Nimh batteries? Eneloop?

[dshankar]

So I hear Sanyo Eneloops are the best NiMh AAs on the market right now for flashes?

I'm about to buy some (an 8 pack) but I'm wondering if it makes a difference to use a SANYO kit charger or some other brand?

I've got a Canon battery charger - can I save some money here?

Thanks! :D

[40Dude6aedyk]

I have two chargers: cheap Kodak and cheap Pearstone. They work fine with my 3 kinds of batteries: Kodak (2100 mAH), Pearstone (2900 mAh), Energizer (2450 mAh). You can use any charger you want. The Pearstone charger at least tells me when the batteries are charged and then stops zapping them.

I usually charge with both chargers, then when the batteries in the Pearstone are charged, I switch the other batteries into it because of its indicator LEDs.

Sanyo eneloops are 2100 mAh, right? Even if the Energizer lose 10% right out of the charger, maybe they still have more to give than eneloops. Anyways, I'm not sold on following the herd with eneloops. I think almost all name brand batteries are made in the same factory outside of Shanghai.

[tim]

Maha C-9000 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMaha-Powerex-MH-C9000-WizardOne-Charger-Analyzer%2Fdp%2FB000NLUSLM%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Delect ronics%26qid%3D1225155101%26sr%3D8-1&tag=headphonerevi-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325) is a great charger. Enloops are good, slightly lower capacity than PowerEx but they don't self discharge as much so they're better for some people. Personally I charge my batteries the day before each wedding so it doesn't matter to me.

[Golferdude1977]

+1 on what Tim says... I have had great luck with the PowerEX's and the c-9000 charger.

[CliveyBoy]

+1 from me too - the Powerex C-9000 and the AA 2700mAh batteries are great.

[40Dude6aedyk]

Yeah, but why would you pay $50 for a charger when a $12 one works great as well?

[H2OSkier]

+1 on the Maha C-9000 and I've had good luck with the MAHA IMEDION AA 2100 mAh Rechargeable Batteries.

Ken

[tim]

Yeah, but why would you pay $50 for a charger when a $12 one works great as well?

The C-9000 is smart, it won't overcharge your batteries and will help keep them in good condition. It has break-in, refresh, and other cycles. The Lacrosse is meant to be decent and a bit cheaper too, it's linked from the Amazon page I linked to above.

[xn2b8r]

I've had great luck with the Eneloops. I got them at Costco and they came with a charger. I do have a couple of Energizer chargers that are gigantic and heavy...also hard to get the batteries into because they have to be "fanned out" like a peacock's feathers. I haven't tried charging the 'loops in the 'gizer charger or vice-versa. Only complaint about Eneloops is they seem to go full blast and then give out all at once. But they do last a long time, even if I don't use them.

[form]

I've used energizer 2500mah batteries for a long time, with duracell 15 minute quick charger, and have had good luck so far. Just bought three sets of powerex 2700mah because I've read lots of positive reviews about them, and they seem to be good too.

[40Dude6aedyk]

That does seem nice, bu sorry, I'm skeptical. I can buy 12 more batteries with the money saved by getting a different charger. Or 8 more batteries and 2 more chargers.

I admit I've only had my Kodak cheap-o's + charger for 6 months now. How long are NiMH supposed to last? I think I'm expecting 10 years or more.

[opus13]

as i recently learned, not all rechargeable batteries are the same size i have some Eneloop, Duracell and generics that are all slightly different diameters, and each set sits in my flashes differently. check to make sure the eneloops fit in your battery carriage properly!

[tim]

I've used energizer 2500mah batteries for a long time, with duracell 15 minute quick charger, and have had good luck so far. Just bought three sets of powerex 2700mah because I've read lots of positive reviews about them, and they seem to be good too.

Don't waste your time buying good batteries if you're using a dumb charger than pumps power in as quickly as it possibly can.

[CliveyBoy]

Yeah, but why would you pay $50 for a charger when a $12 one works great as well?
Oh dear! So you use Cactus trigger, too?

Answer: they are sigificantly different devices and one saves much more than its cost within a year. It removes the need to throw out low-performing batteries by adding years to their high-level life.

