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08/29/2004 09:27:55 PM · #1 |
I have a lot of different brands of rechargable AA batteries with two different chargers. Some are sunpack 1800mah and 2000mah and some are Everready but I can't see what power they are. Does it matter which charger I put the batteries in? Should I run them all the way down before I recharge them. The camera warns when they are to weak but there seems to be a lot of charge left in them. I've been putting them in some flashlights to run them out. The sunpacks don't last as long as the eveready ones.
Anyone have any "best" brand they use? Any advise about managing them. I can go thru about 3 sets in a day. Thanks. |
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08/29/2004 09:31:58 PM · #2 |
I only use Energizer's rechargeables.. (the silver/black/green ones). I find that they hold a charge for a *very* long time, and they are available in power up to 2300mAh I believe. (At least, I have 4 2300mAh, and haven't seen more powerful ones yet. I also have 4 1700mAh that I got last year).
I've been very happy with these batteries, and use a simple NImH charger from Radio Shack to do 4 at a time. My camera takes 2, so this gives me 2 in the camera, 2 spares, and 4 extras if I need them.
I go approx. 200 shots, with about a 60% w/flash rate, and an 85-90% LCD use rate. Of course, it all depends on your camera as well.
Hope this helps.
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08/29/2004 09:41:30 PM · #3 |
I have some of those energizer 2300mah and some Maha 2200mah batteries. I tend to use my energizer charger when possible because it's a very slow trickle charger that supposedly conditions the batteries by draining any existing charge before recharging. The slower chargers will make your batteries last longer. These batteries also don't seem to realize their full capacity potential until they have been charged a couple times.
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08/29/2004 09:45:19 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
I have some of those energizer 2300mah and some Maha 2200mah batteries. I tend to use my energizer charger when possible because it's a very slow trickle charger that supposedly conditions the batteries by draining any existing charge before recharging. The slower chargers will make your batteries last longer. These batteries also don't seem to realize their full capacity potential until they have been charged a couple times. |
What's the energizer charger charge rate? It's approx. 16 hours for my Radio Shack one.
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08/29/2004 09:50:20 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Artyste:
What's the energizer charger charge rate? It's approx. 16 hours for my Radio Shack one. |
I think the energizer one that came with my batteries is a 14 hour charger.
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08/29/2004 10:26:26 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Originally posted by Artyste:
What's the energizer charger charge rate? It's approx. 16 hours for my Radio Shack one. |
I think the energizer one that came with my batteries is a 14 hour charger. |
The Energizer one I got is also a 14-hour cycle, but I don't think it drains the batteries first (no need to with NiMH) -- it's a straight timer mechanism from what I read. I got it packaged with 1800 mA batteries from Costco pretty inexpensively. |
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08/29/2004 10:45:28 PM · #7 |
One of the chargers takes a long time to charge four batteries and now that I look, they are energizer ones. Silver with a green band. They last the longest. I plugged them in in the afternoon and left them on overnight so I didn't get to time them. I do know the green light wasn't on when I went to bed.
Does that sound like a slow trickle charger? The other charger only takes a little while but I've been using it for the cheap sunpacks.
Paul are you saying I don't have to drain any of them?
I only have a lcd for this camera, no viewfinder, so maybe I should get some more of the 2300 batteries and use the cheap ones for flashlights and slave flashes.
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08/29/2004 11:02:13 PM · #8 |
In theory, NiMH batteries do not exhibit the "memory effect" which plagues the older NiCAD rechargables.
According to some other threads, there is no harm in taking your "extra" batteries which you've been carrying for a while and "topping them off," or rotating batteries out of the camera and recharging them at any time. The only problem with the long chargers is if you interrupt the charging cycle, it will have to re-start from the beginning, although with the low-power chargers it apparently doesn't hurt them to run them through the charging cycle again. |
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08/29/2004 11:15:35 PM · #9 |
| Can anyone here tell me if i am having trouble with my charger or my camera. When they go flat in the camera and I recharge them, they charge for maybe 1-2 hours then the recharger says they are ready. When I take photos after charging they last for about 30 photos. They are 2200mAh Ni-MH |
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08/30/2004 01:10:06 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by lentil:
Can anyone here tell me if i am having trouble with my charger or my camera. When they go flat in the camera and I recharge them, they charge for maybe 1-2 hours then the recharger says they are ready. When I take photos after charging they last for about 30 photos. They are 2200mAh Ni-MH |
Try a set of regular alkaline batteries in the camera ... if they go out quickly then you may have a short or other problem with the camera. If those last about the regular time, then it sounds as though the NiMH batteries aren't getting fully charged.
Message edited by author 2004-08-30 01:10:26. |
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12/09/2004 05:29:17 PM · #11 |
Despite all the talk in this thread, I've decided to try some high-speed batteries because it seemed like "too good a bargain" and gives me some travel flexibility, to wit ...
Panasonic package (about $25 at Costco) contains:
-High-speed charger, can charge 1-4 AA or 1-2 AAA in almost any combination; takes 1-3 hours depending on number/type of batteries. LCD screen shows charging status.
-AC power adapter
-Car cigarette lighter power adapter
-USB Port (if you have a spare cable, you apparently can charge batteries from your laptop!)
-8 AA Batteries (2300 mAh)
-2 AAA Batteries (780 mAh)
-cloth pouch (makes it all worth it ...) |
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12/09/2004 05:33:57 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Despite all the talk in this thread, I've decided to try some high-speed batteries because it seemed like "too good a bargain" and gives me some travel flexibility, to wit ...
Panasonic package (about $25 at Costco) contains:
.......... |
Just bought the same package 2 weeks ago to use for my external flash and quite happy with it. Only problem is that the battery and charger gets pretty hot when charging. So beware when handling. |
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12/09/2004 05:36:09 PM · #13 |
Thanks for the warning -- I'll look for my asbestos gloves : )
Do you believe them about not charging "other brands" on it?
PS: Can you really plug it into a USB port for a couple of hours?
PPS: How badly did you hurt yourself penetrating that packaging? Maybe we should send it to Iraq, where they seem to have such an armor shortage.
Message edited by author 2004-12-09 17:40:49. |
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