There's a way round that with even the most basic digital cameras. Press the shutter button down half way and that locks the focus then, when ready to take the shot, press the button down fully.
By "special" batteries, I presume you're meaning lithium rechargables. Both mine take them and with the G2 I was able to get 200-250 shots with a single battery. For the 10D I bought an additional battery grip that takes two batteries so running low on power has never been an issue. I've used the old 'AA' type though and agree they're a nightmare on batteries.