Speedlights and re-chargeable batteries

treeman

treeman

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I seem to be eating batteries at the moment, so thought it may be time to look at getting re-chargables.

I'd always been put off re-chargeable because you didn't get as many fires before they go flat. But not sure if that's still the case.

Just wondering what other peoples experiences are, and if you can recommend which ones to get?

Thanks
 
Sanyo Eneloops, everytime. Don't discharge when not in use and last just as long as Duracells in my Nikon speedlights. Wouldn't normally get excited by batteries but they are great ;)
 
TheBionicDan said:
Sanyo Eneloops, everytime. Don't discharge when not in use and last just as long as Duracells in my Nikon speedlights. Wouldn't normally get excited by batteries but they are great ;)
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^^ Ditto ^^
 
Go for something with high mAh... 2500mAh or 2700mAh or similar - once you drop below about 2000mAh you'll notice a drop in shots.
There's a lot of cheap rechargeables around at 1000mAh which aren't worth it.
 
Go for the eneloops every time. Don't be put off by the fact that they're only 2000 mAh either. The thing is that the mAh rating does seem to be genuine with these and often exagerated on some others. I've checked the eneloops against 2800 mAh batteries (both from 7dayshop ) and the eneloops walked all over the high(er) capacity ones in reality.
 
I'm using Uniross 2700's in fast chargers (2 hours). They have been faultless so far and not too expensive. Not sure how long they retain power for (ie if you leave them lying around) but I always give em a boost anyway before a job.
 
I use Sanyo Eneloops and Uniross Hybrio's in my 430 EXII, and can recommmend either.
 
boyfalldown said:
I worry about all the people getting excited by batteries around here :)

I use Duracell 2650 mah in my SB900's never any issues but they don't excite me :D
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:lol:

No, Duracell's don't excite me either. But Eneloops.............
 
Eneloops were the first rechargeables with a low discharge rate, AFAIK. We couldn't get them for a while in South Africa, then a few places started stocking them, but the price was ridiculous. Uniross Hybrios came out a bit later, and I used them because they were easier to find and cheaper. I've got both now, and haven't noticed any real difference in performance.
 
I've been using 2800 7dayshop rechargables in my SB800 and I get plenty of flashes out of a set before having to change. I rarely fire the flash at full power though.

Good rechargables are deffo the way to go. It may be a higher cost initially but once you've got them they'll last quite a while.
 
I use Energizer Lithium's - they cost a bit but last for ages with moderate use!
 
-Rob- said:
I've been using 2800 7dayshop rechargables in my SB800 and I get plenty of flashes out of a set before having to change. I rarely fire the flash at full power though.

Good rechargables are deffo the way to go. It may be a higher cost initially but once you've got them they'll last quite a while.
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I use the same ones in my 580EX and can easily get 3-400 flashes from a charge - I take two charged sets with me and have yet to run out power.
 
I use Eneloops in my 430EX, at the end of each days shooting I put in a fresh set so it'll be ready when I need it again.

When I used 'old' rechargeables they were always low when I needed it :(
 
I now use standard energizer batteries on my SB900. I became sick of it overheating with rechargeables.
I then did a search on the net about it and found someone saying it doesnt happen with standard batteries.
I tried it and no bother since.

Kev.
 
Can we not get a rechargeable thread on 'which batteries to use in my flash', this question comes up every couple of days!

I use Eneloops by the way.
 
Uniross hybrios in my 580 EX II. No problems and they hold their charge for up to 1 Year. I use a 15 minute charger with them, and have never had any problems at all.
 
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