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02-12-2010, 07:54 PM   #1
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K-x eats AA batteries??

When I bought my K-x the idea of using AA batteries was appealing, mainly because I saw myself walking across the street to the jiffy mart to buy replacements. It's turned out to be quite a nightmare however. I've been through three sets of different batteries in the last month??!

The first set burned out after a couple of weeks of family shooting (short videos and stills.) I thought a firmware update would do the trick, so I updated. The next two sets went even faster?? I shot with the second set for about a week, casual use, just stills. I started shooting video one day and within 10 minutes the camera shut itself down (not because of heat, because of low power.) The next set were some re-chargeables I bought at Target. They lasted about 15 minutes of video shooting?!

I was wondering if anyone else is having this issue. I've read quite a few positive comments on battery life etc...but my experience does not bear this out. I'm starting to regret my purchase, though I love the K-x's rich feature set, and it does indeed take great stills.

02-12-2010, 08:05 PM   #2
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Are you buying alkaline AA batteries? As the manual says:

QuoteQuote:
These are easily obtainable when the batteries you are
using run out but they may not support all the camera
functions under certain conditions. We do not recommend
using them except in emergencies or when checking the
camera functionality.
Which rechargeables did you get from Target?

I suggest getting some low-discharge NiMH rechargeables (like Sanyo Eneloop), or, if you want to go the longest possible time between worrying about batteries, Energizer AA lithium non-rechargeables.
02-12-2010, 08:19 PM   #3
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alkalines are for wedding and vacation emergencies only. Go nickel metal hydride rechargables like eneloops or PowerEx. Most importantly, get a good recharger, the ones that come with the batteries at Target are crap and will actually shorten the life of the batteries. Something like the LaCrosse or the PowerEx MaHa (I have this one and it kicks's ass).

Also search "rechargeable batteries" on the forum there are like 3,132 threads discussing "the best ones"...
02-12-2010, 09:33 PM   #4
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As mentioned, forget using alkalines batteries - if you must throw your money away on non-rechargeables, you need lithium. But rechargeables are much cheaper. But of cours,e you need to charge them - you didn't mention doing that! Even Eneloops and other cells sold as "precharged" really need to be charged to full capacity before use with a DSLR.

In any case, "weeks" isn't a useful measure of battery life. "Shots" is. A set of cells will only last a matter of hours if you taken 200 shots an hour. On the other hand, they'll last all year if you take 10 shots a week. If you're getitng at least 500 shots per charge, then you're doing as well as any camera. Only if you're getitng a lot less than 500 shots is there a problem - but again, if you were expecting 500 shots on alkalines or rechargeables you never charged, then indeed, that's not going to happen.

02-12-2010, 09:46 PM   #5
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With full conditioning on a Maha charger, I got over 1,100 shots with a set of 2100 Rayovac Hybrids on the Kx.
02-12-2010, 10:06 PM   #6
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I got about 480 shots with my K-x out of a set of Rayovac Hybrid that I had been using in my other camera for a couple weeks! That was with a mixture of video, 25% flash usage too. You can get the Rayovac Hybrid at Walmart.

The precharged batteries won't last as long straight from the package since they're not fully charged from the factory. After you run them flat, recharge them and they should last much longer after that.
02-12-2010, 11:20 PM   #7
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Yeah, I use the Rayovac's that I picked up on the internet for about $10 for a set of 4. Using the Maha Powerex MH-9000 Wizard One, I have had GREAT results. The batteries stay in the green for a short amount of time, but when they hit the orange they seem to last forever. Hybrids are the way to go [B][U]if [U][B] you can spring for a really good charger.

What I do is wait until I get tired of seeing the orange half bar or until I expect to take a few hundred photos then I slow charge the next set of batteries at 200 mAh ( I have 6 sets which are labeled as a set a, b, c, etc and I rotate them) then I take the depleted set out of the Kx and use the Refresh/Analyze function on the charger. It works well and I am really happy with the results.

Oh crap is my obsessive/compulsive disorder on display???

02-13-2010, 06:00 AM   #8
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My experince was the battery indicator stayed green to about 500, orange to 750 and went to 1,154 on red. Red, obviously, does not mean change the batteries. I beleive the good charger had a lot to do with the result.

Last edited by tarsus; 02-13-2010 at 06:01 AM. Reason: Add
02-13-2010, 10:10 AM   #9
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Here's an older thread that may be useful -

K-x owners: NiMH batteries results please
02-13-2010, 10:15 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by tarsus Quote
With full conditioning on a Maha charger, I got over 1,100 shots with a set of 2100 Rayovac Hybrids on the Kx.
Good post tarsus, a quality charger with a conditioning cycle (MAHA is my choice also) is a MUST IMHO.
Be good to your batteries and they will be good to you.
02-13-2010, 11:32 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by mtroute Quote
alkalines are for wedding and vacation emergencies only. Go nickel metal hydride rechargables like eneloops or PowerEx. Most importantly, get a good recharger, the ones that come with the batteries at Target are crap and will actually shorten the life of the batteries. Something like the LaCrosse or the PowerEx MaHa (I have this one and it kicks's ass).

Also search "rechargeable batteries" on the forum there are like 3,132 threads discussing "the best ones"...
Another good charger that people like is the LaCrosse BC-9000 (you linked to the 700). The BC-900 and MH-C9000 are basically the kings of chargers. I have an MH-C9000 and it is great. A charger that will charge each cell independently is key.

WARNING: There are some cheap chargers (Wal-Mart sells one) that imply that they charge independently (one gauge per cell), but the gauges are all controlled from one charge channel (you'll never see them behave independently) - I've destroyed a few packs of NiMHs with that charger.

In terms of "weeks" of usage - if you're not using hybrid NiMHs, they are going to self-discharge reasonably fast even without use.

Alkalines work in a pinch but do horribly in high current discharge applications (cameras) due to high internal resistance.
02-13-2010, 12:08 PM   #12
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thank you

When I say a week I mean a week of a father taking pictures of his wife and kids, some of the countryside, etc...I might take 100 - 200 pictures in a week but I turn the camera on and off quite a bit. I've been shooting maybe 5 minutes worth of video in that same time period. I'm not a professional or a heavy user even. I might add I don't have an AC power cable so I've been using battery power to copy the pictures to my computer.

The re-chargeables are an off brand and the charger came with them. My first set of batteries were Energizer e2 lithium batteries and then of course the Duracell Alkalines.


Thanks so much for all of the information.
02-13-2010, 01:59 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by adelena Quote
When I say a week I mean a week of a father taking pictures of his wife and kids, some of the countryside, etc...I might take 100 - 200 pictures in a week but I turn the camera on and off quite a bit. I've been shooting maybe 5 minutes worth of video in that same time period. I'm not a professional or a heavy user even. I might add I don't have an AC power cable so I've been using battery power to copy the pictures to my computer.

The re-chargeables are an off brand and the charger came with them. My first set of batteries were Energizer e2 lithium batteries and then of course the Duracell Alkalines.


Thanks so much for all of the information.
Its all been said, but I'll say it again anyway:
Yes to the Energiser Lithiums....NO! NO! NO! to the Duracell's

and get your self a set of Eneloops....please. , a good safe guard is to always carry a pack of Lithiums in your bag.
02-13-2010, 02:16 PM   #14
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I think GP "Gold Peak" AA batteries are great. I think GP 2400mah. Need with recharger. I was Radio Control Monster Truck from Traxxas. I used it before.
02-13-2010, 02:23 PM   #15
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GP 2700 mAh NiMH AA Battery
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