Charging batteries

[jennifer]

Hi!
Well, i finally got my digital camera to work, have uploaded pictures to my computer and everything works. Now, my question is, because I have never travelled with a digital camera, what do you guys do for batteries?
My camera uses up quite a bit of batteries so I have NimH rechargeable batteries. I have a few sets and on a trip I would most likely pass up a set of batteries every few days.

My charger is really really really an essential in this case but it seems that the charger plus the adapter would come out quite bulgy and annoying to carry around.

What do you guys do?

xoxo
jen

[Eagle]

JENNIFER, I have both some questions and some comments:

Since you're using NiMH batteries, the first suggestion I have is that you're going to need AT LEAST one spare battery or sets of batteries. It sounds like you already have spare batteries, which is good. My Camera uses the"proprietary" NiMH batteries, and I have one spare battery at the moment; so far this has been sufficient, but I can easily see where two would be better. I found that re-taking photos as well as leaving the LCD monitor on all the time, tends to use up battery power fairly quickly.

You didn't specify which type of Camera or batteries you were using. It would help a bit to have this information, as you may have the option of using larger capacity batteries.

With regard to the "Charger and Adaptor" that you specified, were you referring to a Plug Adaptor or a Voltage Converter (or both) Many of the newer Digital Cameras are equipped with multi-voltage Chargers that will operate quite well in either Europe or North America, so all you will need is a plug adaptor which takes up zero space and weight in a Backpack. You will have to check your Charger carefully though -- look at the back or bottom of the unit, as the input voltage should quite clearly be listed.

I may be able to offer more specific suggestions if you provide details on the Camera and Charger that you're using. I don't think you will have any problems at all travelling with this (aside from the aspect of storing digital photos during the trip, which is another post).

Hope these few comments will be of help. Cheers!!!

[jennifer]

Thanks, well, I'm at work now, so can't give the exact info, but i'll be back as soon as I'm lingering at home to give you all the juicy gossip!
xoxo
Jen

[Marie]

I also have a question about recharging digital cameras: in hostels are they easy to chard=ge I mean you do it during the night in your room but call me paranoid but couldn't some horrible shameless person just steal it?

I haven't made the official change to digital yet but I plan to by my next trip (next summer: Australia + New Zealand). I'm attached to my old camera, I mean I'v ehad it for 6 years ever since my first real trip, to Paris none the less when I was 14! And since then it's been back to Europe and twice to Asia, man the memories!!

[jennifer]

Well Eagle, it seems I have lingered on answering, sorry!
I love photography, but the aspect of clicking on a button and then having a result. I do not know much about aspects of the technology. i'm more of a 35 mm and a "myself" developer!


My camera is a Minolta Dimage E 223
Zoom 3x
2 megapixels
Iso 100

I don't know if you need more info to get a good idea, but by searching Minolta Dimage E 223, there is plenty of info on the net!

My charger is from Energizer!

The thing is, my charger was the smallest on the market, but still quite big to bring along, then I need to be able to plug it in Europe so I need the converter/adapter. That's heavy too. Then I need spare batteries. Then I need to worry about not loosing or getting this stolen.

I was wondering what most of you did, because I'm a picture holic so I know i'd be taking tons a day, which would use up batteries. What did you do to charge them along the way?
xoxox
Jen

[Rich]

For my Canon A70, I need 4 1.2V AA batteries. I bought 2 sets of Panasonic Ni-MH batteries and the "Panasonic BQ-390 Quick Charger" (about $60 with batteries I think). I didn't need the power converter....only the prong adaptor for Euro sockets. This adaptor was $5 at London Drugs. This worked out very well for me, although I probably didn't need the second set of rechargeable batteries.......a backup set of non-rechargeable (cheaper) ones would have been adequate to get me through short times where I didn't have enough juice. I was told that even the rechargeables wouldn't last more than a day or two, but I happily shot away for about 5-6 days (~450 shots per week) before needing a recharge. The charger is very small and the prongs fold in for ease of packing.

Hope this helps!

[Rich]

Oops....I should add that the $60 for the charger and batteries was only for 4 of the 8 batteries. Also, the Ni-MH batteries don't have the "memory" issues with them, so you can charge them up each night if you want without worrying about the batteries remembering a short charge life. If you can do this, it will save you the need for a second set of rechargeable batteries (~$25).

[jennifer]

May I ask how come you only needed the prongs?
I'm all mixed with these things!

[Rich]

The power converter will change the voltage from the European standard (240V, I think) to the Canadian/US standard of 120V. However, some devices can be used with either voltage. This is the case with my Panasonic charger. Check the sticker on the back of the charger and you will see the acceptable voltage range.....in my case it says 100-240V.

The power adaptor is the device that changes the shape of the prongs from the north american standard to the UK or European standard prongs. The adaptor simply allows you to plug your device into the sockets when in Europe / UK, but it does not change the voltage at all.

