On Sat, 7 Nov 2009 07:37:06 -0600, "Leon"
wrote:


"Kevin" wrote in message

There are "low self-discharge" NiMH batteries, most commonly under the
name "eneloop" by Sanyo. They give up some capacity but they hold
their charge very well, so in typical usage they last much longer. I
use them in one of my cameras and my flash which doesn't get used
often. They are the only AA rechargables I will use now. The camera
that runs on the AAs will hang around on that middle battery status
for a good while.


Just so you know, I am not trying to butt heads with you. OK. ;~)
And just so you know, I am not doubting any thing you are saying here.
The NiMh batteries that I have/had been using were PowerX brand, with a 2700
mAh capacity. They are currently a couple of years old. Thay never held
a charge for many days at all if they had been used after charging. Once
used they would last for 100 + shots but the following day they would be
dead. I use a Maha charger and always had an extra set in the charger. The
first 2 sets that I purchased back around 2002 lasted about 5 years.

Give the eneloops a try next time, some info from the manufacturer:

http://www.eneloop.info/home/why-ene...discharge.html

I go months between recharges, and I have a backup set that is sitting
around since the last battery change. These two sets have been in
rotation since Jan 2006. If I have an important event I will do a
discharge/recharge cycle on a set the day before just to be sure, old
habits, but for the most part it's not something I even have to think
about.


-Kevin