<p>Found a camera under $200 – an Olympus – that I think will be good. But BEFORE I open it, I want to know about the battery thing. This one takes standard AA. I read back in my earlier thread, & some replies include suggestions about AA lithium batteries, battery rechargers, & NIMH machines (Nat’l Institute of Mental Health? – LOL). Maybe I got the letters reversed in that last one.</p>
<p>Keep in mind we’re talking dorm rooms here. She & I have already talked about clothes steamer or iron, hair dryer, she’s got the computer, will have a kettle, one of the 'mates will have a fridge, etc. How much room are we talking about here, for “machines”? Not to mention plugs, power strips, etc.</p>
<p>(Are power strips needed in dorms?)</p>
<p>They were out of the appropriate memory cards. I’ll have to buy one separately; one will hold plenty of pix for her needs for quite awhile.</p>
<p>I’d go with AA’s rather than a proprietary battery in a point and shoot type camera. I own an Oly 5050z, daughter has a Canon A80. </p>
<p>Advantage of AA batteries - dead battery? A quick fix is as near as anyone selling AA’s (although standard alkaline AA batteries won’t last through too many shots, but they do work). Rechargeable Nimh (nickel metal hydride) batteries are the way to go, somewhat more expensive, but you get a lot of shots out of a set. A disadvantage of Nimh’s is that they discharge over time, even when not used - 4-6 weeks, possibly more now. You need two sets, one to keep in the camera, one in a charger. Check out http:<a href=“http://www.thomas-distributing.com%5B/url%5D”>www.thomas-distributing.com</a> . I use the MaHa and Sony products. Go for 2000 mAh or higher power ratings. I use these things for underwater photography and have never had a problem (kinda hard to change batteries at 100ft down <grin>)</grin></p>
<p>Advantage of dedicated(camera model specific) batteries: Potentially more shots per set, most don’t discharge over reasonable lengths of time. Also may allow camera to be made much smaller. Downside - expensive and cannot always be replaced on the spur of the moment.</p>
<p>Dorms and power strips - yes, for sure. Also, be sure to get a 3 prong to two prong plug adapter unless you are sure the dorm has modern three prong wiring. Some don’t; I know. The power strip will also condition the power and protect equipment such as computers and battery chargers from power surges, frequency fluctuations, etc. Get a good one with a fuse or breaker. </p>
<p>Check with the college on how much current they allow to be drawn from a wall plug and be sure the goodies your S/D is plugging in don’t exceed this. A dorm (room) fire is a horror to be avoided at any cost. A kettle? Does it heat itself? Most campuses ban any type of device using a “resistance” heating element from the dorms, for good reason.</p>
<p>Now’s a good time to also remember to check for sprinklers. </p>
<p>I know there is debate about their necessity. I think it is safe to say that one is better off with them than without them although their absence isn’t automatically a disqaulifier. If the dorm your family member is in doesn’t have them, consider sending a window type escape ladder with them of appropriate length, if this is feasible. Get involved in parent organizations and lobby for sprinkler installation if they are absent.</p>
<p>We gave our daughter a digital camera a year ago for her birthday along with rechargeable batteries and the charger. The charger itself is quite small, about the size of the cell phone charger. </p>
<p>For our family digital after missing pictures from dead batteries, and then replacing them with back-up recharged batteries that had also lost their charge, we decided to stick some regular alkaline batteries in the camera case as back up to the rechargeables!</p>
<p>Go with the AA (you can carry spares in the camera case for emergencies) and use recharageables most of the time. I have a re-charger which holds 4 and is about 1"x3"x1" in total size. Just plugs into wall outlet like an oversized “plug.”</p>
<p>Definitely need surge protector in the dorm. Do what KyDad says. Probably doesn’t matter if the personal appliances are on one, but def. the computer. Anyway, without one, I doubt you’d have sufficient outlets for all that “stuff.” Also KYDad is on the mark re dorm rules - some only allow certain refrigs/microfridges (bought at the school) and many have restrictions on other cooking-type appliances.</p>
<p>I agree with KYDad on the Thomas Distributing recommendation, having outfitted everyone with rechargers.</p>
<p>However, you can also buy a perfectly good NiMH (nickle metal-hydride) charger kit and extra AA and AAA batteries at Walmart, KMart, Radio Shack, etc. Look for a pacakge with a “one-hour” or “two-hour” fast charger.</p>
<p>The batteries themselves are under $10 for a package of four AAs. They can be recharged 500 times or more. Because of their power curves, these NiMH batteries last much longer than a set of storebought alkalines in high drain applications like Disc players or cameras. Throwaway alkalines are better in flashlights, clocks, and remote controls that sit for months without little use – although I use NiMH’s in flashlights and remotes, too, just charging them all up every few months.</p>
<p>With the new “fast chargers”, the shelf-life issue isn’t much of a problem with the NiMH’s. If you are going to be using the camera, just throw a spare set of batteries on the charger for an hour and you are good to go.</p>
<p>My wife took over 500 pictures on a two week recent trip plus looking at them on the camera LCD in the hotel room at night. I don’t think she ever had to go to her spare battery set.</p>
<p>We sent D off to college with a NiMH charger and a several sets of AA and AAA batteries to cover the camera, CD player, HP calculator, etc.</p>
<p>I was very annoyed with the short life that AA batteries would have in my digital camera. It would just EAT them!! I bought a set of 4 rechargeable Ni-MH batteries with a charger from Radio Shack and have been very pleased with the results. The batteries actually seem to last longer than even the energizers, and of course can be reused. Just need 13 hours to recharge (overnight)</p>
<p>The disposible Lithium AAs are excellent from a power standpoint, infinitely better than alkalines and probably a bit better than the NiMH rechargables.</p>
<p>However, they are also $8 for four batteries and have to be thrown away when they are used up. At the same cost, four rechargeable NiMH’s can be recharged 500 times.</p>
<p>So, if you go through 100 sets of Lithiums, you will have spent $800 on batteries. You could spend about $30 on two sets of NiMHs and a fast charger, get the same 100 cycles and still have several hundred more cycles before the batteries are shot. $30 versus $800 for batteries seems like a pretty easy choice!</p>
<p>The Lithiums are an ideal backup set in the camera bag because their shelf-life is measured in years and they have the best performance in low-temperature conditions.</p>