Hi, I just ordered a new Nikon 950 after weeks of research. I know that I will need a new set of NiMH rechargables and a charger, because this thing sucks batteries dry. I am hoping to tap the experience of more seasoned digital camera users on the topic of batteries. What exactly should I be looking for. Is there a particular brand that stands out or is there a metric for measuring how effective these batteries are? Once I decide what to buy, where can I order them from? I noticed that a lot of the online electronics places don't even sell batteries. I imagine this question has been asked a million times, so I apologize in advance for missing that discussion. Any comments are appreciated.

-- B Murray (bcmurray@excite.com), May 03, 2000

Answers

Try: http://thomas-distributing.com

They sell a variety of NiMHs at very good prices last time I checked.

Generally speaking the cells with higher MA or MaH ratings will last longer. The milliampere rating (ma) is an amperage or current rating. Mah is a current over time rating.(ma per hour) I bought two sets of four Nexcell AA NiMHs and still use them with a PDR-M1. They perform great [I don't think I've ever needed the second set if the first set was fully charged and we open gifts at 4 separate houses on Christmas Eve... :-) ] and were an excellant buy at the time. I'm not sure if the newer, higher capacity 1500 or 1600mah (vs. 1350 for nexcells) cells are worth the price difference, but if properly charged, they should last longer.

The cheaper Maha chargers($8) are great to leave the cells in as a trickle charger to keep them topped off and ready to go, but take forever and a day to charge a set of cells. 24 hours is not nearly long enough in them, and 48 is marginal, at best. Buy a good charger and check the final cell voltage with a voltmeter if you'd like to see just how well your charger performs. When my cells are properly charged and topped off the cell voltage is about 1.414 vdc. I think some people's bad experiences with NiMHs can be traced to poor chargers, so if you're not satisfied with your NiMH's performance check the voltage after charging.

If you do a search on Nimh battery testing you'll probably find a excellant site on the web run by an oriental gentleman who favors Nikon digicams. If you do, it's an excellant resource for battery info. He tested a slew of chargers and batteries.

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@francomm.com), May 03, 2000.

B--go to www.thomasdistributing.com and buy the Maha 204 charger (includes a auto-cigaretter-lighter-type 12v. charging cord) and a set or 2 of Maha cells. The charger will NOT overcharge the cells and will also charge AAAs, both only in pairs. HIGHLY recommended by the folk who participate in www.dcresource.com (and me, too!).

-- Jeffrey Behr (behrjk@uswest.net), May 13, 2000.