Rechargeable digital cameras have been around for a several years. These days, most digital camera use a long lasting and compatible rechargeable battery as opposed to the standard double A size batteries that were very common in cameras built just over a decade ago. When considering what rechargeable digital camera to buy, you will most probably have to consider the brand of the digital camera, as several manufacturers do no produce models that ship with their proprietary rechargeable batteries, and how long the battery would last between charges when full.
There is nothing wrong with alkaline battery powered digital cameras, but the major downside to them when compared to rechargeable batteries is that they are relatively expensive in the long run; this is mostly due to the fact that powerful newer cameras have features that consume enormous amounts of power; the most notorious of which are the flash system and the LCD display. Many would argue that you could just as well buy Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) rechargeable batteries, but the downside to this is they will likely not last as long as a rechargeable battery built by the manufacturer of your digital camera, and they usually take several hours to completely recharge.
As a guideline to purchasing a rechargeable digital camera that uses the manufacturer’s propriety battery with the recharge dongle, look at the maximum battery life between charges when in full use. The features of your digital camera will determine (to some extent) how long your battery life will last; so it helps to know what features drain the most power from your digital camera and what to expect. First and foremost, the most notorious power hungry feature is the digital LCD screen found on just about every digital camera these days.
Several digital camera models come with LCD screens that can be closed and switched off entirely without making the digital camera dysfunctional; this capability alone will give you extra hours with your digital camera. For the amateur photographer this might be a nuisance at best but the trick is to buy a digital camera that will auto focus for you through the viewfinder without having to use the LCD to pick/confirm your photo target; these cameras however tend to cost slightly more than your entry level digital camera. Luckily, all – and I use that term loosely to mean cameras made by the major manufacturers (Canon, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, and Sony) digital cameras automatically turn off the LCD screen after a few minutes of inactivity or have the option to reduce the backlight of the LCD when used in well lit conditions.
Next as a general rule of thumb, you will want to look at the maximum optical zoom; the higher the optical zoom of the digital camera, the larger and more powerful the motors that control the zoom lenses have to be. If you create lots of still zoomed photographs like I do then you should know that this cuts into battery life as well. Most serious out door photographers such as bird watchers usually require tremendous optical zoom from their digital cameras. In such instances a standard digital camera will be inappropriate as not only is the optical zoom of the camera insufficient, it is electronically controlled; it would be better to use a digital camera with snap on optical zoom lenses which can be controlled manually by turning either clockwise or anti clockwise to increase or decrease the optical zoom of the camera. As these are not controlled by electronic motors powered by the digital cameras battery pack, you will be able to extend the life of the batteries of your digital camera.