Any suggestions on good Rechargeable AA batteries? I have a 580ex, and a vivitar 285HV, and they tend to suck the power dry in no time. I found that the 285 tends to only take 2700 mah batteries an not your regular re-chargeables... so powerful 2700 mah batteries are what I'm looking for. If you know any good deals, please share the link.
Also...anyone here using the battery pack for the 580ex? If so, how long does it typically last compared to just regular batteries?
I use MAHA PowerEx batteries and MAHA charger from www.thomasdistributing.com for my 580ex flashes. Eneloop have lower capacity (2000 mah vs 2700 mah) but have the advantage of holding their charge in storage.
Mike Stratton wrote:
Hey Chuck, do you have a recommendation on which charger to go with the Powerex batteries? Thanks Mike
I have both the MAHA 401 and 801 models. The 801 will charge 8 cells with individual control in 1 hour in fast mode and 2 hours in "gentle" mode. It also has a recondition cycle which rejuvenates them. The downside of the NiHM batteries is losing about 1% of their capacity per day so I just leave a set of 8 in trickle mode so I can grab a freshly charged set when needed.
I haven't tried the Eneloop batteries yet, but if starting from scratch today I'd keep a couple sets of both types on hand. Eneloop batteries will still have 70% of their charge after 6 months of storage and are sold charged, making them ideal for travel or spares.
I've been using PowerEx NiMH's for a couple of years. Recently I bought 8 Kodak low discharge rechargeables (Eneloop style) and have been quite pleased with them, so far. I can also highly recommend Maha chargers, particularly the 800 series.
Thank you all for the information. Can the Eneloops be charged via a normal 2700 maH charger, or do they require a specific charger? I have a CTA 2700 mah battery charger which doesn't do it in an hour, but still seems to charge fairly quickly. I would rather spend that extra $$$ towards some more batteries if a specific charger is not needed.
Sahid Limon wrote:
I would rather spend that extra $$$ towards some more batteries if a specific charger is not needed.
A good charger is worth its weight in gold - better for the batteries than a cheap one, so it protects your investment - makes them work better, and longer. Whatever you do, don't skimp on the charger - buy a good one. (i.e. MAHA)
I happen to like the Eneloop's myself but more out of convenience than anything else. If you're like most people and don't use speedlights as much, you'll appreciate not having to charge your batteries everytime before your shoot. The Eneloop's hold their charge really well where others drain very fast. I don't know if there's a difference in recycle times with the Eneloop's and the others, but not having to deal with drained batteries is a plus for me.
Sahid Limon wrote:
Any suggestions on good Rechargeable AA batteries? I have a 580ex, and a vivitar 285HV, and they tend to suck the power dry in no time. I found that the 285 tends to only take 2700 mah batteries an not your regular re-chargeables... so powerful 2700 mah batteries are what I'm looking for. If you know any good deals, please share the link.
It all depends how you use your flash. If you typically use more than one set of batteries at a time then the high capacity NiMH cells are what you're looking for. However, if you use it intermittently Low Self Discharge batteries like the Sanyo Eneloops are much better. The highest capacity NiMH cells have very high self discharge rates.
My situation is that I sometimes get surprised and have to shoot stuff I hadn't planned on short notice so I guess I need some eneloops.
But Most of my work I do have time to prep and charge batteries. How much do I use flash? Well I'll put it this way. I am on my 2nd 550Ex, The first one I burned the bulb out in it from so much use and the second one is about done too. Its getting old. My 420 is not new either and I am sure its not long before I have to replace it.
Sometimes I have to shoot fill as much as 75 feet away and for a lot of images. I mean at least 500 images in 1 day.
My best luck was with the Lenmar 2500's. They recycled fast and had the power to pop the flash as fast as I could shoot. I had and used them for over 4 years then I loaned them out and never got them back.
The Rayovac I-C3's are 2nd best. I have a set over 3 years old that still work great but you can't find them anymore.
As for Energizers. Blah they suck. Duracell? Yuck. I had 2 sets (8) of the 2650's and they lasted about 15 months before they would no longer take a charge. All of them are in a land fill somewhere.
I hear a lot of you talking about the MAHA's, PowereX? What are the best one's of them for power, amount of flashes per charge and cycle time? Anyone used the Lenmars that can compare them?
I am using a Rayovac PS4 charger and have had great results with it. Is a MAHA charger that much better? Or are they basically the same?
I start my busy season in about 3 weeks and I need to get about 20 AA 's before that starts so I need to make a decision soon as to what I am going to buy.
The Lacrosse is an excellent charger - that's what I use with the batteries that came with it. I also have a set of Eneloop batteries that I bought at the same time, but I see they now carry the Delkin 2300 mah low discharge ones at Thomas.