I hope this makes better sense. A bit tricky to explain via message boards!

Rich

[Eagle]

JENNIFER, Sorry it's taken me so long to reply to your note, but i've been busy renovating and haven't had much time to sit down at the computer for the past week or so.

The previous posts from Rich have provided some good answers, however I wanted to clarify a few points.

From what I could determine, your Minotla E-223 can use either two "AA" rechargeable batteries OR a proprietary CR-V3 Lithium battery. I assume you've chosen to use the "AA" batteries. If you haven't purchased these yet, I would recommend trying to find the highest capacity you can find, above 2000 maH if possible. Any competent sales person should be able to tell you the capacity of the batteries.

You indicated that your Charger was made by Energizer, however without a model number or further description there's no way I can tell if this is capable of multi-voltage operation. Check the label on the Charger and if it says "Input 100-240 VAC" or something to that effect, then the charger can be used on North American or European electrical systems. Also, can this charge two or four batteries at the same time?

If you do want to check out a Charger which is fully "travel ready", have a look at the Radio Shack Charger, stock no. 23-8905. I bought one for my Son to use in England, and it works well. It is also capable of being used as a Power Supply, with optional cable. Radio Shack could also supply the NiMH batteries, if you need more. I would recommend AT LEAST two sets of Batteries, as you indicated that you like to take lots of pictures. The current consumption of different Digital Cameras varies by manufacturer and model number to some extent, so you will have to determine for yourself how long the batteries will last between charges, based on your "shooting habits", how much you use the Flash, Zoom and LCD display.

One comment on using alkaline "AA" batteries. These should work for "emergencies" but don't count on using them a lot as they don't seem to last long in digital Camera applications. Some users have reported getting as few as 15-20 shots from a new set of alkaline batteries. I suspect it has something to do with the discharge curve, which is different than that of most rechargeable batteries.

Also, I wanted to comment a bit further on the "Plug Adaptor" issue. IF you have a Charger that is capable of multi-voltage operation, you will need AT LEAST ONE Plug Adaptor for EACH REGION that you will be travelling in. These are used to "adapt" the plug configuration of North American devices (the two narrow prongs), to the wall outlets that are used in Europe. You can't plug a North American appliance into a Euro or U.K. wall outlet, as they simply don't match. The most common Adaptors to travel with would be the U.K. model and the European model. I find that I use two of each of these when I'm travelling, as I often have to charge more than one device at the same time. These are very small and very light, so they're very easy to travel with.

You might want to have a look at www.magellans.com as they have an excellent selection of plug adaptors, including a small set of the most common models. They also have multi-voltage Chargers. I've found their customer service excellent, so there is no problem shipping items to Canada. You should also be able to buy adaptors at any Radio Shack store or most travel / luggage stores.

One other thing to think about if you're taking lots of pictures, would be what size memory card(s) you intend to take on your trip? What are you planning to do when the card is full? Rather than repeat already posted comments, you might want to check out some of my previous posts on this forum regarding this topic. You could also check www.adrianwarren.com for LOTS of useful information on this.

Hope this has answered your questions. If you need anything further, I'll try to be more prompt in replying. Happy travels!!!

[Eagle]

MARIE, a few comments on your question. In my experience, it's not usually difficult to charge Cameras in Hostels, however I suppose this could vary a bit between Hostels?

I generally try to find a wall outlet in my room and charge my Camera and other "gadgets" while I'm in the room (the charging cycle usually only takes 1-2 hours). I haven't had any problems with theft so far, but I generally keep a fairly close watch on it. In one case I wasn't able to find the outlet in my room, so used one in the Hallway (didn't discover the outlet in my room until just before I left, unfortunately). The staff looked a bit strange when they saw it, but they didn't say anything. In this particular case, the Hallway was right outside my room, and I left the door propped open so I could keep watch.

One of the other guests at the Hostel asked the staff at the front desk to charge his Camera, and they didn't seem to mind. I suppose that would be the safest location if you're worried about theft.

Hopefully, you'll give the Digital Camera a try in the near future. I don't believe you will have much difficulty getting this charged while you're travelling. Incidentally, I usually travel with both a Digital and a compact 35 mm Camera -- always good to have a backup!

My limited experience has been that most people in Hostels are trustworthy, but at the same time a bit of care is a good idea. Hope this has answered your questions. Cheers!!!

[jennifer]

Wow, info! You're a master!

Well, for the plug thing, no problem, I knew all of this but I didn't know chargers for both voltages existed, i'll check it out!

For the "size" of my battery. I don't see how I can use anything else but AA batteries! You say I can use lithium? But how the heck does it fit in? There is only the place for 2 AA batteries, so I can't see how another format would fit in! Oh why was I not born with this! hehe

For alkaline, don't worry, I'm not using these anymore, I found out fast enough that they weren't worth much in my camera!

