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View Full Version : Digicam rechargeable batteries on trail?



vaporjourney
10-10-2006, 17:48
It seems that most of the smaller cameras that are coming out now function only on the included rechargeable battery. I've always tried to avoid this becuase you can't just replace the batteries like you can AAs on the trail if this is the case. Has anyone else taken a camera that required you to plug in a charger to recharge the battery, instead of using AAs? I'm not sure if hostels all have outlets that you can access, and how much this would be limiting on the trail. It would work out OK if you charged while sleeping, but changing them on the trail would be impossible.

Just Jeff
10-10-2006, 18:01
Mine only take ~45 min to charge. You can do that while eating in a restaurant if you can sneak to an outlet.

Travel sections in lots of stores have rechargers. You can put AA or 9v batteries in the recharger, then plug that into your phone and it'll recharge. They might make something that'll fit cameras, too. That's another piece to carry, though. I know Circuit City has them here in Monterey.

Sly
10-10-2006, 19:17
Whatever you choose don't forget to buy an extra proprietary or bring extra AA's. There's noting worse than a dead camera with awesome scenery.

Just Jeff
10-10-2006, 19:26
Except horrible scenery. :p

Programbo
10-11-2006, 07:50
It would work out OK if you charged while sleeping, but changing them on the trail would be impossible.

Nothing is impossible if you can imagine it!...Maybe get and extra charger and look at the output voltage and experiment with some of those little solar chargers or those little hand crank chargers that have a similar voltage

Kerosene
10-11-2006, 09:54
Another option is to purchase one or two extra proprietary batteries. The one for my Pentax Optio cost about $35 and weighs less than 1 ounce. One battery lasts me 100-200 pictures, depending on how often I review pictures and turn the camera on and off. I went through 2 batteries during my 8-day section hike of the Whites, but the weather and scenery was simply incredible and I was turning on the camera all the time to take 225 shots.

For an extended hike, consider putting the recharger in your bounce box. I can recharge the battery in the camera plus an extra battery in under 2 hours.

1happyhiker
10-18-2006, 00:37
a buddy of mine is an engenerd (sry). he prowls flea markets, etc and found a coleman cooler that had a solar panel in it. supposed to power a radio or flashlight. he paid like 25$ for it and with some solder and a trip to radio shack he can charge his AA's, etc on the go.

im thinking of doing the same thing (ie: have him do it and claim it as my own, lol) with flexable solar panel. its relitivly cheap but the additional parts add up fast. i guesstimate around 100$ totall. but... the weight savings is crazy. should be around 30 oz including the charger. just ideas.

-hh

Maxwell_Allen
10-19-2006, 14:41
on my thru I carried a digital camera, two rechargable batteries, and the charge block. I could get around 100 shots to a battery charge. Everytime I went into a store, resutraunt, hostle, etc, I'd just ask to plug in a battery somewhere and was never turned down. I never ran out of battery for the whole trip, although once I accidently left my charger in Atkins, VA and had to run back 3 miles to get it. The rechargables definitly come out cheaper than the AA's.
Good luck-
4-cheese