batteries for 580 flash

[DL64]

i was wondering what type of batteries does everybody use for there 580 flash????

[coorz]

uhm, rechargable AA's ofcourse.

[danmic]

SANYO 2700 mAH rechargeables.

[Ozyboykev]

Go to 7dayshop.com - they've got a really good offer on for AA rechargeables and chargers at the moment. I think 4x2600mah ni-mh are just 3.19 +p&p at the moment and the feedback from customers who have used them is very positive. I've just ordered some for my 580's ....

[Jim G]

Energizer 2500mah rechargeables personally. Non-rechargeables are simply not an option unless you like buying and carrying around copious amounts of batteries :p

[milleker]

I'm slowly switching to Accupower Acculoop rechargable NIMH's. They're 2100mah so thats quite a bit lower, but they'll keep something like 90% of their charge after six months. Any other NIMH or LION batteries have miserable shelf life when charged. They lose their charge quickly. I completely despise having to charge all of my batteries over and over again because they've lost their charge.

[DL64]

another dumb question what are the differenes between 2700mah,2600mah,2100mah.i'm sorry for asking such stupid questions i'm new.

[jmanser]

another dumb question what are the differenes between 2700mah,2600mah,2100mah.i'm sorry for asking such stupid questions i'm new.

I would like to know this as well..
I'm constantly frustrated with my 580 EX not recycling fast enough, and I'm wondering if it's because of my batteries.. I think I've been using the 2500 Energizers.

[Mike_E]

mAh simply refers to how long the batteries can deliver a given amount of current. For example is to have a 2500 mAh battery in a device that draws 500 mA to operate, the battery will theoretically last for 5 hours, i.e. 2500/500 = 5. The theory says that the higher capcity battery (more mAh's), the longer the battery will power your device between charges.

[azpix]

anyone know if there is a way to tell which betteries are not holding a charge?

I have about 20 energizers aa 2500 mAh batteries and it's taking my flashes forever to recycle. I assume a few are bad, but hared to sell which ones?

[azpix]

i googled the Accupower Acculoop i found this site that sells an charger.

http://www.akkushop.de/product_info.php?products_id=5617

It's not english so I'm not sure what it says. Anyone know of an english written site that sells this or has info on it?

[StealthLude]

NiHM rechagables from ebay.

I dont really know the brand name, its generic IMO, but they work great. Excellent recycle time and last a long time. Im pretty impressed with them.

[alsphoto]

I was wondering about the batteries for the 580. I buy a pack of 16 or 24 everytime I do a wedding or anything important.I was wondering about Lumedyne power pack. Any comments.

[sfaust]

I'm slowly switching to Accupower Acculoop rechargable NIMH's. They're 2100mah so thats quite a bit lower, but they'll keep something like 90% of their charge after six months. Any other NIMH or LION batteries have miserable shelf life when charged. They lose their charge quickly. I completely despise having to charge all of my batteries over and over again because they've lost their charge.

It sounds like you have NiMh and Lithium batteries confused.

If the Accupower batteries are indeed NiMH, the chemistry used is such that they suffer a self discharge loss of about 20-30% a month, and will be dead in about 3-4 months time if unused and uncharged.

If you compare NiMh, NiCd, and Lithum, NiMH has the highest self discharge drain, and the shortest shelf life. NiCd's self-discharge at about 15-20%, and Lithiums at about 2-10% depending on the type and protection circuitry used.

Lithiums provide the least self-discharge rate, and the highest capacity based on size and weight. But need complex chargers to keep them in check. If a Lithium is dropped below a certain capacity, it will be unusage. If its over-charged, it will errupt into a nice violent fireball. These are the two drawbacks with Lithiums.

I spent a lot of time researching battery technology for high speed radio controlled turbine jets I've built. At $18K a pop, loosing power in the air, meant loosing control, and that wasn't an option :) So we all researched the power and battery setups very carefully.

There is a whole lot more info here, which turned up on a quick search.
http://www.technick.net/public/code/cp_dpage.php?aiocp_dp=guide_bpw2_c02_02

IMO, high capacity NiMH batteries that use Sanyo cells are the best option.

