For those who wonder about the "non-rechargeable" AA battery claim, it is possible that the unit won't operate on rechargeable AA batteries, not that rechargeable AA batteries don't exist.

Rechargeable AA batteries such as NiCDs, NiMHs, and LiIons only produce 1.2vdc, while Alkalines and Lithiums produce 1.5vdc. So, 2 rechargeable batteries are only good for 2.4 volts, while two of the others are good for 3 volts. The camera may not want to operate on anything less than 3 volts. There are a lot of devices out there like that, and are often the reason people think their rechargeable batteries have reached the end of their useful life.

Actually I do mix and match my rechargables. I use Duracel NiMh and Rayovac Hybrids with an Energizer 15 minute charger.

As far as the batteries in the camera dieing ... you should be carrying spare batteries in your camera bag.

If you use an expensive battery shop around for a cheaper source or a third party equivalent. The Lithiums I use sell are $20 for the correct brand, $7 for a higher capacity compatible battery.

My favorite camera uses the lithium battery. I usually carry 5 plus the one in the camera. Recharge time is fairly quick also if you get a one hour recharger for the batteries.

Whichever style you choose, make sure that each battery or battery set has it's terminals covered so that they will not short while in your bag or pocket ... for AA batteries a rubber band to keep the set together is nice and for all types a plastic sandwich bag for each battery/set helps protect them from shorting.

The advantages of AA batteries (which my old Olympus uses) are that you don't miss the photo of a lifetime because your battery has just died on you...

My brother-in-law's Nikon had a "plug the camera into the charger"-type battery - great if you're out when the battery dies.

My wife's Sony has a £30-for-a-spare battery, so we didn't get one, and have been caught already with a dead battery messing up a day out.

Give me AAs any day. I can just have a few charged spares in my pocket and then a dead battery is no bother. I still remember fondly my old Konica SLR which, if the batteries failed, just turned into a standard mechanical camera. It happened on several occasions and I just carried on as if (almost) nothing had happened...

Cheers,
Wol

NiCad, Nimh, and Hybrid batteries can be recharged even in AA format. They can also be recharged in almost any brand of charger as long as the charger supports the type of battery you're using. It's just a marketing ploy to get you to buy "Energizer" batteries for your Energizer charger. I regularly use Rayovac Hybrid NIMH in my Energizer 1-Hour charger and I've had no problems. The only problem with rechargeables is they take longer to recharge the flash in camera's.

I wasn't aware that NiCad, Nimh, Hybrid and Alkaline batteries can't be recharged if they are AA sized.

There are rechargers sold in US and Canada, at least for AA batteries in all these forms.

The Alkaline recharger is hard to find & hte batteries are clearly labeled with a do not recharge label, so I can see people assuming AA Alkalines are throwaway at least.

However the other three types of AA all come with labels clearly stating they should be recharged only in the correct brand of charger :)

AA batteries often have a lower number of pics per charge than Lithium. On the flip side replacement AA batteries are much easier to find.

Sweet. One can get AA batteries almost anywhere in the world. One thing my old analogue Nikon has going for it -- AA batteries.

they sold out those white one's in Japan, so it seems they know what they are doing