Portable battery for flash

I used a friend's quantum flash recently to power my 580ex2, and am having a tough time finding the best one for it. I am thinking the Quantum Turbo, but the one I used had 2 ports to plug in flashes, and was wondering if that was the newer or older version. Any help w/ links to B&H would be greatly appreciated, or if there are other items that you may recommend.

Thank you.

I think it's called the Quantum 2x2. Click. Looks like it was discontinued. New version here.

Thats what I was looking for, thank you!

I have the Quantum Turbo and it is great. Can't believe I waited so long to get one.

Steve Wintrow wrote in post #13054320
I have the Quantum Turbo and it is great. Can't believe I waited so long to get one.

My problem was that I didn't wait long enough when I got mine. I bought my Turbo 2x2 in anticipation of what I thought would be the new Qflash T6D-R. However, that flash never came to light and instead the Qflash TRIO did which I didn't really care for. The battery pack is nice and all but was really an unnecessary purchase considering that I never went the Qflash route after all. I don't, however, regret the purchase since I can use it to power my Canon flashes and cameras, my Nikon SB-900 flash and my Metz 58 AF-1c flash, and two units simultaneously.

Never used the NiMh Quantum batteries, and there is something to be side for one battery that will plug into to flash units.
I did have some of the older Quantum Turbos with my Qflashes and also used them with my Canon Speedlites.
Now that I've sold off the Qflash I find the smaller 8 cell AA packs are much more economical, and do just as good a job. They are also smaller and lighter.

"8 cell AA packs are much more economical, and do just as good a job. They are also smaller and lighter."

i honestly don't know why anyone uses the quantum turbo system unless they are using them specifically for quantum Q flashes.

PacAce wrote in post #13054585
My problem was that I didn't wait long enough when I got mine. I bought my Turbo 2x2 in anticipation of what I thought would be the new Qflash T6D-R. However, that flash never came to light and instead the Qflash TRIO did which I didn't really care for. The battery pack is nice and all but was really an unnecessary purchase considering that I never went the Qflash route after all. I don't, however, regret the purchase since I can use it to power my Canon flashes and cameras, my Nikon SB-900 flash and my Metz 58 AF-1c flash, and two units simultaneously.

Why didnt you like the Turbo? I have been debating getting one for a few days now, but have somewhat of a hard time getting too much information on them.

dmward wrote in post #13054666
Never used the NiMh Quantum batteries, and there is something to be side for one battery that will plug into to flash units.
I did have some of the older Quantum Turbos with my Qflashes and also used them with my Canon Speedlites.
Now that I've sold off the Qflash I find the smaller 8 cell AA packs are much more economical, and do just as good a job. They are also smaller and lighter.

Im tired of charging AAs. Why did you get rid of your Qflash? Was it the turbo, or the other.

c2thew wrote in post #13055011
"8 cell AA packs are much more economical, and do just as good a job. They are also smaller and lighter."

i honestly don't know why anyone uses the quantum turbo system unless they are using them specifically for quantum Q flashes.

Everyone I know that uses the battery packs dont use quantum flashes. I actually do not know anyone who uses the quantum flashes, but I have been looking to get one myself (as mentioned above in the post)

Red Tie Photography wrote in post #13055819
Why didnt you like the Turbo? I have been debating getting one for a few days now, but have somewhat of a hard time getting too much information on them.

Im tired of charging AAs. Why did you get rid of your Qflash? Was it the turbo, or the other.

Everyone I know that uses the battery packs dont use quantum flashes. I actually do not know anyone who uses the quantum flashes, but I have been looking to get one myself (as mentioned above in the post)

I never said that I didn't like the Turbo. Sorry if I led you into thinking that I didn't. What I was trying to say is that if I had waited until I got a Qflash before getting the Turbo battery pack, I probably wouldn't have one right now.

The QFlash is older technology. Good light but expensive and limited functionality.
i.e. for me it was essentially a battery powered manual flash and for the price an Einstein and VML was cheaper and more flexible.

I replaced the SLA batteries in my Turbos and they were good batteries but did not deliver more flashes or faster recycle than the AA cell packs I had.

The other thing to consider, for me at least, is that most of the Speedlites I use on location are on a stand and I want an external battery for each. That means a lot of packs. $60 for the pack plus rechargeable AAs is a lot cheaper than the same number of Turbos.

