Rechargeable batterty for Pentax K100D Super

That's interesting, as the manual specifically says rechargeable CR-V3 batteries are not recommended! Clearly you've had no problems nickh?

It does say that, and for ages I didn't dare use them. But I was having a complete nightmare with straight AA's and I read somewhere that people had been using them...so I tried them and they worked a treat.

you do have to be careful with RCRV-3's, there is a good reason they are not recommended.

That reason is voltage. Some R-CRV-3's are properly designed and regulated to produce 3V like the single use ones, and these should (In theory) be fine. Some however are just straight unregulated Li-Ion batteries which are CRV-3 shaped. These produce 3.7V (the standard cell voltage of Li-Ion) so a pair of them kick out 7.4V instead of the 6V the camera is designed for.

I don't think anyone on here has ever fried a camera this way, but if it were to take exception to the over-voltage and die then it would not be covered under the warrenty on account of having been used with a battery which had been specifically recommended against.

I believe there can also be overheating problems where cameras are not designed to take Lithium batteries.

When manufacturers advise against the use of a particular battery there is a reason behind it. Perhaps if they explained why it would help.

I totally agree John. There is a tendancy to assume that when a manufacturer says "use only *insert Manufacturer name here* approved batteries and accessories" they are just grabbing money for old rope and in some cases they are, but equally sometimes there's a good reason.

A good charger is the most important thing.

A good charger charges every cell independently and if it is a fast charger it should allso have the option to do slow charging.

I only used fast charging of NiMH when I didn't have the time, my charger can charge with 4x 700mA current or with 2x 1000mA current.
But fast charging is not good for the lifespan of the cell because the high current causes a lot of heat.
I used my charger mostly on 200mA of 500mA current. I didn't use the discharge option often, I gave them a discharge cycle every couple of months.

I just found this: http://www.nedap-batter.com/

This technology looks very promising, no words on capacity though.
It is a AA sized Li-Ion rechargeable but with 1,5 volt.
And the nice thing it's from a Dutch company!

Another of my hobbies is RC model flying. We use a lot of rechargeables one way or another. Vapextech batteries are getting a lot of good publicity and they are very reasonable as NiMHs go.

crikey

looks like I got away with it, will reconsider in the future if I end up with a K200d, thanks for the tip - would hate to be the first to fry a camera!