Nate  wrote  on Sat, 27 Oct 2007 09:33:45 -0400:

NN> got a Nikon L6 that I've had for a year or two, although I
NN> had this same problem with my previous two digicams.  I
NN> seem to only be able to get good performance with
NN> non-rechargeable batteries (currently using Energizer E2
NN> lithium which actually seem to have decent life) if I use
NN> my Energizer NiMH rechargeables I can *maybe* take one or
NN> two pics before I get a "low battery" warning and the
NN> camera shuts down.  They work fine in a flashlight however
NN> - will keep a mini mag lite going for several hours.  I
NN> suspect it is because of the low voltage.  I tried to get a
NN> set of the "real" Nikon batteries sold for my camera when I
NN> first bought it but they were unavailable even direct from
NN> Nikon.  I suspect the "problem" is the lower voltage of the
NN> NiMHs but don't know what to do about it.

NN> Is there something I'm missing here?  I'd *like* to be
NN> ecologically correct but rechargeable batteries just don't
NN> seem to work in any digital camera I've had.

Should your camera be adjusted for battery type? My small Nikon
certainly must be (on the setup screens) and the voltages that
the two types of battery deliver *are* significantly different.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

I had the same problem with a Nikon. They are very sensitive to a
slight drop in voltage. After exchanging possible problems & solutions
in this news group I gave up on rechargeable batteries. I now use
cheap alkaline batteries. They last for about 40 shots. Lithium
batteries last for about 50 shots but they are three times the price.

Steve

Same problem on my wife's Coolpix 2100.

That's very strange.Are you sure the NimH have received a full charge?I have
a mini mag lite (20 euros here) for more than 6 months in my tool case, with
the same set of sanyo 2000 mAh NimH and still it's going.While my still
camera runs on proprietary Li ion batteries (3.7 V 820 mAh)and with one
charge I had it going for more than 6 months.I also run a little transistor
radio for more than 4 months, with the same set of (chinese-MInWAor
something)Nimhs.(My camera is a P&S,nytech, www.nytech.de I'm not interested
in flame wars-it's very good for me)(For those of you not speaking german,
the nytech has an aluminium body, a pentax lens and a sony sensor.It's 7
megapixel.I know, it has small pixel size, but I always shoot at ISO 50
w/flash (or without).Long gone are the days when I shoot Tmax 3200 with my
Nikon FM-2 and the Nikkor 50/1.4...Now I'm older and I want convenience and
speed.Of course a dSLR is better, but how to define better?A mercedes is
better than a FIAT, but not everybody can afford a mercedes, and not
everybody *will* buy one, especially if all he wants is one car to go to
work with all his tools (like me);I'd buy a FIAT Punto Van.I like my
P&S;it's fast and takes excellent pictures, the difference is clear even on
5X4", compared to my previous one....On 8X10" it's very good, still, lots of
detail and no artifacts.
see here...
www.esnips.com/web/dimtzortzsPhotos

voltage"?You mean lower voltage than an alkaline?A brand new aerocell
alkaline shows 1.40 volts on my multimeter, an (almost full)MINWA chinese
1500 mAh NimH is just 1,10, while the 3,7 volt li ion for my camera is
3,60.ALL devices that take AA cells can work with NimH;the voltage
fluctuation does not matter for maglites and transistor radios, while the
cameras are *supposed* to be operating on Nimh anyway, nobody expects you to
put a new set of alkalines every week...That was true when only nicd were
available, and P&S were still film, but now nobody is supposed to use
alkalines, right?(Even the mains voltage is fluctuating 5%, now 5 past
eleven (evening)it's precisely 225 volts (nominal 230) on the computer
receptacle.The transmission voltage<the high voltage large poles you see in
country>can fluctuate 10%, but your utility uses transformers with automatic
voltage regulation,AVR, with a tap changer.Primary eg (in EU) say 150 kV,
secondary 15 kV.So, that's a 1:10 transformer.)

unavailable even direct from Nikon.  I suspect

No idea, too.I don't know how they engineer cameras, but they surely do take
in account that you might use rechargeable batteries, don't they? Nimhs are
around since digital cameras have become popular, and they probably evolved
together.

