Batteries

The batteries that my camera came with didnt last very long at all. I purchased a 4 pack of lithium energizers ($13) the other day. Can anyone tell me how much longer they last?
Leading me to my next question. Rechargable batteries, what are you guys using?

I'm using 2500 mah energizers and on my newest set, using the cheap ole charger I bought a long time ago, I get 400 shots plus on each charge.

Use the rechargeable batteries with the highest capacity you can get (the XXXX mAh specify how much juice the battery has, the higher is the XXXX number, the higher is the capacity). The Energizers are excellent. The GP brand is very popular where I live - I've used their batteries for years.

GCastorino wrote in post #2505169
The batteries that my camera came with didnt last very long at all. I purchased a 4 pack of lithium energizers ($13) the other day. Can anyone tell me how much longer they last?
Leading me to my next question. Rechargable batteries, what are you guys using?

Your batteries will last for several years unless you put them into something. Are we to assume that you have a camera and you put these batteries into a camera? It would really help to know which model of camera and what is "not lasing very long" in your expectation? My experience with modern cameras and batteries shows they last pretty close to what the manufacturer specifies.

I have an old Minolta Dimage 7 which kills a new set of 4 alkaline batteries in 9 minutes if you leave it on all the time. It makes a great hand warmer! If I load it up with 2500mAh NiMh batteries I can take >200 shots until I run out of space on the 256MB CF card and the batteries are less than half used! Yes the camera is very power hungry. No the camera is not faulty. You just use the product in a normal manner and it will work fine.

Well I was asking if anyone knew how much longer they lasted (while being used in a camera) than regular batteries. I have an S3 (as shown in avatar). I took it out only a couple times to shoot and the batteries were dying. I guess all the random power ups make a difference.

It's not so much the "random power-ups" as it is the high current demand of actually taking a picture. If you're using alkalines and they start showing low battery, you can actually swap them for another set; after they've had a few hours to "rest", you'll be able to resume using them. But alkalines are designed for a steady current draw, like they'll get in a flashlight, radio or MP3 player. When they are asked to put out high current levels in very short times, they rapidly run down. NiMH cells and lithium disposables are better able to handle "burst" demands and so will last longer in that type of use. One way to look at it is to think of alkalines as distance runners while the NiMH cells and lithiums are sprinters. Your average (or even world-class) marathoner woudn't do as well in the 100 m dash as someone who specializes in that because the demands are different.

GCastorino wrote in post #2507914
Well I was asking if anyone knew how much longer they lasted (while being used in a camera) than regular batteries. I have an S3 (as shown in avatar). I took it out only a couple times to shoot and the batteries were dying. I guess all the random power ups make a difference.

It's really impossible to say without you being much more specific in you usage. How many photos did you take? How many with flash? How often did the camera just stay on? How many times did you download the pics from the camera? How much zooming and how often from a close shot to a far shot? All these activities use power and as an earlier poster said, you can pull about 1500ma from the batteries for one hour.

That makes a lot more sense to me GJL. I think I took like 100+ pics on the crap batteries, but I fooled around with it alot. I guess all I can do is hope these not so cheap lithium batteries give me more life before I pick up a good set of rechargables.

GCastorino wrote in post #2508145
.... I guess all I can do is hope these not so cheap lithium batteries give me more life before I pick up a good set of rechargables.

Rechargeable are definitely the way to go for the long term unless you own stock in a battery company? I love that line. My dad would say that all the time. ”TURN OFF THE LIGHTS, you think I own stock in the electric company?”
Anyway, though a rechargeable might not last as long per use, are a bit less convenient as you have to make sure you recharge them before use, and cost more, the cost is made up in the few first recharges. You might want to get two full sets just to have a spare set with you.