Howdy friends! I received a couple questions about the battery performance for the Kodak Z981. In this quick guide I’m going to answer the following questions…
The Kodak Z981 can take 4 AA alkaline, lithium, or rechargeable Ni-MH batteries.
The included Kodak Ni-MH rechargeable batteries can take between 400 to 500 pictures per charge. In my experience, the range can vary between 300 to 500 photos depending on how much you use the Flash, the LCD screen and the amount of time you spend viewing pictures.
- Use the EVF – If you’re in a pinch and need to conserve as much battery power as possible, try using the electronic viewfinder (EVF) instead of the LCD. You can do this by pressing the EVF/LCD button.
- LCD Power Save mode – If you absolutely need to use the LCD, you can enable Power Save mode which dims the LCD and uses less power. You can access this in the setup menu, under LCD Brightness.
- Clean the battery contacts – Believe it or not, cleaning the battery contacts can actually extend the life of your batteries. Take a few minutes each time you place the batteries into your Z981 and clean the contacts with a microfiber cloth.
- Use body heat – If you’re shooting in temperatures lower than 41 degrees, the battery performance will drop significantly. If you’ve got an extra set of AA rechargeable batteries, put them in your pocket so that they’re up against your body. The warmth will help the batteries hold a longer charge.
A pack of AA batteries can cost you somewhere between $3 to $6 dollars each time you run into a situation where you run out of power. This can add up over time.
I always carry an extra set of Eneloop Ni-MH rechargeable batteries. They’re very reliable and hold an excellent charge. In case you’re wondering, you can use the included Kodak charger to charge the Eneloop’s!
If you’d like to stick with the Kodak Ni-MH rechargeable batteries, you can find them at Amazon for around $12 bucks.
In my tests, both sets of batteries were able to squeeze out around 450 in outdoors shooting and around 300 for indoor shooting (using the flash in certain situations). I didn’t notice any major differences in battery life, however, over time the Eneloop batteries should hold their charge much longer due to their excellent shelf life.
If you have any other questions about the EasyShare Z981 battery performance, please leave a comment to this post and I’ll get back to you lickety split.
Happy shooting!
Written by Moose on Monday, May 24, 2010
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Hello Moose,
I was just wondering if there was a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack available for the Z981 by Kodak or any other manufacturer ?
Thanks in advance,
John
Howdy John,
Unfortunately no, the Z981 only accepts Ni-MH rechargeable AA batteries.
- Moose
I just bought the Z981, my question is when taking pictures in a high school basketball gymnasium what setting would be best? Some of my pics were black and some just had odd coloring to it. So far I love this camera functionality is fantastic but I just cannot get the gymnasium shots where I need them. Also I noticed a lot of questions about charging the battery and I was told that it could take up to 16 hrs to charge the batteries.
Thank you!
~Rachel~
I bought the KodakZ981 and when I go to charge the batteries, the charger light is red when I plug it in and it was lift for 24 hrs. and it still shows red…..how long do they take to charge.
Can anyone help me…please….reba
Reba,
Sounds like there may be an issue with your batteries or the charger. It should only take 4 to 6 hours for a full charge. I’d try contacting Kodak support in your area. Best of luck!
- Moose
Moose…thank you so much….reba
Hello,
Wondering if you have heard or witnessed your Z981 clicking when it is sitting still. I thought it was the sound from the zoom re-adjusting, but it’s not. Sometimes, when it is just sitting there, it is clicking. Any ideas?
Thank you,
Debi
I just got his camera for Christmas and it was making a clicking noise too. Kind of annoying. I also dont know how long you charge the batteries for. I have it on the charger for a day and it still has the red light on.
Does the charger get hot when the batteries are charging? I just checked after about 3 hours and it was hot. Didn’t know if that was a problem.
Amy,
Yeah, the batteries do get very warm. If they’re hot enough to burn your hand, then something is wrong with the charger.
- Moose
Dear Moose,
Just an update about using the Rapid Battery Charger…You were right about doing a quick charge (see below post), as I only got about 200 shots. I am now using the regular charger and have about 50% battery left on over 150 pictures and some short videos. Thanks for your help!
Mike,
Good to hear…happy shooting!
- Moose
Newbie needs help with Z981. I just purchaed it and love the pictures. I want to be able to take non flash pictures of wildlife ext but the red light that flashes before the shot seems to change the sceen even scare off the wildlife. Any sugguestions how to turn it off?
Robert,
It sounds like the red-eye reduction pre-flash is enabled. You should be able to it off inside the setup menu. You can read more about it on page 44 of the manual.
- Moose
I just picked up my new Z981 yesterday…haven’t put it down yet :)
My question is about recharging batteries. I have a Kodak Ni-MH Rapid Battery Charger (Model: K4500) from when I had my old Z700.
Can I use the K4500 to quick charge the new Kodak batteries I got with the Z981?
I also have Duracell DX1500/1.2V/2000 mAh Ni-MH batteries, would they be safe in the K4500?
Do the lights on the new charger for the Z981 change color, red to green when charged?
Thanks!
