Power solutions for 430EX II ?

Rob Galbraith talked about some batteries he uses in 430EXII to shorten recycle.
Anything that plugs into the battery compartment will extend the number of shots but not shorten the recycle time.

Only way to do that is to find a battery that delivers more voltage. That's what the external packs for the 580EX accomplish. Its very high voltage via a special connection.

The batteries are some new chemical technology. I tried some in a 580EX. They shortened recycle time but also were good for only about a third the number of images compared to more widely used technologies.

^ So your saying no matter what battery I choose, I'm not going to speed up recycle times?

I have used Panasonic Ni-MH rechargeable batteries in my 430EX for over a year and am completely satisfied with them. Recycle times are short and constant throughout almost the entire battery life. Also, they do not have a memory, so it is not necessary to shoot until they stop before recharging. I imagine some other Ni-MH batteries from other manufacturers do very well also, but I haven't checked them out. Here's a short quote from Panasonic's Ni-MH site:

"Ni-MH battery technology was developed to meet the increasing power demands of today’s portable devices.
Panasonic Ni-MH batteries offer more capacity compared to the same size Nickel Cadmium batteries. Due to their increased capacity and high energy density, users can expect a much longer running time per charge, reducing the need to constantly recharge the battery. Ni-MH features a consistent, stable power supply throughout each cycle so you’ll experience full power to the very end of every cycle."

m.shalaby wrote in post #12310398
^ Right now, I'm going to have to stick with my 430EXII for a little while...

Please bear with me because this whole mAH thing is new to me.

So we have:

Powerex 2700 mAH
Imedion 2400 mAH
Eneloop 2000 mAH

What are the basic differences in terms of recycle time? None?
And its all about shelf life?

Sorry, this is all very new to me. I always just purchased alkalines

I'm no expert on Recycle, all I know is I like the low discharge, recycle time and battery life I get with the Imedions.

I have started to looking at the NiZn's lately. The NiZn seem to be the next rage in fast recycle. My only concern is the voltage is higer than 1.5 volts (I think the review measured 1.85V): http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …offer-lightning-fast.html

I counted 13 pops before that thing overheated.!!!!

dbdors wrote in post #12310882
I'm no expert on Recycle, all I know is I like the low discharge, recycle time and battery life I get with the Imedions.

I have started to looking at the NiZn's lately. The NiZn seem to be the next rage in fast recycle. My only concern is the voltage is higer than 1.5 volts (I think the review measured 1.85V): http://strobist.blogsp​ot.com …offer-lightning-fast.html

would you feel comfortable leaving the 2400's in your flash all week long without charge, and then go out on a 4 hour shoot? or do you think you would charge them the night before just in case?

i'm kinda stuck betweent the 2700's and 2400's....

m.shalaby wrote in post #12310905
would you feel comfortable leaving the 2400's in your flash all week long without charge, and then go out on a 4 hour shoot? or do you think you would charge them the night before just in case?

i'm kinda stuck betweent the 2700's and 2400's....

Not if I knew I was doing a 4 hour shoot. I would charge them the night before. But in that case, I have 16 Imedion AA's and a CP-E (old 6 cell version).

I have 3 sets of eneloops for my 580s and love them. They seem to less after charge forever and flash recharge is way faster then regular batteries. I got mine at Costco for a great deal. Check b&h for their customer review.

Thanks for all the input guys.

I went with a 16pk of Imedions 2400's

Rob Gabriath here
http://www.robgalbrait​h.com …p?cid=7-10050-10598-10599
mentions PowerGenix NiZn as the fastest recycle speed batteries, 1.1 sec for 430 EXII, twice faster than Eneloop.

dbdors wrote in post #12310315
The Imedions are LSD like Eneloops, but at 2400 Mah vs. 2000 for Eneloops. The LSD will be 1.2 volts with low internal resistance and provide quick recycle.

Just thinking about this... mah's are 1.2volts while Alkalines, along with these new niZn are 1.6v. http://www.thomasdistr​ibuting.com …ble-Batteries_p_2017.html

The 'claim' is the 1.6v yields faster recycle times.

so are we taking a hit on recycle times by using Mah batteries ?

^^^
Using Nizn batteries in a 430exii is similar to using a high voltage pack on the 580exii in terms of recycle time, in fact the 430exii probably recycles even faster at full power than a 580exii with battery pack on full power.

rhys216 wrote in post #12316045
^^^
Using Nizn batteries in a 430exii is similar to using a high voltage pack on the 580exii in terms of recycle time, in fact the 430exii probably recycles even faster at full power than a 580exii with battery pack on full power.

Thats what I've read at the strobist.com.... but my point is they are 1.6v. so are regular ol' Alkalines! lol.... so really, using these MAH batteries, were taking a step back in recycle times... no?

^^^
No, you can't just go by voltage, Alkalines have higher voltage, but NiMH can deliver more current faster, so some high Mah NiMH should deliver better recycle times than alkaline. NiZN on the other hand, has the best of both worlds, but they self discharge even faster than NiMH.

Edit:
Uh, I may be confusing Alkaline with Nicd, I'l have to look into it.

Edit 2:
Looked into it, check out the below link, looks like eneloops or equivalent, outperform Alkaline...
http://www.shooting43.​com/articles/FL36R/rec​ycle-times

If Low self discharge batteries are 2400mah thats a great option.

I have energizer 2450mah and they work. I just charge them before a shoot. Also use Rayovac hybrid, Imedion 2000mah and sanyo eneloops. In most cases I never use alot of the extra batteries I bring along to a shoot. Recycle time to me isn't a priority for me because I dont rattle off consecutively in portraits.

rhys216 wrote in post #12316151
^^^
No, you can't just go by voltage, Alkalines have higher voltage, but NiMH can deliver more current faster, so some high Mah NiMH should deliver better recycle times than alkaline. NiZN on the other hand, has the best of both worlds, but they self discharge even faster than NiMH.

Edit:
Uh, I may be confusing Alkaline with Nicd, I'l have to look into it.

I think you have it right.

Again, I am not battery or electronics expert, I'm only going by what I've and understood from looking at the numbers.

Voltage = IR. I = Current and R = Internal resistance.

NiMH, NiCd both have low R and thus have a higher current. Even though the voltage is lower, they have a higher current and thus the faster recycle. As I understand the NiMH have even lower R (thus the low self discharge), which would mean a bit higher current.

The NiZn, must have an even lower R as it would appear that they have a high voltage and even higher current (I).

The alkalines have high voltage, but higher resistance and thus lower current, and slowest recycle time.

Maybe somebody who knows how this really works can clean this up for me