[LIJ]

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Hi! New member here. I have just bought the K-r myself and have experienced short battery life as well. I got 170 shots out of my first charge. Figured it had to do with a lot of fiddling with the menus and such. However, the next charge I got 190 so not much better. I have used some flash but hardly any live view or filming.

I e-mailed my dealer who said that I should see what happens when I go through a couple of more charges. He said that I at least should get up to around 400 shots. That was at least his experience of this battery.

Maybe it takes a couple of rounds to wake up the battery?

[Fl_Gulfer]

BestBattery has the best deal on a Replacement Battery for the K-R.
BestBatt.com - Pentax D-LI109 Li-Ion Rechargeable Replacement Battery for K-r DSLR Camera

This is a 1300 mah not a 900 or 1050mah.
for $13.99 plus shipping.

New 100% OEM Compatible Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery. Guaranteed to meet or exceed OEM specifications. Works wonderfully for:

Pentax K-r DSLR
and more models.

Best replacement for the following OEM battery part numbers:
Pentax D-LI109, DLI109, Pentax D-L1109, DL-1109, DL1109.
•Chemistry: Lithium-Ion•Output Volts: 3.7v•AmpHours: 1300 mAh•Type: Generic

Features

•100% Compatible with original manufacturer equipments and chargers
•Premium Japanese Cell
•Absolutely no memory effect so that you can charge battery at anytime
•Low impedance battery design
•12 months warranty

[noonecantellimadog]

BestBattery has the best deal on a Replacement Battery for the K-R.
BestBatt.com - Pentax D-LI109 Li-Ion Rechargeable Replacement Battery for K-r DSLR Camera

This is a 1300 mah not a 900 or 1050mah.
for $13.99 plus shipping.

Thanks... I was going to post this. I have one of these. It works great so far. I think it is a quality item, and I will likely order another.

I prefer using these over AA, though I am keen to get one of the AA adapters to have in my bag for emergencies or perhaps travel.

[gp1806]

I have just got this battery. Charging now. I'll let everyone know how it works after Xmas. Wife won't let me play with my new present she bought until after Xmas.

Battery for Pentax D-LI109 DLI109 39066 K-R KR Digital - eBay (item 280600137584 end time Jan-05-11 08:50:37 PST)

[robertzanzerkia]

This is an old thread but someone may find below useful.
I just got my K-r today and while waiting for OEM battery to fully charge I tried the below battery I bought on eBay.
The battery is still going strong after 50+ pictures and fooling around with menus etc. all afternoon.

Price is very good < $10 shipping included.
I will just buy one more spare at that rate

D-Li109 Li-Ion Battery for Pentax K-r DSLR NEW DLi109 - eBay (item 290513308146 end time Feb-14-11 13:03:59 PST)

[Hypocorism]

I just got my K-r today and while waiting for OEM battery to fully charge I tried the below battery I bought on eBay.

Now prices have dived so much it looks like I got ripped.
Got 2 similar (except 1400mAh) before xmas from another dealer at USD19.69 ea and they measured up, and have since performed, almost the same as the insanely priced genuine Pentax. So can't really complain, is a huge step forward over the pathetic AAs in the K-x anyway.

.R.

[jannking]

I also bought a K-r a month ago. I Just saw somebody is selling the non-OEM k-r battery holder for $10 at the marketplace and am thinking whether I should go for this AA holder or this Lithium battery for backup. Looks like you have issues with the AAs. Would you like to share your opinions?

Now prices have dived so much it looks like I got ripped.
Got 2 similar (except 1400mAh) before xmas from another dealer at USD19.69 ea and they measured up, and have since performed, almost the same as the insanely priced genuine Pentax. So can't really complain, is a huge step forward over the pathetic AAs in the K-x anyway.

.R.

[riley9]

I was able to get an aftermarket battery 1050mah on e-bay for $9.99 and free shipping. It works great and holds a charge just fine. Look around, they are out there.

[Hypocorism]

I also bought a K-r a month ago. I Just saw somebody is selling the non-OEM k-r battery holder for $10 at the marketplace and am thinking whether I should go for this AA holder or this Lithium battery for backup. Looks like you have issues with the AAs. Would you like to share your opinions?

For most people I'd say it would be a no-brainer. Buying and carrying around an adapter plus 4 batteries; or, the smaller more efficient Li type block, which happens to be available for far less money total. I believe fitting the adapter cage into the camera isn't a simple drop-in job either, so swap overs might take more than 5 seconds. However YMMV.

