Tips for Extending Battery Life

 

Whoa! Those batteries can really run down fast. Digital cameras use up battery power faster than old-fashioned film cameras.

 

Two things - the type of battery you use and how you use the camera - affect battery drain.

 

How you use the camera:

 

To extend battery life, pay attention to how you use power-hungry parts of the camera:

 

• LCD monitor
• built-in flash
• auto-focus
• power zoom lens
• start-up sequence

 

When multiple functions are used simultaneously, battery power drops even more quickly.

 

• Minimize use of the LCD monitor - turn it off when you're not using it.

 

• Check the instant review setting - set your instant review to a short time or off.

 

• Check auto-off settings - choose the shortest time to auto-off that fits your needs.

 

• Don't over-use the power zoom - think about whether you need the telephoto or wide angle before zooming.

 

• Monitor your habit of using the flash - built-in flash uses a lot of electrical juice. An add-on flash diverts the power use to the add-on's batteries.

 

• Turn off the camera when not in use - let the batteries rest. If nearly depleted, they may recover a bit while the camera is off so you can turn it on and shoot some more.

 

The type of battery you use:

 

The capacity of the battery is an important consideration. A battery is like the gas tank on your car. It has a capacity to hold so much. Using the battery drains the electricity from it, like driving drains gas from your car's fuel tank. Some batteries can't be refilled and some can. The greater the capacity of the battery, the more pictures you can shoot.

 

There is a difference in batteries:

 

• Heavy duty - don't even bother with this throw-away. It is not rechargeable and offers a very low capacity so it is not suitable for digital cameras.

 

• Alkaline - this throw-away is not rechargeable, but has a good capacity so it is suitable for digital cameras.

 

• Nickel Cadmium - NiCd or NiCad. This rechargeable has a good capacity and is suitable for digital cameras, but can loose power slowly while just sitting around.

 

• Nickel Metal Hydride - NiMH. This rechargeable offers better capacity and is quite suitable for digital cameras, but can loose power slowly while just sitting around.

 

• Lithium-ion - Li-ion. Currently, this is the finest rechargeable with the best capacity. It is excellent for digital cameras and does not lose power while sitting around.