Just a bit of advice re batteries.
Personally I'd avoid anything with AA batteries.
Firstly they are likely to be bulkier and heavier to accommodate the large batteries;
Secondly you won't get anything like the number of shots from a charge compared with a custom Li-Ion in a good compact;
Thirdly unless you are prepared to invested in a decent Delta-V charger for the AAs, you will never get them charged up to full capacity properly
NiMh AAs lose their charge pretty quickly when not being used, however there are some hybrid versions now which have stemmed this issue. I keep a spare LiIon charged for one of my cameras, and even when I come to use it several months later, the charge is still very decent.
Remember that cameras with Li-Ions come with a dedicated charger and this, in general, will charge much faster than a set of AAs and to a proper monitored range for better life.
I shoot with a Canon DSLRs which take anything between 500 and 1000 shots off one charge of their Li-Ions depending on my usage of the TFT. I use Ansmann AAs for my professional flash units, and only those top quality ones charged with a Delta-V charger last for a day or so; compare with Uniross AAs charged with a standard "fast" bundled charger and I'm unlikely to get 50 to 70 shots from them.
I also have a tiny Ixus compact with a very small Li-Ion battery that still gives 200 to 300 shots on a charge and it's about 5 years old.
Also after-market, but good quality extra Li-Ions aren't that expensive, I have a couple of Energiser ones for a Canon DSLR body which I keep as spares.
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