On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 09:35:26 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner
quickly quoth:

I was fortunate enough this week, to swap for a minty Olympus C-3000
Zoom digital camera with 128meg smart media. Friend of mine is
upgrading to hip slick and cool wonder camera

Congrats. My sister has a Camedia and loves it. I'm happy with my
Nikon Coolpix 995 digital with better macro capabilities.


Having had some very elderly digital cameras...this thing blows me
away. And its obsolete...chuckle...but is way way cool and will do
EVERYTHING I need a camera to do for me.

I didnt get any batteries with it..he uses nicads and kept them, So I
loaded it up with fresh Alkalines..and got about 10 daylight pictures
out of them....damn thats a battery hungry *******!!!

Right, alkalines don't last worth a **** in digicams. I was warned
away from them by the articles on www.pcphotoreview.com and
www.imaging-resource.com .

http://www.steves-digicams.com/c3000.html shows a CR-V3 lithium.
Go with that. (Cha CHING! but worth it.)


So Ive been doing some research on digital camera batts this evening,
along with chargers etc

It would appear that everyone is pushing Nickle metal hydride
rechargables.

NiMH is better technology, with longer life and better power curve.


Which for me..is better..NIMH or NiCads? It may be weeks or longer
before I need to take any pictures and am worried about the self
discharge of the NiMH batts

Nicads self-discharge nastily, too. My Nikon uses Li-ion batts. They
cost me $35 a pop (OUCH!) but are good, long-life batts.


On the other hand..NiCads appear to be only 800mah at best, based on
ebay descriptions

On the gripping hand...NiMH appear to have over twice the amp hour
rating..1800 is average for AAs, going up to 2500 mah

Ayieeeeeeeeeee! Sound the alarm, MOTIES ARE HERE!


Is this what I want?
http://cgi.ebay.com/MAHA-MH-C204F-CHARGER-w-AA-Batteries-Kit-Brand-New_W0QQitemZ7600147921QQcategoryZ64349QQtcZphotoQ QcmdZViewItem

Or do I want to buy nicads and a smart charger with a conditioner
circuit?

NiMH or Li-ion, whatever is available. NiCad AA batts have a half life
of about three seconds and a shelf life of a week. I _abhor_ the
smaller NiCads! (Or did 20 years ago when I gave 'em up.) My NiCad
portable power tool batteries last only 3 years or so but shelf life
is extended from what I used to receive from the smaller cells. I use
NiCad only when I'm forced into it.

For S&G, make your own battery pack. Waist-pack the heavier job and
cord it to the camera. My Nikon has an external power plug, does your
Oly?

How about AIR? http://www.zinc.org/zincuses/airbattery.html
Oh, I forgot. You're on my kind of budget. Neevermind.

Cheaper than Lithium is this NiMH pack, but you'll be recharging more
often. Buy several spare sets of batts so you always have a charged
set on hand when (not if) the current set goes dead.
http://cgi.ebay.com/FOR-OLYMPUS-C-30...QQcmdZViewItem

--
"I'm sick and tired of having to rearrange my life
because of what the STUPIDEST people *might* do or
how they *might* react."
-- Bill Maher