hasan wrote:

One thing I've learned about NIMH batteries...they don't sit well. They
do wonderfully if kept trickle charged, but if let to sit, they will
self-discharge in less than two weeks. (at least for digital camera
purposes)I've observed this on three different "sets" of NIMH AA
batteries. All act the same way. Two weeks of sitting and they will only
operate the camera a very short time. Left in the charger and put
directly into service I can shoot well over 75 pictures in a row with no
difficulty.

This was true until a short while ago, but no longer is. A new chemistry
is now being used for some NiMH cells which greatly reduces the
self-discharge rate. Some of the more popular brands are Sanyo's
Eneloop, Rayovac's Hybrid, and Sony's Cycle Energy, but there's a
growing number of others. A bit of web searching will bring a great deal
more information about this. "Low self discharge NiMH" is a good search
string to start with.

So far, the LSD cells have a bit lower capacity than the very highest
capacity conventional cells, with 2000 mAh typical for AA and 800 mAh
for AAA. But they have almost as much capacity after sitting for an
extended time. And the Eneloops, in particular, typically have a
slightly higher voltage under discharge, and hold up very well under
high discharge rates. They're very good cells -- I use them almost
exclusively now.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL