Battery & Memory Recommendations - E10

mvc10128 · Oct 7, 2002

I just purchased an Olympus E-10 which I am very excited to start using (expecting shipment this week). Now I need to buy some serious memory and some rechargable batteries.

I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256 cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is in the camera.

All personal experience and advice welcome.

Thanks,
Marc (OM-2n / E-10)

remi · Oct 7, 2002

curious to where you bought? I'm looking to buy soon. Also, what kind of a price did you get it for?

thanks and good luck!

remi

mvc10128 said:
I just purchased an Olympus E-10 which I am very excited to start
using (expecting shipment this week). Now I need to buy some
serious memory and some rechargable batteries.

I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone
recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256
cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow
charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is
in the camera.

All personal experience and advice welcome.

Thanks,
Marc (OM-2n / E-10)

markE59102 · Oct 7, 2002

Hi Marc,

First of all, welcome to the forum! I'll try to help you here the best I can. I'm a newbie here myself, but here goes:

mvc10128 said:
I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone
recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256
cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

It doesn't matter. Find the cheapest cards you can find. These speeds are irrelelvant when it comes to the write times of the Exx cams.

mvc10128 said:
Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

Maha/Powercell is a great choice. That's what I use, and I've never had a problem.

mvc10128 said:
I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow
charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is
in the camera.

The Maha MH-C204F charger will go to trickle when charge is completed, AND (very imortant) this charger has a "recondition" mode you will want to use occassionally, to keep the batteries from developing a memory. This mode discharges the batteries completely before recharging them again. I used to do the discharge with a flashlight (when I had my old charger), leaving the batteries in with the light turned on, until the bulb went out. But even that didn't seem to discharge them enough or as well as the Maha charger does. Hope this helps!

--
Cheers,
markE

Oly E-20, FL-40, WCON-08B, Nikon CP 990, & LOTS of batteries!

-Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/marke

mvc10128 · Oct 7, 2002

I got mine used from a photographer who decided to invest more heavily into his D100 system. I paid $650 for the camera with the original box, all original accessories, and paperwork. I think I got a good deal.

Marc

remi said:
thanks and good luck!

remi

mvc10128 said:

I just purchased an Olympus E-10 which I am very excited to start
using (expecting shipment this week). Now I need to buy some
serious memory and some rechargable batteries.

I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone
recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256
cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow
charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is
in the camera.

All personal experience and advice welcome.

Thanks,
Marc (OM-2n / E-10)

Click to expand...

mvc10128 · Oct 7, 2002

Thanks for the welcome....

I will definitely go for the Maha MH-C204F.

Any preference between CF and SM? Also any advantanges in using two 128s v. one 256 card?

Marc

markE said:
markE59102 said:

I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone
recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256
cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

Click to expand...

It doesn't matter. Find the cheapest cards you can find. These
speeds are irrelelvant when it comes to the write times of the Exx
cams.

markE59102 said:

Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

Click to expand...

Maha/Powercell is a great choice. That's what I use, and I've never
had a problem.

markE59102 said:

I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow
charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is
in the camera.

Click to expand...

The Maha MH-C204F charger will go to trickle when charge is
completed, AND (very imortant) this charger has a "recondition"
mode you will want to use occassionally, to keep the batteries from
developing a memory. This mode discharges the batteries completely
before recharging them again. I used to do the discharge with a
flashlight (when I had my old charger), leaving the batteries in
with the light turned on, until the bulb went out. But even that
didn't seem to discharge them enough or as well as the Maha charger
does. Hope this helps!

--
Cheers,
markE

Oly E-20, FL-40, WCON-08B, Nikon CP 990, & LOTS of batteries!

-Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/marke

markE59102 · Oct 7, 2002

mvc10128 said:
Thanks for the welcome....

I will definitely go for the Maha MH-C204F.

Any preference between CF and SM? Also any advantanges in using
two 128s v. one 256 card?

I use a 256 CF (I can't afford anything bigger yet), and a 128 SM. I just use the SM for back up when the CF fills up. Otherwise, I don't think there's any pros/cons with either card of equal sizes. It's just that you'll probably want to get a bigger card than 128 as soon as you can, and SM only goes up to 128.
--
Cheers,
markE

Oly E-20, FL-40, WCON-08B, Nikon CP 990, & LOTS of batteries!

-Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/marke

ralanprod · Oct 7, 2002

mvc10128 said:
I will definitely go for the Maha MH-C204F.

Just somewhat of a newbie myself, I have found that without using flash, I get around 100 shots to a set of AA's. If that suits your needs, then there is nothing wrong with that route. If you need more power, or don't want to keep changing batteries, there is always the Li-Po grip. Personally, I am using a Digipower pack that I picked up for 1/4 the cost of the Li-Po. I've gotten about 400 shots out of it, and it still wasn't completely drained.

mvc10128 said:
Any preference between CF and SM? Also any advantanges in using
two 128s v. one 256 card?

