A tip for photographers: batteries. For speedlighters like me, these are very important – so here are a few tips.

• Camera batteries are Lithium-Ion (LiIon). A battery technology that is used in most of your cameras. LiIon batteries do not need to be “fully discharged before charging”. You can charge them any time, even after just using 10% of the batteries. So go ahead and charge them daily. Never leave home without a full camera battery.
• Also, if you have not used a spare battery (you do have one, yes?) for a month, charge it (top it up).
• Flash batteries are NiMH, and these do have a slight memory effect. So use them up fully at least once a month. Better, get a conditioning charger like a Lacrosse (these can fully discharge the batteries before recharging). Also, these batteries “self discharge” in a month or two (some “low self discharge” batteries take longer, but they still discharge!). So recharge regularly.
• Light meter batteries are specialized. And they last a long time. And they run out when you need the meter… so, carry a spare.
• Pockwizard batteries: here you do not use rechargeables, which self discharge. but you use quality Alkaline batteries (low self discharge rate).
• Strobe batteries: (i.e. those heavy optional batteries for outside use of large flashes): These are lead-acid, like your car battery, and should be kept charged. No memory effect here, either. They must not be discharged fully.

And did I mention “always carry a spare set”?

Finally: when shooting an event or a commercial shoot, or anything else, even a family picnic: make it a routine to replace your flash batteries before you start each section. That way you will not run out.

Batteries have come a long way. But I notice that not everyone knows this.

Modern cameras overwhelmingly use Lithium Ion batteries:

They are recognisable by the word “LiIon” on the battery.

These batteries are fundamentally better than Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) or Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, all of which suffer to some extent from what we call the “memory effect”: if you do not discharge them fully at regular intervals, their capacity diminishes.

LiIon batteries, on the other hand, like to be kept charged. You can charge them daily and this does not harm them or diminish their capacity. So every day when you get home, charge your camera’s battery, so that you have a full charge when you leave the next day.

(And you always have a spare at hand, too – right?)

LiIon batteries also have a low rate of self-discharge: they keep their charge for a longer time without running down by themselves.

This is why I call them “betteries”.