Batteries: Alkaline or Lithium?

[droosan]

At BHPhoto, 1.5v AA batteries are $0.69 for alkaline, and about $2.75 for lithium.

Does anyone know if lithium batteries last 4x longer?

Also at BH, Kodak offers a AA Max Digital Camera Battery for $1.49. Is this battery worth it?

During basketball season, battery costs add up -- not to mention what you miss while changing them.

[defordphoto]

Lithium is better for sure, BUT not all devices can take them.

[droosan]

Thanks,

Do you know if they last 4 (or more) times longer? Because if it only lasts twice as long, for example, then it isn't really a savings, for me -- though I still might consider it for certain equipment convenience-wise.

My main AA battery eaters are 550ex flashes. Does anyone know whether it can take or benefit from lithium?

[robertwgross]

I have not had my 550EX for very long, and I am on my first set of alkalines in it, so I can't say.

In general, most devices like this can accept lithiums (my 550EX book says that it can). There are some older devices that cannot, since lithiums have a slightly higher terminal voltage.

For devices that you use a lot, I would recommend to consider a rechargable battery such as NiMH, and get the proper charger.

In general, I get about 3 to 4 times the life from lithiums as compared to alkalines, but this will vary depending on the load of your device. Lithiums are particularly good in the following conditions:
(1) You need a lot of current in a hurry (like, a flash)
(2) You need a lot of shelf life (like, ten years)
(3) You are shooting in very cold conditions (well below freezing)
(4) You are concerned about carrying weight. Lithiums weigh much less than alkalines.
(5) You are not too concerned about the lithium price. If I am in a hurry and buy lithiums, they are terribly expensive. I found a place on the web that sells them for about 25% of the retail price. The only catch was that the expiration date was only three years out instead of five or ten.

---Bob Gross---

[droosan]

Thanks for the response. Very informative, and just a little late :

[Roger_Cavanagh]

The other characteristic of Lithium batteries is supposed to be that they give good power until they just give up, whereas alkaline batteries in my 550EX get slower and slower in the recharge cycle. I never timed it, but it must have got to over 20 secs to recycle with Duracell Ultras that were showing 50% full on the little squeeze monitor on the side of the batteries.

I decided to get rechargeable nickel metal hydrides - Hahnel rated at 2000mAh - which have been working well. I've got two sets, which can be topped up without damage and they work well.

I got a couple of sets of lithium to take on a vacation recently to save having to pack an extra charger. In the end, I didn't the use the flash all that much, so I didn't exhaust one set to confirm whether they just give up all at once. I did take several dozen flash shots at a tango show one evening and the recycle time was holding up well, much better than the Duracells would have, I'm sure.

Regards,