I can buy an Einstein and VML cheaper than I can buy a QFlash and Turbro. The 8 cell packs (I have Pixel packs I buy now for Cheetahstand for $65z) are inexpensive and work.

PacAce wrote in post #13056110
I never said that I didn't like the Turbo. Sorry if I led you into thinking that I didn't. What I was trying to say is that if I had waited until I got a Qflash before getting the Turbo battery pack, I probably wouldn't have one right now.

That was my mistake, I meant why dont you care for the trio? I am pretty convinced I am going to get the turbo battery pack, but I am thinking the trio would be a great flash too. No overheating, better ettl performance (from what I have read) and better quality of light - especially when shooting outdoors with nothing to bounce off of. I understand it doenst have a whole lot more power, but I have my Einstein and VML for that.

dmward wrote in post #13056514
The QFlash is older technology. Good light but expensive and limited functionality.
i.e. for me it was essentially a battery powered manual flash and for the price an Einstein and VML was cheaper and more flexible.

I replaced the SLA batteries in my Turbos and they were good batteries but did not deliver more flashes or faster recycle than the AA cell packs I had.

The other thing to consider, for me at least, is that most of the Speedlites I use on location are on a stand and I want an external battery for each. That means a lot of packs. $60 for the pack plus rechargeable AAs is a lot cheaper than the same number of Turbos.

I can buy an Einstein and VML cheaper than I can buy a QFlash and Turbro. The 8 cell packs (I have Pixel packs I buy now for Cheetahstand for $65z) are inexpensive and work.

All good points, and I do have a Einstein and VML for when I need the power, but the Trio basic looks really appealing for the reasons listed above.

Red Tie Photography wrote in post #13057048
That was my mistake, I meant why dont you care for the trio?I am pretty convinced I am going to get the turbo battery pack, but I am thinking the trio would be a great flash too. No overheating, better ettl performance (from what I have read) and better quality of light - especially when shooting outdoors with nothing to bounce off of. I understand it doenst have a whole lot more power, but I have my Einstein and VML for that.

All good points, and I do have a Einstein and VML for when I need the power, but the Trio basic looks really appealing for the reasons listed above.

When I was looking into the Qflash back then, I was interested in the upgrade to the T5D-R. The TRIO was a disappointed to me because its power output was half that of the T5D-R, it was a dedicated unit (I wanted a unit I could use with any camera) and I wanted a flash I could use off camera without needing to get a Pilot or buy into the FreeXwire wireless system.

PacAce wrote in post #13059957
When I was looking into the Qflash back then, I was interested in the upgrade to the T5D-R. The TRIO was a disappointed to me because its power output was half that of the T5D-R, it was a dedicated unit (I wanted a unit I could use with any camera) and I wanted a flash I could use off camera without needing to get a Pilot or buy into the FreeXwire wireless system.

Those are all good reasons, and I am glad they are not hindrances to what I am looking for.

I looked at the Q-flash and decided to keep doing what ive been doing. I get the AA recharable batteries for the 580's. I have about 50 of them and 2 chargers. As soon as they start to slow down, i dump the batteries and put in 4 fresh ones. Not having any problems with the 580's at all and ive been doing it like this for 5 yrs. I have a compartment in my case just for the batteries..piece of cake.

We switched over to the Mini vagabonds from Alien bee and have been very pleased with the results. Outside, im using the mini and 2 AB 1600's and having zero issues. Its actually easier to use the mini and the strobes than to hook up the 580s and try to shoot outside and fight mother nature. Most of the time its 1 AB1600 and a medium softbox. Im having zero issues so its working great for us. Easier and cheaper than the Qflash set ups plus i can shoot at F/16,,,,,big difference

c2thew wrote in post #13055011
"8 cell AA packs are much more economical, and do just as good a job. They are also smaller and lighter."

i honestly don't know why anyone uses the quantum turbo system unless they are using them specifically for quantum Q flashes.

1. After using a Turbo for over a decade before spending about $25 on a new lead acid battery, they are extremely economic to use...in my case, even amortizing the original new purchase price, it was less than $3/mo
2. They work with many, many flash units, not merely the Canon flash
3. Lots and lots of flashes without changing AA batteries in the middle of a job