[Tom M]

I'm having a hard time believing you're getting better noise from the K100D vs the K10D - Are you using Firmware version 1.30 in the K10D?

I've seen ISO 3200 shots from a K100D and it seemed like a last ditch effort to use.. So, all things being equal, the K10D at 1600 seemed far better than the K100D at 1600..

Just my expereience so, don't go shooting me.

[UnknownVT]

Non-rechargeable lithium batteries will last forever (at least 1000 shots) on my K100D. CRV3's will last 1300-1400 shots and I use them for traveling.
For NiMH's I get 400-600 shots, depending on the age of the batteries. The hybrid NiMH's seem to have much better shelf life, and still give a good number of shots.

Specs are usually conservative -
1,000 shots from lithium AA sounds (and IS) a lot -
being 50% better than spec.

But this is kind of confirmed by the reported 400-600 shots for NiMh
which is also about 50% better than spec.

However even taking these higher figures for lithium AA -
but staying with the conservative shot count for rechargeable NiMh -
we can still do the cost comparison -

Life-time shot count for NiMh
(conversatively at 300 shots per charge, and only 100 cycles)
= 30,000 shots

Lithium AA at 1,000 shots per set for 30,000 shots
needs 30 sets @ $10/set of 4
= $300....

$300 is still a substantial sum of money.......

Of course YMMV.

[jgredline]

I have two of these


I have 3 x 4 packs of their 2500mAh Rechargeable batteries that I just rotate around between camera, flash and recharger

Same here...Except I have the 15 minute charger..I get 450 Pics average from a full charge..

[rfortson]

Specs are usually conservative -
1,000 shots from lithium AA sounds (and IS) a lot -
being 50% better than spec.

But this is kind of confirmed by the reported 400-600 shots for NiMh
which is also about 50% better than spec.

However even taking these higher figures for lithium AA -
but staying with the conservative shot count for rechargeable NiMh -
we can still do the cost comparison -

Life-time shot count for NiMh
(conversatively at 300 shots per charge, and only 100 cycles)
= 30,000 shots

Lithium AA at 1,000 shots per set for 30,000 shots
needs 30 sets @ $10/set of 4
= $300....

$300 is still a substantial sum of money.......

Of course YMMV.

Agreed, I'm not saying that lithium is the best long-term solution. For that, I think the hybrid NiMH AA's are the way to go. However, I've used CRV3's for my last two vacations, and they wound up lasting a few more months after my trip (for a total of 1300-1400 shots - I don't take a gazillion shots on vacation). I've decided that for me, it's worth the $10 to not have to lug the charger.

Oh, and I take ~8000 shots a year, so the $300 is spread out over several years for me. YMMV, of course. I'd still recommend the hybrids.

[rfortson]

I'm having a hard time believing you're getting better noise from the K100D vs the K10D - Are you using Firmware version 1.30 in the K10D?

I've seen ISO 3200 shots from a K100D and it seemed like a last ditch effort to use.. So, all things being equal, the K10D at 1600 seemed far better than the K100D at 1600..

Just my expereience so, don't go shooting me.

Hi Tom, glad to hear your experience. I've just gone from the K100D to the K10D and was worried about the noise being more of an issue with the K10D. I can't see how the K10D will be better, though, given that it's the same size sensor, but with more photo sites. Electronically, that just shouldn't work. Smaller photo sites equal greater chance for noise, especially as you amplify them to higher ISO equivalents.

If my K10D was close to my K100D, I'd be very happy. I haven't really had a chance to get out and shoot in those situations yet.

[UnknownVT]

I'm having a hard time believing you're getting better noise from the K100D vs the K10D - Are you using Firmware version 1.30 in the K10D?

I've seen ISO 3200 shots from a K100D and it seemed like a last ditch effort to use.. So, all things being equal, the K10D at 1600 seemed far better than the K100D at 1600..

Just my expereience so, don't go shooting me.

This seemed out of place for this thread about K100D Battery Life.

I've posted a reply in a separate thread - Noise - K100D vs. K10D (link)

[Ex Finn.]

I am at 1300+ shots with my current set of Energizer lithiums. Costly?, depends on how you look at it. No charging hassles, I know my backup batteries are full and won`t fail because I did not top them off. Plus the autofocus seems to be "lightning" fast under normal lighting conditions.
I am happy and refuse to think about how much it cost to buy a replacement 8 pack .

Mike.

[Mike Bokeh]

I've had my K100D since early July, and have used nothing but non-rechargeable CR-V3s in it.
I'm on my third set. I haven't kept track of the exact number of shots per set, but I'd say it's in the 500-750 range.

Other than weddings and parties, which are mostly flash exposures, I use my camera in low light a lot, and shutter speeds in the .4 - 1 second range are common for me.

I also use the review a little more than I should, and this habit combined with the long exposures undoubtedly uses a lot of juice.

I might try the eneloops one of these days, but $20 for a set of CR-V3s every 90 days or so doesn't really bother me.

I just wish the battery indicator would show 100%, 75%, 50%, et cetera, instead of going from full to half with little warning, which means you'd better get a replacement set quick.

Mike

[Ash]

Yep, we all know the ol' K100D is power hungry, but on a fully charged set of reasonable quality Ni-MH rechargeables, you should get consistent results. I say this because I fell into the trap of thinking all 2650mAh batteries should be equal. Buying a no-name set of these on eBay and trying to run my K100D on them was like trying to drag a caravan with a scooter. I wouldn't even get to 40 shots (without flash!) and the batteries konked out.

So going Ni-MH I suggest to go with the top names in the game (Inca in Australia is one of the more acceptable lower priced sets of AA rechargeables at 2700mAh you can find with comparable performance to Energiser and Duracell), and charge them fully before a big job.

Just waiting for the green light to come on the charger doesn't give the batteries enough drive to go the distance on my K100D - I have to allow trickle charging for at least 12 hours to ensure top performance, and then I was able to power the K100D and a flash unit with a set of these batteries for each unit for an entire wedding taking over 600 shots without so much as an indication that the batteries were giving up!