[Paddlewise] Digital camera battery life

I have had three digital camera, an Olympus C-700, C-5050, and Pentax *ist D. 
All use 4 AA cells or 2 CR-3V lithium. All three  cameras have excellent 
battery life, as long as I use good quality NiMH cells, lithium AA, or 
lithium CR-3V.

I really like the fact that both my current cameras (C-5050 and Pentax DSLR) 
use the same batteries. On day trips I shoot with AA NiMH that have 2500 mAH 
capacity and carry one spare set. I  found all three cameras to last for 
several days of pretty intense shooting, with maybe 20% use of flash..

For extended trips, I use lithium AA's in the C-5050. On a recent trip of a 
week, I shot 900 photos on one set.

Avoid alkaline batteries. They have a gradual discharge curve as opposed to 
teh suddent drop off of NiMH and lithium, and you can't use the full capcity 
in cameras. The one time I had to use alkalines in my old C-700 (I forgot the 
charger!), it ate 20 AA Duracells in two days. If that happens again I'll buy 
lithiums at the supermarket.  I suspect most of the bad rep digital cameras 
have comes from older cameras or the use of alkalines.

I have a Pentax Optio WP on order- my first camera to use a proprietary, 
rechargeable LiIon battery. I'm not happy about that but the camera's other 
advantages I hope will offset that. I bought one spare battery. After I test 
the battery life, I'll either buy more batteries for extended trips, or use 
my small solar panel (1.5 watts) to charge the spare.

Bruce
Flagstaff, AZ
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