On Sep 29, 2005, at 4:31 AM, Kostas Kavoussanakis wrote:
Sony's done it best in their cameras with the InfoLithium
cells ... each battery has logic in it that communicates with the
camera to estimate how much time is left. I found the accuracy to
be remarkable.
Is the price equally remarkable?
I don't know what you mean.
A new battery from Sony for my F707 was $49, and aftermarket from
several vendors $34. A full charge in that camera nets 220-320
exposures. After 3 years and 26,000 exposures, those two batteries
still perform like new (I don't have the camera anymore, but I gave
it to a friend who continues to use it). I consider that pretty cheap
power.
I read all this pooh-poohing of custom form factor batteries and I
shake my head. Yes, they tend to cost more. BUT ... I have two
batteries for each of my other cameras (Canon 10D and KM A2). They're
Li-Ion custom form factor batteries.
- Replacing the battery is "open door, drop out spent one, drop in
new one, close door". No fussing with two or four cells.
- In either camera, the exposures per charge runs into the 300-400
exposure range. Higher, depending upon use.
- The shelf life is fantastic. I haven't taken many pictures with
either camera since I bought the Pentax DS and realized yesterday
that I should check the batteries and charge them. After six months,
in both cases, the one in the camera needed 20 minutes to bring to
full charge and the spare took 5 minutes. I love that kind of
maintenance.
So pooh-pooh all you want. *I* see nothing wrong with batteries
tailored for a specific purpose. The Pentax approach has its plusses
and minuses, so do custom batteries. In the end, it's a toss up to me.
Godfrey
