To X10 or Not - HELP!

Billx08 wrote:

You should know how Jimrod's perception of the X10 colors his remarks. It's pretty easy to get about a 10 to 1 difference in battery life with any camera, depending on how it's used. I'm pretty sure that I could get many more than 400 shots per charge from the X10 if battery life was the goal, but then I've gotten over 700 shots from the NP-50 in other Fuji cameras. I could also set up the X10 or other cameras differently, change the way I shoot, and get fewer than 100 shots per charge from the NP-50.

The fact remains that the X10's battery life is relatively poor because similarly sized cameras from other manufacturers use batteries that have 2x, 3x or greater capacities than the NP-50 that was designed to be used in very small cameras, such as the F70EXR. The F30 and F31fd are much smaller than the X10, yet the batteries that they use has twice the capacity of the X10's battery. Because of its protruding lens (even when powered off), if the grip of the X10 was increased by only a few mm. the bulk wouldn't increase because the lens would still extend way beyond the grip, but it would allow the F30's larger NP-95 battery to be used, and would make holding the X10 easier and more secure. Then 500 shots per charge or more would be typical and well over 1,000 shots per charge possible.