Problems with FujiFinepix A170

[jamesnan]

My camera which is 18 months old seems to be having a problem with power- even though I put fully charged batteries into it the power seems to go very quickly, and quite often the battery indicator is reading almost empty at the end of the day, even though very few photos have been taken. Has anyone else had a problem such as this with this model camera?

[heathfield]

Seems you're not alone...

http://www.amazon.co....iewpnt#R32YN76E62WGT5

[Buenchico]

Rechargeable cells provide 1.2V, rather than the 1.5V from conventional batteries. So you're already starting with a lower voltage when you use them.

Further, ALL rechargeable batteries suffer from the 'memory effect' whereby they won't charge fully unless they were fully discharged first. (I used to believe, as many people do, that NiMH batteries don't suffer from the 'memory effect', unlike the older NiCd batteries. But then I experienced similar problems to yours and emailed Duracell Customer Services for a response. They confirmed that NiMH cells DO suffer from the 'memory effect' but simply not to the same extent as NiCd batteries).

I gave up using rechargeable batteries in my camera ages ago and switched to Lithium cells. They're not cheap (but watch out for special offers in places like Maplins) but they last for ages.

Chris

[jamesnan]

Thank you for your answers, most interesting, at least I know now that it is a product fault and not just my camera. I will have to make sure that I carry extra batteries whenever I use it.