Mike,
Congrats on the new cam! Yes, charging your new Kodak (and Duracell) batteries in the K4500 charger should be fine, however, the quick charger usually doesn’t “fully” charge the batteries. Meaning your overall battery life will be shorter if you use the quick charger. Yes, lights will turn green (if I remember correctly) when batteries are fully charged. Normally takes 4 to 6 hours for a full charge.
- Moose
my battery meter never shows full charge even after charging over night
using the batteries and charger that came with it
Andy,
Sounds like a faulty charger, I would call Kodak support in your area. Best of luck!
- Moose
Why does it take so long to recharge the Kodak batteries? I put them on the charger yesterday at 2:00 p.m. and it was still charging this morning.
Thank you.
Joan,
Hmm…it shouldn’t take that long. The batteries should be fully charged in 3 to 4 hours. Are you using the supplied kodak batteries and charger? If so, you may have a faulty charger and in that case I would call Kodak support.
- Moose
moose plz help me i cannot find that option to take quickview off either… my mode is in smart scene and that option is NO WHERE on the menu!!!
Christian,
The Kodak menu is a bit clunky. I would try rotating the mode dial to Program mode (P) and then try accessing the menu to turn off the quickview feature.
- Moose
I don’t find where can I adding a date stamp to my photos ( the firmware is 1.02 ; only in Review – Edit).Where can I do this for all photos ?
Emil,
I don’t believe the Z981 comes with a time stamp feature. I’m not sure why Kodak didn’t include it with the Z981.
- Moose
Hi Moose,
I have two sets of batteries and chargers: the kodak batteries and charger that came with the camera, and a set of rechargeable duracells with a charger. The duracell charger only takes an hour, whereas the charger that came with the camera takes much longer. But when I use the duracell charger, neither the kodak batteries or duracell batteries ever show a full charge. In fact, the charge bar on the camera only shows half or less charged. Also, if I don’t use my camera for a week or so, the charge drops almost to zero. Can you advise on what I should do? Thank you!
Jackie,
While the convenience of having a quick charger sounds nice, they have a tendency to “under-charge” your batteries…meaning they will quickly charge your batteries so you can go back out and use them, however, the charge is usually never a FULL charge. I would stick with the Kodak charger and just charge your batteries overnight, a good 8 hours. This will allow your batteries to receive a full charge and also last a bit longer. If you know you’re not going to be using your camera for an extended period of time, take your batteries out and store them in your camera case (this will extend their life).
- Moose
How much time does it take to recharge the Kodak batteries?
Burton,
Roughly 3 to 4 hours for a full and complete charge.
- Moose
I am new to this camera. Are pre-charged batteries ready to insert into the camera and use – or do I need to put them into the charger? The definition of “pre-charged” is not something I can find anywhere.
Thanks!
Pat,
Yes, you can insert pre-charged batteries into your Z981 and start shooting. Most manufacturers of rechargeable batteries will package the batteries with a full charge. Depending on how long they’ve been sitting on the store shelf, you should be able to get some power right away.
- Moose
Well right now it’s in auto setting ( red icon ) also the running man one for golf and surfing shots. I have also been trying to learn the manual settings slowly. I need to go buy a idiots guide for some of these settings.
LOL ok I don’t have that listed on my menu, it’s gotta be a firmware thing. My setup menu tab has under it: data&time, LCD brigtness, Share button setting, Capture frame grid, Red Eye reduction, Orientation sensor, Camera sounds, Video out, Image storage, Language, Reset camera, Format and the About.
That is the list top to bottom. This is very weird.
MrGutts,
Which shooting mode are you in? Take a look at the dial on top of the Z981 and let me know.
- Moose
Hey Moose,
I just got a new 981 for my birthday and for the life of me I can’t find that setting to turn off quickview in the menu system. The camera is on firmware 1.0, do you think I need to update it? I am just trying to speed up that preview or turn it off because it takes forever to display.
Thanks in advance
MrGutts
MrGutts,
Here you go…
- Press the Menu button
- Navigate to the Setup tab
- Press Ok, then navigate down
- Locate the ‘Quickview’ option
- Turn this option OFF
That should do it! :)
- Moose
How many times can these batteries be re-charged with the battery chargers and how long does it usually take to re-charge them?
Also, what is the difference between the re-chargeable ones and the regular store bought ones, in regards to amount of time they last new/fully charged? Thanks
Hi Gina,
Great questions…
1. The Eneloops can be charged up to 1000 times before they start to loose a charge. The advantage with these Eneloops is that they hold their charge for a long time. So if they’re sitting in your camera bag for a year they’ll still have roughly 85% battery life.
2. It usually takes 3 hours to charge.
3. It depends on which type of battery you buy. If you are going fo longer battery life, look on the package for the mAh rating. The higher the number the longer the battery will last during an all day outing with your camera.
Hope that helps!
- Moose
For how many minutes long can I take an HD video per charge on the Kodak Z981?
Hey Jim,
In my unscientific tests, the Z981 lasted about 60 minutes to 90 minutes on a single charge of continuous video shooting. Hope that helps!
- Moose