[nightlife-shooter]

Don't waste your time buying good batteries if you're using a dumb charger than pumps power in as quickly as it possibly can.

Very good point. I use the eneloops with the lacross charger. Mine take a good 3-5 hours to charge. Those 15 min chargers are just too fast for good performance.

I found that after several cycles a refresh helps the capacity of the batteries. I rotate through 4 sets and have yet to get caught off guard after a year. I know a guy that uses a rapid charger on some sanyo 2700s and they dump in a quarter of the time that mine do and recycle times are much slower.

[tim]

With the C-9000 you can change the charge rate. I think the default is 1000mah, so batteries will charge in about 3 hours, give or take. The manual recommends against a very slow charge, apparently it makes it harder to work out when the cells are fully charged.

During a refresh cycle (charge, discharge, charge) it also tells you the capacity of your cells. Some of my older cells were at about 800mah, a breakin cycle bought them up to 1800mah again - not their full capacity of 2500mah but they're older and not the best brand, and had been in dumb chargers.

My 2700mah Powerex cells report as very close to rated capacity. The CTA Digital cells I bought from B&H (ABSOLUTE CRAP) held almost nothing, and in practice can barely power a flash. B&G refuse to accept them back or replace them, and the manufacturer didn't respond to a support request.

[nightlife-shooter]

Thats what I like about the lacrosse BC-900. You can go down to 200mah and it lets you know when your batteries are full and what the status is while charging. Makes it easier to match the cells up as well by watching their charging rate.

[form]

Shrug, seems to work just fine for me....there are some situations where I need to be recharging my batteries during the wedding. I only have so many sets of batteries.

[Blackey Cole]

After having two energizer battery chargers die on me I bought a Pearstone charger from B&H and some of the Sanyo batteries. I like the charger because it also reconditions the batteries if you desire. I did some research and found out the Pearstone charger was well received as were the Sanyo Enveloopes batteries and I have used both for a month or so now without error. The charger helped me weed out dead battery cells and reconditioned the rest and most haven't needed recharging as of yet. and the Enveloops are in my 5800exII now and still holding a charge after several short sessions of flash use.

[dshankar]

Wow looks like batteries are a bigger deal and have a lot more technical stuff than I originally thought!

I think I'll go with the eneloops and the Maha C9000.
Thanks.

[yogestee]

Eneloops are great batteries,,the best rechargable batteries I've used.. I have two chargers, the designated Eneloop charger which seems to take forever to charge the batteries and a Sonshine quick charger which takes about 2 1/2 hours to charge 4 Eneloops..

Eneloops won't self discharge when not in use.. I have one set in both my 430 EXs and a spare set..

[speedster00]

I agree with the good charger. I have a energizer charger that I swear is tearing up my batteries. My Bro has been using the lacrosse BC700 for over a year and swears by it. I just ordered the BC900 last week. Those cheap quick chargers arent good for the batteries and mine seems to be pretty unreliable.

[tkbslc]

I'm using Kodak -pre-charged NIMH and a Kodak 1HR charger. Got them together for $18 at walmart and they are as good as eneloops. The extra 4 packs are $9. I also have a pack of non-hybrid kodak 2650 mAh I use in my flash sometimes. The hybrids are only 2100 mah and the 2600 seems to help just a touch with recycle times. The cool thing about the hybrid or "pre-charged" ones is that you can leave them in your bag for months and they still have 80-90% of the charge.

Anyway, I though the Sanyos were overpriced and hard to find. The kodak are at every walmart and target and work just as well.

[Shenanigans]

I get excellents results with Sanyo Eneloops and Sanyo 2700 in a Lacrosse 900 charger. In my experience, having a good quality smart charger is at least as important as using good batteries.

Thomas Distributing is a great place for this sort of equipment:

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/index.htm

[kosin]

All that depends how you shoot with your flashes. Eneloops are great if you don't use them all the way at once just keeping them in your flash for different occasions. What I mean is if you are the person who needs fast flash recycling, goes thru whole set(s) of batteries in one event and also will remember charge batteries a day before an event, Eneloops aren't for you. There are many better options. Eneloops are great for those who like to keep batteries in their bags for a long time.

