proprietary rechargeable

Are proprietary rechargeable batteries a big NEGATIVE
for a digital camera. E.g. the Nikons D50 D70. As the years
pass by they will be available but at a premium price and you
will have no choice but to buy them from whoever has them.

Are you better off a digital camera with AA's

Thanks in advance
Denny B

No, No and No/maybe... :-)

or only when manufacturers charge huge amounts... There are many suppliers
of 'non genuine' batts - these are generally much cheaper (and often of
higher capacities) than 'original genuine' batts.

All Li-Ion batts have a limited lifetime anyway and will have to be replaced
after a year or two (sometimes much less).

AAs do allow for 'emergency' use and could be an advantage to travellers.
(D70 can use 3 x LR123 Lithiums).

D50/D70 batts run the camera for ages and recharge quickly- best option is
to get a 'non genuine' spare...?

My D70 batt lasts most of the weekend with fairly heavy use and a spare
extends this to nearly four days... more than enough for my needs

Guy


"Denny B" wrote in message
...
Are proprietary rechargeable batteries a big NEGATIVE
for a digital camera. E.g. the Nikons D50 D70. As the years
pass by they will be available but at a premium price and you
will have no choice but to buy them from whoever has them.

Are you better off a digital camera with AA's

Thanks in advance
Denny B

In general I would say yes....avoid proprietary. But, rather than carry
several sets of AA's around for my Oly E-20 I got the externals where 2 will
get me through most any day. A lot depends on how and why you shoot.

The best solution I have heard about is by Mamiya for the ZD. I uses a Sony
Video camera battery which can be found almost anywhere.

--
Thanks,
Gene Palmiter
(visit my photo gallery at http://palmiter.dotphoto.com)
freebridge design group

"Denny B" wrote in message
...
Are proprietary rechargeable batteries a big NEGATIVE
for a digital camera. E.g. the Nikons D50 D70. As the years
pass by they will be available but at a premium price and you
will have no choice but to buy them from whoever has them.

Are you better off a digital camera with AA's

Thanks in advance
Denny B

On Mon, 1 May 2006 07:10:23 -0600, Denny B wrote:


Are proprietary rechargeable batteries a big NEGATIVE
for a digital camera. E.g. the Nikons D50 D70. As the years
pass by they will be available but at a premium price and you
will have no choice but to buy them from whoever has them.

Are you better off a digital camera with AA's

Thanks in advance
Denny B


Digital cameras have a lifespan of about 5 years tops. (anyone
wanna buy my 1.5MP kodak?)

Get some extra batterys now while they're easy to get.

Denny B wrote:
Are proprietary rechargeable batteries a big NEGATIVE
for a digital camera. E.g. the Nikons D50 D70. As the years
pass by they will be available but at a premium price and you
will have no choice but to buy them from whoever has them.

That's an issue for the less popular camera models, but not really for
the cameras like the D50 and D70, or the Canon digital SLRs.

Worst case, with many digital SLRs you can use a vertical grip that uses
AA cells (Canon 30D, Canon Rebel XT, Nikon D200, and even the D50 and
D70/D70s have an aftermarket grips that takes AA cells).

Are you better off a digital camera with AA's

Only if you look solely at whether Li-Ion batteries for your camera will
be available in 20 years.

The technical advantages of Li-Ion batteries are overwhelming. Read
"http://batterydata.com/" for a compendium of the pros and cons of each
type of battery for digital cameras.

It's important to look at the big picture when comparing AA cells to
proprietary lithium-ion batteries. Some people claim that proprietary
lithium-ion batteries are some sort of an elaborate scam by camera
manufacturers; intentionally ignoring all the facts on the technical
advantages.

Steve
http://batterydata.com/

Right now the death of batteries might match the obselence of cameras,
but things might settle down a bit in the near future now things are in
the 8-12 mpx range. One wonders if the average person needs much more
that that. Most people don't make posters out of their prints.

However, if things settle down a bit and cameras stop changing, it is
also likely that manufactures will keep the same battery style/size for
difference cameras and therefore you will be able to get batteries into
the foreseeable future.

For most people, just buy extras and maybe a car charger. I easily go
through a couple of sets of batteries on some days, but then again I've
been know to blow through 1,000 images in a day. But I'm not normal --
in more ways than one.

Pat wrote:
Right now the death of batteries might match the obselence of cameras,
but things might settle down a bit in the near future now things are in
the 8-12 mpx range. One wonders if the average person needs much more
that that. Most people don't make posters out of their prints.

However, if things settle down a bit and cameras stop changing, it is
also likely that manufactures will keep the same battery style/size for
difference cameras and therefore you will be able to get batteries into
the foreseeable future.

True. My Canon G2, introduced in 2001, uses the same BP511 battery as my
Canon 20D (and the Canon G1, introduced in 2000 also uses the same
battery). My camcorder also can use that battery.

OTOH, I'd be a little wary of buying a camera that uses a proprietary
battery that isn't used in several different popular camera models.
Remember, you can't stock up on Li-Ion batteries, they have a limited
shelf life.

In article , AZ
Nomad writes
On Mon, 1 May 2006 07:10:23 -0600, Denny B wrote:


Are proprietary rechargeable batteries a big NEGATIVE
for a digital camera. E.g. the Nikons D50 D70. As the years
pass by they will be available but at a premium price and you
will have no choice but to buy them from whoever has them.

Are you better off a digital camera with AA's

Thanks in advance
Denny B


Digital cameras have a lifespan of about 5 years tops. (anyone
wanna buy my 1.5MP kodak?)

Amazing, you mean they stop working after only five years! I expect to
get more than five years from my 350D.

--
Ian G8ILZ

Denny B wrote:
Are proprietary rechargeable batteries a big NEGATIVE
for a digital camera. E.g. the Nikons D50 D70. As the years
pass by they will be available but at a premium price and you
will have no choice but to buy them from whoever has them.

Are you better off a digital camera with AA's

Not really a big issue. Third party suppliers are there. I can still
get batteries for my 1960's Speed Graphic.

Like my Speed Graphic, you will likely not be using your digital camera
by the time finding batteries at reasonable prices are an issue. Digital
cameras of today are going to go obsolete much faster than the batteries.


Thanks in advance
Denny B

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

On Mon, 01 May 2006 07:38:47 -0700, SMS
wrote:

Worst case, with many digital SLRs you can use a vertical grip that uses
AA cells (Canon 30D, Canon Rebel XT, Nikon D200, and even the D50 and
D70/D70s have an aftermarket grips that takes AA cells).

Interesting observation. I've previously posted about my abysmal
battery experiences with Kodak DCS 760 - is there such a system for
this camera?

The packs for the 760 are, internally, 6 standard AA cells lashed
together in a sealed package... was there ever an adapter made that
would allow you to insert 6 separate removable AA cells in that space,
for instance?

Mike
--
http://www.corestore.org
'As I walk along these shores
I am the history within'