The camera's bought...now an NiMH charger question....

[rebsblack]

Thanks to everyone who gave me camera advice. I finally decided on the Canon S1 IS over the FZ3 mainly because it has AA batteries and I'm off to South America on Wed. for 3 months. So now a question about a battery charger for this great camera. I was in Costco today and saw a Panasonic charger with 8 AA batteries and a car adapter for $25 US. Is this a good Charger? And....would it work on the voltage down in South America (if I get the plug adapter) or is it only good electronically on North American voltage/wattage/whatever the term is? If it's not a good carger, any other recommendations? And....last question....do you think it's worth taking up the extra space/weight with a charger or should I just plan on buying AA's down there? Thanks!!!

[PhilR.]

Is the charger big enough to hold all 8 batteries at the same time? If so, you should look at a charger that is only big enough to hold 4 at a time, as you shouldn't need to charge more than that at any given time.

Panasonic makes good chargers. Look on the package - it will tell you what the input voltage is, and then you will know if it will work for your needs. It will most likely say either approx. 110, or 110-220 or thereabouts.

Make sure that the milliamp output of the batteries is high enough to work your S1. Check your instruction booklet.

It is definitely worth the weight to carry a charger and spare set of batteries, unless you are just an occasional photographer. Judging by your camera selection, I would think that's not the case....

PhilR.

[rebsblack]

For the charger: the input says DC 12V 0.9A
Output 1.2V 0.8A x 4 (whatis this in Milliamp)?
I'm not sure what this translates to...any ideas? It looks like in Argentina its 220V, 50 HZ....does it sound like this will work? Thanks!!
Rebecca
PS Any other compact charger for international travel recommendations would be helpful. I don't have time to order one over the internet though because I leave in 48 hours.

[TDT]

Worst case, for now, try to get something that charges in a vehicle. The reason why I say this is most vehicles are the same, and their voltage should be darn near the same through all connectors. I'm not totally sure on this, but pretty sure - and that can get by.

As far as the charger you're looking at - if the input is 12V .9A, it sounds like a car charger - am i right? You can get adapters that can charge products indoors, but unfortunately unless the actual converter can handle the extra energy you'll probably burn it out.

If you do decide to try a wall outlet adapter, plug it in and leave the room and watch ti through a window for a bit. Either that, or touch the batteries while they are in there - if they get hot at all (it will get warm), pull it. Batteries can explode - something to be mindful of.

[PhilR.]

For the charger: the input says DC 12V 0.9A

That is automobile specs, and not household electricity. You should look for a wall charger that will accept AC voltages from 110 to 220.

There are several internet sites that deal exclusively with this subject. They should be easy to find, and will most likely have exactly what you need.

PhilR.

[D70FAN]

For the charger: the input says DC 12V 0.9A
Output 1.2V 0.8A x 4 (whatis this in Milliamp)?
I'm not sure what this translates to...any ideas? It looks like in Argentina its 220V, 50 HZ....does it sound like this will work? Thanks!!
Rebecca
PS Any other compact charger for international travel recommendations would be helpful. I don't have time to order one over the internet though because I leave in 48 hours.

First: The charger input is meant to run from a 12VDC wall-plug-in adapter/transformer, or a 12V car adapter, with at least 0.9A (900mA) rating although more (12V @ 1A/1000mA+) would be better.

I would advise against using a lower current (A and mA) rated adapter as it can cause overheating problems at the wall plug transformer, or the car adapter (fire?, maybe). Always check the voltage and current rating on whatever DC adapter you may buy to insure that it can meet the demands of the charger.

Second: 1.2V @ 0.8A = 800 mili Amps this is a measure of the continuous output current available, from the charger, to charge the battery. X 4 just means that all 4 batteries are charged at that voltage and current simultaneously.

If you have a 1600mAh battery it will take 2 hours to charge at 800mA or 0.8A. A 2400mAh battery will take 3 hours (3 times 800mA), and so on.

Third: The best all around charger, for any use, is the MAHA C204W which will work on any mains voltage (110V-240V) and charge batteries to their highest capacity without damaging the batteries. I have had the C204 for about 5 years and it has performed flawlessly with many differnt NiMH AA and AAA batteries.

You can find it (and some decent batteries) here:

http://nimhbattery.com/batteries.htm

Hope this helps.

[Rhys]

According to my information, South African voltage is 220/230/250-50hz, which means most European applicances will work off it. In the more rural areas, however, expect to see lower voltages again.

[rebsblack]

Thanks for all the answers. I ended up taking the Panasonic charger back and I was able to order the MaHa204W at the last minute to get it before my plane leaves tomorrow. All the info was helpful and I'll be sure to check the heat of the batteries while charging down there. happy trails, rebecca

[Newbie]

I don't know if its too late, but a compact charger that works all over the world(with a plug adapter) and that charges the batteries effectively and completly is the Maha C204W. I personally own this charger and it is considered one of the top 3(I don't want to say a position) chargers currently on the market.

The other 2 chargers(I don't know their size and if they will world everywhere in the world) are the Maha C401FS and the Ripvan100 Lightning Pack 4000N.

Edit: Oops, having seen u were in a rush, I stoped reading to post my message and found that my recommendation was your choice when I finished reading :)

[TDT]

Edit: Oops, having seen u were in a rush, I stoped reading to post my message and found that my recommendation was your choice when I finished reading :)

LoL, we've all done this :) Some of these forum posts get quite long, reading the entire thread seems impossible most times :(