Rechargeable AA's

cdifoto wrote in post #11394658
We carry all those dSLR bodies, lenses, flashes, and doodads but we're **** about a few pounds in batteries? Seriously?

Not even one pound... 4 AA NiMH cells only weigh 3.75 oz, 16 of them less than one pound. The beloved BG-E2 empty (no batteries) weighs more!

cdifoto wrote in post #11394658
We carry all those dSLR bodies, lenses, flashes, and doodads but we're **** about a few pounds in batteries? Seriously?

Not the weight, but my experience with NiMH has been a case of pretty bad falloff in recycle time.

In other words, they work great, and then - splat - down to nothing.

With the Lithiums (Not Li Ion - as I said, not looking at rechargeables here), I've had great - OUTSTANDING - performance without the severe dropoff. They've gotten me through shooting where I'd have had to change the NiMH's two, three, or even four times.

Wilt wrote in post #11394711
Not even one pound... 4 AA NiMH cells only weigh 3.75 oz, 16 of them less than one pound. The beloved BG-E2 empty weighs more!

Thanks. I never weighed them. haha. Sooooo it's even more silly.

cdifoto wrote in post #11394733
Thanks. I never weighed them. haha. Sooooo it's even more silly.

I didn't mean 'weight' per say when I said 'weigh myself down' with them, but as in, more crap to cram in the bag, dig out, change and try to keep shooting.

The batteries weigh about the same as my sto-fen, so actual poundage is not much of an issue

dmurphy wrote in post #11394723
Not the weight, but my experience with NiMH has been a case of pretty bad falloff in recycle time.

Well, you did a pretty good job of convincing us that your concern was, "I'd rather spend a few $$ on 2 sets of these than weigh myself down with 16 rechargeables."

dmurphy wrote in post #11394723
Not the weight, but my experience with NiMH has been a case of pretty bad falloff in recycle time.

In other words, they work great, and then - splat - down to nothing.

With the Lithiums (Not Li Ion - as I said, not looking at rechargeables here), I've had great - OUTSTANDING - performance without the severe dropoff. They've gotten me through shooting where I'd have had to change the NiMH's two, three, or even four times.

Yeah but when your Lithiums are - splat - down to nothing you have to pitch them in the trash. The same set of rechargeable are good for several years before they finally need replaced altogether.

Wilt wrote in post #11394746
Well, you did a pretty good job of convincing us that your concern was, "I'd rather spend a few $$ on 2 sets of these than weigh myself down with 16 rechargeables."

My apologies; wording was bad. I meant finding a spot in the bag for them and fumbling around to find 'em when I'm in a hurry. Battery poundage is white noise when compared to carrying around a 7D + a few L lenses ...

Been there, done that, decided to go the Lithium route instead. Besides which, I'm really bad about having a regimen to ensure all the batts are 'topped off' before I go out for a shoot.

I have a whole pile of Rayovac NiMH rechargeables that I picked up a while ago. They're 2300mAh batts, so they have a decent life when used right after topping off. Wait a few days, and they're dead as a doornail ...

The Lithiums just fit my personal workflow better. Your mileage may vary. Batteries not included. Packaged by weight, not volume. Contents may settle during shipping. As seen on TV. So on, and so forth

dmurphy wrote in post #11394742
I didn't mean 'weight' per say when I said 'weigh myself down' with them, but as in, more crap to cram in the bag, dig out, change and try to keep shooting.

The batteries weigh about the same as my sto-fen, so actual poundage is not much of an issue

Kind of makes sense, but keeping the spares in a dedicated pocket isn't difficult and mitigates the "cram in the bag" and "dig out" issues. Changing them takes mere seconds so that can't really be a problem. If you're shooting weddings, surely you know how to manage your time.

At any rate, whatever works works. I'm just too cheap to buy new sets of batteries for each and every gig.

dmurphy wrote in post #11394769
I have a whole pile of Rayovac NiMH rechargeables that I picked up a while ago. They're 2300mAh batts, so they have a decent life when used right after topping off. Wait a few days, and they're dead as a doornail ...