2000 Mah? Huh? I have NiMh batteries from Energizer, where can I see the Mah? (ONce more, sorry, i'm clueless!)

My charger can charge 4 batteries at a time, AA AAA or the square ones! I'll give you the exact model later cause i'm not home!

I have the biggest size of memory card I found available, 256! I can takes loads of pictures for this. I still haven't decided what I'd do while travelling, cause for now I never go on trips that I need more than 300 pictures. When I'll be in Europe, I'll be living there next time so i'll have a place to actually put the pictures on cd or develop them and send the cd home!

xoxo
Jen

[Eagle]

JENNIFER, a bit of further clarification. My comments on the "size" of the NiMH batteries referred to the electrical capacity of these, rather than the physical size. Various brands of "AA" batteries are the same approximate physical size, but are available in different capacities with the higher numbers providing longer "run time". The capacity MAY or MAY NOT be listed on the side of battery (usually in very small printing). The spec's could for example say "2100 mAH" or "2.1 AH", or something to that effect. The term "mAH" stands for "milli-Amp Hour". Most batteries will show this information, however some don't which I think is unfortunate as consumers should have this information when they purchase batteries.

With regard to the Li-Ion battery, I checked the web and apparently your Minolta Camera can use the RCR-V3 Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery. You might check the Reviews section at www.steves-digicams.com as he had a really good description of various types of rechargeable batteries. Apparently there is a standard Lithium disposable battery that will also fit your Camera, but I wouldn't bother with it as it will undoubtedly be expensive, and only good for one use - once it's depleted, it goes in the Trash.

One interesting fact mentioned in Steve's reviews was the fact that NiMH batteries have a high "air discharge rate", which means they lose a portion of their stored capacity each day, just sitting in a drawer. Therefore, if they've been in storage for a while it's a good idea to put them through a charge cycle before you go out touring, to ensure there will be power availalble when you need it!

Lithium Ion batteries have about the best power to weight ratio - ie: they are very light weight compared to the amount of power they can supply (relative to other battery technologies). You might want to check out the Li-Ion battery thing at some point in the future?

I checked the web site of the U.S. store that sells the RCR-V3 batteries (BatteryX - listed in Steve's review), and it was indicated that supply was "temporarily discontinued". Not sure what's happening with that? You're probably best to stay with the Ni-MH batteries, as that's what you currently have, and I'm sure they will provide dependable service.

Hope this has provided the battery information that you need. I'll be interested to hear whether your Charger is capable of multi-voltage operation. Cheers!!!

[jennifer]

Here the info from my charger :
Energizer rechargeable
ni-mh battery charger
model chm39
input ac/ca 120V (little squiggly line) 60hz 4W
class 2 battery charger
listed E 127209 2h37
made in china heheheeh


batteries nh15 aa 1.2v - 2100 mah

so what's the scoop?

[Eagle]

JENNIFER,

I did some further checking on the information you provided. First of all, it appears that the batteries you're using are perfect -- 2100 mAH is among the best capacities available these days. There are 2300 mAH models available, but this is a small difference. I assume you've got four batteries?

Unfortunately, your Battery Charger is a different matter. From what I could determine from your information and from the Energizer web site, the CHM-39 Charger you're using is designed ONLY for 115 volt operation, and therefore this can NOT be used in Europe (or other places that use a 220 volt electrical system). In order to use this, you would have to connect a Voltage Convertor to the wall outlet, and then plug your Battery Charger into the Voltage Convertor. The function of the Voltage Convertor is to "step down" the 220 volts to 115 volts.

The preferred type of Voltage Convertor for use with electronic equipment, is a Transformer-based device, which is inherently heavy (although a small 50 watt unit is still very light). If you're concerned about weight or other issues while you're travelling, this is one more thing to pack around / get lost / get stolen.

From what I can determine, the most cost effective option for you would be to buy a new Charger that is capable of multi-voltage operation. The Radio Shack Charger is listed for $29.95 on the RS Canada web site. You should be able to pick one up at any Radio Shack store, or order on line.

Another option would be the EA-275 dual-voltage Battery Charger available from Magellan's. While the cost of $34.85 U.S. might seem a bit pricey, this includes four 2300 mAH rechargeable NiMH Batteries AND a Euro Plug Adapter, so it's actually quite a good value! The exchange on the U.S. dollar isn't too bad these days, so you may want to consider this? This will also apparently charge NiCad batteries, so provides a bit more flexibility.

One other benefit of the Magellan's Charger and possibly the Radio Shack Charger, is the fact these will recharge batteries in about two hours. From what I could determine your Energizer Charger requires up to 14 hours to charge? The shorter charging time is highly desirable, especially while travelling IMO.

You will have to decide whether you prefer packing a Voltage Convertor along on your travels, or just the "travel friendly" Magellan's or Radio Shack style of Charger.

Good luck with this. Hope this has helped. Cheers!!!