PCPhoto 
Photography Gear Portable Power
Photography Gear Portable Power
Portable PowerWhat to know about camera batteries for maximum performance |
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| By Jon Sienkiewicz | |
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During the first few generations of digital cameras, you couldn’t help
but pay a lot of attention to batteries. Early-model cameras were
notoriously power-hungry, burning through a full charge in minutes, not
hours. It was left to the battery manufacturers to develop
longer-lasting, faster-charging power sources that could keep shooting
for a reasonable period of time. The kind of battery your camera uses is generally predetermined; in most cases, you don’t have many options. For example, if your camera uses a proprietary lithium-ion cell, your choices are limited. On the other hand, if your camera uses AA cells, you have lots of flexibility. Several of the best-selling compact camera models, as well as power grips for high-end D-SLRs, use AA cells—and for good reason. The batteries are inexpensive and are readily available almost everywhere in the world. Equally important, they have already been vetted—it’s far more efficient for a manufacturer to adopt a known commodity than to do exhaustive testing of a new technology. Disposable Power Cameras that use AA batteries always perform longer with rechargeable cells, but for many casual users, high-tech, disposable batteries are just plain convenient. Advanced chemistries used in the best single-use cells can deliver the power you need to shoot for extended periods, and you don’t have to wait for a recharge.  |
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