Digital cameras 101

[sarahaltman]

i've been looking into buying the digital rebel xt for a while now and i've gotten different answers on the type of battery with the 18-55mm lens kit and how long it lasts.  some people have called it a "15-minute battery" while i've read other reviews saying the batteries have lasted hours.  does anyone know the truth?  the battery from these salespeople seems to have been an "unexpected cost" (in the hundreds).. enough to make me rethink buying the camera.  please help!

[Mike54]

Hi Sarah and welcome to the Q&A Board.

I'm assuming you're speaking of the NB-2LH Battery Pack (unless of course you're getting the optional grip which allows you to use 6 AA batteries). The NB-2LH Battery is smaller than the BP-511 I got with my original Rebel but should last quite long depending on the environment. If it's cold it will discharge faster. Providing it has a proper charge though everything should be fine (it will definitely last more than 15 minutes). My suggestion would be to have a least 2 of them, more if you can (check out sterlingtek for spares, they have good prices and I for one have good luck with their product).
The lens shouldn't have a major effect on the battery life though I have heard that the IS (image stabilized) lenses may run them down a bit quicker but you couldn't prove it by me.
To make sure of conserving the battery make sure you set the camera to turn off (sleep mode) if not used for something like 2 minutes rather than the default (which I believe is 8 minutes). The start up after pressing the shutter button shouldn't be too noticeable.

[sarahaltman]

thanks for your help, Mike!  I really appreciate your input.  I think I'm going to have to do a little more research into trustworthy companies and what to expect.  you've really helped a lot.