Digital Camera Batteries Designed For More Power
One of the main drawbacks to digital cameras is the life of their batteries. Regardless of the type of camera being used, or how often, the electronics inside most cameras can eat batteries for lunch faster than the photographer can gulp down their sandwiches. While the type of digital camera batteries being used will have a definite affect on their life expectancy, the type of camera and how it is used will have a greater affect.
Essentially, there are three different digital camera batteries in use for most users, rechargeable alkaline batteries, nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hybrid batteries. As cameras become smaller and their power requirements increase, research into digital camera batteries that can supply the power for longer use continues. While many portable devices such as cell phones and video cameras have the physical space for larger batteries, digital cameras continue to shrink, along with space for their power cells.
Many digital camera batteries, even when the user is not using the liquid crystal display or the built-in flash unit, is power many other parts of the camera's internal systems, slowing leaking power from the batteries. Consider that most alkaline batteries are rated at 2.4Ah, meaning amp-hours, it can power a device requiring 1.2 amps of power for about two hours.
NiCad Batteries Leave Power On The Shelf
One of the problems with nickel-cadmium batteries is that most of them have lost some of the power before they are purchased. These batteries tend to leak power while sitting on the shelf, even though they will have sufficient power remaining by the sell by or use by date on the package. Most digital camera batteries made of nickel and some other metal cannot be recharged and once they are done, they are done.
Even rechargeable digital camera batteries never really have their full charge potential. Anyone familiar with rechargeable batteries understand the built-in memory that allows them to be charged on as much as their internal memory allows. Unless the batteries allowed to go all the way down and recharged two or three times, they will never hold the full amount of power they are capable of holding.
When buying off the shelf batteries you have to be careful, especially if they are the rechargeable variety. There are different ratings for different digital camera batteries concerning the amount of power they hold. Some may be 2.5 Ah and others of the same 1.5 Volt size that are rated at 1.8Ah or less.
