Enjoy them while you can, George. The need for the AA batteries in cameras
is diminishing. Battery technology is putting more power in smaller packages
than when AAs were chosen for earlier Olys and others. Also, the cameras
require less energy with more efficient circuitry. The size and weight of
AAs will push them off the scene very quickly if the trend continues, even
though their capacity climbs as well.
I, like you, also have a D-360. It works very well on AAs and probably would
outlast most Digs with proprietary batteries at that time. It made sense for
that Oly to have that battery configuration, and we enjoyed it very much. We
also had the same setup of the charger and multiple sets of available
batteries as you. My daughter uses that camera.
My wife has the Nikon Coolpix 885 which has a proprietary battery. I was
very skeptical of the small battery's lasting capability, but it proved to
be very good in terms of duration of use and speed of recharging. While on
our trip in NZ, she used it every day all day on the charge from the night
before. As a typical consumer snapshooter, it was perfect for her.
I have a Canon Digital Rebel. Even with the success of the Nikon battery, I
had some reservations in regard to the battery. I bought a spare the same
week I got the camera, not because I had needed it, but just in case. I
haven't needed it yet. I do rotate between them and keep the spare, but I
haven't gone dry in the course of a day yet. This includes a paid 2 hour
photo session of a church congregation for its annual directory. I used the
monitor extensively to ensure eyes were open and the histogram was
consistent. I shot that job in RAW mode which makes huge files. The battery
never got to the low warning stage, which would still leave ample use.
While I had no reason to change the battery in that session, it would not
have been an issue if needed. The proprietary battery snaps into the
compartment which is clear of the tripod head underneath. No need to remove
the camera from the tripod or quick release plate to reload batteries. No
batteries falling out of the compartment. This battery is the size of 2 AAs
in a plastic housing.
I've just taken a full battery and given it a stress test. Filled a 1 GB CF
card with 173 RAW 6.3MP images in rapid succession. Formated the CF card and
followed up with 286 HiRes 6.3MP jpg images with flash. Formatted the CF
card again and ran another 173 6.3MP RAW images, now with full dump pop-up
flash. Still kicking. Ran another 650 1.6MP lores jpg exposures (leaving
room for 786 more) without seeing the battery level drop. I got tired long
before the battery.
I don't see how AA rechargables fit current camera requirements anymore.
Consumer or pro. How much faster can I plug that single battery pack in vice
fumbling with AAs? Although the move by Oly to proprietary cells is
inconvenient for your situation and likely a fair number of others, it's
probably the best choice for the future imho. I'm quite sure many people
would look at the choice of multiple AAs compared to a single easy to handle
piece and choose the latter.
It would be even better if the camera and battery manufacturers could come
up with a standard compact battery pack that could be engineered into many
brands and models of cameras. That notion is not quite as extreme as a
common lens mount and might actually fly if someone took up the gauntlet.
;-)
All the best.
-Mickey
----- Original Message -----
From: <ClassicVW@xxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2003 8:45 AM
Subject: Re: [OM] Re: i can change if i have to i guess
> Moose,
> Olympus led the world IMO, when it came to compact point and shoots. My
first
> digital was the D-360, 1.3 MP, which was slightly bigger than a Stylus
film
> camera. They had many similar sized to choose from, all with AA battery
power.
> Are you saying the AA setup caused them to be bigger than the competition?
> I'll take AAs any day over a custom battery pack, even if it added a few
> millimeters to the size. I have an E-10, and my kids each have a 2 MP
compact
> digital, and I can't tell you the ease and non-stresser that it is to be
able to have
> 3 or 4 sets of AA rechargables and a small charger in each room. NOBODY
ever
> cries that they want to go shoot and the batteries are dead. The kids are
used
> to keeping 1 set in the camera and another set ready in the charger.
>
> George S.
>
>
> When I was looking for a compact P&S digital a couple of years ago, all
> the Oly stuff went off the list as soon as I looked at it. Why? Because
> the battery setup made them bigger than my target size. The Can*n S110 I
> bought was about half the bulk of the Olys. The only mistake I made? I
> bought a spare battery and have never needed it. Camera gives better
> results than I expected and I've never had any battery problems. It goes
> with me when an equivalent spec Oly wouldn't because of the size.
>
> Moose
>
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>
>
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