February 14th, 2012
While there has been an onslaught of low discharge rechargeable batteries on the market over the last several years, most professional users of rechargeables still prefer high capacity rechargeable batteries.
Why? Two reasons.
First, most professionals are using their rechargeable batteries on a daily basis, so the need for batteries that have a long shelf life is not necessary. Most pro-users choose a good reconditioning charger like the Energy 8 Plus or Energy 16 battery charger and leave the batteries on the charger until ready for use. This assures the batteries are fully charged for maximum usage. With a low self discharge battery, there is always guess work as to how much remaining capacity exist in the battery, even when using a battery capacity tester.
Secondly, the high capacity rechargeable battery is exactly that – a higher capacity. Most low discharge batteries do not match capacity of the high capacity batteries. So, when a photographer is shooting, he/she wants the maximum amount of run-time available, which a the low self discharge battery cannot provide.
However, where the low self discharge battery shines is for the more occasional user — such as family use with game controllers, digital cameras, wireless mouse and keyboards, etc. The low discharge battery is truly the battery of choice in these instances.
Still not sure what battery to use? Let us help you. We have a free report and evaluation service regarding rechargeable batteries which you can find here on our website.