[Alizarine]

To your first question: yes I have found them in some off the beaten track places.

To the second, $2 at DealExtreme:

We have those here going for around $.3 per piece. White ones only, though...

anyway of course I prefer to have a choice, and the K-30 does that, and the K-5 too, with the grip of course.
the only problem I have with eneloops is that they're fiddly and cumbersome to take out and put in. But energy-wise, no complaints here. They work just as much as I expect them too.

the only problem i think about li-ions is their "proprietary nature" - one of many reasons i went with the K-x instead of the D5000 seeing how Nikon and Canon cameras don't use the chargers of their previous cameras in newer models.

but i di WOULD LOVE to see a new Pentax flash using a D-Li90

[audiobomber]

the only problem I have with eneloops is that they're fiddly and cumbersome to take out and put in.

Not with the K-r, K-30 style battery holder. Once the holder is loaded, it pops in and out like a single battery.

[JimJohnson]

Not with the K-r, K-30 style battery holder. Once the holder is loaded, it pops in and out like a single battery.

Yep. that's why I have two (cheap 3rd party) AA holders. The fiddly part is done sitting in a comfortable chair, not in the field. One holder is in the camera, the second holder is pre-loaded (and kept in a plastic bag to avoid shorting, but I'd do that with a LiON too) and waiting in my camera bag. It is NO more effort to swap out the AA battery holder than to swap the LiON battery. And when I travel, I have ONE charger for both camera and flash.

[Alizarine]

Not with the K-r, K-30 style battery holder. Once the holder is loaded, it pops in and out like a single battery.

I agree, and so far, no luck for the K-x and K200D (this one can use grips though). Not enough space to make a holder...

[RonHendriks1966]

22 choices for all three option's making it a perfect ty. Maybe Pentax did make the good choice on this with the K-30.

[Docrwm]

22 choices for all three option's making it a perfect ty. Maybe Pentax did make the good choice on this with the K-30.

Yes, I think was an excellent decision on their part. Additionally, it was also excellent to keep the same battery and AA adapter as with the K-r thereby making the upgrade path that much easier.

You could also look at it this way - there are 22 people who do not like the AAs and 44 who like them and use them either exclusively or at least want them as an option. I fall into the latter category - I like having the flexibility in the camera to do either.

[LFLee]

After 5 yrs, you will have to buy outdated Lithium Ion battery (if you are lucky to still find them for your camera), that doesn't hold charge very much, and might as well as 1/2 of the price as your camera worth.
with AA, batteries technology keep improving (see the Eneloop), and AA format keep the same, after 5 yrs, 10 yrs, you can still buy fresh and relatively cheap AA batteries.

Especially for Pentax, where there probably have less inventory of Lithium Ion batteries because of market share, a AA batteries options guarantee I can power my camera nicely after years of usage.

My K200 keep getting better shots/ batteries as AA improves.

[TedH42]

I like the option of AAs for my K-5, so I have the D-BG4 grip and a set of AA lithiums for when my proprietary lithium ions run out when I'm away from a charging source, such as multi-day trips in the wilderness, where "wilderness" translates to "away from a charging source". I still keep my K200D (again using the AA lithiums), as I always like a backup, and WR seems like a necessity to me. I do like the power and compactness of the D-LI90s in the K5. Around town, I wouldn't be without them, as I find the D-BG4 grip to be a bit bulky and normally use it only when I need the AAs.

Maybe I should invest in some Eneloops.

[tim60]

Are you any more likely to find useable batteries (lithium?) while in remote places? Alkalines get you out of a hole occasionally, but aren't really very satisfactory (or at least, I found). Whereas you can invest in an absolute stack of non-OEM batteries for very little money, and take them anywhere.



The unfortunate thing is that the Li-ion used in the Kr was lower capacity, presumably partly becuase it's more an entry level camera, but also to get it to work in the AA battery compartment. Good to hear that people are getting good life from their eneloops, reassuring, despite the annoyance of having AA's rolling around in the camera bag, and having them drop on the floor while attempting to change batteries one handed.... I think the battery management issues I used to get on my K200d (with recycko batteries) sound like they have probably been overcome. (Camera would turn off sporadically, showing the low battery indicator, but then come back to life again after a while showing full charge!)

This might be a consequence of properties of batteries.

