Lithium ion (Li-ion), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) & Nicad (Ni-Cd) Batteries explained
When choosing your new Camcorder / Digital Camera battery you may find that you are offered the choice between Li-ion, Ni-MH & Ni-Cd Batteries. These three types of battery are the name given for the chemistry / technology used within the batteries.
Li-ion / Lithium ion Batteries Explained
160 Peak watt-hours & 400 charges. No memory effect & the battery can therefore be charged at any stage of the charge cycle. Smaller that other batteries & give the same or better mAh rating – Longer run time. These batteries have a long shelf life (90% at 10 years). Lithium batteries maintain a constant voltage over the life of the battery and perform well under heavy loads. Like alkalines, they have a high capacity, and their starting voltage is 1.5v. Lithium battery voltage does not degrade until the battery is nearly discharged, so you get full advantage of the battery's rated capacity.This is the better choice of the three technologies as the battery will give more power for less size and weight.
Ni-MH / Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries Explained
120 Peak watt-hours & 200 charges. Moderate weight for power & limited lifespan. No memory effect & the battery can therefore be charged at any stage of the charge cycle.
Ni-Cd / Nickel cadmium Batteries Explained
80 Peak watt-hours & 1,000 charges. A heavy / large battery for the power it is capable of holding. Suffers from the Memory Effect & the battery should therefore be fully discharged before re-charging.
Run time & Milliampere Hours (mAh) Rating
Your current battery has a mAh rating usually printed on the base plate. The rating could be a low 650 mAh to a higher 6,000 mAh.
The mAh rating of the battery determines how long a charge will last when being used by your camera. The higher the mAh rating, the longer each charge will last.
You may find that our site offers 2 or 3 different batteries to fit your camera. You will find that each battery has a different mAh rating & that the higher mAh batteries are more expensive but have an increased run time due to the higher mAh rating.
So, in general, you should always compare mAh ratings as well as prices when looking around on the Internet.
Memory Effect Explained
NiCad batteries gradually lose their maximum energy capacity if they are repeatedly partially discharged before being recharged. This is termed the memory effect. A major advantage of NiMH & Li-ion battery technology, apart from lack of toxicity, is the absence of any memory effect – NiMH & Li-ion batteries are remarkably tolerant of frequent 'top-up' charging.
