One of the biggest frustrations with digital cameras is the way they tend to suck the “juice” from alkaline batteries. It never fails: You spend quite some time taking ho-hum pictures, only to find the best photographic opportunity right before you’re ready to call it a day. You excitedly pull your camera out of the bag, then look on in despair as the camera flashes a “low battery” icon and turns itself off. Arghhh!!! It’s an unfortunate fact of life that AA alkaline batteries last about as long in a digital camera as an ice cube sitting out in the hot sun.
Lithium Ion batteries on the other hand can hold a charge for days, or even weeks in most modern digital cameras, and they are rechargeable to boot. Oh, and they also don’t have “memory” issues like NiCads.
Many newer camera models (and virtually all DSLR’s) come standard with Li-Ion batteries and a charger, but you need to verify that the model you chose uses them before heading to the checkout. Most DSLR’s and a select few “superzoom” cameras use them, but some do not. Often the only way to tell is to read the back of the camera box.
Conclusion: You can save yourself a whole heap of aggravation (not to mention money) by choosing a digital camera that uses Lithium Ion batteries.