Battery situation.

[Earl Grey]

During the thruhike it looks like right now i'll have 3 things that require batteries not including a cell phone. They are camera, headlamp and mp3 player. The headlamp and mp3 player use AAA batteries while the camera uses AA. The camera is a battery hog which leads me to the question of what are the best long lasting batteries for a camera?

[hopefulhiker]

I took a little digital camera I got at Radio Shack that used AAA batteries. It was pretty simple but took adequate pictures. It only weighed 6 oz..

[Mother Nature]

Father Garland (Foto) taught me this lesson in 2004.

Lithium batteries hands down are the best and longest lasting.

Mother Nature

[Deerleg]

Father Garland (Foto) taught me this lesson in 2004.

Lithium batteries hands down are the best and longest lasting.

Mother Nature
Cost 3 times more but in my electronic Kodac lasted 10 time longer.

[Toolshed]

Lithium all the way. And try not to use your LED display screen on your camera. It is probably a bettery hog.

[SalParadise]

i guess i'll fourth the lithium comment. and they're not terribly hard to find along the way, either.

[soulrebel]

Lithium---I swapped out my 2 AA's in Harper's for my camera and they weren't even done yet.

a single AAA in a mp3 will run about 20-40 hours.

And let's not forget--they weigh HALF the weight of alkaline's- so you can save an ounce on just 2 batteries.

[TurkeyBacon]

Not exactly an answer to this question, but a funny story anyway... I used a 35mm cameral with one of those small mini batery. It lasted the whole way to maine and then died one day into the 100 mile wilderness. So all the first views of katahdin or the gulf hagas have no photos. Fortunately, the camp store before baxter had a replacement. I guess the moral of the story is do not wait till the bitter end to replace batteries, especially hard to find ones.
TB

[bigcranky]

TB, the sad part is that the battery probably weighs about 6 grams, so you could have carried a spare and never noticed it. Good story, even though it must have hurt something awful at the time.

I'll add another vote for Lithium AA batteries. You will choke at the price, $10 for four batteries. Ack. But they do last significantly longer than alkaline AAs, enough to justify the price in my experience. It's easy enough to carry a spare set in your pack for when they run out.

[doodah man]

During the thruhike it looks like right now i'll have 3 things that require batteries not including a cell phone. They are camera, headlamp and mp3 player. The headlamp and mp3 player use AAA batteries while the camera uses AA. The camera is a battery hog which leads me to the question of what are the best long lasting batteries for a camera?

For sure use lithium batteries... more juice & less weight. I have not noticed much difference between brands on the lithiums. My camera gets around 400-500 pics on a set (depending on how long the LCD is in use). I also picked up on eBay a couple of AAA-to-AA adaptors (a little plactic cylinder with a metal conducton on the end that converts an AAA battery to fit in an AA slot. In an 'emergancy' photo situation, the AAA batteries from flashlight and/or MP3 player can be borrowed for camera. I think they weigh 2 grams each. doodah-man

[fonsie]

well I got a olympus that uses a stock battery. I bought it back in july 2006 and I have taken about 700 pics so far and charged it 3 times. Im taking a couple of them $35 batteries with me because its lighter than the charger and takes up less room. The camera weighs 4.2 ounces. Now I should get a head lamp that uses AAA instead of AA. The reason why is when the MP3 batterie runs dead they still have enough juice for a head lamp. Yea take a look at my gallery at the camera. Its a little expensive but if you count your ounces like I do.

[The Old Fhart]

The small (7 ounce with protective case) Panasonic 6Mp digital camera I have uses a lithium-ion rechargable battery pack. A spare battery and a.c. charger only adds 3ounce. The battery last for about 400 shots per charge using the 2.5" LCD screen. It is pretty easy to find a restaurant, hostel, etc., where I can charge up the spare battery in 20 minutes. Using a 1Gb SD card I can get 330/660 high quality photos per memory card, depending on compression.

I also found a small very bright 5 LED headlamp on Ebay that weighs 1.30 ounce with two 2032 lithium cells. Spare batteries weigh 0.10 ounce each and on Ebay the delivered cost is about $0.60 per battery in lots of 25.

[rswanson]

2500 (or higher) mAh Nimh rechargeables will last much longer than alkalines or lithium cells. The problem is the charger. If you can find a small, lightweight charger that would be the ticket but it is extra weight.

My camera will get about 400 shots of off one pair of 2500 mAh rechargables, which is about a week of shooting for me if I don't overdo the flash usage, much longer if I use the viewfinder instead of the LCD screen. So if I carry a spare set of batt's, I could almost bounce box the charger and be ok, maybe supplementing with a few store bought alkaline's here and there.

Anyone else give this method a shot?

[4eyedbuzzard]

During the thruhike it looks like right now i'll have 3 things that require batteries not including a cell phone. They are camera, headlamp and mp3 player. The headlamp and mp3 player use AAA batteries while the camera uses AA. The camera is a battery hog which leads me to the question of what are the best long lasting batteries for a camera?

For a camera, disposable lithiums are always your best choice. Cameras are high drain devices - regular alkaline battery voltage drops quickly at initial discharge in high current applications and they don't chemically recovery quickly enough. There is no "debate" when it comes to cameras.

Here comes the debate: Except in cold conditions, with lower drain constant load devices such as mp3 players and led headlamps, regular alkalines are probably a better choice.

