batteries for a flash unit?

[jpbimages]

As we are all aware I am sure, our flashes are eatin' up some AA batteries (for the most part) So I am wondering... should I go with rechargeable, and save the earth (and maybe some money) or do i just buy some duracels as needed?!
What's your "battery gear" (particularly when going on a wedding job, or 'out of studio' shoot)

[scott0999]

yes definitely go with rechargable. its not "maybe save some money" you WILL save money. get some accuevolution or eneloop nimh rechargables

http://www.bearwobble.com/Size-AA-4pac-Pre-charged-2200-mah-AccuEvolution-Ultra-Low-Self-Discharge-NiMH-Rechargeable-Batteries-by-AccuPower_p_10.html

http://www.amazon.com/SANYO-eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B000IV2WAW

[jpbimages]

just wondering, what makes those better than, say, energizer, or duracell?

[scott0999]

either of those are rated to be low self discharge. some batteries you look at in the 2500+ mah range dont hold their charge very long. I've had energizer and duracell & rechargables in the 2500+ range and didnt like either of them

[Electric Monk]

Rechargables also have a lower internal resistance, giving you a much faster recycling time. I personally love the MAHA PowerEx & Imedion batteries.

[joe9047]

Definitely eneloop.

[scott0999]

I have a MAHA charger and like it alot.

I would like to add stay away from duracell 2650mah batteries. I had 2 sets of them and their the worst. fresh out of the charger they work fine, but wait a day or two and their dead

[jpbimages]

haha thanks guys, dad said they'd be horrible in a flash unit... I could have sworn they did better... now I am positive!
what do you take with you, away from the studio?

[scott0999]

the flash recharge time actually lowers with nimh batteries too! its a win-win!

[Jon]

In the field, Eneloops for the flashes, for the PowerShots, for the GPS, and for the audio recorder. Canon's LP-E6 for the 5D2 and 7D; their LP-E4 for the 1D3, and Canon or Sterlingtek BP-511s for everything else. And 2 chargers for each battery type except the 1D3 (battery life for that is awesome!). I've had chargers die on me before.

[bps]

In my opinion, there's no better combo than a Maha 9000 charger and Sanyo Eneloop batteries...

Bryan

[fishinfool]

In my opinion, there's no better combo than a Maha 9000 charger and Sanyo Eneloop batteries...

Bryan

+1

I love eneloops (thanks to POTN) so much so that I bought a couple dozen and replaced every AA battery in our home. I'm also thinking about buying a second Maha C9000 or maybe one of Maha's 8 cell chargers (Maha C801D or C808M). I still haven't decided though.

You won't regret it Bryan.

[Bob_A]

So I am wondering... should I go with rechargeable, and save the earth (and maybe some money) or do i just buy some duracels as needed?!


I think if you took a poll you would have been one of the only people not using rechargeables :lol: (j/k)

I use eneloops which are really good at keeping their charge over long periods of time. I used to use Panasonic and Duracell NiMH's but they were near dead every time I went to use my flash.

[jpbimages]

thanks guys, I will most definitely look into the eneloops, I have 4 energizer rechargeables (bought them today) and they're going to be for the family P&S camera.
thanks guys!

[themadman]

I'd say Powerex Imedions and Sanyo Eneloops.

The Powerex ones come on a cool battery case =)

[scott0999]

I'd say Powerex Imedions and Sanyo Eneloops.

The Powerex ones come on a cool battery case =)

this one?

http://i49.tinypic.com/2lmmjav.jpg

[themadman]

this one?

http://i49.tinypic.com/2lmmjav.jpg

yep

[scott0999]

that is a nice little case. I just got another off ebay for like 3.50 shipped :)

[ratempa]

Sweet info guys! I almost got some energizers. Glad I did a search before I purchased.

[Josh_30]

Sweet info guys! I almost got some energizers. Glad I did a search before I purchased.

The energizers aren't bad. Probably not as good as the others mentioned here, but I've never had a problem with them. I like the fact that they're readily available at any Wally World, and they can charge in 15 mins. Both of my chargers for them came with AC adapters, and a DC plug for the car.

[jpbimages]

does anyone know how good the Kodak batteries are?! They aren't as much as energizer.... I hate the idea that they would be poorer quality too, but it seems plausible

[SuzyView]

My son did his science fair experiment comparing Eneloops, Duracell Rechargeables, Duracell regulars and cheap free batteries. The Duracell regular batteries last 2x's the charge of a rechargeable, but the Eneloops and Duracell Rechargeables lasted a long time, and recycled faster. And they can be recharged 1000 or more times. We concluded that if you are at one shoot and can't take any extra batteries with you, the regular Duracells will last a whole event without any trouble. But if you buy the rechargeables and have one extra set, you are good for a very long time and you don't throw used batteries away. The Eneloops are wonderful in the 580, 430 and 430II that I have. I'd recommend those for sure.

[Jon]

Suzie - can you get him to post his (detailed) results here?