And yes, you can charge Eneloops in other NiMH chargers. Best results are from those 2-3 hour (or longer) chargers than 15 minute ones -> Let me use some analogy here: what tastes better? Turkey from the oven after 3 hours of cooking or same turkey from microwave after 15 minutes? :D

[kosin]

I want to add that first set of Eneloops I had came with 16 hour charger. After I lost it somewhere (camping) I bought another set which came with 3 hour charger...

[umphotography]

ill add my .02 cents

im using the walmart k-mrt batteries,,,not because i think they as good as eneloops(they probably are not) but because i toss my batteries once a year and get new ones. im probably waaaay to anel about this but i have 3 chargers and i rotate my batteries out of the chargers for about 2 days before a shoot,,,, 4-5 hours on,,next set,,4-5 hours on. call me strange but ive have a 580 and 2 430's. thats 12 in the flashes and 12 in the bag in case one of them go down:rolleyes::lol:

it works. just had my 580 kill a set of batteries at a shoot,,,i had 12 more ready to go. so for me,,,,the walmart kodak 2500's work good.

i just purchased these new rayovac hybrid rechargables. some photog's have requested them and the guy tells me they are holding up well....im reading some good things about them but they are only 2100 mah.

[tim]

If you had good quality batteries and chargers you'd not have to throw them out. If you had good batteries it's unlikely a single shoot could burn through a set of batteries, unless you're an ISO100 F8 shooter. Like I said cells I was charging using a cheap and nasty charger were actually holding about 1/3 their rated capacity until I put them into a decent charger.

[melissaandkris]

I got Duracell rechargeables they say (1800 mAh). Ive had them about 2 years and I think they were about $14 for 4 batteries and the charger at a grocery store. They last a long time in my 430EX and my Canon S5 and I use my LCD all the time. They have a long charge time about 8 hours but its worth it as long as they keep their charge. I have been very happy with these batteries and best of all they were cheap!

[SpeedRacerSlots]

Stop by Cosco and pick up an eneloop pack (over by the electronics stuff).
Comes with 8x AA's and 4 AAA's as well as a charger and the C/D cell sleeves.

I take a sharpie and number by batteries in groups of 4. Keep them bagged in small parts ziplocks matched up.

I currently run 4 sets of 4x Eneloops, 4 sets of 2750 Energizers and 2 sets of PowerEx.
I used 2 LaCross BC900's to keep them all in top shape. (you can even set it to do a deep cycle battery recondition. It takes a long time, but can make a older battery perform like new again).

[speedster00]

I got my BC-900 in the mail yesterday. I have 3 sets of sunpak AA's. put one set on charge last night with the new charger and afte 12 hours they are still charging at 200mah. Ordered the charger off amazon and came with a set of 4 AA's and a set of 4 AAA's free shipping for $39. I will probably have to refresh all my batteries because I think the old energizer quick chrarger has been tearing them up. I've gone through 3 sets of duracell and energizer rechargable's over the past 2 years.

[prime80]

I don't use flash that often, being primarily an outdoor sports shooter. Eneloops have been a godsend to me. I love the fact that I can keep a set in my flash and 2 spare sets and be covered for just about any situation. I can pull out a spare set that's been sitting in my bag for 6 months and they perform as if I just pulled them off the charger. When I used to use standard rechargeables, if I didn't remember to charge my batteries every time I left on a shoot, I most likely had a couple of sets of dead batteries in my bag. Got so bad that I had to carry several sets of standard AA alkalines in my bag as well as backups to my backups.

I just bought two sets of Rayovac Hybrids at CC, but haven't really given them a good workout yet. If ya'll have a CC close, you might look for them. 6 AAs, 2 AAAs, and charger for $4.19.

[tim]

I got my BC-900 in the mail yesterday. I have 3 sets of sunpak AA's. put one set on charge last night with the new charger and afte 12 hours they are still charging at 200mah. Ordered the charger off amazon and came with a set of 4 AA's and a set of 4 AAA's free shipping for $39. I will probably have to refresh all my batteries because I think the old energizer quick chrarger has been tearing them up. I've gone through 3 sets of duracell and energizer rechargable's over the past 2 years.

