What are the best rechargeable batteries

I just bought the A640. What are the very best rechargeable batteries available? Longest lasting between charges.

Sanyo Eneloops are getting a lot of attention because of their much slower self-discharge rate compared to normal NiMH. I just picked up a set for my S2. Not sure if they're 'best' - that depends on how you use batteries. They should be the best choice if you don't use the camera everyday; they'll retain a charge better between uses. Disadvantage is they're only 2000 mAh.

On the other hand, if you use it every day you might want to pick up a couple sets of higher capacity standard NiMH - at least 2500 mAh. If you use the camera frequently enough, self-discharge rates become less important and number of pictures per charge becomes more important.

Mark

Powerex and Sanyo are very good batteries. But really, the charger is far more important.

You need to have a charger that is able to get really close to a batteries full charge before cutting off the charge cycle. Also, a very important function is the ability to discharge a battery before charging it again.

I use a LaCrosse BC-900 charger, which seems to be very popular with those “in the know.” The charger comes with four 2400 AAs and 4 AAAs. It also comes with some other adapters and stuff that makes it very good deal.

And, as always, Thomas Distributing is the place to get batteries and chargers.

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/index.htm

I agree with Mark as well and would repeat his suggestion.

Basically here's the practical difference if both types are fully charged. The advantage of Eneloops are longer shelf life since you don't have to charge every 30 days. These are ideal for TV remotes and cameras that are less frequently used. But if you plan on shooting more pics in an outing then something like Powerex 2700s will provide more duration which could mean hundreds of extra shots.
--
Regards,
Hank

I'll add my voice to the Eneloop supporters here. When considering a battery you have to think about "capacity" (how much "juice" it holds) and "shelf life" (how long it takes for the juice to leak out even if you don't use the batteries). Eneloops don't have as high capacity as some others, but they have a much longer shelf life.

If it takes you more than a couple of weeks to go through a set of batteries then you'll be better off with the Eneloops even though their capacity is rated lower than some others. And it's also really nice to have a second set in your bag and not worry that they'll be discharged before you even get a chance to use them.

Eneloops can use the same chargers as any other NiMH batteries. I also have a La Crosse BC900 charger and like it quite a lot, but in my opinion if you have to make a choice between spending the money on the Eneloops vs. spending it a better charger, you'll probably get more benefit by spending it on the Eneloops.

Considering the very limited capacity of the current crop of Enerloop batteries, they offer nothing to a reasonably active photographer. After 30 days of sitting around waiting for a task, a quality 2500 MAh battery still has more useable capacity than an Enerloop battery. Even after 60 days, a modern, high capacity NiMh battery is equal to an Enerloop in remaining capacity..

Even at that, the Enerloop has seriously limited capacity from the get go. It will work OK in a digicam if you don't use flash often, but it is a ball and chain if you use them in a Speedilite flash. I will wait until the Enerloop is offered in 2500 capacity.

Meanwhile, Calcellular.com offers very high quality battery sets, including AA, and proprietary sizes. They are cheap, and work as advertised. Aside from a slew of rechargeable AA batteries, I also own several calcellular batteries for my 30D bodies, and two for my new SD800IS pocket cam. They cost $8.89, and $11.00 each, and are better than the batteries shipped with the 30D, or the SD800.

Touch up the charge on your AA batteries once every month or so, and save a bundle of money, as well as limiting the need to change batteries during a shoot. Unless the Enerloop name is more important to you than performance, stick with NiMh high capacity batteries in the near term.

--
Voyager

buy a set of Lithium AA's.

I get between 1,000 and 1,500 shots with a set of 4 which cost me $19.00. No worries with chargers, batteries going flat in my camera and missing that special photo.

They have a shelf life of over 5 years so you can leave your camera lying around and know that it will stil work when you pick it up.
--
http://www.pbase.com/reelate2
http://www.pbase.com/relate2
Me flying
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hY8VhR4gI3w

Voyager13b said:

Considering the very limited capacity of the current crop of
Enerloop batteries, they offer nothing to a reasonably active
photographer. After 30 days of sitting around waiting for a task, a
quality 2500 MAh battery still has more useable capacity than an
Enerloop battery. Even after 60 days, a modern, high capacity NiMh
battery is equal to an Enerloop in remaining capacity..

