Digital Camera Batteries

Digital cameras are a great bit of equipment and have grown in stature over the last few years. However they have a large power requirement and there designs have become increasingly smaller over the years. One technology that has not kept pace with digital camera technology is the battery. Obviously when cameras become smaller so the need for a battery to fit it means the battery also has to be smaller. Digital camera batteries also needs to be able to power the camera for a relatively long length of time, but one of the biggest complaints is that the batteries do not last that long.

When a camera manufacturer designs his camera he can either go for an off the shelf battery like AA or AAA alkaline types, CR2 or CR-V3 lithium based batteries, or he can design his own to fit the camera’s needs.

AA alkaline batteries are probably the most common but are capable of providing enough power for only a very short time in most cameras. Another type of AA batter is the nickel metal hydride batteries which provide an adequate amount of power and are rechargeable. However they do not provide as much power as lithium ion batteries and they also have a tendency to discharge quickly when not in use.

Digital camera manufacturers who have batteries made t custom specifications usually go for lithium ion batteries. They are rechargeable batteries and will only accept a certain number of charges before they become depleted. However this may be about 500 charges and seem to provide a considerable amount of power for there size. Because they seem to be a better quality battery most top end cameras usually have them and now they have filtered down so that lower end camera models are also using them more frequently.

Lithium ion batteries provide power by way of a lithium ion moving between the anode and cathode. The lithium ion moves from the anode to the cathode during discharge and from the cathode to the anode when charging. They are currently one of the most popular types of battery for portable electronics, with one of the best energy-to-weight ratios, and a slow loss of charge when not in use. One great advantage of the lithium ion battery is that it can be formed into a wide variety of shapes and sizes so as to efficiently fill available space in the devices they power.

If your camera is powered by a lithium ion battery then there are certain things you can do to prolong the battery life. They should be charged early before they loose there charge and also on a frequent basis unlike the Ni-Ci batteries which loose battery life if recharged before they are run down. Lithium ion batteries should not be regularly fully discharged and then recharged but brought up to a charge level of between 40 and 60 percent. They should never be depleted below the minimum voltage. They age quicker at high temperatures so should be kept cool or even in a refrigerator although they should never be frozen.

For safety reasons lithium ion batteries should not be kept at high temperatures like in direct sunlight as they could explode. Also trying to alter the wire strands inside could also give it a tendency to explode.

If you use AA NI-Ci rechargeable batteries in your digital camera then they need to be completely depleted of power before recharging. The life of the AA NI-Ci rechargeable battery will depend on whether you drain it regularly and charge it when you need it.

Problems of keeping digital camera batteries happy can be a problem but there is no way around a technology that does not seem to keep up with the digital age. When buying a camera the user must decide on whether they wan AA alkaline batteries which will need to be replaced often. AA NI-Ci rechargeable batteries which last longer but loos power quickly when recharged often. Or to go with the manufactures purpose build lithium ion batteries which last longer hold more charge and seems to be the way most digital camera manufactures are going.

One thing is for sure until a better solution is found digital camera batteries will always be a weak link when buying a digital camera.


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