I pulled out my camera to shoot some photos last week, and I immediately remembered why I hate using this thing: it takes AA batteries. My wireless mouse takes one AA. I have three xbox controllers that all take AAS. Over time, constantly swapping out dead batteries and having devices chew through them has given me a real “ICK” for anything that relies on AA cells.
But, as it turns out, there’s a lot more going on with AA batteries than I ever assumed. I ignored the text and markings on the packaging for years, but when I finally paid attention, everything clicked—and all of my battery-related problems basically resolved themselves. Consider this my attempt at redemption, so no one else repeats the wrongs I did.
Why did I ignore the battery signs for so long?
Please allow me to explain
Heavy Duty Super Heavy Duty Extra Heavy Duty Pro Max Heavy Duty. Titanium. Lasts up to 10 years. “The last battery pack you ever buy.” You have seen this. So am I. I dismissed it all as empty marketing fluff and assumed none of it meant anything. To be fair, I was right – those sentences make no sense. But their presence on the packaging was distracting enough that I ignored the text does Case in point: the codes that tell you the chemistry and how the battery will actually perform.
I want to believe I’m not the only one who fell for it. Most people probably think of AA batteries as the same type (I say so myself). You grab whatever’s on the shelf and just assume “how long it lasts” or “whether it’s rechargeable.” This assumption is incorrect. The markings on AA batteries matter – and once you understand them, the whole category stops feeling random.
AA batteries are not the same
Not every piece of text is an ad
Let me waste a few more seconds of your time, because this story is exactly what made the whole thing click for me. If you find this boring, scroll on – the AA battery guide table awaits you. But I will make the story worth your time.
My camera takes four AA batteries. I used to have a set of rechargeables for this, but I hadn’t used the camera in so long that I couldn’t find them. So I bought a pack of cheap non-compromizable AAS. The camera went on for about ten shots, then shut off immediately. No low battery warning. Nothing.
Surely, even though these batteries are both cheap non-compromizable AAs, what is the difference between LR6 and R6? What do they mean?
So I put in another pack of batteries, and the camera didn’t even turn on. When I flipped the switch I could hear the little relay click in, but nothing else. No LCD, no beeps, nothing. what happened Did this guy sell me dead batteries? Is this a scam? I grabbed my multimeter and it showed 1.5V. What’s going on?
I swallowed the questions and instead went through all my shelves and bags looking for my rechargeables. I found a lot of AA batteries, and to find out if they were rechargeable or not, I had to read what was on them. That’s when I fell in love with code LR6-BP4 or r6p aa UM-3. Of course, even though these batteries are both cheap non-compromizable AAs, there is a difference lr6 And R6? What do they mean?
What AA Battery Codes Really Mean
Translating LR6, R6, HR6, and friends
Let’s decode something like this r6p aa UM-3:
Code | Which means |
|---|---|
r | round cell (cylindrical) |
6 | Size code for AA |
P | “Power” or general purpose zinc carbon (the cheap stuff) |
Aa | Retail Name (repeats size only) |
UM-3 | Japanese JIS code for AA (again, size) |
Most of it is redundant. But the chemistry code is the key. And once you figure out the other codes, you’ll realize that “AA battery” isn’t a product. There are several chemistries, and they behave very differently.
Code | Chemistry | Internal resistance | Open voltage | High current efficiency | Rechargeable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R6 | Zinc carbon | 250–400 MΩ | 1.5V | Terrible | ❌ |
lr6 | Alkaline | 80-150 MΩ | 1.5V | 🟧 🟧 hash | ❌ |
HR6 | NIMH Rechargeable | 20–30 MΩ | 1.3V | Excellent | ✅ |
fr6 | Lithium (li-fes₂) | 60-90 MΩ, very stable | 1.8V | Excellent | ❌ |
KR 6 | NICD rechargeable | 25–40 MΩ | 1.3V | Excellent | ✅ |
Do not use R6 batteries for your camera
You are throwing money away
There you have it – AA batteries, dimestide. But if you Really Wanting to put this topic to bed (as I did), we need to talk about why you shouldn’t use R6 or lr6 Batteries in the camera or any other high current device. Before I understood any of this, I assumed that the only difference was capacity. Cheap batteries die faster, expensive ones last longer. Same voltage, so the camera should work either way. I was wrong.
High-drain devices like cameras, flashes, and game controllers draw a lot of current. Batteries have internal resistance, and when you draw high current, voltage drops. This is exactly what my camera was doing. It will turn on with alkaline lr6 cells, but the moment I used autofocus or flash, it would shut off immediately. And the batteries weren’t “dead” – they still worked fine in the mouse. The load just pulled the voltage below the camera’s minimum threshold.
