Rechargable Batteries

[Phris]

I recently purchased a fancy new Canon S3IS (yes, I know it's not quite new, relative to today) and it likes to eat AA batteries. As such, and forgive me since I'm sure this has been asked many times over...what are the best batteries to buy, and if I'm on a budget (preferably less than $30), can I get by with an off-the-shelf charger?

I don't exactly need the fast-charge variety, either, as long as I can eventually afford two sets of batteries, and I'll use the batteries shortly after charging. However, I don't want to kill them if I need to charge them once every couple of days, if they've depleted either due to use and/or time.

Duracell AA 2650mAh 4-pack is on sale for $8.99, and there's a cheap Energizer charger for $10...can you mix?

 

[IeraseU]

The charger and batteries do not have to be of the same brand. I prefer Eneloop batteries which do not quite have the capacity of normal rechargeables, but retain their charge longer when not in use (they also come charged). There are some other batteries besides Eneloop which retain charge well also, but I forget their names.

 

[jpeyton]

I have about four dozen Eneloops that I use for my camera and flashes; the battery life is stellar. Sanyo makes the best rechargeable batteries on the market, hands down. Eneloops are low-discharge 2000mAh batteries, but Sanyo also makes a high capacity 2700mAh NiMHs.

 

[corkyg]

I have had the S3IS for a year now - a tertiary camera. I have settled on Eveready 2500 mah rechargeables. I use two sets - always have a charged set of 4 ready to go. You can greatly reduce battery consumption by use of the optical finder and not the rear LCD. I only use it for macros and occasional "chimping."

I like the Eveready charger because it is compact and handles AAA as well as AA.

 

[Jawo]

I too like the Enerloops since they have an extremely low discharge rate; however, they are only 2000 mAh. I have also used energizer and eveready rechargable batteries with good success.

 

[randomlinh]

eneloops ftw! I use them in everything now.. in an attempt to cut down the number of alkaline batteries we toss. For camera usage, I throw them in my flash sometimes. at full charge, I have not seen too much of a difference vs the 2500mah Powerex's I have, but then again, this is for old manual flashes w/ ~5-10 second refresh times at 100% power, heh.

But even at 2000mah (or 2100/2200... there are several brands out there that are Low Discharge, which is the category the eneloops fall under), the fact they don't drain so quickly is a life saver. My father had an A series canon, and it'd always be dead when he'd pick it up. The batteries had always discharged. The eneloops have saved him from that several times. And the backup set you know is good to go as well.

 

[virtuamike]

Eneloops get my vote.

 

[Muse]

I've never used Eneloops, and opted for the cheaper Rayovac Hybrid AAs (2100 mah), which are also low discharge NiMH, although said to be not quite as good in that respect as the Eneloops. I've only tried them once in my Samsung V3 digicam, and the experience wasn't entirely positive. This digicam works well with almost no AAs, is my experience. I have 8 Powerex 2300 mah AAs, and they have worked very well indeed, however. The digicam worked with the Hybrids the one time I tried, but too soon it shut down because of insufficient power. This happens sometimes with the Powerex's but not usually as soon as I saw with the Hybrids. So I guess maybe the Eneloops would work OK, but the Powerex are what I'm sticking with for the time being. They have more powerful ones now than my 2300 mah. It is a hassle to keep the batteries and backups charged, but the camera seems to work OK with only partially charged batteries, and my La Crosse BC-900 does a good job of topping up the batteries properly (usually using the Discharge cycle), plus I get a read on the capacities.

 

[Ksyder]

Sorry to revive this old thread but I figured it'd be better than bringing up a new thread that is very similar...

I am using the following battery charger:

http://www.x1up.com/.sc/ms/dd/...Super%20Fast%20Charger

Is this going to be a good match for the Eneloop batteries? Its a pretty inexpensive charger and is of the "fast charging" variety.... Would it be better to invest in a better charger? If so what do you recommend?

 

[996GT2]

Originally posted by: krwilsonn
Sorry to revive this old thread but I figured it'd be better than bringing up a new thread that is very similar...

I am using the following battery charger:

http://www.x1up.com/.sc/ms/dd/...Super%20Fast%20Charger

Is this going to be a good match for the Eneloop batteries? Its a pretty inexpensive charger and is of the "fast charging" variety.... Would it be better to invest in a better charger? If so what do you recommend?

It is recommended that you do not use fast 1 hour chargers with Eneloops, since the heat production can have negative effects on the battery. Sanyo recommends at least a 2 hour charge with Eneloops.

 

[foghorn67]

HC enloops, not the regular ones.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: 996GT2

Originally posted by: krwilsonn
Sorry to revive this old thread but I figured it'd be better than bringing up a new thread that is very similar...

I am using the following battery charger:

http://www.x1up.com/.sc/ms/dd/...Super%20Fast%20Charger

Is this going to be a good match for the Eneloop batteries? Its a pretty inexpensive charger and is of the "fast charging" variety.... Would it be better to invest in a better charger? If so what do you recommend?

It is recommended that you do not use fast 1 hour chargers with Eneloops, since the heat production can have negative effects on the battery. Sanyo recommends at least a 2 hour charge with Eneloops.

