Which battery type is best?

Helpline Q&A Directory

Which types of batteries are best suited for use in a digital camera? Lithium-ion and NiMH (nickel metal hydride) batteries have been advocated. What are the pros and cons of each type of battery? Plus, which battery will give the best results when comparing overall life and charge capacity?

It's unlikely you would have to choose between these two battery types. If a camera is designed to use a lithium-ion battery, it will come already equipped with one because they are only available as custom battery packs, not as replacements for standard cells.

Lithium-ion batteries are expensive, but provide a high capacity for their size and weight. This means they are mostly used in small equipment that requires a high-power battery, such as pocket digital camcorders and compact notebooks. Lithium-ion batteries should not be confused with lithium cells. These are high-capacity - but non-rechargeable - batteries used, among other things, as backup power for your PC's Cmos RAM.

NiMH batteries are an improvement on the older NiCD (nickel cadmium) batteries. They are produced as custom battery packs and also in standard cell sizes (AA, AAA, PP3 and so on). Both types are still available, though NiCDs are being phased out as their safe disposal is an environmental problem.

NiMH and NiCD batteries can be used as replacements for standard cells, but they have a lower output voltage (1.2V instead of 1.5V). This means a camera's low-battery indicator lights up as soon as you start using the freshly-charged batteries. If this happens, ignore it.

NiMH cells have up to double the capacity of NiCDs, and cost about twice as much. They need a purpose-designed charger - one designed for NiCDs only won't do. Wall chargers that can charge up to four AA-size NiMH batteries can be bought from most hardware stores, as can the batteries themselves.