disagree with those that say that the type of batteries is unimportant when choosing a camera! I would go for a camera that uses generic type batteries i.e. AA every time and always advise others to do this.

If you buy a camera that uses standard generic type batteries, you are getting more camera for your money, as they tend to supply some cheap disposable alkaline test batteries with the camera, therefore you are not paying for a specific to camera battery and it's associated charger unit as part of the package price.

It is not true that camera specific batteries last longer and they are definitely more expensive to buy when you want a spare or need to replacement them. As battery technology is constantly changing, you can easily and cheaply upgrade standard generic type batteries to gain from any advances in storage capacity. i.e. my first AA NiMH batteries were 1300mAh capacity and I am now using 2600mAh, with a spare set charged up and ready for use. A good selection of batteries and chargers is available from 7dayshop.

PC World are currently selling a Samsung S600 which may suit your needs for £130 (£70 off) including a £15 voucher with all camera purchases over £99 with free delivery or collect in store.

Features

- 6 million pixels
- PictBridge Enabled
- 3x Optical Zoom
- 5x Digital Zoom
- Large 2.4" LCD Screen
- Ergonomic grip for steady shooting
- 10 scene modes for easy shooting
- VGA 30 frames per second
- Internal memory 20mb
- SD Memory Type

Specification

Motion picture recording Yes
LCD Screen Size 2.4 inches
Memory Type SD
Aperture/Shutter priority Yes
Continuous shooting mode Yes
USB Connection Yes
Video Output Yes
Manual Exposure Yes
Image modes Yes
Manual ISO overrides Yes
Multi mode flash Yes
Exposure compensation Yes
Self timer Yes
Picture Effects Yes
Camera Weight 136 g
Body Colour Silver
Battery Supplied Yes
Type of Battery Included 2 AA Alkaline
Wrist Strap Supplied Yes
Software Supplied Yes
Connection Type USB 2.0

DPreview and StevesDigicams are both good sites to visit for more information.

HTH

:beer:

Quincy_3

Well I have used off the shelf batteries and rechargeable (uniross) ones and now I use the proper recargeable one for the camera and it lasts so much longer and this saves me having to input the date every time as the battery is charged within the camera as soon as I used to take the battery out all info and settings were lost and that was a tad annoying to say the least.

Astaroth

Unfortunately for dSLR cameras they all only take their own batteries as standard... though you can buy a battery grip for my Canon so that it can then take AA batteries but the battery grip is around £150

As to only being able to charge the battery in the camera - it is not necessarily true - my sony point and shoot charges the battery in it but the missus you take the battery out so you can have a spare and continue to use the camera (same with my dSLR)

WestieFan

I agree, my Nikon has a separate charger. Although batteries are expensive, I bought my spare from good old ebay for under a tenner. With one fully charged in camera and one full charged in bag, these will last me weeks.
I am confident enough not to take my charger with me on holiday!