Trail camera batteries

Menard has the 48 pack of Rayovac AA’s on sale again. After the sale and rebate it comes to $8.89. Time to stock up. I know a few of us use these with great results. If you live in Alexandria you better get there before me or they may be gone.
DT

@thefamousgrouse

@sticker1

I also used these last year with great results

Thanks for the tipoff. Was just up at the property last weekend and noticed I’m running low. Need to buy a few boxes now so I’m ready for spring.

My father bought a pack of Duracell and they didn’t seem to be nearly as good as Rayovac.

And of course with kids these days, every possible toy needs batteries, so…

Grouse

I’ve been using Eneloop AA batteries in everything I care about.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/panasonic-eneloop-rechargeable-aa-batteries-12-pack-white/5467056.p?skuId=5467056

I bought my stock of 3 boxes of AA batteries. That will keep the fleet going into the late summer. Thanks for the tip, DT.

As part of the science fair at my children’s elementary school, one of the 5th graders did a very good experiment where he tested the top national brands of AA batteries. He did a great job of devising his testing device. Bottom line was the el cheapo Rayovacs beat both Duracell and Energizer. His results very closely matched the results of other tests he had to gather as part of the project.

For about $2 per camera per battery change I can’t see using anything else. I get an honest 3 months or more out of 8 of these batteries in all cams, Bushnell, Moultrie, and Browning.

Grouse

Thanks DT, I’ll have to swing by there and grab a couple

I think we’ve had this discussion before.but….. Im still running the same Energizer Ultimate Lithium that I put in almost a year and half ago, and the all read between 3/4 and full. That is a good buy on the Rayovac, and ill snag a box for non trail camera use.

For me its about the hassle of changing batteries in the field, increased scent I lay down in the area after lingering around fumbling with swapping out 8 AA batteries, and chance that the cold will lender the camera in operable when I need it most (in the cold) with no warning. My cameras take alot of pictures, and some hybrid video and pictures. When it get triggered I want as many pictures as I can get to “see” every detail of whats transpiring.

Here is some info from my guys at trailcampro.com .Im sure you guys know some of this stuff already, but maybe somethings you didnt…. their whole life is dedicated to testing cameras and batteries. They really know their stuff.

“lithium batteries produce 1.6 volts/cell, or as we like to say “They run hot”. Just as decreasing voltage produces weaker flash characteristics, increased voltage produces a stronger flash with brighter pictures.

We are noticing about a 10% increase in flash range when using lithium bats. In addition, starting out with the higher 1.6 voltage is like installing an auxiliary gas tank in your vehicle. Lithium batteries will increase the amount of time your camera can stay in the field, many times by multiple months.

Due to their chemical makeup, lithiums are also not affected by cold weather.
The downside is lithiums are quite a bit more expensive, and just like alkalines, they are also headed for the landfill after only 1 use.

Alkalines
Alkaline batteries are shipped with a power level of about 1.5 volts but begin to decrease in power the instant they are inserted.

As time goes on, the voltage level continues to decrease proportionally to the time left in the field/number of photos taken. This proportional decrease is especially evident when you examine night photos taken by infrared cameras. Photos taken early in the life cycle of an alkaline battery are bright and well illuminated. These early photos also represent the maximum flash range potential of the camera. (out of the box it is 10% less flash range than comparable camera powered by lithium bats) However, with every passing day, each subsequent night photo will be less illuminated.

The process will continue up until the point where night photos are pitch black and/or the camera shuts off due to low voltage. In addition, cold temperatures adversely affect alkaline batteries. Battery life is diminished and alkalines lose up to half their capacity in sub-freezing weather.

To summarize, alkaline batteries are cheap and available everywhere, but provide inconsistent power and don’t work well in the cold, not to mention they are extremely unreliable. To be more blunt,, we hate alkaline batteries. They are the source of many “trail camera problems.””

Good point, Skt and can’t disagree at all, LI batteries are superior for trail cam use in all areas except price and environmental friendliness. I hope that everyone who’s using them is recycling them and not putting toxic lithium into the landfill where it then pollutes our water.

In my case, I have cams out on my own property so checking them is quick and easy and I actually have come to believe the opposite of the “Ultra Low Pressure” theory. IMO it’s desirable on a small property to condition the deer to my presence. That’s an interesting other topic for discussion.

In the case of cam batteries, I can do the whole year with 2 sets of Rayovac batteries in each cam. 1 set does March to October and the other set does October to December. In many cams, there’s juice left in the batteries after I take down most of my cams in December, so those batteries get used a second time for kids toys.

For those out there using LI batteries, please get them to the recycle place when they’re dead. We don’t need any LI in our drinking water.

Grouse