3 Best AA Batteries for Trail Cameras

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When you are looking for the best batteries for all trail cameras, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

The most important thing is to find batteries that will provide long-lasting power to your camera. You also want to find batteries that are durable and can stand up to the elements.

In this blog post, we will discuss the different types of batteries that are available for trail cameras.

Whether you are looking for a new battery or just want to make sure you are using your current battery correctly.

First and foremost, you should be sure that your camera has enough power to last through the entire hunting season.

Second: your camera must be dead while filming a critical moment, for example; a buck walks by. Third: higher quality batteries will simply take batter pictures and videos.

What batteries last the longest in trail cameras?

The average life of a trail camera battery is approximately 30,000 photos. However, there are many variables that can affect a battery's life span.

Such as the ratio of night and day photos, video modes, inclement weather, and the batteries that you are using.

Aside from price and photo quality, when buying a trail camera, the most commonly sought-after question is; what is the life of a trail camera battery?

Most cameras in today’s market operate on a 12v system. Meaning they need 12 volts of energy to work at their best levels.

Although it’s not uncommon for some cameras to run on a 6v or 9v system, many added features such as detection and flash distance, as well as trigger speed and multi burst models.

SA 12v system typically requires 8 by 15v AA batteries. (8 x 15 = 12v), even the cheapest AA batteries, right out of the box, should produce the needed 15v.

Which Are the Best AA Batteries for Trail Cameras?

We tested a dozen of batteries for our trail cameras and we found these three cameras did work best.

Therefore, I'm going to list them down here for your reference and you can buy them from Amazon need them for your trail camera.

1) EBL AA Rechargeable Batteries 2800mAh

It has a high capacity, so no longer worry about the endurance of the batteries. EBL 2800mAh will provide ultra-strong power for your devices to perform well and operate longer.

1200 cycle – EBL adds mix protection additive to the cathode of batteries, protects the material from degradation in the progress of charge, and extends lifespan up to 1200 cycles.

EBL batteries made in supercell lattice technology make it more inner space to contain such high volume power juice, provide constant voltage, and best performance in heavy load discharge.

It has an embedded seal structure that expands the space of crystal lattice and makes more room for hydrogen, so EBL batteries will hold 80% power after 3 years and benefit from its concentration to low self-discharge project.

With the safety assurance, Ni-MH eco-friendly cell doesn’t contain Hg/Cd/Pb, makes no pollution to the environment, and uses CBCK steel shell which can protect the battery against explosion because of its overpressure.

2) Energizer - L91 - Ultimate Lithium – AA

The Energizer Ultimate L91 AA Battery is the most powerful and efficient primary AA battery available on the market today.

With an impressive capacity of 3000 mAh, the L91 can power your trail camera and other high-performance electronics for up to 8 times longer than the typical alkaline battery!

The L91s are capable of producing 3 Amps of continuous and 5 Amps of pulse current (2 seconds on, 8  seconds off,) more than enough to power high drain devices like flashlights, remote control, vehicles, and high-held gaming system, and much more.

The cells feature an exceptionally long shelf life of up to 20 years, making them perfect to keep around the house or in your house as spares.

Special Chemistry

The L91 cells use a unique Lithium Iron Disulfide (LiFeS ₂) chemistry to provide greater power and dependability compared to even other lithium batteries.

Capable of functioning in both extremely high and low temperatures, the L91 is much more reliable than regular primary batteries.

Their higher operating current and flatter discharge curve allow the cells to achieve better performance and longer runtimes.

The chemistry even makes the batteries intrinsically safer, providing greater leak resistance, and replacing the need for unstable chemicals such as lead or mercury.

Features

SPECIFICATIONS

3) Panasonic Eneloop BK-3MCCA-4BA AA Batteries

Panasonic Eneloop is the very best when it comes to powering home electronics, providing powerful and long-lasting energy with environmentally friendly rechargeability.

Eneloop AA-sized batteries feature 2000 mAh energy capacity and are extremely low self-discharge, capable of maintaining 70 percent of their charge in storage for up to 10 years!

Superior Eneloop technology also gives these power sources a great working life and each one can be used up to 2100 Recharge Cycle, so there is no need to waste time on disposable batteries.

Eneloop is perfect for small home electronics including remote controls for television and game systems, alarm clocks, wireless mice and so many more. This convenient 4-pack comes with 4 AA-sized Eneloop batteries.

Features

SPECIFICATIONS

How long should lithium batteries last in a trail camera?

Lithium batteries are batteries that use lithium metal as a negative pole during discharge. Lithium is the lightest of all metals and has the greatest electrochemical potential.

The resistance that minimizes the current in Alkaline batteries doesn’t have the same effect on lithium batteries due to their better electrolyte component.

When setting Trail Cameras, we always use Lithium batteries in order to assure that we will get the best possible battery life out of each camera location. We expect to collect 15,000 to 20,000 on one set of batteries.

Those pictures are gathered throughout a 7-8 time period and we cannot afford for a trail camera to die during the season.

Or else it will not provide any Intel to apply to our hunting strategies.

All of this scientific jargon simply means that lithium batteries will produce a consistent current to your trail camera for the life of the battery.

Lithium batteries have a potential charge of about 1.7 volts, meaning that over the course of their life, their output will produce a more consistently current than other batteries on the market.

The Lithium batteries also do well in cold weather in temperatures as low as -40 degrees. They can last for up to 6 months of their charge when not in use.

Can I use Lithium Batteries in a trail camera?

If you are like most first-time trail camera users, you are at risk of being overwhelmed by the technology involved.

Lithium batteries offer some very interesting benefits, lithium batteries produce1.6 volts/cell, or as we like to say “they run hot”.

Lithium batteries increase 10% IN flash range and also increase the amount of time your camera can stay in the field, many times by multiple months.

Due to its chemical makeup, lithium is also not affected by cold weather. One aspect of lithium batteries that can be interpreted differently is they are currently only available in AAs.

If your trail camera requires “C” cells you can benefit from the extra voltage lithium offer.

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Another benefit of using lithium batteries is they are substantially lighter and take up far less space than the larger “C” cells. If you are backpacking change out several cameras this is very advantageous.

The downside is lithiums are quite a bit more expensive, and just like alkalines, they are also headed for the landfill after only 1 use.

In general and for more uses, we recommend lithium batteries for trail cameras.

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Final Tips (Conclusion)

The Fact of the matter is that the batteries you choose to put in your trail camera will not only determine how long each set of batteries will last, but can also impact how well your trail camera performs.

Choosing the wrong battery can even determine if your trail camera will work at all in extreme weather conditions.

Most cameras are designed around a 1.5 volt/cell scenario. It is very common for a camera to use 4 batteries.

Most of our camera models require AA batteries, and some cameras require a 12V external battery in addition to the AA batteries of the lithium battery pack for extra-long battery life.