Solution: The digital camera you choose normally determines the kind of battery you can use. Your choices are quite limited. When adding or replacing batteries for your digital camera, camcorder, read the manual that came with the camera to be sure you select the correct type.
Many cameras, camcorders use AA batteries, often four of them. If this is the case , your best choice is NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries for your digital camera, camcorder. Search long and hard, talk to everyone who knows anything, read as much as you can, and the answer is always the same; Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries are what you want. They are rechargeable, environmentally friendly (made from non-toxic materials), and relatively inexpensive. More importantly perhaps, they are designed for high-drain applications such as digital cameras, camcorders, and give you more pictures per charge than any other standard battery type other than the much more expensive lithium ion batteries. If they have any weakness, it’s their overall life; lasting only about 400 charge and discharge cycles.
In a pinch you can use alkaline batteries for your digital camera, camcorder; however don’t let their low cost entice you into regular use. Many people buy these batteries for their digital camera only to discover that they are consumed at a shockingly fast rate. They are, however, handy to have as a standby when traveling and away from a charging facility. The same is true of rechargeable alkaline batteries. They typically have an even lower capacity than standard alkaline batteries. This means that if a standard alkaline only lasts for a few exposures, a rechargeable alkaline will last for even fewer!
LiIon (Lithium Ion) batteries for digital cameras are increasingly being used . They last twice as long as NiMH batteries of equal size and don’t lose their charge as quickly while in storage. They also have a predictable voltage curve which allows cameras to have a reliable "fuel gauge" indicating how much charge is remaining. They can be charged and discharged as many times as NiMH batteries but normally become unusable after 2-3 years. The problem is that they are not available in as wide a range of models. This means that you won’t have much choice when it comes to buying extra batteries or faster battery chargers.
The Lithium battery is a related, but non-rechargeable battery. These batteries come in standard sizes and voltages, deliver two to three times as many shots as alkaline batteries of the same size, and have a shelf life of up to ten years. Their excellent shelf life and high capacity make lithium batteries ideal as spare batteries. The bad news about Lithium batteries is that they are not available in standard sizes such as AA and are much more difficult (expensive) to manufacture.
Most digital cameras come with their own batteries, but you’ll find that one is never enough. You should have at least two so you can shoot with one while recharging the other.
Battery Ratings. Batteries are rated by voltage and milliamp hours (mAH). Most AA-sized NiMH batteries are rated up to 2100 mAH. A 2100 mAH battery can deliver 2,100 milliamps (mA) for one hour (H). Generally speaking, the higher the rating, the more pictures you can take (all other factors being identical). How many you actually get depends on how energy efficient you are because the camera consumes energy between shots as well as when shooting. If you’re careful, you might get about 100 shots per charge. However, if you use alkaline batteries for your digital camera, do lots of zooming and focusing, or leave the monitor on all the time, you might get only 25 or so.
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