Batteries are rated in milliampere-hours (mAh). This tells you how much current a battery can supply and for how long. The most common rechargeables are Nickel Cadmium. (NiCd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) of which the latter are more powerful.
Fully charged batteries will gradually lose their charge, even when not used. So if you have not used your camera for a few weeks, make sure you bring a freshly charged battery along on your shootout.
How Batteries Work
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Batteries
A low battery icon on many cameras indicates the battery is getting low.
Some SLRs have optional battery packs that attach to the bottom of the camera for additional shooting time. Photo courtesy of Canon.
NiMH batteries are only good for 100-300 charges, and deep discharges definitely wear on the battery. So don't discharge any more often than you think you need to to maintain battery life.
Lithium ion batteries
Lithium batteries are lighter and more costly than NiMH or NiCd type of rechargeable cells and can be rapidly charted.
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Digital Camera Batteries
Usually the first thing a new owner of a digital camera notices is that the batteries that come with your camera are useless.
Batteries
The chemistry and physics of how batteries generate electrical energy means that at very low temperatures all batteries lose power. They're just not as efficient.
Batteries are either often impossible to find when traveling or they're ridiculously expensive, especially those dedicated to just your camera model.
Batteries:
Digital cameras use lots of power. Many models are still powered by 2 to 4 AA batteries, but we like the newer models that have a rechargeable lithium ion battery built in.
Batteries: Whether you're using a 35mm camera or a digital camera, you should always have spare batteries with you. This is especially true with digital cameras that tend to have shorter battery lives.
Batteries
All portable digital cameras use batteries as their primary power source, but most can use battery eliminators when a mains supply is available.
Batteries
The Rebel T1i uses an LP-E5 Lithium-Ion battery, which is the same as is used in the Rebel XSi and XS models. An optional grip, the BG-E5 is available (which also fits the XSi). This allows the use of two LP-E5 batteries or 6 AA cells.
Batteries
Batteries for digital cameras can range from AA size to NiCad (nickel-cadmium), to NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) to lithium ion.
nickel cadmium (NiCad): Rechargeable batteries that use an alkaline electrolyte.
NiMH batteries - Rechargeable Nickel metal hydride batteries can store up to 50 percent more power than NiCad batteries, making them ideal for digital cameras.
Spare batteries
Digital cameras are notorious battery hogs, especially digicams which use the LCD on the back as a viewfinder to take your photos. It is always a good idea to have a spare rechargeable battery around (if your camera uses them).
Extra batteries
Another important digital camera accessories is the batteries. The worst that can happen is if you run out of batteries when shooting. I have done this a few times and it is really frustrating.
Nicad Batteries: A type of dry cell battery that can be recharged an almost indefinite amount of times. Improper handling of nicads will result in battery "memory", which will impede full charging.
[edit] Batteries
Digital cameras have high power requirements, and over time have become increasingly smaller in size, ...
Drained Batteries
Batteries lose their charge more quickly in cold weather. When shooting in cold weather it is essential to carry spare batteries for all of your equipment.
Batteries: Put to the Test
Batteries and Chargers Part II: Is Bigger Better? Determining the best batteries to use for y...
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Batteries: more reliable than those in a dive computer, or better yet, self-winding.
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8. Gauge Clips
Should streamline gear: next to your body for efficiency.
The batteries of the camera should also be removed if you intend to store the camera away for a long time. The reason is that batteries can have corrosive leaks over time.
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Spare batteries, an extra memory card, and a longer telephoto lens if you are using a Digital SLR should be in your camera bag and ready to go.
These batteries from the home of loud, colorful and obnoxious product design, Japan, was designed by Stockholm Design with a decidely Swiss look - and almost by necessity featuring Helvetica.
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Ni-cad batteries give full power until shortly before they fail, recycle time remains constant but you get virtually no warning that they are about to run flat.
Filters, batteries, sensor cleaning kits, camera straps. there are literally thousands of products out there for digital photographers to buy as accessories for their cameras.
Bring more batteries, film and memory cards than you expect to you use on a trip; it's always best to overestimate. Having to find and purchase such items once you've arrived at your destination can be problematic or expensive, or both.
Bring extra batteries and memory cards to save an unexpected expense of having to purchase replacements while at the beach where nearly everything is more expensive.
