Battery Question I just ordered my Flip Ultra HD and after reading many of the reviews I am wondering what is the best method concerning batteries, the AA or the rechargables? Most of the 1 star reviews state problems with the rechargeable batteries and corrupting the device. I have not seen to much written about the use of AA batterys and performance. I do not want my device to break jsut because I use the rechargeable battery. Any suggestions/hints anyone can share? Thanks! Battery Question I just ordered my Flip Ultra HD and after reading many of the reviews I am wondering what is the best method concerning batteries, the AA or the rechargables? Most of the 1 star... » Read More Battery Question I just ordered my Flip Ultra HD and after reading many of the reviews I am wondering what is the best method concerning batteries, the AA or the rechargables? Most of the 1 star reviews state problems with the rechargeable batteries and corrupting the device. I have not seen to much written about the use of AA batterys and performance. I do not want my device to break jsut because I use the rechargeable battery. Any suggestions/hints anyone can share? Thanks! « Show Less
844893
That's a helpful post, Tyrone, thanks. My FlipHD has horrible battery life on the rechargeable batteries, but I've yet to try regular alkaline AAs. Will do that and see if that helps things.
844894
There's a reason they didn't include battery life meter in the design of the camera. Because they knew that battery power was short. Battery life decreased 10% in 30 min from just doing nothing with the power off.
844895
I just use regular batts and avoid all the fuss. Ni-MH batts will can't hold their charge very long at room temperature as well as alkaline varieties, are pretty pricey compared to alkaline, and eventually will die out too (or reach a point where their half-life makes their use totally inefficient). Flip runs quite well on normal AA and I never have to worry about overheating/charging or any issues many of the 1-star folks bring up.
844896
The batteries seem to be worthless. Mine has died and after looking on the web it seems like this has happened to most users. Amazingly Flip, now Cisco, hides behind their 90-day warranty. I wouldn't buy another product from the co.
1632985
Hi Jay, Could you send me photos ? In fact, you should consider the pins that make contact with power of Radio and the pins for recharge. ( when you put in base to recharge) The main problem of this batteries is because it is more wide than radio support. It forces the back cover of radio, and it not ease to close when you put it in radio. You need you tape to fix it. ( the radio look likes a old radio - terrible ) Another point is check the voltagem and mainly the electronic current, that for this product is 700mAh. Please if you want you can send my a email with photos. andregamaral@bol.com.br Regards Andr
409676
I have had nothing but trouble with battery life on this "monster". I received it as a Christmas present, charged the battery for at least 3 hours initially, then used it for an hour or so. When I tried to use it again the next day, the battery was so low the device would not boot up. Recharged it to 100% capacity, closed it down to sleep mode, tried to use it again after about 24 hours. The battery was again completely discharged. This has happened 3 times. Who wants a device that you have to charge for 3 hours EVERY 24 hours in order to use it 6 - 8 hours?? I don't recommend anyone buying this item! I have had nothing but trouble with battery life on this "monster". I received it as a Christmas present, charged the battery for at least 3 hours initially, then used it for an hour or so. When I tried to use it again the next day, the battery was so low the device would not boot up. Recharged it to 100% capacity, closed it down to sleep mode, tried to use it again after about 24 hours. The battery was again completely discharged. This has happened 3 times. Who wants a device that you have to charge for 3 hours EVERY 24 hours in order to use it 6 - 8 hours?? I don't recommend... » Read More I have had nothing but trouble with battery life on this "monster". I received it as a Christmas present, charged the battery for at least 3 hours initially, then used it for an hour or so. When I tried to use it again the next day, the battery was so low the device would not boot up. Recharged it to 100% capacity, closed it down to sleep mode, tried to use it again after about 24 hours. The battery was again completely discharged. This has happened 3 times. Who wants a device that you have to charge for 3 hours EVERY 24 hours in order to use it 6 - 8 hours?? I don't recommend anyone buying this item! « Show Less
1043329
Great timing with your question. I bought one of these a little while ago and went to use it for only the second time this past weekend.....(I use it as a back up when my main battery is depleted).....the first use was brief, as I only needed a few minutes battery time. This weekend, the battery was fully depleted in a matter of minutes (no more than 5 min) and on subsequent recharges, continues to work just as poorly. I am very disappointed. Don't know if this is the norm or not, but if it is, buyer beware.....
806710
I purchased mine in 2007 and only recharged when it dropped below the green (which was not often). I never had a problem getting the battery to charge to 100% until recently when I accidently hit the inverter ON switch before closing up the car and drained the battery. Now it will only charge a little over 50%. I primarily use this for the compressor although I will likely buy a replacement just for the peace of mind of having a jump start capability. I considered replacing the battery as well but figure it probably isn't worth the hassle, but if anybody tried it, let me know how it turned out! I purchased mine in 2007 and only recharged when it dropped below the green (which was not often). I never had a problem getting the battery to charge to 100% until recently when I accidently hit the inverter ON switch before closing up the car and drained the battery. Now it will only charge a little over 50%. I primarily use this for the compressor although I will likely buy a replacement just for the peace of mind of having a jump start capability. I considered replacing the battery as well but figure it probably isn't worth the hassle, but if anybody tried it, let me know how it turned... » Read More I purchased mine in 2007 and only recharged when it dropped below the green (which was not often). I never had a problem getting the battery to charge to 100% until recently when I accidently hit the inverter ON switch before closing up the car and drained the battery. Now it will only charge a little over 50%. I primarily use this for the compressor although I will likely buy a replacement just for the peace of mind of having a jump start capability. I considered replacing the battery as well but figure it probably isn't worth the hassle, but if anybody tried it, let me know how it turned out! « Show Less
1376688
I use regular AA batteries all the time. Never purchase expensive rechargeable batteries.