Even at that, the Enerloop has seriously limited capacity from the
get go. It will work OK in a digicam if you don't use flash often,
but it is a ball and chain if you use them in a Speedilite flash. I
will wait until the Enerloop is offered in 2500 capacity.

Click to expand...

Many (I would say most brands that I've checked) NiMH AA rechargeables don't deliver the capacity marked on the label. Some barely make 60% of marked capacity even after careful conditioning. Some brands are more consistently honest than others. Sanyo and their Eneloops brand have been consistent in delivering the specified (90% minimum) marked capacity.

I've checked several popular brands using a LaCrosse BC-900 charger and I would avoid many of them.

--mamallama

I agree with that 100%. I don't endorse discount battery suppliers as a matter of course, but I have been using rechargeable batteries since the NiCad days of old. Calcellular does not market any fantasy capacity batteries though, and since I first purchased from them, I have been very pleased with their products. They only offer 2500 max capacity AA batteries, and they perform better than any 2700 MAh batteries I have had the opportunity to test.

Don't get me wrong, as I like the evolutionary role that Enerloop batteries play in the battery battle, but they offer significantly less real world capacity than the 2500 MAh batteries offered by calcellular. I will jump on the Enerloop bandwagon as soon as they bump up their capacity to 2500 MAh, but in the meantime, I think there is better value to be had in a QUALITY standard rechargeable battery.

The Tenergy brand offers fairly good batteries, but calcellular batteries are built better, and offer true capacity ratings. On the other hand, the top shelf multi battery charger offered by Tenergy is the best I have used to date. It is a several hour charger, but it has a very accurate "float" charge mode, and has served me well for a couple of years now.

--
Voyager

You get between 1,000 and 1,500 shots with a set of lithium cells on what camera? That bit of info makes a difference. I like lithium cells for their shelf life, cold weather performance, and the fact that they out perform alkaline batteries at every turn.

The downside is that they cost too much, do not perform as well as NiMh batteries, are not rechargeable, and cost too much (did I say that twice?). At the present time, they make great emergency batteries, but an abundant supply of NiMh batteries makes far more sense at the present time.

relate22 said:

buy a set of Lithium AA's.

I get between 1,000 and 1,500 shots with a set of 4 which cost me
$19.00. No worries with chargers, batteries going flat in my camera
and missing that special photo.

They have a shelf life of over 5 years so you can leave your camera
lying around and know that it will stil work when you pick it up.
--
http://www.pbase.com/reelate2
http://www.pbase.com/relate2
Me flying
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hY8VhR4gI3w

Click to expand...

--
Voyager

I agree with Mark.

To add, it's also depending on your region, if it's cold, eneloops batteries might help to keep the power. I have also good experience with PANASONIC battery. I have one set installed in my A70, since I don't use it that much anymore, the last time I checked, it can still shot after 3 months waiting(40pics & video), and still running until now the last time I checked.

--
Denny - A620 A70 FinePixA110
http://majestixblue.fotopic.net/

--
http://www.pbase.com/reelate2
http://www.pbase.com/relate2
Me flying
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hY8VhR4gI3w

Since your post asked about "longest time between charges", you should definitely go with one of the new "hybrid" style of batteries. While standard NIMH batteries can be found with capacities of 2500 to 2700, they lose their charge so fast that in a couple weeks of storage, they are at 2000 or below. The new "hybrid" batteries start at 2000 to 2100 but hold most of their charge for up to a year. I myself have graduated from 2500 mah batteries to 2100 mah Hybrids and I am getting better performance than I had with the 2500's.

As mentioned by others here, Eneloop is a popular brand. Thomas Distributing also carries Uniross Hybrio, and Rayovac also makes a "Hybrid" brand. These are all the new style of low discharge NIMH batteries that hold their charge for months and months. Eneloops are 2000 mah, the Uniross and Rayovac batteries are 2100 mah.

