cheap digital camera

[Hi Ho Silver]

Have you ever considered AA lithium? I LOATHE rechargeable batteries. They all suck. None of them have a good life expectancy unless you fully charge them frequently and don't let them fully discharge. And good luck replacing a proprietary thing like that or even finding spares/backups. I won't even buy a point-n-shoot that can't take standard batteries (I love my Canon PowerShot SX110 IS). Lithiums aren't cheap, but they last for forever and I can always buy alkalines in an emergency, since the battery size is standard. My hubby (mechanical engineer scientist geek) said lithiums are better in cold than anything else, as well.

As far as individual cameras go, I have no specific recommendations.

As far as rechargeable AA batteries go, try the newer precharged NiMH type rechargeable batteries like the Sanyo Eneloop and the Rayovac Pre-charged. They have a very low self-discharge rate and they can maintain ~50% of their charge for up to a year. Also, they don't suffer from the "memory effect" - you can let them fully discharge without harming them or reducing their capacity. {Note: To get the best performance from this type battery, you need to "condition" it. See http://www.ehow.com/how_4968516_cond...batteries.html }

[PamNY]

I use Sanyo Eneloop batteries in my camera. They are fine except in cold weather.

[Hi Ho Silver]

I use Sanyo Eneloop batteries in my camera. They are fine except in cold weather.

How does the cold weather affect them? I use them in all my GPS units and flashlights, but those items don't get subjected to extremely cold temps in FL or TX so I don't have any experience with temperature effects.

[Cataboo]

Keep watching bensbargains.net


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Canon Powershot A800 10MP Digital Camera $70 at Newegg $70
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10MP, 3.3x optical zoom, Smart Auto w/ 19 shooting situations
2.5" LCD, Scene Modes, AA battery-powered, AVI recording


Panasonic usually has a reasonably good low cost camera. But it's not a market I've really paid much attention to, so I don't have any specific recommendations. I would avoid kodak and go with panasonic or canon or nikon.


Switch to eneloop AA batteries will help like another post mentioned... I've never conditioned mine like another poster has mentioned and I've never had a problem with that. Costco sells a pack of eneloops & charger.

While these batteries do list lower mAH levels than other rechargeable batteries...what these batteries do is maintain their 1.2 volts while discharging...Most regular rechargeable AA batteries drop in voltage as they're discharging, and most electronics stop being able to use the charge once the voltage drops under 1.1 volts... So eneloop batteries will run electronics for much longer than other batteries with other mAh ratings because they maintain voltage. THey also do not self discharge as quickly.

[PamNY]

How does the cold weather affect them? I use them in all my GPS units and flashlights, but those items don't get subjected to extremely cold temps in FL or TX so I don't have any experience with temperature effects.

Despite the manufacturer's claims, my Eneloops start getting iffy around 32 F.

I'm going to look into lithium AAs for winter.

[Becky]

Jess, you and I have some similarities when it comes to work and photos for documentation. I suggest NiMH rechargables for most circumstances, along with a car charger, and lithiums for those really cold days or as back-ups to the rechargeables. I think that you want to stay with a camera that uses AAs, rather than some proprietary battery that's going to leave you hanging in the middle of nowhere.

The other thing to check is the memory card. Some of those are remarkably intolerant to cold, but they do make "extreme" cards.

On cold days, I keep my camera (and pens!) inside my Carhartts to keep the batteries and zoom lens happier. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing.

[Cataboo]

http://www.staples.com/Panasonic-Lum...5%253A10422268

[jessmarimba]

Oooh...!!

Thanks!

I just got back from two properties where half of my photos are unusable. Out of focus or not bright enough (the power was off, my flash isn't so great...thankfully no beady pairs of rat eyes staring out of the gloom). Thanks for the link!