"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...

Just wondering.

My little camera speedlight uses four AA batteries and gives me about 160
or so flashes before they need to be replaced. They're not expensive, but
I don't always have a fresh set available, and I don't always remember to
stop and buy some before I go out with my camera.

So, I've been thinking about getting four rechargeable NiMH batteries for
about $2.50 each, and a charger. Sony and others offer a charger-battery
combo for about $30.

I'm wondering how long these NiMH batteries "hold" their charge if they
are freshly charged? If it is several weeks between camera use, would I be
wanting to recharge them prior to taking the camera out to use?

Any experience?

Thanks.

Based on Tom Francis' recommendation, I bought Panasonic's batteries and
charger. Fine for some uses, but not for others. Some "smart" devices think
the batteries are low even if you put in freshly charged ones, and won't
function nearly as long as with alkalines. And, the NiMH batteries lose
charge just sitting in a box unused. So, you need to pay attention to those,
or they won't be the backups you think they are.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Doug Kanter wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Just wondering.

My little camera speedlight uses four AA batteries and gives me about
160 or so flashes before they need to be replaced. They're not
expensive, but I don't always have a fresh set available, and I don't
always remember to stop and buy some before I go out with my camera.

So, I've been thinking about getting four rechargeable NiMH batteries
for about $2.50 each, and a charger. Sony and others offer a
charger-battery combo for about $30.

I'm wondering how long these NiMH batteries "hold" their charge if they
are freshly charged? If it is several weeks between camera use, would I
be wanting to recharge them prior to taking the camera out to use?

Any experience?

Thanks.

Based on Tom Francis' recommendation, I bought Panasonic's batteries and
charger. Fine for some uses, but not for others. Some "smart" devices
think the batteries are low even if you put in freshly charged ones, and
won't function nearly as long as with alkalines. And, the NiMH batteries
lose charge just sitting in a box unused. So, you need to pay attention
to those, or they won't be the backups you think they are.


Thanks. I have noticed that alkalines these days bear labels that indicate
they have a pretty long shelf life if kept packaged and unused.
I suppose I could keep a small supply on hand, but when I grab my camera,
I usually do not like to take along the camera bag. I stuff the speedlight
in my pocket and use it if and when I need it.

Someone told me that disposable lithium batteries are more suited for
speedlight use than disposable alkalines. I probably should buy a set of
these and keep notes!




I intend to keep track of how much they lose in storage, but there are 395
other things on my list of crap to do.

Thanks everybody for this useful thread. I have been wondering since
the rechargeables dies on my VHF handheld which route to take for the
long run. Since I don't really use the radio very much, I think that
buying regular batteries and keeping them on there, with a spare set on
board, will be more cost-effective.

richforman

--
Thanks everybody for this useful thread. I have been wondering since
the rechargeables dies on my VHF handheld which route to take for the
long run. Since I don't really use the radio very much, I think that
buying regular batteries and keeping them on there, with a spare set on
board, will be more cost-effective.


Bingo. rechargeable are great for hi-use applications - my wife used them
for years in her portable CD players (now replaced with an ipod). Just
carry a spare set, with a 3rd on the charger. But in occasional-use,
high-priority applications, go for good disposables. The economics depend
on your frequency of use - if you change them more than every month or two,
disposables are far cheaper, and you are already in the habit of swapping
them out.

I haven't yet got into the habit of using rechargeable in my LED
flashlights - AAA's last about 40 hours there, so it would probably make
sense.

And ditto to the comments on Costco brand AA's, as well as Costco
battery/charger packages.

Sal's Dad

"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 15:45:10 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...

Just wondering.

My little camera speedlight uses four AA batteries and gives me about
160
or so flashes before they need to be replaced. They're not expensive,
but
I don't always have a fresh set available, and I don't always remember
to
stop and buy some before I go out with my camera.

So, I've been thinking about getting four rechargeable NiMH batteries
for
about $2.50 each, and a charger. Sony and others offer a charger-battery
combo for about $30.

I'm wondering how long these NiMH batteries "hold" their charge if they
are freshly charged? If it is several weeks between camera use, would I
be
wanting to recharge them prior to taking the camera out to use?

Any experience?

Thanks.

Based on Tom Francis' recommendation, I bought Panasonic's batteries and
charger. Fine for some uses, but not for others. Some "smart" devices
think
the batteries are low even if you put in freshly charged ones, and won't
function nearly as long as with alkalines. And, the NiMH batteries lose
charge just sitting in a box unused. So, you need to pay attention to
those,
or they won't be the backups you think they are.

For some reason, I don't have problems with them like others seem to.
I'll admit that they have some minor flaws and can discharge, but when
fuly charged, they last a while. I have several battery operated
devices with them and they work for me.

Having said that, I always take along several packs of alkaline
batteries - just in case. You never know.

For lots of stuff, they're working fine. But, my Raytheon handheld VHF
thinks it's smarter than the batteries. It shuts itself off, and if I
measure the batteries later, they're still above 1.3 v. Same with my Sony
portable CD thing. The GPS unit is OK with them, as are a couple of really
bright flashlights. I'm still using less disposable batteries, which is a
step in the right direction.