Pixiq

Photographers depend on batteries as they never did before. Without them there’s no photography these days. So it's good to be prepared and have batteries ready when you go out to take pictures.

Cameras nowadays use mostly proprietary batteries so there’s not much to worry about in that area. Still, if your camera uses AA batteries you have to decide which are best for you… and the short answer is nickel-metal hydride or NiMh, if your camera can take it. Check your manual to be sure and don’t hesitate if they can be used. Two or three sets and a charger will last you for a long time.

For other uses, and here I am thinking flashes and LED panels, NiMh is also the best choice you can make if you want to spare money and… time. I’ve used NiMh cells with my LED lights from LitePanels and although they give me less lighting time than lithium, it becomes cheaper in the long end. As for my Speedlite flashes, they just love NiMh.

Now, when buying NiMh you have to be aware that not all NiMh are equal. In fact, although different battery makers do not always make it easy for the buyer to know what he is buying, refering to these batteries as “ready to use” and some other names, there are two types of these cells: NiMh and LD-NiMh, the LD meaning Low Discharge. What that means is that while conventional NiMh will loose their charge daily at a high rate after being charged (10% on the first 24 hours and 1% each new day, what means that more than half of the charge is gone in a month) LD-NiMh will still have some 85% of charge after one year, if you don’t use them. So, in practical terms, when you buy them from the shelf you can just start to use them.

It’s easy to see the advantages of a LD-NiMH. If you’re the type of photographer that forgets to charge batteries just before going out, you will love LD-NiMh, because they will pop your flash happily anytime they’re asked to. With conventional NiMh you might not be so lucky. I know that because it has happened to me…

So, to cut a long story short, when recently my Sony Cycle Energy NiMH started to die on me, after some years of service, I’ve started to buy LD-NiMh GP ReCyko+ instead. There is a difference between these batteries, though: the conventional cells usually have more capacity than the LD’s. At the moment the “normal” values are 2700 mAh for the NiMh and 2100mAh for the LDS-NiMh. What this means is that the first have some more juice, but from my experience I would say that it is not something you’ve to be bothered about.

Now, does this mean that you should only buy LD-NiMh? Maybe, unless you feel that you need the extra capacity and know for sure you’ll always remember to charge your batteries… If you’re like me, you’ll start buying more LD’s. My memory has its lapses so I love to have batteries that are always ready to be used.

One last word of advice: if you go the rechargeable battery path remember to buy batteries from a reliable source, get a good charger, take the time to charge your batteries (quick chargers are alright if you’re in a hurry, but not all the time…) and learn as much as you can about the right way to treat your cells so they last long. These cells can be recharged a thousand times, but only if you really take care of them.