Susan (Graphic Artist) wrote:
....
So, is this my new AA battery summary correct (if not, what is wrong)?
- $350, 3MP, 10x zoom, Canon PowerShot S1IS I takes AA batteries native
- $550, 5MP, 8x zoom, Nikon CoolPix 5700 is $150 more for AA batteries
- $800, 8MP, 7x zoom, DiMAGE Minolta A2 is maybe $100 more for AA?

Please help me as I am utterly amazed there are only three cameras
which even come close to these pretty universal simple 4 features.
- AA batteries
- Excellent photo quality
- 7x zoom
- Compact Flash

I think the part you're not clear on is that these features are by no
means universal. If they were then every camera would have them. The
most limiting factors on your list are the AA batteries and Compact
Flash. I would focus more on the other features as it's easy enough
to work around memory and batteries.

For instance, CF memory isn't any less expensive, or more expensive,
than any other digital camera memory. You might find it better to
buy the kind of camera you really desire and switch to using whatever
storage it takes. You can always sell the CF memory on ebay or the
like. Memory card readers usually read all the popular types of cards
anyhow so compatibility shouldn't be an issue.

You can also get external battery packs for digital cameras. I'm sure
one or more of these have the option to use AA batteries. The camera
would need an external power jack but with the way these things eat
batteries, I would be surprised if they didn't. Even so, I wouldn't
count on disposable AA's for anything except emergency use.

Anthony