You get bigger for cheaper with CF it seems. As for advantages with using two 128's... The only advantage I see is that if you have 2 cards and one dies (or you lose it) you can still shoot. If you only have one card....SOL. Personally, I hate having to change cards, so the bigger the better.

Robert

TXQC2000 · Oct 7, 2002

I've heard about some pretty good deals on used E-10's recently. I was hanging out at my local camera shop that the local pro's go to and I happened to speak with one who was willing to part with his E-10, FL-40, a macro lens, and a few other goodies for $900 b/c he was "upgrading" to the Nikon D100. He's probably already sold his camera set on E-bay by now. You might check E-bay to see if there are any good deals. My brother in-law bought an extremely clean/mint condition E-10 with pixel mapping, original box, etc. for around $850 about 1 month ago.

remi said:
thanks and good luck!

remi

mvc10128 said:

I just purchased an Olympus E-10 which I am very excited to start
using (expecting shipment this week). Now I need to buy some
serious memory and some rechargable batteries.

I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone
recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256
cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow
charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is
in the camera.

All personal experience and advice welcome.

Thanks,
Marc (OM-2n / E-10)

Click to expand...

Rembvrijn · Oct 7, 2002

ralanprod said:
You get bigger for cheaper with CF it seems.

From my experience the SMALLER the cheaper. You can easily find 128M CF for $40-50 which averages to 35 cents/Meg where the larger cards go for between 50-75+ cents/Meg.

256s are below $.50 but from there the price goes up.

GageFX

A E Hansen · Oct 8, 2002

I have two of the Maha MH-C204F chargers, 7 sets of Powerex 1800 mAh, and 3 sets of MAHA 1550 mAh batteries. Very happy with all of them.

markE said:
markE59102 said:

I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone
recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256
cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

Click to expand...

It doesn't matter. Find the cheapest cards you can find. These
speeds are irrelelvant when it comes to the write times of the Exx
cams.

markE59102 said:

Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

Click to expand...

Maha/Powercell is a great choice. That's what I use, and I've never
had a problem.

markE59102 said:

I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow
charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is
in the camera.

Click to expand...

The Maha MH-C204F charger will go to trickle when charge is
completed, AND (very imortant) this charger has a "recondition"
mode you will want to use occassionally, to keep the batteries from
developing a memory. This mode discharges the batteries completely
before recharging them again. I used to do the discharge with a
flashlight (when I had my old charger), leaving the batteries in
with the light turned on, until the bulb went out. But even that
didn't seem to discharge them enough or as well as the Maha charger
does. Hope this helps!

--
Cheers,
markE

Oly E-20, FL-40, WCON-08B, Nikon CP 990, & LOTS of batteries!

-Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/marke

--
-- A E Hansen

ralanprod · Oct 8, 2002

gagefx said:
Rembvrijn said:

You get bigger for cheaper with CF it seems.

Click to expand...

From my experience the SMALLER the cheaper. You can easily find
128M CF for $40-50 which averages to 35 cents/Meg where the larger
cards go for between 50-75+ cents/Meg.

256s are below $.50 but from there the price goes up.

GageFX

Actually, I meant to write bigger and cheaper.... although I just checked and the prices are about the same for the same size, guess I was wrong on the price issue.

It is nice to have the extra 128mb SM in the camera for those times that your card fills up in the middle of shooting.

As for the bigger cards, I'm sure the prices will eventually come down, or at least I hope so. It would be nice to shoot all day without changing cards. I just can't justify the cost at this point.

Robert

Tom Obszanski50651 · Oct 8, 2002

Marc,

Congratulations on your purchase, I hope you enjoy it.

I was originally working with a 256meg Kingston CF, speed is not a consideration with the E-10 (very slow write times don't come close to taxing any CF card). After several instances where I filled my 256Meg card, and the backup 128Meg Smartmedia, I jumped at a 512Meg Viking card ($149 after a $50 rebate from Amazon). If you have the budget, I would recommend at least two 256Meg cards, with a single 512Meg as a viable alternate at this point. If you are going to be shooting RAW images, the more the merrier.

As far as batteries go, I have 5 sets of Powerex 1800mAH batteries and a Maha MH-C204F charger. I use the batteries in my E-10 as well as my FL-40 flash, and will be getting a second charger for those instances where I exhaust two sets at roughly the same time (it does happen). I would strongly consider three sets of batteries so you have one in the camera, one in the charger, and one standby.

Tom

mvc10128 said:
I just purchased an Olympus E-10 which I am very excited to start
using (expecting shipment this week). Now I need to buy some
serious memory and some rechargable batteries.

I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone
recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256
cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow
charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is
in the camera.

