When To Up the Stakes

And when to stand pat.

I'm led to believe these terms have something to do with playing cards, but that's just a rumour...For the photographer they revolve around the equipment we use - and in some case the humblest of the accessories.

We all depend upon batteries, unless we are using purely manual film cameras and are good at estimating exposure. Somewhere inside everything is a battery doing one of several things:

a. Taking electricity in.

b. Letting electricity out.

c. Swelling, bursting, or leaking.

d. Just lying there, dead.

The camera design determines what happens with (b), the quality of the battery with (c), and blind fate with (d). You get a choice with (a) as to how you'll do it, and the choice can be a good one to study.

Most cameras that have a removable battery come with a battery charging device as part of the basic set. There will be an electronic block and an AC power cord for your country. Plug in, charge, and go. You'll often be given a rudimentary indicator like an LED light to tell you when the power's going in and when the battery is full. Some chargers have quite a code system worked out with the light to define different stages.

A case in point are the charger blocks for my Fujifilm W126 batteries; put a low battery in the block and the green light comes on. It stays on until the thing is full of electricity again - then winks out. But it also flashes intermittently if there is some flaw in the charging process. This might be dirty pads on the battery or failure to fully insert it. It may also flash when the battery is so very low as to be nearly completely discharged. Then you need to hold the W126 into the block until it has trickled enough juice in to actually identify the contact as a real battery.

Note that some newer cameras charge by USB cords directly into the sockets in the side. If this is convenient for some occasions imagine the time when it isn't...when you need a fresh battery now and can't wait for the long, slow trickle charge to work.

Note also that charger blocks do not last forever. I've replaced two different types for my Fujifilms over the years and am going to change tack the next time a block goes dead - I'm going to get a Hahnel dual charger. These are available for all major brands from the accessory bar at Camera Electronic. The Procube 2 has provision for dual charging and far more useful information about what it is doing inside and what the health of the batteries are than any of the small proprietary blocks. Interchangeable plates are available to accomodate different models of battery. I do try to keep all my cameras to the same w126 type but you never can tell what the future may bring.

Is it always necessary to keep to the maker's parts? Not necessarily...