Not everyone does this

To make your NiMH batteries the best they can be, you'll need to perform occasional maintenance to conditioning them. With the right charger, it's a snap. While many continue to question or flatly deny the utility of conditioning NiMH batteries in general, my NiMH batteries have responded favorably to
these simple measures:

For new NiMH batteries running them through the 3 to 5 initial conditioning cycles. Fully charged and then moderate their discharge to 1.0V before putting them into a routine service. This will insure that they are at their maximum capacity and offer a long service life.
Once the initial conditioning is complete you can recondition NiMH cells very occasionally to revive them when their performance clearly begins to lessen. A perform maintenance is usually needed when the battery is nearing the end of their service life. This conditioning may stretch batteries into lasting a little more

To obtain the best first time conditioning cycle you need to use a device that can fully discharge a NiMH battery set. These batteries are most often used in high drain solid state electronic such as digital cameras. These devices draw up to a certain current and than shut down. NiMH batteries will not be able to reach the proper depth of
discharge effective enough for proper conditioning. So higher end chargers will allow for you to do these actions right in the charger, which would be the ideal location to do this

A good thing here is not always a better thing to do. Too much conditioning is far worse than none at all. Repeated deep discharges can shorten service life considerably and unnecessarily.

Conditioning Chargers

Once again when looking for a charger find one with a built - in discharging circuit that can safely limit the rate and depth of discharge. If the charger allows for a manual conditioning this is the best. Some chargers will do this automatically and other chargers leave this up to the user.

Flashlight not a Good Idea

Do not use an analog device like a flashlight to discharge batteries. Discharging NiMH batteries below ~1.0V can come to irreversible performance loss due to polarity reversal or anode oxidation. The benefits of NiMH conditioning are not worth the risk of battery damage. If you lack the wherewithal to limit the discharge phase properly, it's better to
forego conditioning.

Between conditioning, NiMH battery manufacturers claim that shallow discharge/charge cycles are more conducive to long NiMH service life than deep ones. I
have no reason to doubt them here.

It's probably not worthwhile to adhere to a rigid charging regimen in this regard - after all, NiMH batteries would remain your best bet economically even if
they died fairly young. But you might as well swap out and top off whenever it's convenient to do so.

 I bought 4 batteries for about twenty four dollars and that was about average for other brands too. That is about six dollars Canadian a piece, but you can use these batteries up to 1000 charge cycles. So obtaining extra battery sets are worthwhile.

For starters, carrying 4 extra NiMH AA sets allows you to

• Stop worrying about how long those batteries are going to last in your camera.
  Just use them until they will not work anymore.
  Than charge them when you can.
• Use that energy eating LCD screen on your camera
• If needed you can have a set or two charging in the charger.
  You can obtain a charger that works from off the lighter outlet in your car as well as one that will work from an AC outlet.

• The LCD monitor, uses a lot of battery power when it is turned on. The view finder uses no power anytime. So use your LCD sparingly from the camera.
• Another consumer is the zoom lens motor. When using the zoom on the camera in an on and off manner forces the zoom lens to extend and retract with each power cycle. Take advantage of the sleep mode if the device has one. I found out that the Olympus C4040 has a sleep mode if you leave it on between shots.
• Another big consumer is the cameras built in flash.
• Use external card reader if you are using a digital still camera, when you can.

Cold NiMH lose at least 20% of their capacity at freezing (32°F, 0°C) At -20°C, they've will lose 80%. The good thing about these batteries are that at room temperature their back to full power capacity.

Since cold NiMH batteries behave like batteries of lesser capacity, be prepared for reduced run times in freezing conditions. Carrying extra sets of batteries in a
warm pocket when using NiMH in cold weather. When the cold batteries in the camera fail, take them out and replace them with a warmer set. Once the cold set have warmed up, there remaining reserve can be used.

Refrigerating NiMH batteries to stored will preserve their capacity by slowing the self-discharging rate. The lowest possible temperature in is in the 0-30° C range when storing NiMH batteries.

Remember, however, that cold is no friend at discharge time, as noted above. Cold NiMH batteries may deliver capacities well below their rating, but once warmed, available capacity will recover completely.

When returning NiMH batteries to service from cold storage, bring them back up to room temperature before using them.

Be sure to refrigerate charged NiMH batteries in clearly marked, sealed plastic bags to keep your battery sets together. Protect them from shorts, condensation and spills, and to discourage other from using your batteries.

When buying NiMH AAs, look for the rated capacity C, measured in milliamp - hours (abbreviated mAh) as well as the cost per Ah.
For digital cameras, stick with 1300+ mAh AAs and think twice about paying the premium for the highest capacity AAs currently on the market.

NiMH AAs are not all created equally, however differences are hardly noticeable. Pick your favorite such as: Radio Shack, Rayovac, Nexcell, Powerex, Olympus, Kodak and
Sanyo. However stick to one brand per set that is do not mix and match.

Look at Cost Per Capacity

The highest capacity NiMH AAs on the market always go for a premium, but that premium is seldom worth paying.

 Lithium are the best performers especially when used in cold weather. they will supply good power. They also have a great shelf life. However they are extremely expansive and hard to find to buy.

The next best portable reusable power is the NiMH rechargeable which are excellent for using in digital photography, such as still cameras. NiMH
rechargeable batteries are good in just about any solid - state electronic device.

Those offered by Rayovac offer rechargeable Alkaline batteries, however in a device such as a digital camera which is a high drain unit. Alkaline batteries will last two times less than NiMH. The Rayovac charger takes about sixteen hours to recharge. So you will need to purchase many more batteries than you would say compared to NiMH rechargeable.