What batteries in your 580EXII

As you can guess by the title, I am a 580EXII owner. I was shooting the other day and my flash had some what of a hiccup at a critical moment and I wonder if it was because of the batteries that I was using.

I admit, I was using cheap Kirkland brand batteries... I have a ton of them and we buy them in bulk for our daily needs.

Anyhow, I was shooting and it was working fine up until a crucial moment and it wasn't able to recycle fast enough to keep up with my camera. Batteries to blame? If so, then what should I use from now on?

From my personal experience, every set of batteries will start to recycle noticeably slower once they start to get empty. Get spare batteries, not because the first set will be empty but because at some point you will need fresh batteries to keep the recycle time quick.

Personally I use non-rechargeable batteries, get them in bulk use them in the ex580ii and when they start to recycle slow I put them in other things that use AA batteries (remotes etc.) However my use of ex580ii is very little, so set of batteries last for quite a while.

p.s. Also lower the flash output and increase ISO will help with how fast your batteries drain.

I use Eneloop

I have an EX580II and an SB900 with 8 sets of 4 battery packs. Never had a problem with power or recycle times. The 5DMKII shooting RAW with an uncompressed 14 bit file isn't fast enough to cause problems, in that department

This has been discussed here before - several times. 80 percent of the people will move you toward Eneloops. They perform great and hold a charge when not in use.

I would be one of those people.

kokakaste2 wrote in post #12010611
From my personal experience, every set of batteries will start to recycle noticeably slower once they start to get empty. Get spare batteries, not because the first set will be empty but because at some point you will need fresh batteries to keep the recycle time quick.

Personally I use non-rechargeable batteries, get them in bulk use them in the ex580ii and when they start to recycle slow I put them in other things that use AA batteries (remotes etc.) However my use of ex580ii is very little, so set of batteries last for quite a while.

p.s. Also lower the flash output and increase ISO will help with how fast your batteries drain.

Thanks for the tip. At what point do you think the batteries would start to deplete and hinder recycling time. I'd like to say I was about 50 but definitely under 100 shots in when the hiccup occurred. I did put new batteries in and it seemed to be fine afterward, although shooting intensity slowed down to where recycling time didn't matter anymore.

Roroco wrote in post #12010637
This has been discussed here before - several times. 80 percent of the people will move you toward Eneloops. They perform great and hold a charge when not in use.

I would be one of those people.

Thanks

Eneloop vote from me

pxchoi wrote in post #12010643
Thanks for the tip. At what point do you think the batteries would start to deplete and hinder recycling time. I'd like to say I was about 50 but definitely under 100 shots in when the hiccup occurred. I did put new batteries in and it seemed to be fine afterward, although shooting intensity slowed down to where recycling time didn't matter anymore.

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=677074

This thread might be interesting for you. I rarely use the 580exII now after I bought Elinchrom Quadra as most of the use for 580exII was off camera work. So I honestly cannot remember.

Eneloops, with a spare set of alkalines in the bag just in case.

Tip - the moment you detect the recyling getting a bit too long, raise the ISO and/or lower the f/number. One stop of either of those settings halves the flash output, dramatically cutting the recycle time and extending battery life.

+1 eneloops

Sunpak baby!! I've had them for 4 years and they still work great.. Though I do have eneloops in my other two YN560's, and IMO, eneloops are the better batteries.

The batteries in the 580EX are in series. That boosts voltages. It also means that one weak cell in the 4 will degrade performance. When a flash starts to degrade recycle time before one would expect, it usually indicates a bad cell in the mix. Could also mean that several full power exposures have heated up the unit and thermal protection has kicked in.

Alkaline batteries start to drop voltage almost from the first shot fired. Eteloops, and other NiMH batteries have a stable voltage till late in their charge life. That also makes them better for flash units since voltage is related to recycle time.

To shorten recycle times the best approach is an external battery pack attached to the high voltage connection on the side of the flash.

dmward wrote in post #12011186
To shorten recycle times the best approach is an external battery pack attached to the high voltage connection on the side of the flash.

And use Eneloop's in your external pack

dmward wrote in post #12011186
The batteries in the 580EX are in series. That boosts voltages. It also means that one weak cell in the 4 will degrade performance. When a flash starts to degrade recycle time before one would expect, it usually indicates a bad cell in the mix. Could also mean that several full power exposures have heated up the unit and thermal protection has kicked in.

Alkaline batteries start to drop voltage almost from the first shot fired. Eteloops, and other NiMH batteries have a stable voltage till late in their charge life. That also makes them better for flash units since voltage is related to recycle time.

To shorten recycle times the best approach is an external battery pack attached to the high voltage connection on the side of the flash.

This is great info, very clear and concise. Thank you

Is this what I need?
http://www.adorama.com​/BYSEAA4WC.html

I use rechargeable Duracells. Never checked to see how long they last, but if I do an event they last thru it, a few hours and maybe 300 images.