Camera woes

[luciusad2004]

Hey guys, this is probably a dumb off the wall question.

My girlfriend got a cheap digital camera for christmas from her mother and it eat's through double A's like they are from the all you can eat buffet. I mean, you get off no more than 5-10 quick pictures and the batteries are DEAD. Inspection reveals that they are just cheapo AA's

She got a Kodak EasyShare CD93, i don't know much about it but her family is a lil down on their luck, so im sure its probably a lower tier camera. Does anyone have any idea of why it could be doing this?

I was thinking maybe it needed those fancy pants higher power batteries but i really don't know anything about camera's. Is it possible that maybe it just needs a nicer brand of battery?

Any ideas? I've been trying to find stuff on google, but haven't come across anything yet.

Thanks for any tips.

[theshoeshineman]

Get two sets of rechargable batteries and a quick charger. Yes they cost a fortune initially but you will save in the long run!

Some cameras are better than others in terms of battery life. I had a Canon A620 P&S which would take a good 600 shots before the batteries needed replacing.

The BIGGEST killer of batteries however is the FLASH! They will chew through a set of AA's in no time so make sure she knows how to turn it on and off!

Cameras are "High Powered Devices" meaning they draw a lot of current in short amounts of time from the battery. As such they work a lot better with expencive high power batteries as thats what those batteries are designed to do.

Other devices such as remotes and clocks are "Low Powered Devices" and you can get away with installing cheapo batteries as they don't need to deliver high amounts of current. Infact the cheap batteries will probably last as long as the more expencive ones, in some cases longer.

Installing cheap batteries in a high powered device will drain and kill the battery as the metals inside the battery can't handle the current being drawn.

Other tips
* Turn off the camera when not in use. (obvious I'm sure, but people have a habbit of leaving it on when walking down the road)
* Lower the brightness of the display if possible

But yes, turn off the flash whenever possible and you will be able to take A LOT more photos.

[billygoat333]

those energizer lithium batteries = great for digital cameras. also, the rechargeable ones work well too, as long as you are near the charger. :)

[NightrainSrt4]

Ya, I would try higher power batteries, or even rechargables if it will take it.

Everyone I've known with one of the lower Kodak camera's has had them eat through batteries. Same amount of pics to, flash on even gets less. It was ridiculous. The girlfriends aunt, grandmother, and my aunts camera all did the same thing. All Kodak EasyShares.

[luciusad2004]

Ok, thanks guys, Ill pick up some more powerful batteries and see how it works out. If i ever get the money ill pick up some rechargeable ones as well. When you say rechargeable do you mean like, camera specific ones or just rechargeable AA's? Is a quick charger something I have to look for or would any charger be considered a "quick" charger? I used to have some rechargeable AA's that i LOVED but they were a few years old and have moved on to the giant electric fields in the sky. I like to think maybe they were reincarnated as iPod batteries.

[nevermind1534]

those energizer lithium batteries = great for digital cameras. also, the rechargeable ones work well too, as long as you are near the charger. :)

They work great in the GPS too.

[Drum Thumper]

I have to agree with shoeshine--get yourself some rechargeables. Every piece of electronics will be inherently different in regards to battery time--I've seen identical handheld gaming machines (first generation Gameboys to be precise) that differed in this area--one machine would go for 30 minutes (if you were lucky) on a set of batteries and the other would go for 5 or so hours.

[crenn]

I have to agree with shoeshine--get yourself some rechargeables. Every piece of electronics will be inherently different in regards to battery time--I've seen identical handheld gaming machines (first generation Gameboys to be precise) that differed in this area--one machine would go for 30 minutes (if you were lucky) on a set of batteries and the other would go for 5 or so hours.
What you're forgetting is revisions and charging/discharging cycles, plus the chemical makeup. ;)

[nevermind1534]

What you're forgetting is revisions and charging/discharging cycles, plus the chemical makeup. ;)

If one only lasts 30 minutes on the same batteries as one that lasts 5 hours (assuming that it's the same revision), the 30 minute one probably has a short or something that is bad somewhere in it.

[Luke122]

Rechargeable NiMH AA's are your best bet. I had a set that worked flawlessly for over 3 years, and would still be in the new camera if I hadnt lost one of them. :(

I got mine at Radio Shack for like $40 4 years ago.

Just make sure you kill them completely and charge them completely.. no halfways.

[Spidermeld]

I agree. Rechargeables are the way to go. The Kodak camera my wife has used to burn thru batteries in mere hours, with rechargeables, they last for like days, if not more.

[Bopher]

We just picked up a set of 4 AA rayovac at wal-mart for $10 and they go into any charger. They seem to work good. They drained a little faster then the high end batteries but having teh other 2 on the charger to be switched out makes it easy.

[nevermind1534]

We just picked up a set of 4 AA rayovac at wal-mart for $10 and they go into any charger. They seem to work good. They drained a little faster then the high end batteries but having teh other 2 on the charger to be switched out makes it easy.

Look for batteries with the highest possible mAh. The ones with the most that I found at the store were Duracells. They were cheaper than the energizers that had fewer mAh, too.

[Luke122]

The NiMh's I had were 1800mah, definitely better than most rechargeables at 1600.

[nevermind1534]

The NiMh's I had were 1800mah, definitely better than most rechargeables at 1600.

The ones that came with my camera are 1800. The energizers that came with my charger are 2500, the duracells that I bought are 2650. I say some online that are 3200.

[Luke122]

The ones that came with my camera are 1800. The energizers that came with my charger are 2500, the duracells that I bought are 2650. I say some online that are 3200.

Ack I typo'd. 2800 not 1800. :(

[nevermind1534]

Ack I typo'd. 2800 not 1800. :(

not bad. 3200mAh would still be better, though.

[xmastree]

Rechargeable NiMH AA's are your best bet.
NiMh are so last century. Now there's a new kid on the block.

Eneloop (http://www.eneloop.info/)

Oh, and forget using Alkaline batteries, their capacity is drastically reduced in high power devices. They're best for remote controls and clocks.

[Twigsoffury]

Nimh

Duracell 2500mah batteries. About the same price as two of those Lithium batteries and good for 1000+ Charges. I've had one pair for a good 4 years and they still hold a great charge. I had a camera that was a AA murderer also but those 2500Mah held up excellent.

Those cheapo AA's arn't worth the money you spend. By the time you get 40 pictures you've already spent as much as you would on the rechargable set and then some.

I highly recommend rechargable batteries, the technology has come leaps and bounds from the first style of Rechargeables.

if your really hurting try not using the flash or "red eye reduction" feature.

Most often its recharging the capacitor that kills the AA's

Theres also the "Battery store" yea thats the name of it. They sell 4800MaH AA's but they are custom made and cost about 40$ a set.

lol they last a very very very very very very very long time.

oh when im saying Mah i mean per battery so it's double or quadrupled depending on how many batteries you use.

[xmastree]

if your really hurting try not using the flash or "red eye reduction" feature.Also avoid downloading from the camera. My first one used to kill the batteries if I did this. To such an extent that I used an external power adaptor when downloading (it was cheaper than a card reader). It was a serial connection though, I'm sure things have improved now.


oh when im saying Mah i mean per battery so it's double or quadrupled depending on how many batteries you use.Not if they're connected in series, which they will be.