OK I don't have anything against AA per se, it serves or served its purpose, but life moves on and my present car doesn't even have a carburettor!

Still have a fair investment in AAs too, about 7 sets of 4x NiMH rechargables in use, or on hand/spare at present -- I also own 2 off-camera flashes, a Pentax K-x, and one Canon UZ camera, plus the typical toys, gadgets, appliances etc., usual shit that most people accumulate for everyday household use that all take AA.

So when I caved in and bought a K-r, for convenience alone it could (should?) have been compelling to acquire the adapter for that as well, but experience with the K-x proved that wouldn't be clever at all. And fortnately Pentax marketing seers were smart enough to include it in the pack, thereby raising the cost of the camera by $n amount, only to create litter by being neither wanted or ever used by n% of K-r buyers, n being a presumably large number estimated by their expertise and research figures. In fact why not throw in a Li-Ion spare instead? At least that dedicated battery backaup is sure to work in the camera, whereas many AA brands people might buy or already own probably won't (deja vu K-x).

Did I mention a friend who bought his K-x to me a few weeks backs asking why it wouldn't boot up on his brand new set of expensive Duracell rechargeables that he'd bought on the run, and fully charged? OK then, I won't mention that. And yes, the new batteries worked perfectly, as they were, no problem, in everything else we tried them in.
He was just another naive Pentax owner who'd got AA bitten.

Unlike my Canon, world+dog... Pentax just hasn't got a bloody clue re: making product that accepts ANY brand or type of AA, and that can use them with modern day power-efficency standards in mind -- yeah some claim Pentax "fixed" that K-x issue with firmware update 1.01. Yeah riiiiight! bullshit they did, 1.01/1.02 only improved the problem a bit. Like the doctor putting a band-aid on cancer.
Ahh but I digress...

Sure I could also go by the many forum posts that claim "I easily get 1,800+ shots with AAs in mine", and "Duracell are rubbish", but unfortunately having my own (+ friends) user figures on that as well as decades of "Online filtering" experience there that tends to conflict, just slightly [cough cough].

Also the fact that I just want to wean myself off "throwaway society attitudes" like nearing-redundant-lifespan AA tech as much as possible for eco reasons.
AA is also lower voltage, less power efficient per mass in available forms, more cumbersome, and the rechargeable NiMH fails to perform (at all, or as well) at lower weather temperatures too.

Overall lifespans of rechargeable Li-Ion tech always seems longer than any old barrel style like AA but I don't have numbers handy so that could even be fantasy in practice, though my other old Canon pocket P&S still chugs along after years on its small Li-Ion block, Notebooks/Netbooks on Li-Ion/Li-Pol, etc... I guess you have similar to experience too.

And AFAIK, the big mfgrs gave up fitting multiples of AA size to their DSLRs, and their higher-end P&S too, a long time ago. An Omen perhaps?
Thankfully Pentax had finally woken up with the K-r, and phased in the change. And I'd be willing to bet that its successor doesn't even offer an adapter or AA as an option.

So before jumping either way I urge you to do the numbers, on all pertinent-to-you aspects, and see what works out viable for you to live with.

HTH and have fun with that K-r.

.R. -- who tries [with far from 100% success rate] to be part of the solution; instead of remaining part of the problem - for convenience or apathy.

[lavascript]

I don't think you were ever meant to use ONLY AAs in the K-r. More like, buy the adapter (since you won't just give it to us, cheap bastards), toss it in your bag, and when the moment occurs that your second backup Li-Ion just died, you can run into the gas station and pick up a quick pack of AAs to get you through.

[jannking]

Really appreciate your input. Think I am gonna to buy another Li type battery for backup.

For most people I'd say it would be a no-brainer. Buying and carrying around an adapter plus 4 batteries; or, the smaller more efficient Li type block, which happens to be available for far less money total. I believe fitting the adapter cage into the camera isn't a simple drop-in job either, so swap overs might take more than 5 seconds. However YMMV.

OK I don't have anything against AA per se, it serves or served its purpose, but life moves on and my present car doesn't even have a carburettor!

Still have a fair investment in AAs too, about 7 sets of 4x NiMH rechargables in use, or on hand/spare at present -- I also own 2 off-camera flashes, a Pentax K-x, and one Canon UZ camera, plus the typical toys, gadgets, appliances etc., usual shit that most people accumulate for everyday household use that all take AA.