As batteries are used the internal resistance results in the terminal voltage under load decreasing. I notice with K100DS that it seems very sensitive to the exact voltage coming out (unlike a torch which just has light output wilt). By switching off there is a period of no drain, during which the battery cools and internal resistance decreases so it is posible to squeezxe a bbit more life out. This phenomenon is true of alkaline and NiMH. (Nominal voltage of alkaline is 1.5V and NiMH is 1.2V)

But NiMH have another phenomenon. Batteries are always used in sets, and if one cell runs down faster than the others (which often happens because of variability in manufacture) it is possible to cause a reverse current to flow in the low voltage cell. If this happens it leads to permanent damage of the battery, it will not take a charge properly, and so the set becomes spoiled for the tight voltage/current tolerances demanded by the camera. But those battery sets are still fine to run the flash - they justtake a bit longer to charge the flash as they gradually discharge. The work around for this is to look at the battery guage on the camera and to change batteries when the half power indicator is on rather than waiting till complete discharge is shown. This also has the advantage of enabling battery change at a time you choose rather than in the middle of some time critical shooting.

The short charge life of NiMH reported by some people here may result from having damaged cells, as described above, rather than a defect in the camera or an inherent proprty of the battery type. The other possibility is that their charger may not be achieving a full charge under their circumstances of use. (It took me several tries to find a NiMH charger suitable for use when traveling - need to suit both 110 and 240V and 50/60Hz inputs.) Also, I prefer slow chargers rather than the fast charger type because the slow charge produces less heat in the battery, which is less damaging.

[Brangdon]

Some people prefer AA batteries because they are available anywhere in the world.

I prefer AAs because they let me use a single charger (and cable) for my camera, shaver, toothbrush, GPS, radio and water-purifier. My devices share a pool of Eneloops and I can move batteries between devices if I have to. Although you can get spare Li-Ion batteries, they tend to be different for each device and it's not practical to carry so many. Also, they aren't cheap, and they have finite lifetime, so for me it's not worth the investment in Li-Ion.

I try not to buy Alkalines, because they tend to leak, but I do like having the option of Lithium AA for lightness, low temperature performance, and capacity.

I hate Li-Ion because every manufacture does it a different way and there are no standards. It is getting a bit better now with USB charging. I have a charger that does USB, AA and AAA so that does all my gadgets. I picked my K-x partly because of the AA batteries, but if they made a camera with Li-Ion that could charge from USB I would consider it.

[disco_owner]

I use Both LI90's in camera and Grip. carry 6 x Rechargeable AA's in seperate battery tray incase.

I Like Eddie's Idea a Pentax Flash unit would be nice to accept LI90 tray and AA tray cartridge. like the K5 grip

[Marc Sabatella]

My battery consuming gear includes 3 flashes and 2 Cactus v5 units beside the camera (K-x). I don't use all 3 flashes all the time, but sometimes I do. I have a single charger that can take up to 12 AA or AAA (or a mix). I've had few weekends where I used lots of battery and it's all up and running again in a day - incl. backup batteries.

Imagine if all units used Lion batteries. I'd need a charger for each type or even one charger per battery if I wanted them up and running quick. It quickly adds up in amounts of money and the clutter would be less pleasing as well.

That's my take as well. I couldn't care less about the ability to buy new batteries anywhere in the world; I just keep charging the two sets I use. But being able to share charger with my other devices is a huge plus. As is the fact that I know I can still buy them 20 years from now. Try buying a proprietary battery for a 20 year old device...

[ChooseAName]

As is the fact that I know I can still buy them 20 years from now. Try buying a proprietary battery for a 20 year old device...

That's an excellent point; you win the thread. Of course, some will argue that your K200D won't be around at that point.

[Clavius]

Try buying a proprietary battery for a 20 year old device...

Try naming a 20 year old device that you still use...

How old is the K5? I think, from the pricedrops, that it's already going out of production right now. In 20 years time it will be a museum-object.

[samtr87]

Between my cell phone, iPod, notebook, electric shaver, toothbrush and tablet, I already have to keep track of too many different chargers. I like the AAs in my K-x because I only need to carry my Lacrosse BC-900 to charge the batteries for my K-x, flash, and point-and-shoot. Not to mention when the batteries in my XBOX controllers run out, I can just steal them from the cameras or the flash. I have a mix of Rayovac and Duracell NiMH and each charge has lasted hundreds of shots and I normally pull them out to charge when they are down to half charge. I still have the original Energizer Lithiums that came with the camera still sealed in the wrapper. I keep those in my bag as spares.