Best Flash Batteries? - Recommendations Please

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Hi all,

I would like to ask for your recommendations for flash batteries? The AA kind.

I currently use Duracell Plus Power AA but they seem rather inconsistent when it comes to recycle times.

Advice and recommendations appreciated.

Thanks
 
A set of Sanyo Eneloop batteries and a charger.

Highly recommended

David
 
Another recommendation here for Sanyo Eneloops. Dirt cheap these days and hold they're charge for ages when they're not in use.
 
Have tried several Brands, but have settled on Eneloop NiMh re-chargeable, but the Duracell NIMh re-chargeable are just as good IMO.

Dave
 
DaveS2 said:
Have tried several Brands, but have settled on Eneloop NiMh re-chargeable, but the Duracell NIMh re-chargeable are just as good IMO.

Dave
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Over on candlepowerforums the Duracells are known as "Duraloops".
 
Do the eneloops need a specific charger or does a normal aa charger work? I have Duracell rechargeables and have never really had any issues but keep seeing the Sanyo's come up in alot of threads.

Thanks.
 
minnnt said:
Do the eneloops need a specific charger or does a normal aa charger work? I have Duracell rechargeables and have never really had any issues but keep seeing the Sanyo's come up in alot of threads.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Any charger for conventional rechargeables will work (it's recommended that a smart charger is used, good advice for all rechargeables though).
 
Another vote for the Eneloops. I am a seldom user of flash, and those Eneloops seem to hold charge indefinitely. I have no idea regarding the charger, bought the OEM with the first set of batteries.
 
I use the 7DayShop "GoodToGo" Eneloop style rechargeables - they hold charge well, and are cheep enough to make getting plenty of spares affordable.
 
Eneloop most of the times but the 7ds good to go are also okay.
 
I use Camlinks... and they're crap.
 
Dave1 said:
Any charger for conventional rechargeables will work (it's recommended that a smart charger is used, good advice for all rechargeables though).
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Can you give me some idea of how much difference the smart chargers make? I've read this advice often enough, but I've never used one. They're not all that easy to find in South Africa - probably very little demand - and they're ridiculously expensive here.
 
MartynK said:
Can you give me some idea of how much difference the smart chargers make? I've read this advice often enough, but I've never used one. They're not all that easy to find in South Africa - probably very little demand - and they're ridiculously expensive here.
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Martyn, I think it's just more to do with longevity of the batteries. A smart charger will charge each cell separately and control a pre-charge check, charge rate and then trickle charge per battery rather than the cheaper "dumb" chargers that will just dump the same charge per 2 or 4 batteries.

If you can't find anything in SA, can't you order from the UK?

Something like this at Amazon is quite highly rated.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=0D9S9Y0HMZDGYTP83HD9
 
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Thanks for the response guys/girls. Much appreciated.

Quick question, in terms of recycle time between flashes, will battery brand vary?
 
I use an Energizer NiMh charger.

This One:

http://www.robertdyas.co.uk/energizer-intelligent-battery-charger-4-x-aa-batteries?istCompanyId=bf3344d9-83f5-4abd-b69a-da131f7567d1&istItemId=xliwprwxp&istBid=tzxp&gclid=CLj0u7HKhbwCFRLMtAoddzYAqw

Not expensive, and it does a good job. BTW, I didn't buy from the company above, but from e-bay, but its one and the same thing.

Its a two-port charger, charging the batteries in pairs. It is an 'intelligent charger', for pairs of batteries, whereas a 4-port, will charge four individual batteries, which is the best option, although I'm completely happy with the charger I have.

BTW, I always keep each group of two or four batteries together as a group, and recharge them as such. I use four in each of my speedilights, four in my ring-flash, and two in each of my 3 wireless flash triggers.

Dave
 
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Dave1 said:
Martyn, I think it's just more to do with longevity of the batteries. A smart charger will charge each cell separately and control a pre-charge check, charge rate and then trickle charge per battery rather than the cheaper "dumb" chargers that will just dump the same charge per 2 or 4 batteries.

