What rechargeable AAs do you use in Speedlite?

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I'm interested in finding the best possible rechargeable AA batteries for strobe speedlite flashes. Can you recommend yours?

I've bought x16 2800mAh NIMH AAs from 7dayshop.com and seem to have a bad batch. Even brand new and after a full discharge and recharge in an intelligient battery charger, they won't show the capacity or power (using a digital battery tester) as a set of 4 yr old 2100mAh Jessops own! :thumbsdown:
 
I've got some Duracell rechargeables (on offer from 7DayShop) and they're great.. one set has got me through a full wedding :)
 
Ive got a set of ones from maplins i bought with a cheapy charger, they work fine for my use but i imagine you might need something a bit more for heavy use
 
Eneloops here too - but only since xmas and only as it seemed to be what was most recommended on here. Can't complain so far, they seem to last for a while in one of FITP's lights.
 
After loads of various 'high capacity' AA rechargeables inluding those linked above from 7day I've dumped them all for GP Recyco batteries (same as eneloop). They may 'only' be 2100 maH but they really are 2100 and they deliver the power when needed. Not going flat on their own in the drawer is another major plus too.

Ordinary rechargables seem great for the first 6 months or so then start to lose capacity and go flat quick doing nothing..... at least all the ones I've bought seem to.
 
Eneloops!
 
Right, general consensus is - Eneloops are best, based on your comments. Thanks all!
 
Eneloops too, and some Calumet own brands. All seem to work fine. (7 Day Shop replacement batteries for 1D work fine too, I should say, so don't necessarily give up on them as a source)
 
what technology sets eneloops apart from other Nihms then?
 
Rob, it's a different chemistry that means that they don't self discharge anywhere near as fast as older technologies, so you can leave them in a drawer for a month, pull them out and they'll still have 95% of the full charge... older ones would have way less.

I'm also pretty sure they can deliver more charge faster too, they certainly seem to live very happily in speedlights :)
 
So I presume the eneloops have a different from normal cathode, as that is what effects discharge without use normally.

I can't see how they can deliver charge faster, but then I'm a mech engineer not a 'leccy!

I'll have to take a look at some sometime, they jsut at the mo seem a little too expensive vs the ones I get from 7day shop.
 
atm eneloops are the kitty kat re self discharge, NiZn when they are available over here should give a fair bit more kick though (meant to compare to a quantum)
 
Has anyone used Ansmann before? If so how did you get on with them?
 
I guess this is getting boring... eneloops.

Honestly they just hold the charge for ages. They may not be the highest capacity at 2000 mAh but it does generally work out as a genuine 2000 mAh, unlike many of the batteries you see advertised at much more than this.
 
just ordered some 7 day shop own brand the other day.
 
bigrob said:
Has anyone used Ansmann before? If so how did you get on with them?
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I've got about 24 Ansmann 2850's. Power-wise they are good, and can 'sometimes' last a full day when shooting at MTB events, in my SB-800 & 900.

My main gripe is that the charger shows errors on them quite often, which means it won't charge that particular battery. You can get them going again by using them mixed in with the others, but it's a bit of a pain.

They're expensive batteries, which makes it all the worse.

I'll go Eneloops next time. :)
 
I have many different ones including Eneloops, Vapextech from ebay, old batch of uniross, jessops - all 100% fine. Just the recent uniross purchase went pair shaped (2/4 faulty).
 
I was going to start a new thread but I'll jump in on this one if the OP doesn't mind :)

I'm after ditching my Uniross hoard of AA's and getting something a little more robust.

I've found that after a few charges (keeping the sets the same) the capacity gets worse and worse. I was specifically going to try and get a charger that had a discharge function so that I knew that a batt was fully drained before recharging so-as not to knacker it over time. Is that necessary do you think?

Going to buy Eneloops it looks like :)

(Oh and if anyone can quickly tell me what the battery type is in a Elinchrom Skyport Transmitter I'd be mega grateful. As I frogot to take the flat one to work with me doh!)
 
I don't use anything other than Eneloops in my 580EX II, coupled with a Maha C-9000 charger/analyser, it's an awesome combination :)
 
I gave up trying to use rechargables in my speedlites and now keep just keep supermarket multi pack batteries in my bag.