[Beachcomber Joe]

For me, the real benefit of using rechargeables in a flash is the much faster and more consistent recycle time. Regular batteries will give you more flashes but each recycle takes progressively longer until it becomes almost painful to wait. Rechargeables yield faster recycles than even a new conventional battery and that fast recycle time stays consistent until the last few flashes.

[SuzyView]

Greg is 10, in 5th grade, so his experiment was a little simple. But he used 4 cheap $1 flashlights that take 2 AA batteries. Four AA "Heavy Duty" batteries came with the flashlights, so you can imagine how cheap those batteries were.

So here goes:

Cost:
Heavy Duty batteries-free (came with flashlights)
Duracell regular copper top-$.38/each
Duracell Rechargeables-$2.48/each
Eneloops-$2.80/each

Average battery life:
Heavy Duty (cheap) - 1.8 hours
Duracell Regular-5.8 hours
Duracell Rechargeables-3.66 hours
Eneloops-3.33 hours

Eneloops never lose all their charge ever, recycling time is faster as I test on my flashes. And they have C & D battery adapters. For the rechargeables, the labs say you can recharge 1000 or more times.

[jpbimages]

thanks suzy! That helps a lot!
On another note, I looked at your gear list... I am VERY jealous! LOL

[SuzyView]

Don't be too jealous, it took me over 5 years to collect it all and I sacrificed a nice sedan to keep my old minivan. :) Priorities.

[jpbimages]

id sacrifice a sedan to have it all no doubt :P

[Jon]

. . . at that, her minivan's newer than either of our cars. :{)#

[jpbimages]

lol I think I am going to get a scooter... dodge the insurance and license fees... cant shoot outside in the rain anyway LOL

[themadman]

Just keep in mind standard batteries have far inferior recharge rate to NiMH rechargables.

[SuzyView]

This is true. But the Duracell regular coppertop are very cheap comparatively. In a pinch, they will do well.

[RPCrowe]

either of those are rated to be low self discharge. some batteries you look at in the 2500+ mah range dont hold their charge very long. I've had energizer and duracell & rechargables in the 2500+ range and didnt like either of them

I agree...

I have also tried batteries which "supposedly" were more powerful than the Eneloop batteries. The Eneloop batteries out-performed the "more powerful" AA cells in the following ways:

Faster recycle times
More flashes per charge
Longer shelf life after charging

[WA Tiger]

Could someone please explain what the number on the side of the battery is for and what should I be getting in the Eneloop for a EX580 speedlight. I have some old rechargable batteries and they are stuffed but they have 2500 on the side. Is that the capacity??:oops:

I also have a POWERhaus Rapid Charger that says on the back "AA"DC 900ma, is it any good or what do people recommend I should get, I am upgrading from my 20D to a 7D but I have never really used rechargeables.

Thanks heaps.

[WA Tiger]

Could someone please explain what the number on the side of the battery is for and what should I be getting in the Eneloop for a EX580 speedlight. I have some old rechargable batteries and they are stuffed but they have 2500 on the side. Is that the capacity??:oops:

I also have a POWERhaus Rapid Charger that says on the back "AA"DC 900ma, is it any good or what do people recommend I should get, I am upgrading from my 20D to a 7D but I have never really used rechargeables.

Thanks heaps.

Sorry to be a pain but anyone....

[ozadam]

i use eneloops - some other rechargables might give more flashes but the convenience of not dying in between uses is good

[canondslr]

WA Tiger:
Yes those numbers are capacity of the battery.
Rapid charger usually bad for batteries because they charge too fast, I recommend you those Maha/Powerex charger.

[lannes]

I use Imedions which are the Maha equivalent of Eneloops (Sanyo).

Some testing results on the low discharge battery types

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1023&thread=26078814&page=1

Chargers that charge at slower rates (<1000mah) are "supposed" to better for AA Ni-Mh batteries as they heat up the batteries less. You'll see on the back of the charger figures for the input and more importantly the output (eg. DC 2v 2000ma). Some chargers like the Maha MH-C9000 allows you to vary the charging rate, they recommend a rate of 1000mah and uses a microprocessors to monitor the voltage change that occurs when a Ni-Mh battery is full charged.

http://servaas.com.au/blog/index.php/recommended-battery-charge-rates-in-mh-c9000/

at 1000mah it will take approximately 2.5hrs to charge a 2500mah battery from flat, but times can vary depending on the amount of latent capacity.

Fast chargers (15min or 1hr) on the other hand usually have higher charging rates (>1000mah) which obviously heat up the battery cells significantly and may reduce the number recharge cycles you can get out of them. To offset this many companies have designed specific batteries for fast charging and these are usually sold along with the matching fast charger (eg. Varta 15min - Charge and Go)

"Dumb" chargers that slow charge you batteries (for 16 hours etc.) are also not that good for the batteries as they can lead to them being overcharged, there is no sophistication in charging circuits that stops the charging, they continue to charge until you unplug them.

Your Powerhaus Rapid charger has a constant output of 900mah so it should be fine for the AA and AAA battery types.

[WA Tiger]

Fantastic guys, thankyou heaps for the feedback I have learnt something else for the day...:)