P&S battery life

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

My Kodak C340 is almost 4 years old. DH gave it to me for Christmas before our 2006 WDW trip.

It's a decent camera, but it eats standard rechargable AA batteries! I can have the batteries in the charger overnight and within a day of non-use, whether in the camera or still in the charging base, they are nearly useless. (I think I bought this set of batteries earlier this year.) I've had the same experience with both Energizer and Duracell (2000+ mAh).

I bought a Kodak C613 last year on clearance for my DD, the cameras are quite similar, but the same pair of batteries last much longer in her model. One difference between the cameras - I think mine has another battery somewhere on board, to maintain the date setting. The clock on the newer resets if the batteries are removed for too long.

Any advice on maintaining battery longevity? Would the NiMh (I think that's the type) battery pack be a better option? Or, is the camera outdated and should be upgraded?

[YesDear]

If your camera is almost 4yrs old it is probably time to look at a replacement. Technology and battery life has increased substantially since then. In digital camera life your camera is at least very mature if not old!

[GrillMouster]

The biggest drain on batteries will be the camera's flash and the camera's LCD screen. If you can minimize the use of flash, or try to move your subjects somewhere that there's more natural light, so that you flash won't have to work as hard, that will help battery life. Also, avoid reviewing your pictures on the camera's LCD screen. After you take a picture the image probably displays on the camera's screen. In the menu you may be able to turn that feature off or reduce length of time of the image preview. Also in the menu you may be able to adjust the adjust the "auto off" or "sleep" time, so that after a minute of inactivity the camera automatically turns off.

Batteries lose capacity over time. So, it may be time for new batteries. Regular NiMH batteries lose their charge even when you're not using them. They can lose as much as 5% each day, even if they're just sitting around unused. There are new hybrid NiMH batteries that come pre-charged and can hold a charge for much longer. Sanyo makes hybrid batteries under the name Eneloop, and Rayovac calls theirs "Hybrid" (available at Target).

The internal battery that saves the clock time shouldn't have any real bearing on the AAA battery life. It's odd that the newer camera loses the time when you change batteries. That should not be happening.