All personal experience and advice welcome.

Thanks,
Marc (OM-2n / E-10)

Jeff S · Oct 8, 2002

Welcome and good luck with your new E-10. I think CF cards are a better buy and since I have managed to snap off the end of a couple of SM cards I changed to CF 256MB cards.

As far as batteries I agree with all the advice and you might want to look at the new Digipak that will attach to the bottom of the camera.

Once again welcome.
Jeff S
WB9ZPO
C-21OO, E-1O

TrentMcD · Oct 8, 2002

I just use cheap 256 CF cards. Don't know what's best, but recommend 256 or 512.

I can usually get 300+ shots on one set of 1800s but carry a second set just in case. When I'm traveling I like to have a set in the charger making a total of 3 sets.

Wile E. Coyote · Oct 8, 2002

Hi, Welcome to the incredible versatility of the E-10!

Battery wise I can't comment. I was fortunate enough to be able to afford the LiPo so I'll let you determin from the other posts what best suits you for your power needs.

Regarding memory cards, I'd recommend that you check out http://www.crucial.com . The price, as of today, for a 256 is $87.29 USD with free shipping in the US.

I've got a lot of faith in Crucial, have used them for PC memory, etc. and they very strongly back their products.

Good luck with your E-10. It's an awesome machine.

Regards,

Bill

mvc10128 said:
I just purchased an Olympus E-10 which I am very excited to start
using (expecting shipment this week). Now I need to buy some
serious memory and some rechargable batteries.

I know that there are issues with the write times so could someone
recommend some memory? Compact Flash or Smart Media? 128 or 256
cards? 2x, 4x, or 12x speed?

Which charger and batteries? Maha/Powercell?

I am planning on buying two sets (8AA, NiMH 1800 mAh) and a slow
charger, that way I can always have a set charging while a set is
in the camera.

All personal experience and advice welcome.

Thanks,
Marc (OM-2n / E-10)

rgeek · Oct 8, 2002

As a newbie with an E-20, I use 2 sets of NEXcell 1800mAH AA's with the NEXcell Smart Charger. Been doing well even though i've yet to recharge them enough times to get to max. capacity.

For storage, I'll be using a 128mb Ridata Plus card along with my 30GB X-Drive. I prefer 128mb over 256mb or higher as it gives me enough hi-quality jpgs in one session at the same time not too many to regret not having uploaded often enough in case of some card read/write problem.

markE59102 · Oct 8, 2002

rgeek wrote:
I prefer 128mb over 256mb or higher as it gives me

rgeek said:
enough hi-quality jpgs in one session at the same time not too many
to regret not having uploaded often enough in case of some card
read/write problem.

Hi rgeek,

Have you ever had this happen? I've heard of other people using smaller cards for this reason, but I, myself, have never had a read/write problem.
--
Cheers,
markE

Oly E-20, FL-40, WCON-08B, Nikon CP 990, & LOTS of batteries!

-Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/marke

Rembvrijn · Oct 8, 2002

ralanprod said:
As for the bigger cards, I'm sure the prices will eventually come
down, or at least I hope so. It would be nice to shoot all day
without changing cards. I just can't justify the cost at this
point.

Yeah, they will, just not fast enough.

I am so glad I got my 384M. It is so nice to be able to shoot 150 SHQ without worrying about the card. Now I need a 512 and a Gig.

GageFX

rgeek · Oct 8, 2002

No, not yet. Just that I don't shoot much in RAW mode and since i have a portable disk drive, i can bear to upload my images more often than someone else lugging a laptop.
Suit your own usage and wallet when it comes to buying cards.

markE said:
markE59102 said:

enough hi-quality jpgs in one session at the same time not too many
to regret not having uploaded often enough in case of some card
read/write problem.

Click to expand...

Hi rgeek,
Have you ever had this happen? I've heard of other people using
smaller cards for this reason, but I, myself, have never had a
read/write problem.
--
Cheers,
markE

Oly E-20, FL-40, WCON-08B, Nikon CP 990, & LOTS of batteries!

-Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/marke

Orin Z · Oct 8, 2002

Only purchase powerex batteries. I have had trouble with all others except the industrial sanyo batteries. But the powerex have higher capacity and keep going and going and going. Buy them at the following link as they area the most bang for the buck:
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/mh-4aa170.htm

As far as memory goes you will get the most pleasure out of a 512 card but a 256 will do. It is just too easy to take the 100 or so jpgs that you can fit on a 256 card in a short amount of time. I find that a 512 card is enough to cover me for most events. You can get a great deal on a viking wth all the rebates going around or try this link. The Ridata cards will be the fastest (second only to Lexar) with any camera or other device you use in the future. Free shipping over $100:
http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/display_product.cfm?product_id=76

I hope this helps.
-Orin

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