Ahhh that explains your hatred. I had that same brand and I can surely attest that they're garbage. Same goes for Duracell NiMH. Low discharge NiMH (eneloop and Duracell Precharged type) and NiZn do not suffer from the same problems.

Lithium: Best price I found was $1 each, more typical to get them for $2 each...as expensive for one-time use as for buying NiMH rechargeables. As a said earlier, great for 'emergency use' where the battery might sit for years before being called upon to provide reliable power.

dmurphy wrote in post #11394769
I have a whole pile of Rayovac NiMH rechargeables that I picked up a while ago. They're 2300mAh batts, so they have a decent life when used right after topping off. Wait a few days, and they're dead as a doornail ...

That is a horrendous lack of shelf time, if only a few days have passed. They should last 90 days before going flat! Boy, let that be a lesson to everyone, to never buy Rayovac NiMH. You probably killed them with the Rayovac rapid charger.

Wilt wrote in post #11394812
That is a horrendous lack of shelf time, if only a few days have passed. They should last 90 days before going flat! Boy, let that be a lesson to everyone, to never buy Rayovac NiMH. You probably killed them with the Rayovac rapid charger.

Yeah, they've been thoroughly awful to be honest.

I bought into the whole Rayovac "I-C3" system which was supposed to do intelligent charging, high output batteries, etc. Someone gave me the charger as a gift and I (as a fool) picked up a 24-pack of AA's for it.

And, they suck.

Been hesitant to make another major investment in a whole 'nother technology - this one cost me enough. I paid a premium for the I-C3's because they were supposed to be a superior technology.

Shelf life's been terrible. I can't even get a week out of my Apple Mighty Mouse with them.

Having said all of that ... it sounds like most everyone here is sold on the Eneloops. Is there any particular sub-brand or sub-model of Eneloop that is highest recommended?

I'd be willing to give it another go, but definitely not with the Rayovac's again!

EDIT: Penny wise, pound foolish, right? I have no problem dropping $1k on a lens, but agonize over $50 in rechargeable batteries. Weird how the brain works ...

dmurphy wrote in post #11394869
Yeah, they've been thoroughly awful to be honest.

I bought into the whole Rayovac "I-C3" system which was supposed to do intelligent charging, high output batteries, etc. Someone gave me the charger as a gift and I (as a fool) picked up a 24-pack of AA's for it.

And, they suck.

Been hesitant to make another major investment in a whole 'nother technology - this one cost me enough. I paid a premium for the I-C3's because they were supposed to be a superior technology.

Shelf life's been terrible. I can't even get a week out of my Apple Mighty Mouse with them.

Having said all of that ... it sounds like most everyone here is sold on the Eneloops. Is there any particular sub-brand or sub-model of Eneloop that is highest recommended?

I'd be willing to give it another go, but definitely not with the Rayovac's again!

EDIT: Penny wise, pound foolish, right? I have no problem dropping $1k on a lens, but agonize over $50 in rechargeable batteries. Weird how the brain works ...

Eneloop is just eneloop. There aren't any subsets/models.

Same goes for PowerGenix NiZn. PowerGenix is the brand and NiZn is the chemistry (Nickel Zinc).

Older eneloop is rated 1000 recharge cycles. Newer eneloop is rated 1500 recharge cycles. capacity rating is the same.

I have used eneloops and imedions over the past 3 years. When still new, both perform similarly.
After several years usage, the imedions cannot hold V at rated, flash recharge takes very long. Whereas the eneloops still perform same as day 1.

Have since replaced all AA to eneloop. Charger i use Maha MH-C800s. For long events I add a CP-E4 battery pack. Or you can get a Quantum.

Always have a spare set of regular AA as last resort backup.

Wilt wrote in post #11394657
NiZn is coming into increasing presence, offer 1.6v output, but must be charged only in special NiZn chargers.

There is a thread here (sorry but don't have the link) about the higher voltage (1.65) of the NiZ batteries frying the flash. Apparently the voltage is too high. The problem occurs when there are several flashes in a short span.