Those that use Duracell might find that if you try and use another brand in your items later that the fit is not as tight as Duracell are fractionally larger than other batteries.
 
markta said:
I don't use anything other than Eneloops in my 580EX II, coupled with a Maha C-9000 charger/analyser, it's an awesome combination :)
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:agree:..the charger is a bit more expensive than all the others but you know your batteries will be in peak condition all the time..:thumbs:
 
I just got a decent charger from Ansmann and bought a load of batteries from B&Q :shrug:

They obviously aren't the best in the world but they seem to hold their charge well and last quite well in use. I got enough for four sets for each of my three speedlights, but then the other half keeps nicking them for the tv remote/baby toys/point n shoot camera etc etc :bonk:
 
Eneloops are improved Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries with these key benefits:

  • Hold a charge longer (low self discharge)
  • Can be recharged more times
  • Better low temperature performance
  • Can be used right out of the package (pre-charged)
The most important feature of Eneloops for me is how long they hold a charge - they seem more like Alkaline batteries in this regard. I have lots of NiMH batteries and they work well for many uses, but for devices I use sporadically I was often frustrated to find the NiMH batteries had lost their charge between the last use. For digital cameras I have to recharge the NiMH batteries once a month, even if I don't take many pictures. The Eneloops can often go 2 months or more. The Eneloops also work great in my GPS - I don't use it often, but when I do the Eneloops usually have enough charge for the job, whereas most times the NiMH batteries are dead. So even though Eneloops have less rated capacity than current NiMH batteries (2000 mAh versus 2700 mAh), the lower rate of self discharge (95% charge after 6 months for Eneloop versus 75% or worse for NiMH) means I get more use out of the Eneloops and fewer times finding dead batteries.:)
 
Don't get caught up with the idea that Eneloops are the only option. Eneloops were the first LSD batteries, but other brands now match and even beat them slightly. GP Recyko and Uniross Hybrio are just as good (I should know, I spent ages testing all 3 sets with a proper battery tester).
 
bigrob said:
Has anyone used Ansmann before? If so how did you get on with them?
Click to expand...

I use Ansmann 2850's and a MAHA 1 hour charger and they are A1 in my 2 x SB-800's

Geoff
 
Just for future reference, the other manufacturers that are equivalent to eneloops are:
Panasonic Infinium
Duracell Staycharged
Camlink Ready 2 Go
Uniross Hybrio
7 Day Shop do their own make, but I have seen some negative comments about them...
There could be others...
 
Because the Maha can condition and charge each battery based on the individual requirements and the Eneloops retain charge and life for much longer, does that now mean that it's not totally necessary to charge in 'sets'?
 
kalibre said:
Because the Maha can condition and charge each battery based on the individual requirements and the Eneloops retain charge and life for much longer, does that now mean that it's not totally necessary to charge in 'sets'?
Click to expand...

If it is anything like the Technoline BC-900 which I have then each individual cell is treated separately so each is charged according to what IT needs. You would of course be charging a set anyway because when you take your 4/5 batteries from your flash they are all pretty much flat.
 
geoffd70 said:
I use Ansmann 2850's and a MAHA 1 hour charger and they are A1 in my 2 x SB-800's

Geoff
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Glad to hear it. I have the Ansmann Digispeed 4 Ultra fast charger on order from Fotosense.

http://www.fotosense.co.uk/ansmann-digispeed-4-ultra-fast-charger-incl-4-x-2850mah-nimh-cells.html?%24%24tid=0SWlnc_34Ix0zHtTT4nngka30pyU7O0Pc7Bp26sxrYGxxVr39gunRedVceqFhz8D

Good price but shocking service.

Still says in stock on their website and I got an email to say they were processing it through their warehouse (i.e. garage). When it never came after 5 days I called, to be told it should be with them tomorrow. Hmm lets wait and see.
 
Don't know if it's the same with enelopps but I have Ansmann Max-e's - lot's of them in xbox & wii controllers, two flashguns plus spare batteries, remote control hansets etc.

They are brilliant, but don't be tempted to put them in a normal charger, they get very hot. Get a proper charger for them.
 
Any of the Low Self Discharge ones for me, I dont have eneloops but i do have Hybrios, panasonic Infiniums, and Ive just got myself some of the 7dayshop "good to go" ones, http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_3&products_id=107341 which are basically the same thing for half the price!

Rob.Marsh said:
I can't see how they can deliver charge faster, but then I'm a mech engineer not a 'leccy!
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they have less impurities in them which aswell as slowing their self discharge, means their internal serial resistace is less so they can delver more current. I dont know how much differeance that makes in a flash, the biggest jump i expect is coming from alkaline to ni-mh in terms of delivery.
 
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