On Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:37:40 -0700, smithcorp wrote:

Can't comment on battery life beyond
saying i have had problems using rechargeables, finding the batteries
flat just when I want to use them (but that's not the fault of the
device - i always take them out at the end of the day) - I think I need
better rechargeables.

In my experience almost all the rechargeables currently on the market are
garbage. I'm referring to the NiMH AA cells that claim anything up to
2800 mAh. I have a battery charger/recycler that records capacity and
have to sat that, after buying several sets of these batteries (my Pentax
DSLR uses AA cells) from various outlets and several makes:

- there is no correlation between price and performance. In fact the most
expensive set was the worst on terms of capacity

- Not one of the consumer grade sets I bought would hold more than
900 mAh despite claiming anything between 2400 and 2800 mAh.
The worst case I found was a set that claimed 2800 mAh and actually
held 400 mAh

The best I've found are the Sanyo Eneloops, followed by Maplins Hybrids,
which AFAIK are only available in the UK. Both makes should be charged as
though they are NiMH - I use a peak charger - and both do what it says on
the tin.

I should also add that I've had bad experiences with cheap Chinese-made
consumer grade chargers and won't touch them with a barge pole. I now use
one of the cheaper multi-chemistry chargers sold for charging RC model
equipment: you pay rather more for these, but IME they're worth it.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org