How to care for your rechargeable batteries is one of those questions I get asked all the time.
And it's a great question, as new technology has made rechargeables last a lot longer and much easier to use.
There are three major types of rechargeable batteries used in digital cameras: Nickel cadmium (NiCad), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium ion (Li-on).
NiMH and Li-on both behave similarly in digital cameras, so for the purpose of this article, we will treat them the same way.
I will refer to them both as NiMH.
NiCad's are what we have been using for years.
These batteries work well but need to be discharged almost to nothing before you recharge them.
That way they can take a full charge again.
If you try to recharge them sooner, the 'memory effect' kicks in and the battery will not charge fully.
NiCad's can not take as much of a charge as the newer kinds batteries, so they will not last as long in a digital camera.
Then came along NiMH batteries.
They work really well in digital cameras as they have been able to pack a whole lot more power into each battery.
If you check the fine print, they make batteries now with 2700 mah (milli amp hours), basically a rating of how long a battery will last (the higher the mah the better).
That is about twice the power a NiCad has.
The other advantage to NiMH is the charging.
These batteries like to get charged.
They work best when discharged to 40-60% capacity, and then recharged.
All rechargeable batteries tend to loose their power a bit even if they are not being used.
I read some where that they loose about 5% of their power every day.
So the best thing to do is recharge or 'top them up' the day of, or the day before your big shoot.
When choosing your charger, look for one that will sense EACH battery in the charger, not just a pair, or four at a time.
This way each battery gets the proper charge it needs, not just a charge averaged over all four.
These chargers tend to be a bit more expensive and they will tell you on the box that they have this feature.
If they don't brag about this, they don't have it.
If you get one of the newer fast chargers be aware that the batteries get very hot while charging.
I have found that this wears the batteries out a little faster, but sometimes you need that quick charge.
One last thing.
Be careful how you store the fully charged batteries.
They have so much current in them now, if they connect together in your pocket, causing a short circuit, they can really generate a lot of heat or sparks.
Please take care.
Now that you are all powered up, Happy Shooting!
And it's a great question, as new technology has made rechargeables last a lot longer and much easier to use.
There are three major types of rechargeable batteries used in digital cameras: Nickel cadmium (NiCad), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium ion (Li-on).
NiMH and Li-on both behave similarly in digital cameras, so for the purpose of this article, we will treat them the same way.
I will refer to them both as NiMH.
NiCad's are what we have been using for years.
These batteries work well but need to be discharged almost to nothing before you recharge them.
That way they can take a full charge again.
If you try to recharge them sooner, the 'memory effect' kicks in and the battery will not charge fully.
NiCad's can not take as much of a charge as the newer kinds batteries, so they will not last as long in a digital camera.
Then came along NiMH batteries.
They work really well in digital cameras as they have been able to pack a whole lot more power into each battery.
If you check the fine print, they make batteries now with 2700 mah (milli amp hours), basically a rating of how long a battery will last (the higher the mah the better).
That is about twice the power a NiCad has.
The other advantage to NiMH is the charging.
These batteries like to get charged.
They work best when discharged to 40-60% capacity, and then recharged.
All rechargeable batteries tend to loose their power a bit even if they are not being used.
I read some where that they loose about 5% of their power every day.
So the best thing to do is recharge or 'top them up' the day of, or the day before your big shoot.
When choosing your charger, look for one that will sense EACH battery in the charger, not just a pair, or four at a time.
This way each battery gets the proper charge it needs, not just a charge averaged over all four.
These chargers tend to be a bit more expensive and they will tell you on the box that they have this feature.
If they don't brag about this, they don't have it.
If you get one of the newer fast chargers be aware that the batteries get very hot while charging.
I have found that this wears the batteries out a little faster, but sometimes you need that quick charge.
One last thing.
Be careful how you store the fully charged batteries.
They have so much current in them now, if they connect together in your pocket, causing a short circuit, they can really generate a lot of heat or sparks.
Please take care.
Now that you are all powered up, Happy Shooting!
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