How necessary are battery packs?

How painful is to shoot for 1-2 hr long portrait/fashion/event sessions without flash battery packs? Assume on average 1/4 power in HSS mode. I'm familiar with the advantages of power packs, but I'd like to hear personal experiences and opinions on how feasible or frustrating shooting without, in my scenario, would be.

Thank you.

It probably comes down to a few different factors:

The first is do you go through more than one full set of batteries, I've done all day events on a single set before, but this is not always the case. If you do go through more than one set, do you get breaks in between photos to change them?

Secondly would be do you need faster recycle times then you already have, if yes your only options are battery packs, or multiple flashes are lower power levels (the second option is generally not practical).


If you are after one, I'd look at the units from goddex/cheetah or similar option from other brands, rather than the 8xAA packs.

I've used packs for years.
Starting with the really heavy and cumbersome Quantum Turbos.
Now I have Lith-Ion pack for the on camera flash and use the 8 cell packs I have for the off camera speedlites.

Would not consider doing an event without them.

tonytony wrote in post #16409456
How painful is to shoot for 1-2 hr long portrait/fashion/event sessions without flash battery packs? Assume on average 1/4 power in HSS mode.

Not painful at all.

Speedlites are designed to be used with AA's. I can't think of any situation where the gain is greater than the pain of struggling with an umbilical power cord. If you're going to carry a battery pack, at least make the (pain) worthwhile by connecting it to something useful.

1/4 power in HSS = 1/16 power non-HSS. What are you shooting in HSS which needs so little output?

PhotographersWorldWide wrote in post #16411654
I can't think of any situation where the gain is greater than the pain of struggling with an umbilical power cord.

Ever try to shoot a bride coming down the aisle, and get two shots in case she blinks the first time, and then do the same for the seven bridesmaids and the flower girl who follow? Have you done that using a power-eating big bounce card or mini softbox to soften the light a bit?

I use this one from Flash Zebra:
http://flashzebra.com/​products/0265/index.sh​tml
You can mount it on your belt or screw it to the bottom of your camera.
With eneloops in both the flash and pack it will recycle a 580EX II in one second after a full power pop.

Are they necessary? That depends on how disappointed your client will be if you don't get the shot.

Curtis N wrote in post #16411755
Ever try to shoot a bride coming down the aisle, and get two shots in case she blinks the first time, and then do the same for the seven bridesmaids and the flower girl who follow? Have you done that using a power-eating big bounce card or mini softbox to soften the light a bit?

Thats interesting, but not challenging, and yes. Most of those situations are low light and you're shooting fairly wide open at high ISO so you need very little flash and AA's work pretty well.

When you start putting softboxes on Speedlites or pointing them into 'power-eating' bounce cards, then you really should be using something (useful) else which can put up with the higher outputs and fast recycling without the chance of overheating.

Well, to each his own. Canon includes an external power source socket on their professional flash units for a reason. It's good to have options, and plenty of people take advantage of the external power option without incident.

I dont use them and I dont miss shots because the flash cant keep up either. my 5D3 lets me shoot indoors at 3200 ISO with very clean files. I just need a touch of fill so power levels on my speedlights are often 1/8 or less inside. So I have no problems keeping up. I carry lots of spare batteries. I use eneloops. I change them before the processionals and I change batteries again as soon as we get to the first dance. Seems to do the trick for me.

It depends upon shooting distance and desired aperture, and the itchiness of your trigger finger.

580EX with coverage for a 'normal' lens would have ISO400 guide number of GN260. At shooting distance of 12', you frame 5.7' x 8.5', so you easily can track a model walking the runway, and at f/8 have plenty of DOF so that focus tracking would not be challenging. At 12' shooting distance, at full power you could shoot with f/22, so you could shoot at f/8 at 1/16 power, so you could virtually instantaneously shoot multiple frames before having to wait for recycle.

Seems fairly easy to accomplish without battery pack, per model, but depending upon the itchiness of the trigger finger, it comes down to shot capacity. A few extra sets of AA in your pocket, reloaded during the night, would seem to satisfy the capacity issue.

Everything Wilt said is technically accurate.
The only problem is the assumption that the flash is pointed right at the model.
Do you really want that kind of light?
I expect that there will be lots of stage lighting on the runway. I'd be inclined to use that as primary lighting and then use a flash, bounced to make sure there are no ugly shadows.

Ideally, put a speedlite where it will do the most good by attaching it to the stage framing and trigger it from your camera.

I should also add that i shoot very wide. If im inside, I am never above F/4.0. Most of the time im F/3.5 and below. So shooting with higher ISOs' lets me get away from using the battery packs because I can keep my flash power turned way down.

If Im shooting formals and large groups or outside, then I use strobes with the vagabond mini power packs of 110V if im inside shooting formals.

So Curtis is very right in his advise-

All depends on what your needs are. For me, I dont need to use battery packs because i bring several lights with me to an event and i power and trigger with sources other than AA batteries. So not a need for these power packs. If i were using strictly speedlights, I would probably have 2-3 of them. But with the introduction of the vagabond mini and availability of 110V, the use of strobes gives me better performance and coverage over a speedlight. So thats why we made the change.

Night football is another occasion where fast recycling comes in handy.
I'm mixing in ambient, which means I need a fast shutter to freeze the action. That means power-robbing high speed sync. I also gel the flash to (sort of) match the putrid green sodium vapor lights, which robs more light. The action is a good distance away, so even at f/2.8 ISO 6400 I need a fair amount of power.

I find them essential.

I travel fairly light with gear - 2 bodies, 3 lenses, two flashes, triggers, lightstands, softbox, brolly and gels (and the power packs) all fits neatly in a roller bag

When i use flash, its typically a portrait , sometimes outside andi dont typically choose the time so it is frequently under full sun.
Full sun requires power to balance - on a speedlight im typically between 1/4 and 1/1 power
If im using a softbox, its 1/1 and move the light in till theres enough light.

My reason for need in a HV power pack is simple, i dont have 6 seconds of bulls**t in me between shots
The 2 second recycle from the power pack is much more manageable.

I do plan on getting a set of Quadras at some stage - that should solve my power/recycle time issues

I can run without them but prefer not to. I tried to save weight this past weekend and it ended up being a mistake. Batteries clapped out at the worst possible times.

umphotography wrote in post #16412909
So Curtis is very right in his advise-

All depends on what your needs are.

I thought that had been clearly set out:

tonytony wrote in post #16409456
Assume on average 1/4 power in HSS mode... but I'd like to hear personal experiences and opinions on how feasible or frustrating shooting without, in my scenario, would be.

1/4 power HSS would have instantaneous recycle and isn't full power fill flash at a stadium at night nor battering your speedlights in full sun and modifier - because you really need a Quadra.