2500mah @ 200mah/hr gives 13 hours or so. If you do a proper refresh cycle it will take about three days, they usually do three charge/discharge cycles.

[[CaliGirl]]

This was so informative. I had no idea there was so much to learn about batteries.

[tim]

You have no idea, this has barely scratched the surface.

www.batteryuniversity.com

[dshankar]

;7254462']This was so informative. I had no idea there was so much to learn about batteries.
+1

My simple question about whether I could use different brand batteries and chargers has turned into a wide load of information about rechargeables! bw!

[smorter]

Maha Powerex and Maha Imedion

/thread

:D

[speedster00]

The charger I think is the most mportant part to get the most out of your batteries. However, Eneloops are good for holding a charge, but they arent the strongest out there. If you google Eneloop, you'll see some test done on other Sanyo batteries that are actually stronger, but dont hold the charge as long. So....do you want a battery you can let sit and dont have to worry about the charge? Or do you want one with more power but you have to charge more often?

[dshankar]

The charger I think is the most mportant part to get the most out of your batteries. However, Eneloops are good for holding a charge, but they arent the strongest out there. If you google Eneloop, you'll see some test done on other Sanyo batteries that are actually stronger, but dont hold the charge as long. So....do you want a battery you can let sit and dont have to worry about the charge? Or do you want one with more power but you have to charge more often?


I'm not sure! Here's my situation:

I currently have a set of 12 NiMh batteries for 3 flashes, and a set of 6 for three Pocket Wizards.

I charge the Pocket Wizard batteries weekly, and the flash batteries after every other shoot (depending on usage). I shot four basketball games, wrestling, and swimming in the past two weeks, and I only had to charge at the start of each week. I only shoot about ~150 shots per game, and my flashes are usually at 1/4 - 1/2 power, rarely at full.

Since I charge every week, should I go with eneloops because they hold charge longer? The batteries I use right now are a mix of 2100 mah and 2650 mah I think.

[prime80]

If you want to keep charging every week, then standard rechargeables are probably your best bet. They offer higher capacities and are typically cheaper. If you don't want to have to charge every week, then the eneloops are the way to go. I never recharge mine before I go out, but I do make sure I have a backup set with me. What I really like about the eneloops is that I don't have to worry about the backups being dead.

[chris jones]

I recently picked up the eneloops and they work great!

[prime80]

I just noticed that Eneloops are $7 per 4-pack AA at Circuit City now. Not a bad price if you already have a charger.

[dshankar]

WOAH sweet deal! I'm all over those! :)

That's cheaper than most normal NiMhs...

[SMP_Homer]

I had been using a roughly 7 year old Kodak nimh charger for all my AAs
I was glad to be done with AAs when I went from my Powershot S2 to the 400D, but then came a 40D and a 580EX, and back into the AA world I went. My old Enegrizer AAs weren't really cutting it, bought a Lacrosse charger, and ran them through the charger, and they're now acting like new again!
I also have a few Eneloop sets dedicated for the flash. All other AA batteries I have collected over the years have been run through the charger's refresh cycle, and either ended up tossed, or are being used in other devices around the house...

[WMWARD2]

Maha C-9000 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FMaha-Powerex-MH-C9000-WizardOne-Charger-Analyzer%2Fdp%2FB000NLUSLM%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Delect ronics%26qid%3D1225155101%26sr%3D8-1&tag=headphonerevi-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325) is a great charger. Enloops are good, slightly lower capacity than PowerEx but they don't self discharge as much so they're better for some people. Personally I charge my batteries the day before each wedding so it doesn't matter to me.

I bought into the Eneloops and the Maha C-9000 two years ago and based my decision on a five year usage. The batteries are really holding up well and a "refresh" every 5th charge keeps the batteries just like new.

I bought a few extra batteries and tested them after a year of just sitting on the shelf. They are rated for 80% power rete4ntion, but it is really higher. These are 2000Mha and flash recovery time is very good.

[tim]

Do you really need to refresh every 5th charge?