Do rechargeable batteries enventually go bad?

I have some AA rechargeables for my digital camera and at first they worked great, but now even after cahrging them for hours they seem to last only a few minutes? Why is this happening?

Yes, they do. NiCad batteries are good for about 1,000 charge/discharge cycles. NiMH are good for about 300 charge/discharge cycles. Lead acid batteries are the same as the NiMH, good for about 300 charge/discharge cycles. I'm not sure about the Lion batteries. I just checked, Lion batteries are good for 300 to 500 charge/discharge cycles.

The above cycles are base on proper treatment of the batteries. Mistreat them and they will go bad quicker.

yes it's happened to me after 6 months

Yes.

Yes, but how long depends on what kind of battery it is.

Lithium Ion (LiIon - like what's used in Cel phones) batteries usualy last 12-18 months before they start to noticeably degrade in life.

yES!

i have had panasonic batteries for 2 years and they work fine. i also have energizers but they die a lot quicker

yes they go bad, usually the rechargable life is printed on the package.