Equivalent of CP-E3 for 430EXii?

Just wondering if anyone knows of an equivalent to the an external power supply CP-E3, which according to my research only works with the 500 series flashes... thanks!

(man, that was really horribly phrased.. sorry)

I dont think the 430EX II has a port for an external power supply, so youre kinda out of luck there I think.

Yeah, they dont; not sure why I didn't realize this earlier. Thanks for clarifying Ben!

No prob. Just out of curiosity though, what was your reason for interest in a battery pack for your 430EX II? Depending on what issue you were trying to resolve or improve perhaps there is another means?

I was just hoping to find a solution that would last longer than me having to potentially change batteries during an upcoming wedding I've been asked to shoot. I've been considering getting a high quality charger and running multiple sets of non-LD rechargables during the event, since if I were to buy some backup regular AAs, it makes more sense to invest a little more and have more rechargables.

Yea def stay away from normal Alkaline batteries. First off, NiMH batteries have less internal resistance and will allow the flash to recycle faster. Second, dang near ALL of us use Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries with either a Maha or LaCrosse smart charger. They are by far the most popular. Third, if youre shooting a wedding, you really should have doubles of most things. No less then two bodies, typically one with a wide zoom and one with a telephoto zoom, two flashes in case one dies on you, minimum of two memory cards and batteries, etc.

Yeah, I keep hearing good things about Eneloops. The funny thing is, on a whim my wife got me some Energizer 2300 NiMHs and they actually appear to keep up really well (but the charger that Energizer sells with them is junk, the thing takes forever, only charges in pairs of a set of four, etc). I've been toying with the idea of picking up a Maha C801D, it seems to be a much higher quality charger than the Energizer one.

In terms of gear, the only thing I think I'd definitely want to get that I dont have is a second wide angle lens since if my 17-40 has any issues, my shortest focal length is 50mm on my 5Dc (which I hope to upgrade to a 5Dii in the end of January). My goal is to end up as follows:

5Dii (only thing missing thus far)/7D
17-40 & 70-200 F/2.8 primary lenses
50 f/1.4 and 85 f/1.8 in the bag for portraits
A pair of 430s
a handful of 8gb Sandisk CF cards

And I'll assume four sets of charged batteries, with the Maha Charger on hand in case I start to burn through them.

That sounds like a great kit to me, except Id pick up a 580EX II as a second flash for some more power should you need it and skip the 50 and 85 and upgrade the 70-200 to the 2.8 IS II. You wont need anything else with the 70-200 2.8 IS II in the telephoto range. Maybe even consider swapping the 17-40L for the 17-55 2.8 IS and using that with your 7D. That would cover your wide and telephoto nicely. At least, thats how I shoot anyway.

there are alternate options for external power for the 430 EX II and other flashes...

www.aljacobs.com

If you are going for Eneloops, have a look at the new Eneloop XX 2500mAH AA cells. I am using them on my 430EX II and so far the factory charge has lasted about 400 shots. Plus, the flash can keep up with high speed burst on the 60D, at least for a few shots.

I've got three sets of four, so am never short of power.

@SMP - that might be exactly what I was thinking about (or along the lines of what I thought I was looking for) -- thanks!

@Pillainp - Yeah, if I can find the receipt for the energizers, they're going back to BBY. Kind of ironic, I bought four things from them the week before Christmas and of the four this will be the third to go back. The only one that hasn't and likely wont is the SD card I bought for my S95, and that's simply because it's already open, it's the only decent SD card I have lying around, etc. Thanks for the link, I'll definitely consider grabbing a few sets of those!

@ Ben_R- I already have all that gear; it's just that the 5Dii is a 5Dc for now. I'm waiting to work out the details with my friend that's getting married; if she's asking me because she's broke and they just needs some shots, then I wont be buying anything and shooting with what I have and it should suit her just fine (not that what she would get would suffer all that much if I dont upgrade my 5Dc to a 5Dii) but if she was talking about a normal contract, then I would at least want to have a 5Dii (I know, I know, glass > bodies, but in this case, I dont know how comfortable I feel shooting at 1600/3200 with the 5Dc, as I tend to pixel peep). Depending on the size of the contract, that could result in more upgrades differences (perhaps selling the 50/85/17-40 and picking up a 24-70 & 35L, and then, maybe a 580EX ii..

Also, before anyone tries to chime in with the whole 'omg you're going to shoot a wedding for free? Blasphemer!' a) the likelihood that it's a free wedding is pretty small, but there's a slight chance she's asking because she knows it'll be my first one and I'll be able to start my portfolio with it, and b) she's been very helpful to me and my wife in an important part of my life, and I dont mind helping her out with this if they're in need of it. (also it's not her first wedding, so that takes a bit of the pressure off).

The plan is to sit down very soon so we can work out her expectations (and really try to clarify why she came to me first). If she's trying to do everything on a budget and that budget is something that a normal photographer in our area would charge, then there's a good chance I'm going to refer them to the guy that just did our wedding, as he was very professional, great guy - nothing bad to say (except that he shot Nikon, heh). If, however, it comes down to wanting to stick to a relatively low budget and they want me there, then yeah, I clarify expectations, we come to terms with a verbal contract which I would write up and provide for them, and we go from there.

Is it really thread-jacking if I do it in my own thread?

Just starting reading more post on flash an noticed the popularity of the Sanyo eneloop cells. Wondering why. I've been buying Energizer 2500mAH cells. The standard Eneloop only look to be 2000mAH although I saw the post for the XX versions that are also 2500 mAH. Also what chargers are you recommending.

The Eneloops are "low self-discharge", which means that even if you didn't recharge them the night before you went out, they'll still have 80-90% or better of the charge a month later. Regular NiMH cells lose charge even sitting around on the shelf; you may have 50% charge after a week. I use slow chargers. I have a very compact Radio Shack one for traveling when space is at a premium and a Maha (700?) for most use, including reconditioning batteries.

Yeah, my next purchase is a Maha 801D (i believe). I hear nothing but good things about that charger. The Energizer one I have at least charges in pairs but the Maha does each individually.

I am looking to pick up an external pack for my 580 flash, but always had good luck with nimh AA's in my 430. Typically I would change the set of batteries at the reception. I generally carry 5 or more sets of batteries, but rarely go through more than 2.
And I never shoot direct flash...always bounced and/or diffused.