Rechargeable batteries for digital cameras eventually lose the ability to hold their charge. For this reason, you will need to replace them every few years.
rechargeable batteries with negligible memory effect and offer about twice the capacity of Ni-MH batteries
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Charge your batteries
When it comes to digital cameras, we live and die by the battery. If your battery goes dead on a shoot and you don't have a backup, you're done. Many digital cameras use proprietary batteries made only by the manufacturer.
Lithium-Ion batteries allow greater recording time than NiMh batteries. Not only will Lithium-Ion batteries hold a longer charge, they also have a longer shelf life, generally 5-7 years.
How can I make batteries last longer?
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Why is there a delay between pressing the shutter button and taking the picture?
Nickel cadmium batteries are the third type, but these lose power over time. They hold less battery life after every charge.
Let's move on to step 6 of the digital camera buyers guide...
Remember that all batteries can leak. If they do you'll find your beloved flash unit full of a corrosive liquid that will damage or even destroy it.
Check battery power to make sure you have sufficient power and carry spare batteries.
Next, set the camera to either aperture priority or manual mode for full control. Never use any Program modes for serious photography.
There is little maintenance, but they do require batteries. When you think a light meter is not working properly, have it checked by a qualified technician. Always be sure to check your equipment before leaving on an assignment.
If your batteries seem to be dead, don't throw them out too quickly. You may find that they do indeed have life left once they warm up again.
I usually leave my camera in my backpack for several hours, resisting the urge to view my pictures and recharge the batteries immediately. The inside of the backpack warms up much more slowly.
Here a are a couple common areas to keep in mind: Batteries Always have a brand new spare battery. If your battery goes dead, most cameras are no longer functional (with the exception of purely mechanical cameras, a rare breed these days).
Electronic flash requires a high voltage, usually obtained from batteries through a voltage-multiplying circuit. It has a brief, intense burst of light, usually used where the lighting on the scene is inadequate for picture-taking.
New products include a yet-to be-named instant printer powered by CR2 batteries, which can send 15-second infrared signals transferring images from digital phone cameras to a Polaroid-type instant printer, which then delivers images in two minutes.
ü Memorory Cards and Batteries - Make sure you have enough image and power capacity to take A LOT of bracketed photos. You don't want to be fiddling with editing and deleting the photos in the dark.
Has room for the charger - if your camera comes with rechargeable batteries you will probably want to take the charger with you on longer trips.
For example, the battery grip for Canon's EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XT / Kiss), holds two batteries. Many photographers will recall a number of times when they've been midway through a shot, when they find the camera locks up due to a low battery.
This can be tough on alkaline batteries and can also slow you down photographically, as you wait for the batteries to recharge.
Another important yet small component of a camera is the batteries. Most of the time, we are so engrossed in taking pictures that we forget to remove the batteries once the camera goes into the bag.
When traveling or just heading away from home for an afternoon, plan on having a travel pack of accessories: additional batteries or a charger in case your camera battery dies on you, an external flash, ...
Rechargeable batteries that have an energy density 100% higher than NiCd batteries and can supply high energy levels when required, e.g. when using the flash in quick succession.
This not only provide a little extra space in the body for batteries to be housed, but often also makes the camera more comfortable to hold. Some cameras have optional grips than can be purchased to improve handling.
Lithium ION batteries are lighter but are more costly than Ni-MH or Ni-Cd (NiCad) rechargeables.
Flashguns often included quite high-voltage batteries to fire the bulbs; even as late as the 1960s, bulb guns could have batteries of 20 volts or more.
Finally, don't forget the batteries. A digital camera needs a lot of power to run image sensors, zoom motors and the built-in LCD screen.
Make sure you're camera is in good working order, your memory cards are clear, packed and ready, and your batteries are charged.
And while the Lumix requires a lithium ion battery to run, the Easyshare is easy to pop in some AA batteries into and head out.
They are rechargeable like Nicad batteries but they are safe to throw away in landfills. They also do not exhibit the "memory" effect that Nicad batteries have shown to exhibit. They need chargers that are specifically made for NiMH batteries.
Recommended for digital cameras, these batteries have high energy density (50% more than Ni-Cd) and can be charged over 500 times in their life cycle. They charge very fast and hold their energy longer than other batteries.
Do you want to make sure that the money you save on film and developing doesn't just end up getting spent on batteries? (Then you might want to get a camera with rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries or some such similar set-up) ...
A final note on P mode: it saves on batteries and therefore allows for faster recycling in successive shoots. I have shot complete weddings (never less than 10 rolls) with a single set of batteries. You want more DOF? Change lenses.
 See also: Camera, Image, Photograph, Light, Digital
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