"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...

my new camera is saying "battery depleted" now which makes me think
maybe old camera is actually OK (I stopped using it because it would kill
the batteries after only 3-4 pictures) and just my batteries are Tango
Uniform. But they are only maybe a year old, what gives? Are alkalines
really my only choice here? they don't last very long in a digicam...

You should be getting much more than that. Is the charger working properly?
My batteries are good for up to 100 shots depending on flash use, etc.