The total usable watt hour capacity of newer model lithium batteries like the Energizer E2 is higher than that of alkaline batteries, but not to the degree Eveready claims(Eveready claims 3 times better life in normal low drain application and up to 7 times in digital devices). Note that where Lithiums really shine is in high drain devices such as cameras where motors, flash devices, etc. create large intermittent loads that alkaline batteries cannot handle as these types of loads cause internal electrolyte changes that the battery cannot "recover" from. Additionally, some older Lithiums and other manufacturers do not have the watt densities of the newer high end Lithium batteries. This whole comparison is futher complicated by lithiums having a slightly flatter voltage curve than alkalines - lithiums deliver rated voltage right up to a certain point and then die rather quickly compared to alkalines which have a somewhat more linear voltage curve(they more gradually produce less and less voltage).:confused: In most typical low drain applications(mp3's, headlamps, etc) lithiums will generally NOT last all that much longer than alkalines.

http://www.climber.org/gear/batteries.html#smith

Consider the following even if you choose to believe (in opposition to most independent testing and analysis) that in low drain applications Lithiums outlast alkalines 3 to 1 as the battery manufacturer's claim:

Lithium batteries weigh approximately 2/3 as much as alkalines(23 grams/.8 oz for an AA alkaline, 15 grams/.5 oz for a AA lithium). So on a weight vs usable life comparison lithiums are 4.5 times more efficient as alkalines. For the price is no object gram weenies;), or when severe cold weather is a factor, Lithiums are always the best choice. But given the difference in total weight between carrying six alkalines vs 6 Lithiums is 48 grams/1.7 oz, cost factors do not always translate into Lithiums being 4.5 times better for most purposes, including backpacking as will be shown.

Lithiums cost anywhere between 2 1/2 to 11 times as much as alkalines(huge variance due to retail packaging and marketing). This has a huge effect on battery choice even for weight conscious backpackers. Recent prices I have seen on AA Lithiums range from $7.50 for two to $15.00 for four, with the lowest being a sale at $9.99 for four, for a price range of $2.50 to $3.75 each. Alkaline batteries are rountinely sold at 24 for $9 and 36 for $12 at Wal-Mart/Home Depot etc. but in smaller 4 battery packages can be $3.75 at many retailers. This results in a huge price range of $.33 to $.94 each.

You have a headlamp that uses 3 AA batteries. (BTW, unless the headlamp has built in voltage regulation two batteries cannot deliver high enough voltage to power an LED which is why most all of them use 3 batteries). Assume that as you must carry a spare set regardless of type used, you will always carry six batteries total. Let's assume for the sake of analysis you use your headlamp regulary and a set of 3 regular alkalines lasts one week and Lithiums last 3 weeks. Over the course of a 27 week thru-hike you will use 27x3 alkalines + 3 spares for a total of 84 batteries x $.33 to .94 ea = $27.72 to $78.96 depending upon supply method and prices. With Lithiums you will use 9x3+3 for a total of 30 batteries x $2.50 to $3.75 ea = $75.00 to $112.50, again dependent upon supply method and pricing.:-? Given the extremes, using Lithiums could cost 5 times as much as using alkalines, and at best it is a break even, though this is not likely as small retailers along the trail will probably not be selling Lithiums at sale prices. Obviously the more devices and batteries you use, the more the cost of batteries comes into play.

Ignoring the weight differences of a few ounces, for short hikes of a few days to a week especially where you can realize the savings of buying alkalines in large quantities, alkalines are a more reasonable choice. The same goes for thru-hikers using frequent (weekly) mail drops.

Thru-hikers who resupply at trail towns must look closely at pricing. Typically thru-hikers won't be buying 24 or 36 packs of batteries, although they could split up bulk packs amongst other hikers or put them in their bounce box.

Gotta go, I have to finish my porch floor!:eek:

[overcame]

Have you considered using rechargable batteries and a charger? If you plan on making stops into town or overnights at hostels, motels, etc a charger with batteries could last the entire trip. Some newer chargers can quick charge within an hour or two. This would be cost effective as well as cut down on battery disposal.

[Two Speed]

. . . And try not to use your LED display screen on your camera. It is probably a bettery hog.Another idea is to consider disabling the flash. I usually don't need it for outdoor shots during daylight, and the flash on my "point and shoot" camera is marginal for anything beyond portraits after dark anyway. Disabling the flash does require that I take more care stabilizing the camera, though.

[Frosty]

Another idea is to consider disabling the flash. I usually don't need it for outdoor shots during daylight, and the flash on my "point and shoot" camera is marginal for anything beyond portraits after dark anyway. Disabling the flash does require that I take more care stabilizing the camera, though.I wish I could do this once and have it default that way. I have to press four buttons each time I use the camera to go no flash. Not a big deal, I guess, but a minor annoyance.

Going no flash changes outdoor shots. Generally they are much better sans flash.

Try taking the same shot twice, with and without flash, and see if there is a difference in your camera.

[kyhiker1]

During the thruhike it looks like right now i'll have 3 things that require batteries not including a cell phone. They are camera, headlamp and mp3 player. The headlamp and mp3 player use AAA batteries while the camera uses AA. The camera is a battery hog which leads me to the question of what are the best long lasting batteries for a camera?
Lithium will outlast all the alkaline batteries and is all that I use now for cameras,mp3,etc......

[mythicyeti]

You might check out this solar-powered recharger. It is very durable and I've used it a couple of times with good results.

http://www.solio.com/v2/

Cheers