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02-17-2010, 11:18 AM   #61
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alfisti Quote
The thing is though, all this discussion, all these endless threads and endless analysis of battery brands, chargers, guages not working, notes needed in the manual or on the box to direct customers to the correct power source and/or firmware ...... it could all be avoided if they just used a proper battery.
By "proper", I assume you mean the kind that requires a proprietary charger I and can'tbe shared between any of my other devices and most likely won't be available in a few years. You continue to just not get that there are those who actually *prefer* AA's over proprietary cells, and that this is a *big* selling point - and it has nothing* to do with treks to Timbuktu.

So, to the extent that the tiny percentage of people who can't figure out how to use Google to sort it out for themselves is a problem, "solving" this problem by turning away the many customers who choose one of these Pentax cameras specifically *because* it can use AA'a would likely be counterproductive. Instead, what's wrong with the simle solution of including an obvious note int he package that tells you what kind of cells to use? that way, everyone can be happy - those who *prefer* AA's get a camera that uses them, those who don't know what kind of AA's to get are informed right away, and you don't have waste your breath complaining.

02-17-2010, 11:25 AM   #62
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QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
By "proper", I assume you mean the kind that requires a proprietary charger I and can'tbe shared between any of my other devices and most likely won't be available in a few years. You continue to just not get that there are those who actually *prefer* AA's over proprietary cells, and that this is a *big* selling point - and it has nothing* to do with treks to Timbuktu.

So, to the extent that the tiny percentage of people who can't figure out how to use Google to sort it out for themselves is a problem, "solving" this problem by turning away the many customers who choose one of these Pentax cameras specifically *because* it can use AA'a would likely be counterproductive. Instead, what's wrong with the simle solution of including an obvious note int he package that tells you what kind of cells to use? that way, everyone can be happy - those who *prefer* AA's get a camera that uses them, those who don't know what kind of AA's to get are informed right away, and you don't have waste your breath complaining.
There is some value to this, you don't want to be caught in the same boat as Fujifilm S5 Pro shooters are, with no replacement batteries available for their cameras and their batteries rapidly wearing out (The S3, S2 and S1 all use AA's and/or lithiums). Minolta digital shooters would have been in the same boat if the K10D and K20D hadn't ended up using a rebadged Minolta NP400 battery.

Obsolete batteries definitely become issues, especially if the battery is specific to a smaller maker (like Fuji in this example). You can't get new Nikon D1 series batteries, or new batteries for the Kodak FF bodies, although in those cases there's still enough low-mileage used examples available. But at some point in the not too distant future this will change. The same goes for Canon 1 series bodies which use the older non-LiIon batteries or even one day the BP511's (which will become obsolete when the 50D is discontinued in the near future).
02-17-2010, 11:41 AM   #63
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QuoteOriginally posted by Alfisti Quote
The thing is though, all this discussion, all these endless threads and endless analysis of battery brands, chargers, guages not working, notes needed in the manual or on the box to direct customers to the correct power source and/or firmware ...... it could all be avoided if they just used a proper battery.
The same issue exists with proprietary batteries as well. I know quite a few people (myself included) that see the sticker shock of buying a new battery for their cell phone or camera from the manufacturer and say "NFW am I paying that! I'll jump on the Internet and order one from Batteries4u.com or go to a B&M and pick one up because it's only $xx." Then they get it and it might run for half the time or only last a couple months before it won't charge anymore.

At least in the US, Pentax ships the K-x with Energizer lithium cells and there is a little slip of paper/advertisement in the box recommending Energizer lithium. Pentax tech support will even recommend them by name. If you would you rather use rechargables, Pentax tech support WILL recommend low self-discharge NiMH although when I chatted with them, they didn't state name brand.
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