Here is an example of 5 AMPs (Flash Recharge Spike):
Code | Open voltage | Internal resistance | Load voltage @ 5a | Load state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
R6 | 1.5V | ~ 300 MΩ | 1.50 – (5 × 0.30) = 0.00 v | Flullelapse |
lr6 | 1.5V | ~ 120 MΩ | 1.50 – (5 × 0.12) = 0.90 V | 🟧 Shutdown area |
KR 6 | 1.3V | ~ 35 MΩ | 1.30 – (5 × 0.035) = 1.12 v | stable |
HR6 | 1.3V | m 25 MΩ | 1.30 – (5 × 0.025) = 1.17 v | stable |
fr6 | 1.8V | ~80 MΩ | 1.80 – (5 × 0.08) = 1.40 V | stable every stable |
So yes, you don’t save anything by buying cheap batteries. The device will not work smoothly. This is why cameras love to zoom (HR6) and lithium (fr6) This is the reason R6 Zinc carbon should not be used for anything more demanding than a wall clock.
All these standards and codes are also happy for AAA batteries.
How to tell if you’ve got the right batteries
Ignore the “heavy duty” and read the smaller code instead
The next time you need AA batteries, consider the device you want to use them for. Degree of duty It is written on the batteries (eg Heavy duty) is arbitrary. See bus codes and numbers.
Code | Use case |
|---|---|
R6 | Just avoid them. They are barely cheaper than the LR6 and perform great. |
lr6 | For remotes, clocks and low drain appliances. |
HR6 | High drain for anything (cameras, controllers, flashes, toys). |
fr6 | For outstanding performance. |
KR 6 | Only if you own antiques. |
Some brands include icons to indicate intended use. A watch usually means zinc carbon (R6) a torch means alkaline (lr6) a camera icon may mean lithium (fr6) These icons are not standard, but they can help you find obvious garbage.
For cameras or anything that draws a lot of current, NIMH and FR6 (Lithium) AAs are the right choice. NIMH has the bonus of being rechargeable, making it a long-term contract. The only catch is that you’ll need a proper charger if you don’t already have one. I use an Onten 4-slot charger and a Sony 2-slot charger-both handle AA and AAA without problems.
- Compatible batteries
-
AA, AAA
- Brand
-
Sony
- Battery capacity
-
1000 Mah
- Battery cell type
-
Nah
If you are going to use a charger, read the text on your charger. Unless it’s a proper smart charger (with temperature sensing, Delta-V detection, or a completely safe triple), charging NIMH cells is prone to the same phone-charging myths we’ve ended up pushing with phones. Leaving them in a dumb charger overnight will overheat, harass them, or even melt the casing.
FR6 lithium batteries are best for cameras. They offer high capacity and extremely low internal resistance, which means they can handle heavy bursts of current without choking. They’re not rechargeable, but a single pack will last a long time in most cameras.
- Battery Type(s)
-
Lithium
- Brand
-
Energizer
- Ability
-
3000 Mah
A quick warning when shopping for lithium AAS: always check the voltage. Most lithium cells on the market are 3.7V, not 1.5V. Those 3.7V cells use completely different chemistry, and putting them in your camera is an incredibly bad idea. You want a 1.5V lithium primary like the Energizer Ultimate Lithium series. And remember: if it’s rechargeable, it’s the wrong lithium chemistry for AA devices. Only irreplaceable lithium AAs are safe alternatives.
What about USB-rechargable AA batteries?
They are cute, but not practical
On some shelves, you’ll see USB-C rechargeable AAs that advertise 1.5V lithium 2200mah. You might be thinking: wait, aren’t lithium AAs supposed to be 1.8V and not rechargeable? correct And these aren’t actually 1.5V lithium cells.
Inside these USB-rechargable AAs, there is a small 3.7 Li-ion cell, Also A buck converter to regulate the output to 1.5V, Also A charging circuit. So you’re basically buying a small battery + a lot of circuitry. Battery capacity (mAh) is never as high as advertised (because 2200MAH at 1.5V ≠ 2200MAH at 3.7V), and you’re paying for complexity, not performance. It’s a beautiful idea, but a bad deal.
I ended up going with Panasonic Aniloop HR6 (NIMH) cells, and they’ve been rock solid—every photo you see here was taken on my camera without it falling off mid-shot.
I changed my mind about AA batteries
I wasted so many R6 AAs on my camera that I don’t even want to think about it. But those days are over. I’m totally on board with AA powered devices.
I used to be annoyed that Microsoft wouldn’t just put a proprietary AA LiPo battery in its controllers, like Sony does. But now, no more. When a proprietary battery dies in a device, you’re stuck. When a device uses AAS, you just swap the cells and move on. I proudly admit that the AA batteries were not the problem. I was