Personally, I wouldn't use a fast charger with any batteries. There's a price to pay for quick charging in battery longevity, capacity down the road. That's why I use the La Crosse BC900, which can be set to a bevy of charging settings. I have enough batteries so that I'm in no hurry. The only reason I keep some other chargers around is that the La Crosse sometimes shows "Null" when you insert a battery, one that is excessively discharged. If I put such a battery in another charger for a minute or two, the La Crosse will no longer see it as "Null" or dead and proceed to charge it.

 

[Ksyder]

According to Amazon the BC700 is newer, but also a bit less expensive. Is the BC900 the one to get? How does it compare to the Powerex models? Different/better features?

This jpeg has instructions on how to revive discharged batteries w/o another charger

instructions

Also what do you guys think about battery "refreshing" i.e. A buddy of mine has a Sony charger with a "Refresh" button which I believe completely drains the batteries and then fully charges them, resulting in less memory effect. Is this something that I should be interested in having? Does the BC900 have something similar?

 

[Nohr]

The BC900 does have a discharge mode which is what your Sony does. Drains it and recharges it once. The BC900 also has a refresh mode which is like discharge except it's repeatedly discharges/recharges until the battery capacity stops improving. Really handy for batteries you've had lying around for a while. It can take several days though using the slowest charge rate.

I think the main difference between the BC900 & BC700 units is that the BC700 is limited to a 700mah charge rate. The BC900 will do 1000mah I believe and 1500mah for only 2 batteries at a time. I only ever charge at 200mah anyway (slow charging is better for the batteries) so this is kind of a moot point.

Also the BC700 comes with no accessories beyond the AC adapter. The BC900 comes with a carrying bag, AC adapter, 4xAA 2400mah & 4xAAA 800mah La Crosse brand nimhs, and 4 C & D size adapters for AA batteries. I've been getting a lot of use out of the bundled nimhs and am really happy with them. The carrying bag is large enough to fit the charger, C & D adapters, and quite a few batteries. I think the accessories alone are worth the extra $7 Amazon is charging for the BC900.

 

[ZOXXO]

Another vote of confidence for Eneloop batteries and the La Crosse BC-900 charger.

Thomas Distributing has a pretty good package deal.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: ZOXXO
Another vote of confidence for Eneloop batteries and the La Crosse BC-900 charger.

Thomas Distributing has a pretty good package deal.

I got the Rayovac Hybrids, another brand of slow discharge NiMH which is said to be not as slow discharge but is a fair amount cheaper. Best places I know of to research battery and charger issues are:

Candlepower Forums

Newsgroup: sci.chem.electrochem.battery

 

[Ksyder]

great info, thank you guys! that bc900 accessory list makes me want to order it right now...

 

[996GT2]

4 pack of Eneloops is <$7 from Amazon

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: 996GT2
4 pack of Eneloops is <$7 from Amazon

$10 shipped. But yeah, price is a non-issue now for Eneloops.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: 996GT2
4 pack of Eneloops is <$7 from Amazon

Are you sure? Link?

 

[randomlinh]

if you have a coscto, they had an 8 pack AA + 2AAA's for $15. ~$25 i think for the one w/ the sanyo charger + C/D shells.

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: 996GT2
4 pack of Eneloops is <$7 from Amazon

Are you sure? Link?

http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-En...&qid=1219929832&sr=8-4

 

[Ksyder]

the price on the bc-900 went up by $5 since last night...maybe they are listening to our conversation

 

[ghostman]

Originally posted by: Muse

Originally posted by: 996GT2

Originally posted by: krwilsonn
Sorry to revive this old thread but I figured it'd be better than bringing up a new thread that is very similar...

I am using the following battery charger:

http://www.x1up.com/.sc/ms/dd/...Super%20Fast%20Charger

Is this going to be a good match for the Eneloop batteries? Its a pretty inexpensive charger and is of the "fast charging" variety.... Would it be better to invest in a better charger? If so what do you recommend?

It is recommended that you do not use fast 1 hour chargers with Eneloops, since the heat production can have negative effects on the battery. Sanyo recommends at least a 2 hour charge with Eneloops.

Personally, I wouldn't use a fast charger with any batteries. There's a price to pay for quick charging in battery longevity, capacity down the road. That's why I use the La Crosse BC900, which can be set to a bevy of charging settings. I have enough batteries so that I'm in no hurry. The only reason I keep some other chargers around is that the La Crosse sometimes shows "Null" when you insert a battery, one that is excessively discharged. If I put such a battery in another charger for a minute or two, the La Crosse will no longer see it as "Null" or dead and proceed to charge it.

Muse, this might be helpful:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/custo...ages_0?ie=UTF8&index=0

I've had the BC900 on my wish list for several months now. I don't technically need it since my maha charger has been working just fine, but the geek factor on the BC900 is tempting. I actually noticed that the BC900 dropped off my wish list once (and into the "Purchased" list), so I thought someone had actually gotten it for me. Unfortunately, I never got it :-(

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: krwilsonn
the price on the bc-900 went up by $5 since last night...maybe they are listening to our conversation

I bought mine almost 1 1/2 years ago at Amazon. At the time it varied from $40 to $35, and I got mine for $35 shipped. If you check it occasionally, you'll probably be able to get a better price on it.