If you can't find anything in SA, can't you order from the UK?

Something like this at Amazon is quite highly rated.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=0D9S9Y0HMZDGYTP83HD9
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave, that makes sense. Unfortunately Amazon won't deliver to SA (other than CDs/DVDs and books). They used to, but curtailed it some years ago because of the high rate of theft after goods entered the country. Other suppliers might be willing to deliver, but the same risk would apply unless I pay for courier service, and that would probably push the price to SA levels. My wife lives in the UK, so I suppose I could have one sent to her address and pick it up at some point, or ask her to bring it when she visits.
 
MartynK said:
Thanks Dave, that makes sense. Unfortunately Amazon won't deliver to SA (other than CDs/DVDs and books). They used to, but curtailed it some years ago because of the high rate of theft after goods entered the country. Other suppliers might be willing to deliver, but the same risk would apply unless I pay for courier service, and that would probably push the price to SA levels. My wife lives in the UK, so I suppose I could have one sent to her address and pick it up at some point, or ask her to bring it when she visits.
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Have you tried OutdoorPhoto in Pretoria?
 
Eneloop XX

I put a couple of new sets through same charge cycles in this thread...

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/sanyo-eneloop-xx-test.493316/

I'll update that thread soon. I've been logging how many cycles they;'ve had, and they're coming up to around 200 now, so it will be interesting to see how they are faring. I've not yet done the long discharge test yet, as I keep needing to use them. I'll have to buy another set for that... I need a third set as a spare anyway. The longest I've left them charged is nearly a month however, and they still discharged 2250mA, so it looks promising.

They've been utterly brilliant. By far the best NiMh cells I've used. They're great with my SB800 flash guns. Not the fastest cycle times (although still very fast) but I can get more high power cycles than other cells I've tried, including normal eneloops.
 
Dave1 said:
Have you tried OutdoorPhoto in Pretoria?
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I know ODP. It's owned by Hedrus Van Der Merwe and I bought my 30D from him a few years ago. I did check their website a while back, shortly after they started importing smart chargers, but this sort of thing is always expensive in SA. Weak rand, low demand and very little competition. I'll take another look. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Get the white Eneloops, not the black ones. They can be recharged twice as much iirc.

Oh, and get a slow charger
 
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Jesus Quintana said:
Get the white Eneloops, not the black ones. They can be recharged twice as much iirc.

Oh, and get a slow charger
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There was a lot of misinformation when the XX version came out, it all seems to have been internet rumours on forums that gets propagated over and over.

The XX version are superior to the older white version.

Oh, and a slow dumb charger is still not as good as any intelligent charger (fast or slow).
 
I based my recommendation that the white eneloops can be recharged 1800 times where the black xx can be charged 500 times. Yes, you do pay more for the black xx batteries, but they do have more oomph. I couldn't justify the extra cost of the black Eneloops over the standard ones seeing as they reportedly last less than a 1/3 of the white ones.

Either way, whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll be happy.
 
Jesus Quintana said:
Get the white Eneloops, not the black ones. They can be recharged twice as much iirc.

Oh, and get a slow charger
Click to expand...


Get an INTELLIGENT charger... one that can supply different charge rates to each cell.. that's far more important. Don't skimp on the charger. Have a root around on here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php There are some very knowledgeable people on there when it comes to batteries.

As for number of charges... they're only £9 a set on average... surely how well they actually work is the priority? 500 life cycles for most amateurs is a couple of years. that's £4.50 a year :)
 
Just had a look at my Duracells and they're 1500 NiMH 2400 mAh. I've never had any issues with them tbh and they were about £7 a pack from home bargains. I think these will do for me. When used in my old flash it recycled pretty quick.
 
I've got a bunch of 7dayshop 2900Mah AA's and a couple of Vapex chargers and they do me well. I've got 2 speedlites and the wife has another and I've also got a ringflash that I only use occasionally but the batteries don't seem to discharge much while they're not in use. The batteries are a great price from 7dayshop and they are very reliable, I've been buying from them for years.
 
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