Which AA rechargable battery?

[Ants]

Hi All,

Just upgrading from my old Ixus (Elph) to an A710 for playing around with underwater, so need to invest in some good AA recharchables as the A710 doesnt use the custom Lion packs that I am used to with the Ixus.

I hear the A710 munches thru batteries very quickly (esp with flash), so what brands have you had success with? I presume at the very least they should be NiMh? Do you find a high capacity Nimh outlasts a regulr alkaline?

What capacities do you tend to use, 2000 / 2500Mah?

I also need AA batteries in my Sea&Sea YS60, so looks like I will need to buy a big box of them for my lifetrime trip to the Great Barrier Reef next month!

Thanks Anthony
(Ps I am in UK so unfortunatley not worth it to use Thomas Distributing that seems to get recommended here, due to the additional shipping and tax charges)

 

[Tom Winters]

I used all sorts of rechargeables - Maha, Eveready. 2200 to 2500Mah. All worked great for a while, and eventually fell by the wayside.
Now I just buy big bricks of disposable AA's at Costco or Amazon.
I never found the A series all that battery consumptive though, even with the screen left on.

 

[Paco II]

When it comes to NiMH batteries, there are two main types now, the 'regular' higher capacity ones, and the newer ones that are designed to hold their charge while not being used for a very long time. It is important to choose the one appropriate for your needs. The latter are great in things you use less frequently. Sounds like you would want to go for ones with the highest capacity. Also remember to have at least two sets for whatever you use, so that one can be 'in use' while one set is in the charger.

To comment on one thing you said, it is unlikely that a NiMH AA, even one with the highest capacity you can find currently, will outlast an alkaline. That being said, there are many upsides to rechargeables.

 

[TravelDave]

Supposedly a lot has to do with the charger too. I did some digging and just bought the La Crosse Technology BC-900. Pretty reasonable on Amazon ($38 with free shipping) and comes with some 2600 MaH AA batteries and some AAAs. I was looking at a Maha charger, but this seemed better (one big difference is it can charge an odd # of batteries).

Some other posters on SB say they do better with good rechargables than with alkalines. I'm eager to try mine out on the 570IS.

 

[Paco II]

Good point on the rechargers. Avoid 'fast' chargers - the ones listed as being able to charge in under an hour - they will shorten the life of the battery.

 

[Rickg]

Check out Thomas Distributing for all of your battery needs.

Rechargeable Batteries | Maha Imedion | Sanyo Eneloop | Lithium | NiMH Rechargeable Battery

I went with the MH-C401FS charger but there are a lot of other choices.

http://www.thomasdistributingshop.c...Black-Model-AA-and-AAA-Charger_p_287-545.html

For batteries I went with MAHA POWEREX 2700 MAH AA but again there are a lot of other choices at Thomas Distributing. I went with the MAHA Powerex's because of recommendations I'd seen on this board and elsewhere and have never been disappointed.

Thomas Distributing

 

[Paco II]

Rickg, a reminder that the OP stated:

(Ps I am in UK so unfortunatley not worth it to use Thomas Distributing that seems to get recommended here, due to the additional shipping and tax charges)

 

[SFLDiver3445]

As far as I'm concerned, the Maha 2700mAh rechargeables are the only way to go! Also, if you need to charge lots of batteries, then invest in their larger charger, which is extremely fast, gives you several options for reconditioning your batteries at different speeds and will work with any voltage when traveling (Just need to buy the kit with the different physical plug-in adapters for the different countries plugs).

Here's the link to the UK distributor, you should be able to find everything you need there:

|* HOME* |* ONLINE SHOP* |* MAP

Nevada Powerex MH-AA2700 re-chargeable AA batteries

Nevada General Radio Accessories Maha Products MH-C801D 8 Cell Charger

hope that helps.

Adrian

 

[Nemrod]

The Sanyo Eneloops and the Duracell "Precharged" are the same battery and work great. Standard alkalines do not last long in the 570 and I imagine the same for your camera, the Battery Low indicator will come on almost immediantly. The Sanyo/Duracell Precharged batteries maintain a voltage above the alarm trigger point much, much longer. N

 

[Rickg]

Paco II - yep, I should look before I type But who knows - maybe someone else from here in the US can use the info.