5 tips to make sure your camera battery lasts long

While many 35mm cameras still use photocell batteries, digital cameras typically rely on rechargeable ones. As any digital camera owner quickly discovers, however, caring for and maintaining rechargeable batteries constitutes an entire subset of camera usage.

 1. Always shut off your camera when you are done taking pictures. Leaving the power switch in the on position can quickly drain the batteries and leave you scrambling for the charger or replacements the next time you need to use your camera.

2. Don't plan to use your camera or camcorder for a while? Regardless of whether your camera takes photocell or rechargeable batteries, remove them from the camera before you pack it away. Batteries left in cameras over extended periods of time slowly lose their charge, and may even leak after they are depleted — which can result in permanent damage to your camera.

3. Think of maximum-performing batteries. Most digital cameras can accept rechargeable nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, which are relatively inexpensive and provide a significant increase in the number of pictures per charge over competing battery types, including alkaline. Moreover, nickel metal hydride batteries don't suffer from the "memory" problems that plagued earlier types of rechargeable batteries and prevented them from fully charging. For maximum performance, recharge NiMH batteries both before and after long-term storage.

4. Store batteries in a dry, cool place, preferably in a refrigerator, if you don't intend to use them right away. Never expose batteries to temperatures above 43°C (110°F); that includes leaving them inside a car on a hot summer day. Doing so can result in permanent damage to them.

5. Make sure the batteries in your digital camera are adequately charged before you start to download photos to your computer. If your batteries run out during the download process, the camera will automatically shut off and may corrupt the image files. Even better, use a card reader to download the images so that you don't have to use your camera-battery power at all.