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August 14, 2006
[ BATTERIES AIN'T BATTERIES ]
THERE IS MUCH ARGUMENT AMONGST CAMERA OWNERS about the best type of battery to use. Imaging has had correspondence from digital camera owners who will only buy cameras that use standard AA or AAA batteries. The reasoning is that you will never be far from replacements if your battery goes flat.
On the other hand we have heard from the owner of a camera that takes AAs who says she will never again buy a camera that does not come with a proprietary battery and charger. She is fed up with going to pick up the camera and always finding the batteries flat and then having to wait hours while they recharge. She also thinks it is dishonest to sell a camera with no batteries or charger because it gives a misleading impression of the true cost of the unit.
Just last week a friend bought a Fuji digital camera that purports to take plain old alkaline AAs, at least in an emergency. She took the camera from the box, inserted two new alkalines and nothing happened! The camera would not work. Fortunately she had a couple of Nickel Metal Hydride [NiMH] rechargeables on hand and they powered up the camera without a problem.
And here’s a curious thing. The plain alkalines claim to be 1.5 volts while the NiMhs boast only 1.2 volts, which is typical of rechargeables. And that is not the end of the confusion. How many times can a battery be recharged? How long can they be left in the camera before they self-discharge? How many milli-amp hours are enough in the battery specifications?
Sanyo, the company that makes 60 per cent of the world’s portable batteries, has just released a new rechargeable battery line called Eneloop, sold in Australia through Master Instruments. Sanyo has even adopted the word “Gaia” to proclaim their environmental credentials, claiming that the batteries can “be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.” These batteries are labelled as “typically 2000 mAh, minimum 1900 mAh”.
Geoff Schaper, the manager of Master Instruments’ battery products division, sheds some light on the mystery of batteries, such as the fact that single use alkaline batteries are 1.5 volt and NiMH rechargeables are 1.2 volt. It’s simply an anomaly in the way the peak voltage is measured and doesn’t really mean that the rechargeable is 20 per cent underpowered. The more important number to read in judging a battery is the capacity stated in milli-amp hours (mAh). mAh is the unit that specifies the length of time the battery can supply the required voltage, or in other words the number of photos that can be taken between charges.
However, bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to this number. Mr Schaper’s advice is that if you are a heavy user of a digital camera you will be well advised to go for the highest mAh rating -- say around 2700. But if you are the sort of person who takes a few shots at the party and then puts the camera away for a month you are better off with 2000 mAh batteries because they are slower at self-discharging than the higher rated units. The higher rated battery will take more photos per charge but it will not hold its charge as well when it is left in the drawer.
Sanyo claim that their batteries will still be at 85 per cent charge capacity after 12 months of storage which has the side benefit that when new batteries are bought they can be used immediately. A set of either four AAs or four AAAs costs $25 and the charger costs $40. The company says that the batteries can be recharged up to 1000 times.
You can’t always believe what you read on the label. Batteries with names of which you have never heard may be more likely to have exaggerated specifications on the packet. They may look a bargain but when it comes to capacity and number of possible recharges they represent poor value. The golden rule is to always buy batteries with a known and trusted name.
Obviously battery and charger technology has come a long way in a relatively short time. Many people have been disappointed with the performance in longevity, current and ability to hold a charge in batteries of the recent past. Imaging’s unhappy experience with rechargeables tends to make us sceptical but, in the interests of taking pressure off the poor old planet, we have decided to give them another chance.
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Posted by terry at August 14, 2006 12:48 AM
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Comments
An alternative to rechargeables is the batteries used to illustrate the Green Guide article, namely non-rechargeable lithium. Not cheap ($20 for 4 AA in major supermarkets) but avoids the need to carry a charger when travelling. I put a set of 4 into a Canon A75 before visiting India last November, taking around 375 shots while away, then using the camera for general photos at home. These batteries finally gave out in July this year. Very long shelf life and good performance at low temperatures are additional features.
Posted by: Geoff at August 14, 2006 12:12 PM
>>Sanyo claim that their batteries will still be at 85 per cent charge capacity after 12 months of storage which has the side benefit that when new batteries are bought they can be used immediately.
Which conveniently ignores the fact that all modern electronic devices (including cameras) do not turn off when the "OFF" switch is activated.
The implication is that these batteries can be inserted into a camera and it will still work fine after an extended period of storage. The reality is that depending on the age and make and model of the camera many prospective buyers will be sadly dissapointed when their shutter finger presses down.
Posted by: RichardR at August 15, 2006 11:18 AM
In regards to the above comments I agree with Geoff's comments that lithium batteries are very good in this regard however Eneloop is unique in that for a rechargeable they act quite differently than the normal type. Only slightly less performance per charge than the lithium batteries is achieved in my experience (Minolta Dimage 7i 5.1MP SemiPro camera), [according to the adds up to 4 times better than alkaline] & cold weather performance is excellent even where I've discovered (unfortunately) alkaline batteries barely work.
The main advantage after their unique for rechargeable 'ready to use' capability is they can be recharged I assume hundreds of times judging from the adverts & my previous experience with normal Sanyo rechargeables.
I don't agree with RichardR's comments unless he means this is the case with all types of batteries, rechargeable, lithium or alkaline.
He's quite correct with most normal rechargeables in so far as they go flat when you leave them in the device or even just hanging around since you last charged them whenever that might have been.
I was lucky enough to be sent 20 of these Eneloop batteries by a friend from Japan last November (2005) & I've been using them in my 13 year old son's toys, my wife's music player, my portable radio, my handheld TV & of course in my digicamera since then. These batteries definately last a lot longer than Energizers or Duracells in my gadgets. I found a packet I hadn't opened yet just over a month ago & they worked almost as well as the ones I recently recharged.
After searching on the net I found an article from Clean up Australia that said 8000 tons of AA size alkalines are dumped in our landfills every year. I'm a bit of a greeny so I don't want to contribute to that either.
I haven't bought the obligatory monthly 20-40 alkaline battery AA's for my houeshold this year because of the Eneloop batteries. I reckon I've saved about $400 so far since I got these. I don't think I'll be using any other AA batteries from now on until they come up with something better!
Why people bag newtech before they try it is beyond me! New technology can be surprisingly good when you find it if you look hard enough. (I love the net!) I guess the pessimists along with the big boys of the industry would prefer otherwise.
Posted by: Jeffs at September 13, 2006 05:32 PM