A digital camera battery is probably
the most important digital camera accessory.
Some digital cameras can consume power
at an alarming rate, providing no more
than a few hours of continuous shooting
time before the battery is drained. Other
cameras are renowned for the long life
of their digital camera battery which
allows users to snap away with barely
a thought to power consumption. It is
important to know how you intend to use
your camera and what type of battery it
needs.
There are two types of digital camera
battery. The most widely available digital
camera battery is a standard AA-size battery.
The other type of digital camera battery
is a rechargeable battery that is made
by the manufacturer, otherwise known as
a proprietary battery.
A proprietary digital camera battery
offers the advantage of being lighter
and more compact, but they are substantially
more expensive, making the prospect of
buying one or two backup sets much less
appealing.
The alkaline AA-size digital camera battery
usually has a very short life - less than
an hour in extreme cases - when used in
a digital camera. This type of battery
makes an acceptable emergency backup,
especially if you are travelling with
your camera. However, the Nickel Metal
Hydride (NiMH) digital camera battery
can be used instead of the alkaline ones
with a charger and this rechargeable NiMH
digital camera battery has a substantially
longer life at an affordable price.
Another type of AA-size battery is the
non-rechargeable Lithium batteries and
rechargeable Nickel Cadmium (NiCD) batteries.
The lithium digital camera battery has
a superior life to alkaline AA's and offers
good cold-weather performance but their
price and non-rechargeable nature make
them less useful than rechargeable NiMH
batteries. It is also important to ensure
that your camera can take a lithium digital
camera battery. On the other hand the
NiCD digital camera battery offers the
advantage of retaining their charge while
unused, unlike NiMH cells, but have shorter
lives and need to be discharged completely
before recharging which can be extremely
inconvenient.
The LCD screen of a digital camera is
responsible for consuming the most power
from a digital camera battery so it is
worth only using the LCD when necessary
to help conserve the battery life. Always
try to carry at least one backup set of
batteries, especially if you plan on being
away from power outlets for an extended
period of time. The universally-available
alkaline AA-size battery can make a convenient
emergency backup if your regular digital
camera battery fails.
This article was posted on November
17, 2005
