Whew....what a day at the office. I work at a small university and the students are just now returning from holiday and we ARE NOT READY for them to return!!!!! But, we will be....we always are. Gosh....I can't believe its been nearly a year since I posted this message. Anyhoo, the camera is a good friend and pal now and not so new anymore. When I posted this message I had been using regular batteries, not rechargeable...hey, I was a total novice!!!! They lasted for about 50 pix...LOL. Got a charger and some rechargeable Everreadys the day after my post....gotten 5 more since then. Just got a new charger and more new batteries for Christmas, too. So....now I want the 1.5 teleconverter lens and some other goodies. This little point and shoot seems to do a pretty decent job with birds....had my doubts in the beginning. My brother-in-law is into photography big time and said it was a "so-so" camera but probably not really good for wildlife photography. For petes sake; I wasn't trying out for National Geographic.....I just wanted a "good enough" camera so I could take a decent picture of a bird and take it to someone and ask, "Do you know what kind of bird this is?".....And it does that....and more. I've gotten some pretty decent shots with it and am totally satisfied with the camera. I still haven't played with a lot of the settings and haven't really experimented with the video taking part yet. But, I'm happy with the results. My husband also got me (in addition to those much needed new batteries and charger) a Canon Selphy photo printer so now I can print some of my own photos. Its a pretty neat little gadget and really simple to use.....(and it was on sale!!!) I am quite pleased with this little camera. The only drawback for me is the bulk of the camera. Sometimes I wish it was a little more compact and easier to slip in and out of a cargo pocket. Other than that its perfect for what I want it for and takes pretty good pix. Now to see if the old budget will let me get that converter and lens. Gail....thanks so much for the heads up on the eBay items....in fact I'm heading there now to check out some things. Bob....your crow is beautiful....especially navigating to the suet log. I love crows....we have 5 that sorta "hang out" here in the neighborhood, you know, just terrorizing the Coopers and the Red-tails....what a treat when their around. Thanks to you both....... ~Kathy~

I have a Canon Powershot S2 IS and there is a problem with the batteries. This camera uses NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) rechargables. This type of cell is notorious about self-discharging. Manufacturer's literature may state that these loose 10% of charge per month and a recharge life of 500 times. My experience has been worse. I find that after the first 2 to 3 charge cycles, the cells have lost capacity and the self discharge rate is more like 10% per week. As a result, I carry several sets of cells and charge these before I go out on a shoot. When on a trip, I carry a small charger in the camera bag and each night, I freshen the charge in at at least 2 set of cells for the next day. I find that regular NiMH cells deterioate too quicky for my use. I found a solution at Batteries Plus. They sell a hybrid NiMH that is superior to holding charge compared to the regular versions. This cell is not perfect, but the improvement is very good. These cells are pricey but I think the improvement is worth it. However, in your case, there may have been a problem with the battery indicator in your camera as well. I mention the NiMH problem because I think that may have been part of the problem as well.

Do you already have glass from a previous system? Check out dpreview.com and look at the camera reviews New releases for entry level DSLRs are: Canon XTi Nikon D80 Olympus E400 Pentax K10D Sony A (EEk!Sony DSLR...)FYI, Konica- Minolta sold its camera division to Sony. There is devenitely rooom for imrovment and and I think they will attemp to make those improvements. All of above mentioned are 10MP and brand new so prices will be high for them. Lens _availability_ advantages go to Canon, Nikon and Pentax with Olympus in 4th place, however, Olympus makes some of the best lenses out there for a good price. They all have there advantages and disadvantages. Olympus iinroduced a new system called 4/3rds and most of the lens releases have been HQ and Very HQ since the first DSLR they released was "Pro" camera, but now Sigma is joining in on the concept so there are now lower priced lenes available. You can use the old OM mount lens but you have to get an adaptor, there cheap on ebay($16). I have the Canon Rebel XT but it sits on the shelf, it a great camera and but its shines in low light situations, high ISO. I am not usually shooting picture in the dark and my other Olympus DSLR make great pictures with the KIT LENSES! The kit lens with the Canon was crap, I ended up buying a new lens becuase it was so cheaply made, actually my wife bought it I just supplied the $$. I test drove the D50 for a few days and it had a serious banding issue. Again they are all good brands it just depends on which one you like the best. Prices for last years model will be dropping soon. If you have a Sams card go over there and look at the E500. Joe

Quote, "actually only two DSLRs have the ability to use EVF: Olympus E330 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1" Actually that is not true..The Pentax K-7, K200d and K-x all feature live view. I have been shooting a Pentax *ist DL (6.1mp) and have just ordered a Pentax K200d to get the "shake reduction", "Live View" and 14.6mp resolution while still allowing me to use all the Pentax lenses that I currently own, going back to the old Pentax screw mount lenses from the late 60's. Now for the original question regarding battery life: Now in regards to the original question regarding battery life: First off, you cannot judge battery life by how many SD cards you have recorded because the number of images you can put on an SD card is dependent upon both the size of the card and what format you are shooting. My Pentax *ist DL will allow me to use a maximum 2gb SD card. With a 2gb card I can record 165 images in RAW format (6mp), 760 in JPEG "Best" mode (4mp), and nearly 2400 images in JPEG "good" mode (1.5mp). Now in regards to the original question about battery life. There are a number of factors that effect battery life. First off, per the table in my Pentax 8ist user manual battery life varies greatly depending upon what type of batteries you are using. Obviously the best battery life is with the special batteries that are made specific to this camera, but the Pentax 8ist will also allow me to use 4 AA batteries so I will only show the comparison of AA batteries. Approximate image storage and playback capacity: AA LITHIUM ION- batteries: (Note that operating temp has a big effect) 23 DegC normal mode 750 images, 50% flash 650, 100% flash 550-Playback 700minutes 0 degC normal mode 670, 50% flash 570, 100% flash 470-playback 470min. AA Rechargeable NiMH 2500mAh @ 23degC 560, with 50% flash 500, 100% flash 440, Playback 470 0 degC 500, with 50% flash 440 and 100% flash 380, playback 400 AA Alkaline batteries: 23 degC 90, with 50% flash 70, with 100% flash 50, playback 140 Not recommended at 0DegC. ................................................. I primarily shoot nature and wildlife photography and I am looking forward to the live view feature because I often shoot macro and very low angles, often requiring the camera to sit right on the ground. Currently I am using a right angle view finder but the live view will make it much easier. On average I shoot about 500 pictures a day and have shot as many as 1500 in one day. When I go in the field I carry 10 2gb SD cards and 5 sets of AA NiMh (2900mAh) rechargeable batteries. While the above table for NiMh rechargeables was for 2500mAh batteries from my experience I find that the 2900mAh batteries perform as well as the Lithium Ion batteries. You can expect to pay about $20 for a set of four AA Energyzer or Duracell 2900mAh batteries and another $20 for wall charger but after having recharged them perhaps as many as a hundred times I find they are a bargain at twice that price. I also bought some generic rechargeable NiMh batteries on Ebay. The ones listed as 2900mAh work fine, but the ones listed as 2500mAh do not perform nearly as well, although they do work well in my external flash equipment and flashlights. When buying rechargeable NiMh batteries be very careful to check the amp/hour rating. They make some AA NiMh batteries that are listed as rechargeable garden light batteries. They are only 1800mAh and while they work fine in those little solar powered garden & walkway lights, they are useless for photo applications.