PopPhoto’s Zach Honig went to Wal-Mart and bought $200 worth of different four or eight pack single use and rechargeable batteries so he could test them and calculate the cost per shot for each battery.

The rechargeable battery test results were a bit surprising. Kodak’s Value Charger “offers the lowest cost per shot for rechargeable AA batteries in our test,” reports Honig. “Energizer’s 15-Minute charger is our best buy, however, because of its high longevity and quick, 15-minute charge time.”

For single-use Batteries Honig found that Energizer e2 Lithium batteries [8 pack, 12 pack] where the best buy even though are “more expensive than any other on the market, but their longevity justifies the price.” Lithium batteries are also considerably lighter than all other AA batteries sold.

I’m kicking myself that I just bought a 36 pack of Duracell Coppertops for my flashes. While they’re the best standard battery, according to the tests, they still don’t compare to Engergizer’s Lithiums.

[PopPhoto AA Battery Test]