Battery Issue w/ S2

[lucky_me]

hi.

i bought the s2 and used the batteries that came with -- for about 10 mins.

then i bought the recargeable DURACELLS from circuit city for about $40.
when i put them in my camera i get a "recharge batteries" msg after about 20 minutes, then i recharge them and take maybe 50 pics and when i turn off the camera and turn it back on i get the recharge battery msg again.

i just returned the batteries today -- got a new set -- but am wondering if this is some kind of issue w/ rechargeables or something w/ the camera?

i'm amazed that the manual for the camera says that i should get about 800 minutes w/ these Nimh batteries...

[XOO]

Don't know about your batteries. I didn't use the provided ones but used Energizers purchased at Wal-Mart for $10 or $11. They are rechargeable NiMH. Some are 1700mah, some 2100mah, last ones purchased are 2500mah. All work. The smaller ones are old - several years. Been using them with my Uzi.
Good luck on finding some good ones....

[gerryg]

Make sure you have a 'recommended' charger that will maximize the charge and also keep them topped off (NiMH loses charge quickly, so just leaving them in a drawer or your camera bag for several days you can lose 10-30% of your shooting time. A frequently recommended one is Maha C401FS. I don't have one (yet) and only have a compact charger from Radio Shack that does pretty well but has no top-off capability.

When I charge my batteries and put them in a drawer I put a sticky note on them saying when I charged them, then for each day they've been in there before I use them I charge 4-5 minutes to top them off.

For everyone else, though, my question is do you have or know of a good digital battery tester than can give a reading like a voltmeter but is designed for just 'popping in' some AA's? messing with a big voltmeter and probes is a pain, and all I have is a cheap analog meter that I can get a rough estimate off of.

Like XOO I also have some of the 2500 mAh Energizers as well as older Energizer 2250's and 1850's and a couple of other brands. Make sure you use a matching set when you load them in your camera. If you ask me, Duracell still hasn't bought into 'rechargable' and doesn't want their batteries to perform overly well so people will go back to alkalines where they're tops in the market and make more money. Anyway, a 4-pack of Energizer 2500's can be had at Wal-Mart for just under $10, or an 8-pack for about $17.

[sHanzek]

I got an S2 about a month ago. I have been using Ray-o-Vac 15minute rechargebles going back for a year or so with my Olympus c-720. The Ray-o-Vacs were a Sam's club special - charger, wall adapter, car adapter and 4 AA's for $29. I use the car adapter all the time, and have had very good luck with them. I currently have 3 sets that I rotate, and I swap batteries after 150-200 photos. And I use fill in flash alot. So I'm pretty happy with battery life.
And I love the s2...
Steve

[TRAmbler]

Over this past week (7 full days), I was on vacation and shot 400 shots using both flash and not, with reviews every evening and didn't even use up ONE set of batteries!?!

I have never had this kind of longevity before with a digicam. Granted these are new batteries (Quantaray 2300mah from Ritz Camera). Still I was amazed.

They were charged just once with a maha charger from Thompson Distributing. (Lots of advertising around here) I was mainly using the LCD, not the viewfinder to take the shots.

This is coming from a C2100 Uzi that was beginning to show its limitations.

Very happpy with the new S2.

[lecat8888]

I use the Sanyo 2500 NiMh batteries and they will last approximately 2 1/2 weeks before I need tp recharge them. I shoot mainly without flash and indoors too.

I love the S2....