Olympus B-40SU Ni-MH Battery and Charger Set
by Olympus

List Price: $69.99
Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details

• Kit includes quick-charger and 4 AA batteries
• Fully charges 4 batteries in 3.5 hours
• Included batteries have 1,600 milliamp hours ultra-high capacity
• Memory-free NiMH design ensures top performance, charge after charge

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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Olympus B-40SU Ni-MH Battery and Charger Set

Customer Review: light, small, and powerful
Summary: 5 Stars

Although quick-charge might be important to some, I run an Olympus 3040 all day and into the night on the stock Olympus Batterys so I usually recharge overnight.

I also own a set of Friwo 1800 mAh batteries and they do last about a day longer per charge (shooting approx. a hundred 2048x1024 shots and at least two mpegs/day with the 3040 screen on). While it is nice that the 1800s can shoot for almost twice the 1600s without recharge, the 1600s are adequate for a whole day. I would actually recommend having two sets of rechargables and there's nothing wrong with the 1600s for the first set, especially since you save a lot of money compared to the 1800s. My Olympus charger set came bundled with my camera but I think four AA 1800s alone cost me a little more than the 1600s with the charger.

So, the Olympus 1600 mAh have been perfectly adequate as a first set for me and I love the light weight and small profile of the charger. I also like the fact that the charger can be locked away while it's charging (since it has a cord) or at least hidden from view. I also have a fast recharger with warning lights, "trickle" safety technology, etc. but it's big, heavy and doesn't have a cord.

Light weight and small size matters to me when I travel, probably more than technical details like warning lights and trying to extend the hypothetical long-term life of my batteries. Also, avoid chargers that plug directly into an outlet. They usually hang loosely on the wall from poorly fitted plug adaptors, have LEDs that light-up an entire room at night, and they are impossible to secure while charging. When I left my fancy wall-trickle charger running overnight in a hostel, I invariably found someone would be woken by the LEDs and remove the charger from the plug. This was an unpleasant experience for all.

Just for comparison, I found that regular disposables, even "ultra" and special camera batteries, will not make it through a whole day unless I purposefully conserve energy. For example if I take two or three mpeg on the 3040 with a few screen shots and maybe use the flash a couple times, I have to load a new set of disposable AAs. Actually, only two of the four really get drained. But even so, this was very inconvenient and the hassle of swapping batteries cost me enough opportunities that I never again would use disposables unless desparate. To be fair, the Olympus Lithium disposables lasted a whole week under heavy strain. They're great for a real pinch or remote locations, but more expensive per shot and less convenient than the NiMH rechargables, especially on long trips.

NOTE! You must keep a set of batteries in the camera to keep your camera settings even when it's off, so it's handy to have two sets of four. Before I had two sets of rechargables I used four "dead" disposables to keep the camera alive overnight. In addition, a second set of rechargables is a good idea for when you just can't charge your favorite set any more.

Description of Olympus B-40SU Ni-MH Battery and Charger Set

While many battery chargers plug directly into the outlet and hang on the wall while charging, the Olympus charger uses a cord that attaches to the unit. In addition, the unit can be plugged into any 100- to 240-volt outlet (assuming the plug fits in the socket), making this a great unit to take along if you're traveling internationally.

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