You should use nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. Long lasting and reusable...
Even at "drugstore prints" prices it won't be long before that point & shoot costs more than a digital, a set or two of NiMHs, a charger and a reusable media card does...Let's say that your point & shoot costs $90 and film costs $8 for 24 exposures -developed no less... (I know, they're having a special!)Let's say that the digital outfit sets you back $600 with batteries, charger, media card and all.(I knew you'd spend a little extra money and go for at least a 3X zoom lens model) If you subtract $90 from $600 that leaves $510. Say that a developed roll of 24 costs you $8. That buys you about 64($510/$8) rolls of developed prints and you're back in your pocket again... and again... Oh yeah, and again...
But, if you print your own and already have a PC and printer you're only looking at about $1 or so per 8x10" print. Try to get an 8x10" at the drugstore for that price. Oh yeah, I forgot, you'll still need some batteries for that point & shoot. I'd suggest NiMH's again, but don't want to be called a fanatic and you can easily spend $3-4 for batteries when you drop by the drugstore to drop off your film and pick up your prints. Oh, well that drive isn't so bad, and you needed to get gas anyway.(so you can go back to the drugstore again to get those prints you just dropped off)What's that? You say they lost your prints...
Who'd have thought that "Yohanssen" would look so much like "Smith" to that 17 year old behind the counter? Oh well, it was kinda nice of that "Smith feller" to bring back those shots of your wife in her new bikini.(I coulda swore you ordered double prints of them... wonder where they went?) Hey, look these are from that trip to "someplace you'll never get to go to again, where you met several people you may never see again..." and look at that -only about half of them are incorrectly exposed, improperly printed or developed, or just plain missing... Ah, sweet memories!..
The best way to go is to purchase a battery that clips on your belt. It is relatively small and inexpensive. It will last a long time and is corded to the camera. Just go to your local photo store. I was trying to find one online, but I haven' yet...
Well my simple Lowepro camera bag that clips on the belt has room for a dig camera & a spare set of batteries (2 at a squeeze), plus a spare CF card or two. That small camera bag can then hold the ability to take a few hundred piccies or more (often on the one set of batteries, maybe going over to the second set if you use the LCD heaps to review). Let's see your 35mm fit in the same bag with 10 rolls of film.....
Why should I buy a digital camera that eats so many batteries? I assume you've never heard of rechargeable batteries. I can take 250 photos on one charge of a set of 4 AA NiMh batteries (about $12 per set), and I can charge them 500 times, so they should last a couple of years. With two sets, I'm happy all day. - Eric, http://www.InvisibleRobot.com/..