Having made a reference to a new camera, I don't think jbettis was asking about the long-term storage ability of the batteries. I think the question was of longest duration of use in the camera.

That's what I thought, anyways.

I don't know if this has happened to anyone else, but I've had some bad luck getting energizers & other brand name rechargeables to physically fit in the battery wells of my S2. I mean, some of them you really gotta stuff the battery in there, and then it won't make good contact at either end and the camera says I have dead batteries after a few shots. At first I thought it was the camera, but these batteries also won't fit properly in other electronics like my booklight. probably poor construction. It's funny b/c I have a set of older energizers that fit just fine, but the newer ones with the silver/green labelling just suck.

Regular alkalines fit fine, as well as Sanyo 2500 and Sanyo Eneloops (what a relief!). I think my S2 runs thru these faster than it should, but they last quite a long time.

--
Canon S2 + Sony 1.7x =

quakeman said:

I don't know if this has happened to anyone else, but I've had some
bad luck getting energizers & other brand name rechargeables to
physically fit in the battery wells of my S2. I mean, some of them
you really gotta stuff the battery in there, and then it won't make
good contact at either end and the camera says I have dead
batteries after a few shots. At first I thought it was the camera,
but these batteries also won't fit properly in other electronics
like my booklight. probably poor construction. It's funny b/c I
have a set of older energizers that fit just fine, but the newer
ones with the silver/green labelling just suck.

Regular alkalines fit fine, as well as Sanyo 2500 and Sanyo
Eneloops (what a relief!). I think my S2 runs thru these faster
than it should, but they last quite a long time.

Click to expand...

AA (and other cell sizes like AAA, C and D) are physical size designations with definite + - tolerences. The holders should also adhere to these tolerences and the fit should be good. If the holder well is on the - side and the cell on the + side they should still fit. Sounds like some manufacturers are out of tolerence.

Another problem could be battery swelling due to overheating so the outgassing during charging cannot keep pace. If you get tight fits for many batteries, could be your charger is too fast.

--mamallama

Thanks for the tip.

That's one more possible reason why I'd like to get that Lacrosse Bc-900 charger.

However, when I first got those newer energizers last year for my S2, I used the energizer universal charger (the kind that charges every size) that worked well with the older 2100mAh's. That would be kinda lame if energizer's own charger didn't work well with their newer 2500's---altough you may be onto something on that one.

Regardless, I think getting that lacrosse is a good way to go. I know that not all 4 batteries get drained equally in my camera. At least I have an excuse to tell my wife for me to get another gadget...

--
Canon S2 + Sony 1.7x =

quakeman said:

Regardless, I think getting that lacrosse is a good way to go. I
know that not all 4 batteries get drained equally in my camera. At
least I have an excuse to tell my wife for me to get another
gadget...

Click to expand...

I have the LaCrosse BC-9000 and it works great as well as is a great diagnostic tool. MaHa has just recently come out with their version (something like maha xxx900) that has a little more features as well as a simple mode if you just want to charge the batteries. It's a little more expensive, I think, but you might look into it before deciding. I think Thomas Distributing has both.

--mamallama

I all the 'words' are hard to make a buying decision on, go to this link and get real test data.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM

jbettis said:

I just bought the A640. What are the very best rechargeable
batteries available? Longest lasting between charges.

Click to expand...

--
Bob,

'We don't make a photograph with a camera; we bring to the act of photography all the books we have read, the movies we have seen, the music we have heard and the people we have loved.' Ansel Adams



Sony R1
Canon Pro1
Casio Z750
Nikon 3100

Bob Blount said:

I all the 'words' are hard to make a buying decision on, go to this
link and get real test data.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM

Click to expand...

A great shootout and battery tests, EXCEPT it was last updated in 1/10/2005, over two years ago. A lot has changed since then, most notable are the introduction of Eneloop-type batteries and the fact that the Energizers of two-years ago are not the same as on the shelves today. Then they were made by Sanyo in Japan and now they are made in China at the new Energizer plant. You can check whether you Energizer are the old or new ones by looking at where they are made. Same, I think, for the Kodak batteries.

--mamallama