Hey Everyone,

I am purchasing a digital camera for my trip to Europe, and I am concerned about recharging it. I may just skip this step entirely and get one that uses alkaline batteries, but I would prefer to get a rechargable one, as I will want to use it after the trip as well. I am going to be in Italy, Paris, and London, so if I do get a rechargable one, what would I need to purchase to be able to recharge it?

Thanks,
Shawn

I don't quite understand. Do they sell cameras without charger where you are? It would seem strange, but if they do, you would have to buy a charger extra and additionally a plug adapter.
If you only have a two-pin plug on the charger you would need two different adapter (UK and continental). If it has three pins you need three adapters - a for British, French and Italian system (the latter differ in the grounding pin).
Also look up what it say on the transformator of your charger: if it only says 110 V you would need an additional transformer. But unless it is some very local brand of the camera it should say 110/230 V, then you are fine.

Buy a recharger and 2 (sets of?) batteries. All the rechargers I've seen will handle dual voltages. So the only other thing you'll need is 2 plug adapters, one for England and one for the continent. See this web site for more information: www.kropla.com/electric.htm

Digital cameras usually come with one of these two configurations:

- It uses a dedicated rechargeable battery (most likely Lithium ion, older uses Nickel-Cadmium). The camera will come with one battery and a charger. The charger should accept all voltage from 100-240V. Like Mimar says, you should buy one extra battery and then the two plug adapters.

- It uses AA size batteries. When you're on a trip, just buy AA-sized alkaline or lithium disposable batteries and don't need to worry about recharging them on the trip At home, you can buy rechargeable AA batteries that come with a charger.

It's your choice, but most of the more compact cameras use dedicated rechargeable, so you don't get to choose with those.

Hi SB,

Your camera will come with a battery charger.

Look to see that it says "Input 1XX-2XX Volts".

If it does, you need a plug adapter for US/Europe conversion.

If you go to the UK, you will need a UK adapter as well.

If it doesn't, don't buy the camera.

FNAC in Paris sells adapters at a very reasonable price so you could just purchase them when you get to your destinations.

I take two sets of rechargeable AA cells and charge them overnight. A pair and a spare.

If you do this, make sure your cells are new, because their ability to hold a charge diminishes with age. Just like me.

bookmarking

If you do get a camera with a non-alkaline battery, I second the advice to get an extra battery. I bought a Canon PowerShot last October, and a spare battery was $30 or $40. It was absolutely worth it to be able to have an extra, fully charged battery on me all the time - no worrying about your battery dying while you're sightseeing away from your hotel.

Multi-country plug adapters - ie, ones where you can twiddle around so it inputs from Continental European, US, Australian or UK points and outputs to any plug from any of those zones - are available at practically every shop you'll pass (including my local post office) in Britain for about £5.

No need to buy two.

So what happened to the OP?

Probably got electrocuted.

The OP started posted yesterday. So, he's still around.