[hawiken]

Re: I have 2 pairs that I bought from Radio Shack for my digital camera (Kodak DX 3600). I charged both pairs for the 4th of July weekend, and used one to shoot about 25 pictures. The camera has been idle since then. Today, when I turned it on, the batteries in the camera were flat. Not only that, but the spare batteries were flat, too. Is it common for these batteries to lose their charge in 4 weeks like this, or are these not very good batteries? If not, what would you recommend? Any comments are appreciated.
Thanks,
Ken

[Axo1ot1]

http://www.greenbatteries.com/

[tooki]

It's absolutely normal for rechargeable batteries to lose 1-2% of their charge each day. Add to that the fact that the camera, even when "off", is still using a tiny amount of power.

Just get a charger that will keep them charged, and keep them in the charger. (Don't forget to fully drain the batteries before charging -- NiCad and NiMH batteries will suffer from the memory effect if you don't do this.)

tooki

[Davidarm]

NiMh batteries actually lose more like 4-5% of their charge per day, hence your dead batteries after 28 days. Tooki is exactly right that you need to keep a set charging all the time. All the chargers now are smart enough that they won't overcharge no matter how long they've been in the charger.

[killer_735]

Also, I would really recommend you buy some batteries NOT from Radio Shack. (I'm pretty happy with my Energizers) I've seen a lot of gear, both pro audio and computer, go south because of components I later traced to Radio Shack. Seriously, their stuff is the electronic equivalent of K-mart clothing.