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Batteries are to the Digital Cameras what oxygen is to us. It injects the very life source for your precious possession to operate to your liking. But the worrying part is, most of the batteries would last for a very short period of time; and when you are in vacation, would you like your Digital Camera to be frozen because it does not have enough power to operate? Of course no one would like to face this situation when they were capturing almost every single moment of their precious and memorable time! The solution is to know about the several types of batteries available for your Digital Camera, know the type that will be compatible with your device and go on clicking for hours together.

Don’t let the batteries flinch you out from the purpose that you have invested in your shinning new Digital Camera at the first place; here are all the information that we at TopDigitalCameras.com have furnished for you and which you will find handy on your way. Have a look:

  • Disposable: Disposable batteries can be of varying types and capacities. Some have very short time power source while some can last longer. However, getting informed about these will help you operate your Digital Camera more properly.
  • Alkaline: Alkaline batteries are very common in our day-to-day usage. These are the most common type of batteries that we generally use in home appliances. But though alkaline batteries have good and strong specification, it is not at all dependable in case of Digital Cameras. These batteries respond well in case of low-current devices due to its internal resistance which is rather high. For the same reason, alkaline batteries do not respond well in high-current devices like Digital Cameras. Moreover, since alkaline batteries are disposable, if you are going for this type of battery, get ready to carry an extra load of only these batteries as they can last as long as 15 to 20 minutes only.
  • Lithium: Lithium batteries are generally a great buy for your Digital Camera. The superior and excellent feature of this battery type is that, it can last as long as ten years if used in low current appliances or devices. With Digital Cameras, however, they will last less, as this is a high power draining device. Yet you can be sure that, if you have this lithium battery with you, you can handle emergency situation regarding power supply for your camera. There are certain drawbacks, however, for these batteries. They are costly and are not rechargeable. But considering the power supply and the long period, you can invest in them.
  • Zinc-Air Batteries: Zink-air batteries are another good source of power for the Digital Cameras among the other disposal sorts. These types of batteries are in use for a long time and with good results. Mainly zinc-air batteries are used in the hearing aids and pagers, but they are good for Digital Cameras as well. These disposal batteries, like the lithium one, are very good source of emergency power supply for the cameras. Zinc-air batteries come packed in a re-sealable pouch that carries a cord also to connect it to the DC jack of the camera.

Rechargeable:

Rechargeable batteries are a great source for powering the Digital Camera with its life source. There are several kinds of rechargeable batteries available in the market. But not knowing which type is compatible with your model, can lead to damage of the camera and other hazards. So, here are some information for you on the rechargeable batteries that can come handy.

  • Nickel-Cadmium: Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) is one of the rechargeable batteries that you can use for your Digital Camera. These batteries have varied range of ratings for the power that they can deliver. This range is measured in mAh (Milliamp Hour) and the higher this rating is; the longer it can supply the power for your Digital Camera. Along with the rechargeable facility, Nickel-Cadmium batteries are really affordable. The only drawback that these batteries have is that, before recharging you need to use all the power of the battery. Otherwise, this will generally act upon the longevity of the battery.
  • Nickel-Metal Hydride: This type of rechargeable batteries is very useful and more suited to use in Digital Cameras. Nickel-Metal Hydride or NiMh offers longer power supply for your camera that gives you the freedom of using the device for a long time without the fear of failure. Like the former one, the power rating of this type of battery is also done in mAh and the higher the rating is, the more power back up you can expect. But don’t leave the battery inside the camera as this act drains the power faster. When not in use, keep the nickel-metal hydride batteries in their proper places and not inside the device. Moreover, these batteries are more environmental friendly than their disposal peers and will be in long run and very much cost effective. However, you have to be ready for carrying a bit weight while using this type of battery as your Digital Camera will need two of them of AA size and this will no doubt add to the existing weight of the camera.
  • Lithium-ion: This is the type that can offer more power back up than the NiMh batteries being of the same size though and is a good source of power for the Digital Cameras. These batteries have almost 500 charge and discharge cycles, though you have charge a Li-ion battery in its special charger. Other than the high capacity, Li-ion batteries are also very light weight making it easy to use and carry. But then there are some flip sides as well. Along with the fact that all these special qualities don’t come at a cheap price, you should also be aware of the fact that, these batteries are camera specific. Moreover, unlike the other disposal sorts or the other rechargeable batteries, Li-ion batteries are not very easy to get in most of the stores.
  • Rechargeable Alkaline: You can as well call the “Rechargeable Alkaline” batteries to be extinct. This type of batteries were of very low capacity as well as charging cycle and therefore, not suitable for using in the Digital Cameras. Rechargeable alkaline were introduced in 1995 by Rayovac.
  • Hybrid nickel metal hydride: This is a special type of Nickel-Metal Hydride battery that can save up to 75% of the charge even if you keep the battery unused and without charge for a long time. Generally what happens with all the rechargeable batteries is that, when not in use they lose their battery life generally and may be by the time you decide to use your Digital Camera again, you will find the battery dead without charge. The new Hybrid NiMh batteries save you exactly in situations like this. However, before you jump in to buy one, consider how regularly you will use your camera. If it is pretty regular, then you can go for other batteries compatible with your camera instead of investing in one of these batteries.

