Digital Photography: The Missing Manual

Batteries

Compared to other 21st century electronic devices, digital cameras are near the top of their game. They’re not like those cell phones that still drop calls, or wireless palmtops with their slow Internet connections. Digital cameras are reliable, high quality, and rewarding in almost every way.

Except for battery life.

Thanks to that LCD screen on the back, digital cameras go through batteries like Kleenex. The battery is likely to be the one limiting factor to your photo shoots. When the juice is gone, your session is over. Here’s a guide to the various battery types for digital cameras:

• Proprietary, built-in rechargeable. Many smaller cameras come with a “brick” battery: a dark gray, lithium-ion rechargeable battery, as shown at top in Figure 1-2. These subcompact cameras are simply too small to accommodate AA-style batteries.

  The problem with proprietary batteries is that you can’t replace them when you’re on the road. If you’re only three hours into your day at Disney World when the battery dies, you can’t exactly duck into a drugstore to buy a new one. Like it or not, your shooting session is over.

  Some cameras come with a separate, external battery charger. If you have an external charger, by all means buy a second battery (usually about $50) and keep one battery in the charger at all times. When the main battery gives up the ghost, swap it with the one in the charger, and go about your business. For a full day at the theme park, fully charge both batteries ...