Shel - I have to throw my vote in with the Lithium AAs. On the D, I'm getting about 1000-1200 shots per set of four. A 4-pack is $9.99 at target. The CR-V3's perform better but are as much as twice the price.
I seldom use the built-in flash. When I feel the need for flash I use an external flash unit. My D is fitted with the battery grip. It takes four AAs in a plastic battery clip. The loaded clip slides into the grip. A battery change only takes a few seconds. I have two spare clips loaded with the batteries in my camera bag. One spare would be plenty. I bought the clips when I was using the rechargeables and felt the need for two. Pentax takes some minor criticism for not including a charger with the camera. I think the critics are off base. Given the number of photos a typical amateur shoots (I'm guessing significantly fewer than the members of this list), the lithiums are far and above the best design choice. You can shoot 50 shots, leave them sitting in the camera for a couple of weeks (or months) and come back, blow the dust off the camera and shoot. No worries about remembering to charge up the batteries first. I used the Maha charger and three sets of rechargeables for the first few months. They worked fine, but were a pain. I've switched to the lithium AAs and haven't regretted it. The rechargeables now power a a couple of radios. I'd say try the litium AAs first, then if they don't suit you, spend the money on the rechargeables. I agree with the others that recommended the Maha charger and powerex batteries from Thompsen. On the AC adaptor, I splurged on the Pentax. I spent a quite a bit on the istD body. It seemed like false economy to buy a cheap charger that may or may not have the right specs or unknown level of quality control. Everyone has their own comfort level when it comes to risk. On this one I was extremely conservative. I didn't use the charger the first time I upgraded the code. I started the upgrade with a full charge on a set of 2200 mA Powerex batteries. After the upgrade the batteries were spent. After that I used the AC adaptor. See you later, gs <http://www.georgesphotos.net> On 8/30/05, Shel Belinkoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Subject say it all. What are YOU using, what works well, what doesn't? > What sort of battery life are you getting, and under what conditions? > Will the camera work on household electricity with a converter of some sort? > > Shel > > >