So when I caved in and bought a K-r, for convenience alone it could (should?) have been compelling to acquire the adapter for that as well, but experience with the K-x proved that wouldn't be clever at all. And fortnately Pentax marketing seers were smart enough to include it in the pack, thereby raising the cost of the camera by $n amount, only to create litter by being neither wanted or ever used by n% of K-r buyers, n being a presumably large number estimated by their expertise and research figures. In fact why not throw in a Li-Ion spare instead? At least that dedicated battery backaup is sure to work in the camera, whereas many AA brands people might buy or already own probably won't (deja vu K-x).

Did I mention a friend who bought his K-x to me a few weeks backs asking why it wouldn't boot up on his brand new set of expensive Duracell rechargeables that he'd bought on the run, and fully charged? OK then, I won't mention that. And yes, the new batteries worked perfectly, as they were, no problem, in everything else we tried them in.
He was just another naive Pentax owner who'd got AA bitten.

Unlike my Canon, world+dog... Pentax just hasn't got a bloody clue re: making product that accepts ANY brand or type of AA, and that can use them with modern day power-efficency standards in mind -- yeah some claim Pentax "fixed" that K-x issue with firmware update 1.01. Yeah riiiiight! bullshit they did, 1.01/1.02 only improved the problem a bit. Like the doctor putting a band-aid on cancer.
Ahh but I digress...

Sure I could also go by the many forum posts that claim "I easily get 1,800+ shots with AAs in mine", and "Duracell are rubbish", but unfortunately having my own (+ friends) user figures on that as well as decades of "Online filtering" experience there that tends to conflict, just slightly [cough cough].

Also the fact that I just want to wean myself off "throwaway society attitudes" like nearing-redundant-lifespan AA tech as much as possible for eco reasons.
AA is also lower voltage, less power efficient per mass in available forms, more cumbersome, and the rechargeable NiMH fails to perform (at all, or as well) at lower weather temperatures too.

Overall lifespans of rechargeable Li-Ion tech always seems longer than any old barrel style like AA but I don't have numbers handy so that could even be fantasy in practice, though my other old Canon pocket P&S still chugs along after years on its small Li-Ion block, Notebooks/Netbooks on Li-Ion/Li-Pol, etc... I guess you have similar to experience too.

And AFAIK, the big mfgrs gave up fitting multiples of AA size to their DSLRs, and their higher-end P&S too, a long time ago. An Omen perhaps?
Thankfully Pentax had finally woken up with the K-r, and phased in the change. And I'd be willing to bet that its successor doesn't even offer an adapter or AA as an option.

So before jumping either way I urge you to do the numbers, on all pertinent-to-you aspects, and see what works out viable for you to live with.

HTH and have fun with that K-r.

.R. -- who tries [with far from 100% success rate] to be part of the solution; instead of remaining part of the problem - for convenience or apathy.

[gp1806]

Just a thought - If you are traveling light and want to carry as small as possible camera bag, and you will need a flash and batteries for the flash and a charger for the flash batteries, the AA adapters will allow you to take only one charger for both the flash and camera. Save space and weight.

[ursamajor]

Iavascript, eneloops or newer XX eneloop can change your opinion about AAs. Old NiMH were, indeed, not so good, but eneloops are awsome. And when you have few pairs already, it's better to use them.
Unfortunatelly, I've noticed that my Li-Ion original D-Li109 just allow me to take about 200 photos. I'm more than convinced that 4 AAs will last more than that.

[torpesco]

Iavascript, eneloops or newer XX eneloop can change your opinion about AAs. Old NiMH were, indeed, not so good, but eneloops are awsome. And when you have few pairs already, it's better to use them.
Unfortunatelly, I've noticed that my Li-Ion original D-Li109 just allow me to take about 200 photos. I'm more than convinced that 4 AAs will last more than that.

Do you leave the rear LCD on? I got far more photos than that, but I had it off most of the time.

Maha are also good AA's.

For anyone else wanting a second Li-Ion, I suggest requesting Lenmar make one:
Lenmar Enterprises - Battery Inquiry Request Form

I've got a Lenmar battery for my Canon compact (SD 700IS) and it's fantastic. They're also a name I trust -- I've been told that the reason RIM puts crypto tech in their new batteries now is that they had problems with low-quality 3rd party batteries catching fire. Thus, I am very wary of $10 eBay specials.

[ursamajor]

Do you leave the rear LCD on? I got far more photos than that, but I had it off most of the time.

To be honest, I never managed to completely disable it.
It always stand turned on before and after taking a photo.