Camera Charging

Faith,

I'm assuming that you haven't bought a Camera yet? Which model(s) are you considering?

In my experience, the best Battery performance is obtained with rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries. They have an excellent "power-to-weight ratio", they're compact and many Camera manufacturers supply dual-voltage Chargers (the Canon models have folding pins, so they're really well designed for travel). Therefore, all that's required is a Plug Adapter specific for the countries you'll be visiting.

I'm NOT a big fan of the Cameras that require the Battery to be in the Camera when it's charging (some earlier models were designed like that).

I'd highly recommend buying at least one spare Battery, so that you have a spare available if you're out day touring. One important point to note is that spare Batteries (ie: those not installed in an electronic device) MUST be carried as cabin luggage and NOT checked.

Cheers!

I'm going to second the suggestion of getting a second battery! Just this week someone posted that they had lost their battery and were without a camera as a result.

I like the rechargeable battery that is specific to the camera. They are optimized, the charger that comes with it only needs an adapter and so is easy to charge.

Pam

I always bring a second battery. That way, I always have a fully charged backup.

Even when I'm not traveling, I find it immensely helpful to have a back-up battery for my DSLR. I have a D100, which is not very new, but it came with two rechargeable batteries. The battery charger is separate and compact, so I plan to take it with me to Europe, along with travel adapters.

Probably in a minority here, but I prefer a camera that takes AA batteries. We use rechargable ones and carry at least two sets plus a small recharger. we can leave one set recharging, one in the camera and carry a spare set. If you are really stuck you can buy AAs anywhere. It is pretty well a foolproof system and we have never been left unable to use the camera due to discharged batteries.

When I bought my most recent camera I made sure that I bought one that could use regular AAs. I use rechargeables mainly at home, but on trips I take lithiums. In an emergency, plain old AAs will work, and you can get them anywhere, as Iain says.

I'm with Iain and Nancy on this. The camera I recently bought had 2 options: Internal rechargeable battery or AA battery and I bought the one that uses AA batteries because it is easier to buy them anywhere than to have to worry about recharging.

Earlier saw this posting in the Rick Steves helpline:

"Lost rechargeable battery for camera in Paris"

I haven't brought a second battery yet, and yes I've missed a few opportunities for photos. The rechargeable batteries deliver nearly full power until right before they run out. I've had to get myself into the habbit of charging every evening if I've taken a lot of pictures (virtually every evening) even when the camera shows the battery is still near full charge. A second battery is a good idea.

Bringing an adapter isn't a big deal since virtually every charger can take both currents. You just need to decide whether you need the British style adapter, the continent style adapter, or both. In your case the continent style adapter should do. The adapter itself is cheap and small (you don't need the larger voltage converter). The hardest thing about it is remembering to take it with you after it's been plugged in.

I wouldn't just buy a 2nd battery, but a 3rd as well. If you go to amazon.com or newegg.com you can find super cheap versions of your factory battery, so much so that you will be able to pick up 2 for around 20 bucks. Fully charge all three batteries before you leave. If you're a picture taking fool you will go through a battery a day easy. When you're in a hostel and all of the outlets are being hogged you won't have a chance to charge up.

Okay, one more argument for the camera specific rechargeable battery. They weigh less! The chargers that I've had for the AA batteries are usually heavier than the camera specific charger. And, the camera specific batteries are definitely lighter than the carrying around multiple AA batteries. Maybe I over worried about having a charged AA battery, but I carried at least 8 of them at a time. They didn't last all day so you needed to use multiple sets in a day and then need a larger charger that can charge up four of them at a time.

So, if you're traveling light think about this aspect. ; ) Pam