Yet Nolan's Batman can leave Ras on a train to die, even through the whole movie he preaches (even to Ras himself) that no one is beyond saving. If Batman killed Penguin and Joker, then he also killed Ras Al Ghul and Two-Face. Not to mention the fake Ras and all the ninjas in the monastery...
Burton's Batman only killed once. The Axis Chemical scene (when he destroyed the supply of toxins with the bomb) And even then, I don't think he WANTED to kill those guys. He was trying to stop the flow of chemicals into the city. Was it extreme? Hell yeah, but Batman is an extreme measure, himself. He needed to do SOMETHING. Every other time is left very ambiguous, leaving it up to interpretation.
-Joker himself: Yes, he said he was going to, but, in reality, he didn't. He tied his leg to a gargoyle, a gargoyle that wasn't going to budge until Joker tried to escape. He easily could have let go of the ladder, and he'd still be alive at the end of the movie. Batman and Vicki would have fallen, been saved by a Batrope in the knick of time, and the cops would have apprehended Joker before Batman could do anything. And by that time, I think Bruce would have realized he didn't need to kill him, anyway. He'd have been locked away. Justice would have been served. It's not like he pulled out a gun and killed him. So Joker's death really isn't Batman's fault, it's Joker's own fault.
-The Fire Breather: There was snow everywhere. There is no proof that the person died, and again, they could just stop, drop, and roll. Was it an extreme measure? Yeah, but Batman himself is an extreme measure. This guy didn't die.
-The Strongman: I personally believe it was a fake bomb. When it goes off, you can see smoke and a little confetti coming out of the hole. And not to mention they were a gang of circus performers and clowns. Is it so difficult to believe that the bomb was not real, since it was strapped to one of them and they were a gang with a circus motif? It easily could have just been theatrics. Again, no actual proof of death, meaning it's up for interpretation (which is something Burton loves to do with his films, make the watcher decide what certain things mean)
-The Penguin: Batman tricked him with the remote control, but I don't think his reason was to kill Penguin. I think he planned to use the bats to stun him (like they were used in Batman Begins). It ended up being fatal because of where the two were positioned. If Penguin wasn't so close to the window, he would not have died, I can guarantee that.