I know, me too:-)In *any*?Even my crappy Kodak CX 7300 run for a couple of
dozens shots on Sanyo nicds (NB.:my current camera is made in China, but is
of excellent overall quality, and very well built, too.A small jewel.OTOH.
the Kodak was made in China too, but it's quality was someting like those
Nikons that the tab that hold the battery chamber broke off, remember?A
piece of junk.Shame on you, Nikon and Kodak!I was very pleased in the 20th
century with all Kodak films and chemicals, excellent quality all of
them.Also my Nikon FM-2 and its Nikkor glass were of utmost quality.But of
course, the chinese factories if they have good blueprints and good
materials provided, they will make excellent products, if they have crappy
blueprints and crappy plastics to boot they will produce junk
cameras.Notice, that 95% of my computer parts are made in China, including
the 17" miro CRT.Everything is working fine after 3 1/2 years, and 4-5 hours
operating every day, knock on wood.I read in wikipedia about capacitor
plague, and I thoroughly checked every mobo (QDI;chinese) but none seems to
fail.OTOH, these turkish made washing machines, that all immigrants buy,
have their motor running capacitors fail after a couple of years.On a
washing machine, it's 4 euros and a couple of minutes for an easy remedy.On
a mobo, it cam mean trashing the whole computer.Note, those turkish made
washing machines are of excellent quality and cost like 220 euros.Unlike
turkish made CRT TVs.

--
Tzortzakakis Dimitrios
major in electrical engineering
mechanized infantry reservist
hordad AT otenet DOT gr

Your problem may be from something other than you think.

The problem may be caused by dirty contacts either on the
batteries or the camera, or both.

It could also be caused by not using the NIMH batteries in a timely
manner because standard NIMH batteries self discharge and may be
under voltage after sitting just a month or two.

Try cleaning the contacts and purchase a set of Eneloop low self
discharge batteries.

My first suggestion would be to take your camera to a Nikon service
center and have it checked out.  It looks like the setting for the low
battery indicator is at too high a voltage.

Hi Nate,
Since your camera uses only 2 AA cells, the first thing to note is that they
have to provide double the current compared with a 4-cell camera (other
things being equal).  Also, the total voltage of less than 3 V (fully
charged) soon drops below 2.4 V when you start using them - a very low
starting point for any kind of electronics.  Two alkaline cells on the other
hand will maintain a voltage nearer 3 for much longer as they discharge,
although they will struggle to provide the high current demanded in many
2-cell setups.  So, have you checked the maximum current available from your
batteries, as well as the voltage?  I do this brutally by shorting the cell
for a second or so (only!) between the terminals of a multimeter with a 10
or 20 amp range as an ammeter.  A good rechargeable will give 5 to 10 amps
or even more (depending on the resistance of the ammeter and the internal
resistance of the cell, which is what is actually under test here), and so
will a fresh alkaline cell.  This treatment should not be prolonged or
repeated often, as the cell will soon overheat and be ruined anyway!  But it
is a crude way of ensuring that both of your cells are OK and reasonably
matched for current capability, as well as giving the right voltage.  You
will be surprised how often two cells from the same packet are very
different in their available current outputs, and you may have to test quite
a few to get two really good ones.

Certainly with 4 rechargeable cells in my equipment, I have found that there
is almost always one noticeably weaker than the others in a set as bought,
and as with only two cells it is the weak one that determines the number of
shots you get.  So battery life between charges in practice is rarely
anywhere near manufacturers' claims of hundreds of shots, in my experience,
whether cameras or flash guns are involved.  I have usually had to test at
least 8 cells to get 4 equally good strong ones.  Such variability between
cells is probably much less with non-rechargeables if from the same package,
so that is another reason why you might get better life from them than you
might expect.

If anyone can advise on a make of rechargeables whose quality control is
good enough to ensure that 4 out of 4 cells in a packet are equally good for
curreent capability and capacity (say, within 10%), I would like to hear
from them!

TrevM

What the rating on the batteries?

Simple   NICADS turn out 1.2 volts... Alkaline  1.5 volts  Big
difference. If the camera isn't designed to use the lower voltage then,
it won't work.. NiCads work best in high current device, short demand
devices... ie.e Electronic Flash,  some power tools like power screw
drivers.   They don't work so well in low amperage, long draw devices
like flashlights and cameras.