quote:

Originally posted by Roxy:
[qb] This is precisely true. Processing is a huge "results" factor when it comes to film or prints from memory cards. [/qb]

The advantage, however, of digital photography is that you can do your own "processing". There's a wide range of easy to use software out there which will let you brighten or darken your images, etc. The camera's internal software makes an "educated guess" at how to set things such as brightness, but it doesn't always get it right, and it's very easy to adjust yourself.

Regards,

Chris

Hi Bruno,
checked out your pics (very good btw) & was quite surprised to see 2 familiar faces in Paris - the guys who were serenading you at a restaurant in Paris (photo 26 I think). The very same guys who were doing the same thing back in 1995 on a tour that I was on!! Talk about a blast from the past!

Hi Chris,
I've been reading up on digital cameras on various websites - I noticed that one website (don't ask me which one because I can't remember) recommended getting digital cameras which took AA batteries if you wanted to use them while travelling, as they were easily replaceable if you ran out of battery power. I notice that you recommended rechargeable lithium-ion batteries as being far better - how many photos at high res. could you take with a fully-charged lithium-ion battery? (with a 3Mp or 4Mp or even 5Mp camera)

Seems like I'm getting quite a list of requirements! (so much for trying to aim for a reasonably low-cost digital camera! - especially when my current (film) camera is apparently dying after 2years!)

Regards,
ClareS

quote:

Originally posted by ClareS:
[qb] Hi Chris,
I've been reading up on digital cameras on various websites - I noticed that one website (don't ask me which one because I can't remember) recommended getting digital cameras which took AA batteries if you wanted to use them while travelling, as they were easily replaceable if you ran out of battery power. I notice that you recommended rechargeable lithium-ion batteries as being far better - how many photos at high res. could you take with a fully-charged lithium-ion battery? (with a 3Mp or 4Mp or even 5Mp camera)
[/qb]

Hi Clare,

Lithium Ion batteries hold a lot more power than "AA" batteries, which is the reason I recommend them.

If you charge the battery every evening, you should be able to "shoot" all the next day without having to worry about your batteries running low. I don't know how many shots I could take with my camera on a battery charge, but I've certainly taken a couple of hundred pictures in a day and not had a problem.

Regards,

Chris

My Canon S400 lithium ion battery did great for me on my recent trip. I was able to shoot an entire 256 megabyte card (118 pics) without running out of bettery power. Because I didn't have a spare, I turned off the digital panel and used the viewfinder for my shots. I think I could have gone two or three days on the battery, but I did charge every night when I could. I did have some difficulties in Switzerland with my adapter not fitting the outlets, so could not charge every night.

Hi Chris,

"I don't know how many shots I could take with my camera on a battery charge, but I've certainly taken a couple of hundred pictures in a day and not had a problem."

a couple of hundred pics a day is a good enough estimate for me, thanks.

I was picking the brains of my brother-in-law last night about digital camera batteries. He said his camera (which is about 3yrs old now I think he said), took AA batteries (4 of them - which would add weight somewhat!) & he used rechargeable NiMH ones that were supposed to be better than other rechargeable ones (he quoted some number which meant nothing to me!).

He said that the lithium ion batteries, although they were good in that you could take more pictures with them than you could with AA's, they only had a life of about 3 years - which dates from date of manufacture (not from when you first start using them). He said a lot of them were proprietary ones & the companies would make a certain number of them so in 3years time when you might need to replace your battery, you might find that the replacement had the same date of manufacture as the one you were replacing & it would only last a couple of weeks before dying on you.

Also, that when the batch of batteries for that particular device ran out & the companies weren't making any more of that particular type of li-ion battery, than you'd have to replace the camera itself because you wouldn't be able to find new batteries for it anywhere.
This does not sound like a good thing!

Are all lithium-ion batteries proprietary? or can you use any lithium-ion battery in a camera which uses that type of battery (as opposed to AAs or Nicad or whatever)?

Regards,
ClareS (now a tad confused!)

Hi Clare,

A Lithium Ion battery does indeed have a definite lifetime (typically around 3-5 years), but the clock starts "ticking" when the battery is first charged, not from the date of its manufacture. Camera manufacturers obviously know this, so they don't keep stocks of charged batteries lying around unnecessarily.

All the big-name camera manufacturers keep spares - including batteries - available for many years after a camera itself ceases production, and the same battery tends to be used on many different camera models anyway; when a manufacturer brings out a replacement model for a camera, more often than not it uses the same battery as the older model.

Lithium ion batteries have been around for many years now, and I've never heard of anyone ever having problems getting hold of a replacement battery, should they need one. It's really nothing to worry about, in my view.

Remember that, for example, every video camera that's ever been made has used a "proprietory" battery pack (video cameras use too much power to operate from "AA" batteries); have you ever heard of anyone not being able to get a replacement battery for a video camera?

Regards,

Chris

I didn't know that lithium-ion batteries had a definite lifetime like that. Glad to have found this out. I suspect I'll be buying a replacement for my video camera possibly as soon as next year.

Thanks Chris,

yeah I was wondering what happened with video cameras... I actually only know one person with a video camera & I'm not sure if they've had problems replacing their battery for it (they haven't mentioned any problems but it hasn't come up in conversation).

the cameras with Li-ion batteries tend to look less bulky than the ones taking AA batteries - thats for sure! (and size could end up being somewhat of a selling point - depending on other features).

Regards,
ClareS