GETTING READY

■Alkaline Battery Life

The actual life of alkaline batteries is affected by a variety of factors, including the battery manufacturer, the amount of time the batteries spend in storage before you use them, temperature while you are recording, and photographic conditions. As a rule, we recommend the use of rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries, which have longer lives than alkaline batteries.

•Certain conditions, especially at cold temperatures below about 5°C (41°F), can cause the message “Battery is low.” to appear when you turn on the camera.

•The PLAY mode requires less power than the REC mode. If you experience a problem turning on the camera in the REC mode, try switching to the PLAY mode.

■Battery Handling Precautions

Misuse of batteries can cause them to leak or explode, which damages and corrodes the area around the batteries and creates the risk of fire and personal injury. Make sure you observe the following precautions when using batteries.

•When loading batteries, make sure their positive (+) and negative (–) ends are facing correctly.

•Never mix new batteries with old ones.

•Never mix batteries of different brands.

•Use only the batteries that are specified for this camera.

•Never try to take batteries apart and always take care to avoid conditions where their two ends can become connected to each other (shorting). Never expose batteries to heat or throw them into fire.

•Dead batteries are susceptible to leakage, which can cause serious damage to your camera. Remove batteries from the camera as soon as you notice they are dead.

•Remove batteries from the camera if you do not plan to use it for more than two weeks.

•The batteries that power the camera normally become warm as you use them.

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