1352170
That's one downside here. AA's are too small. An alternate is the C123. That will be a pricey alternative because the XMLT6 will gobble them up. Go with the rechargeables.
1632984
Hi Jay, Could you send me photos ?In fact, you should consider the pins that make contact with power of Radio and the pins for recharge. ( when you put in base to recharge) The main problem of this batteries is because it is more wide than radio support. It forces the back cover of radio, and it not ease to close when you put it in radio. You need you tape to fix it. ( the radio look likes a old radio - terrible ) Another point is check the voltagem and mainly the electronic current, that for this product is 700mAh.Please if you want you can send my a email with photos. andregamaral@bol.com.brRegardsAndré Hi Jay, Could you send me photos ?In fact, you should consider the pins that make contact with power of Radio and the pins for recharge. ( when you put in base to recharge) The main problem of this batteries is because it is more wide than radio support. It forces the back cover of radio, and it not ease to close when you put it in radio. You need you tape to fix it. ( the radio look likes a old radio - terrible ) Another point is check the voltagem and mainly the electronic current, that for this product is 700mAh.Please if you want you can send my a email with photos.... » Read More Hi Jay, Could you send me photos ?In fact, you should consider the pins that make contact with power of Radio and the pins for recharge. ( when you put in base to recharge) The main problem of this batteries is because it is more wide than radio support. It forces the back cover of radio, and it not ease to close when you put it in radio. You need you tape to fix it. ( the radio look likes a old radio - terrible ) Another point is check the voltagem and mainly the electronic current, that for this product is 700mAh.Please if you want you can send my a email with photos. andregamaral@bol.com.brRegardsAndré « Show Less
1428525
I don't believe so. Check out this site by Batteries Plus: http://www.batteriesplus.com/product/47794-CAM10586-Battery/546-/6838-Camcorder-Batteries/651415-Flip-Video/Ultra-HD-8GB_-U32120.aspx CAM10586 Battery Ultra HD 8GB/ U32120 Flip Video Camcorder Ultra HD 8GB/ U32120 Flip Video Camcorder Battery CAM10586. When your Flip Video battery runs out of life, make Duracell Ultra your trusted replacement. Built for exact fit and reliable run time. Item number: CAM10586A Weight: 0.3500 lbs Voltage: 3.7V Capacity: 1100MAH Watt Hours: 4WH Number of Cells: 1 Primary Applications: Flip Video Ultra HD 3rd Generation, 4GB and 4GB/U32120 Replaces: ABT2W, BLI-408, CAMABT2W Each Price: $35.90
2249187
My usage pattern is similar, and I have had no battery life issues. I've had it a month and am still on the original set of batteries, and I will look into rechargeables after that as is my custom. I would strongly suspect that you have a defective unit. Personally, my big complaint is the lack of accessories; especially since it lacks a lanyard, some form of belt holster would be nice, and a rubber grip would be a very sensible addition.
2269945
Best to use Duracell (4) AA batteries. They should last 20-24 hours if new. Keep recirculating them as they loose power within the unit for max. use. I always keep an extra set in my carrying case for back-up and change after the ones in my unit are about 1/2 life left. You can use rechargeable but they won't last as long and you need to charge them up before you go out for max. efficiency. Happy Hunting!!!
1968077
My Flip is an early model (maybe even the earliest) It's several years old and uses batteries. I was able to get a rechargeable battery pack for it recently from Amazon. Good luck.
2260386
Your welcome. I just hope that it lives up to our expectations. Promising for sure. I held the Flip Mino HD at J&R; yesterday. Wow is it tiny. As expected, they didn't have the Vado HD yet. The Vado is only a bit wider because the LCD screen is larger. The difference is small enough that the Vado will be easily pocketable and I prefer the larger screen. I am wondering if I should order the AC adapter or just rely on the USB. Then again my Ipod Touch AC adapter might work...USB connector. Hmmm. Any idea?
221142
With my MB-D200 I carry the charged EN-EL3e as a spare and 6, 12 or more rechargeables (depending the assignment) These are 2500 - 2900 mA NiMH and generally last more or less as long as the proprietary battery. I have not seen much performance difference between expensive and cheap ones, but I guess the cheap ones will just die sooner (well, maybe not...) In the case of the MB-D10 of course, you would have to pack multiples of 8. Anyway, I always carry a box full of charged NiMH's, because I have to "feed" the flashes as well.
502672
I've been using AA rechargeable batteries (Eneloop) with AA to D adapters. After a fresh charge on a decent charger (I have the Sony model BCG34HLD2RN), when inserted into the WSCA03 there is a reading of 90% battery power. And the camera operates on them just fine, both photos and videos. So it may not be supported by the manufacturer, but it works for me. Someone mentioned that alkaline batteries are 1.5v. That's only true at their peak, when brand new. That figure drops as they are used.
2033335
Any rechargeable AA will work. The ones with the higher mAh ratings will likely hold a charge longer. I've used different brands without noticing much difference. I would just avoid the cheapest, unknown brands.
2111330
M_ENGLE and DUSTY comments contradicts what Bob commented...I want to use this device for load testing and confirm the condition of any battery......who am i to be believe now, because am about to place order.