Which set of rechargeable batteries to buy for my camera?

Question

I need batteries and a charger. These are the 3 options that I'm looking at.

1. Has great reviews, 4 2000mAh batteries, and I can get it for about $21:

http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-Eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargable-Batteries/dp/B000IV0REA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219596328&sr=8-1

2. Doesn't have any reviews, but same company. 2700mAh batteries. $22:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P4PYRA/sr=8-39/qid=1218747946/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1218747946&sr=8-39&seller=

these looks like the same batteries, tho I'm not sure. But they get great reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-NiMH-Rechargeable-Batteries-4-Pack/dp/B000IV413S/ref=pd_cp_e_2?pf_rd_p=413863501&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000IV0REA&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0EWQ9W1TKHJ61SCESD3E

3. This is $16 with 2900mAh batteries. Great deal, but I don't know about the brand at all...

http://www.eastcoastphoto.com/nav/itempage.asp?itemid=7222&catid=&hid=

What should I buy???

Answer 1

It depends on the battery chemistry. NiCad (nickel/cadmium) batteries have to be completely discharged before you recharge them or you will shorten their useful life.

NiMH (Nickel metal hydride) batteries can be topped up at any time, which is far more useful for photographic use as you can charge your batteries up just before you need them, whether they are fully discharged or not.

LiIon (Lithium Ion) batteries can also be charged up at any time and do not self discharge between charges.

I have looked at your links. As they are all similar chemistries you should decide on price, reliability, capacity and the length of time the charger will take to recharge the batteries. It is not very convenient if you want to go somewhere with your camera but you need to wait 7 hours for your batteries to charge.

I would try to find out the charging times for each kit (the last one looks the most promising) and then check that there is a guarantee in case the charger packs up after a couple of months. That way, you can't lose.

Answer 2

I've had good luck with my very power hungry digital camera using Radioshack batteries.  They have a white label rechargeable NiMH battery that comes off the shelf fully charged.  It's rated at 2000mAh and as long as I don't use a lot of video or flash photography it will go for days and days between recharging.