[Curtis N]

I'm constantly frustrated with my 580 EX not recycling fast enough, and I'm wondering if it's because of my batteries..If you're wondering about your recycle time, set the flash to full power manual, hit the test button and time it. Wait for the ready light to come on and then do it again a few times.

Now compare that to the recycling time specification in the instruction manual for your flash unit. The 580EX should recycle in 6 seconds with Alkalines, or about 4 seconds with NiMH.

... and this is pretty darn good, compared to older flash units!

If you're in a situation where recycling time is important, raising your ISO will make a dramatic difference.

[TeeJay]

I can highly recommend Vapextech. They do an extremely quick charger (30 mins for 2700Mha batteries) and their prices are very competative. The charger evaluates each cell during charge and indicates if one isn't charging efficiently.

They have an ebay shop, and their own website (I think their ebay site is a little cheaper than their own - for some reason)

TJ

[Tareq]

I don't use my 580EX that much as always my batteries last quickly, i think i got bad rechargers [2 different Energizer and 1 duracel and 1 PC mouse 2AA recharger], and when i use my full power it take between 5-8 seconds to be ready again which is frustrated in many situations, i missed one event in the past because of the flash even i set it to 1/8-1/64 of its full power, so is there a best way to have power for my flash rather than batteries?

[simmo2006]

'Cos the other consideration is that re-chargeables are lower voltage than alkaline batteries - perhaps this will also make a difference to the recycle time.

Cheers

[Curtis N]

'Cos the other consideration is that re-chargeables are lower voltage than alkaline batteries - perhaps this will also make a difference to the recycle time.Because of their lower internal resistance, NiMH batteries actually recycle flash units faster than Alkalines, despite their lower voltage.

Some flash manufacturers list separate specs for each battery type. Here's an excerpt from the Sigma EF-500 DG Super instruction manual.

[cgratti]

Energizer 2400 mAh rechargables, they last quite a while. I have 2 sets so I always have juice.

[jcw122]

Rechargable Sanyo 2700mAh's...they don't last very long if they have been sitting around though, if all rechargeables are like that, that kinda sucks.

[sfaust]

Rechargable Sanyo 2700mAh's...they don't last very long if they have been sitting around though, if all rechargeables are like that, that kinda sucks.

They are, but that drawback is offset by the significant cost savings, and the faster recycle time (in our application).

On the other hand, Lithium rechargeables don't suffer from this, but don't fit our application either :(

If you just make it a practice to charge them every month, or even better, a few days before any shoot, its a non issue.

[LaserJet]

I don't use my 420EX very often. Which non-rechargable batteries would give me the best cycle times when new? I am interested in the best possible perfomance, even if batteries last for one session only.

[AB8ND]

I'm using MAHA PowerEX from Thomas Distributing, if you go thru the SmartShooter site there is 5% discount.
http://thomas-distributing.com
http://www.shootsmarter.com/

Jack

[TeeJay]

I don't use my 420EX very often. Which non-rechargable batteries would give me the best cycle times when new? I am interested in the best possible perfomance, even if batteries last for one session only.

You'd still be better off getting a set of 2700MAh rechargables and simply topping them up prior to needing the flash.

As Curtis says, they will give better recycling times than most other types.

TJ

[sfaust]

Ditto TJ :)

[bobbywang]

I went and bought a powerex charger and two packs of powerex 2700MAh batteries. The chargers lets me condition some of my older energizer batteries.

[bieber]

Anyone here use external battery packs? That should reduce your recycle time, if you really want to get it lower.

[LaserJet]

Thanks, TJ. I'll give it a go

[jmanser]

If you're wondering about your recycle time, set the flash to full power manual, hit the test button and time it. Wait for the ready light to come on and then do it again a few times.


If you're in a situation where recycling time is important, raising your ISO will make a dramatic difference.


Thanks Curtis! You always have great ideas.. I will try both of these. I am always shooting children, who as you know move around a lot, and my flash is not always ready when I am wanting to capture a moment.. I will try cranking up my ISO, as well as testing my batteries.