Battery-packs: Now apart from the disposable and rechargeable batteries there can be other type of battery as well. Battery Pack is another source of energy for the Digital Camera. Unlike the standard batteries, this battery pack has to be plugged to the camera and then it gets ready for use. But the main problem with Battery Pack is that, not all models of Digital Cameras are compatible with this one. Most of the times we tend to overlook the consideration for major aspects and important parts of devices like Digital Cameras. Battery is one of the major aspects that you should keep in your mind and consider your options, the camera built and other features that will help your get the right battery for your precious gadget. TopDigitalCameras.com always tries to help you out with the finest and right choice regarding every aspects of the camera, major or minor, so that you can cherish both your precious moments and the possession flawlessly.

Tips to Extend Battery Life:

Now that you have come to a full grasp of what choosing the right battery for your Digital Camera accounts for, you should also pay attention to the tips and guides to preserve the battery life for your precious device. While choosing the right battery which will give the camera necessary power back up, you should also know how to save this valuable energy so that you can make best use of the battery you have selected for the Digital Camera you are using. Here are some of the tips that you can make use of:

  • You may feel very much interested in going through the picture preview feature to see if the picture has come perfect and to your liking. But this will consume more energy as you will use the LCD screen in the process. So, the wise thing to do is to lessen the picture preview time to save more energy in the battery.
  • Almost all of us have the tendency to play back the movie or the video clips we have taken in our Digital Camera. But when you can upload the file in your computer, then will it not be wise to stop playing it back in your camera to save more energy? Yes, this is another good step that you can follow to use your battery longer.
  • LCD screen of the Digital Camera is no doubt a very useful, important and tempting feature. But then you should also remember that, it is this LCD screen that consumes too much energy from the battery in order to operate as well. So, if you limit the use of this feature, you will be saving a lot of energy in the process. Try to use the manual viewfinder option in the Digital Camera instead of using LCD screen. Moreover, if you keep the screen light dimmer whenever you make use of the screen, then also it saves some charge.
  • If your Digital Camera is not one designed for underwater photography, then very careful about not letting the batteries and the device itself come into contact with water. This includes care for your camera and the battery from humidity as well. Get proper instructions from the seller regarding what measures to follow in this regard.
  • Remember that in cold weather batteries lose their charge sooner than the warmer weather. So, try avoiding cold weather if possible; otherwise always keep an extra stock of rechargeable batteries with you to save the situation.
  • Using the power saver feature less can also lead to saving charge to a great extent. This is because, what this power saver feature really do is keeping the camera in a mode where it is not completely shut down and yet unable to perform; a kind of “sleeping” situation. But since the Digital Camera is not shut down, it will keep consuming battery life. Therefore, the less you use power saver mode, the better for the longevity of the battery.
  • Zoom and continuous focus are two of the other excellent features that Digital Cameras come packed with. But since, as we are seeing that nothing comes cheaper, you need to have certain consideration in using both zoom and the continuous focus as well since they consume much of the battery charge and life.
  • If you continue using flash while taking picture in broad day light, that will surely be wastage of the feature. Save much of the charge and battery life by using the flash wisely.
  • We often hit the delete button after previewing the picture. Both these features again consume much of the charge of the battery used for controlling the equipments inside. You can control the use of both these two features and can carry on using the battery for longer time.
  • Minimize false shutter button usage when you are keeping it halfway down. Whenever you are doing this the Digital Camera parts have to go through the entire process of making the camera ready to take the picture and ultimately you are not taking it. It is obvious that, much of the power and the battery life is consumed in this way which you can save easily by limiting this practice.
  • Charge the battery regularly. Remember that rechargeable batteries cannot go on endlessly even when you are not using the battery. So charging the battery is important for the battery life itself. Moreover, charging the battery properly also involves charging it with the right kind of charger and not any one. This will ensure the longevity of the battery better.
  • Rechargeable batteries are far better than the disposable lot. This has the ability of supporting your Digital Camera for long time compared to the disposable one.
  • One habit that is almost common among the Digital Camera users is to carelessly use mixed type of batteries at the same time in the device. This can seriously damage the camera. So be wary of this kind of usage and always use the battery compatible with your Digital camera and also the same brand at a time.
  • If you know the right procedures of inserting and removing the battery from the body of the Digital Camera, then take it off when you are not using the device. This will also help you to save much of the energy.

Now, you have some useful information and easy-to-follow guidelines to save the precious battery life and enjoy clicking your Digital Camera whenever you want. Simply keep in mind these tips and avoid facing awkward situation with your Digital Camera shut down when may be you need it most!

 
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