hello, I want to buy some rechargeable batteries for my Flash and my grip, do you guys have any experience with that? the longest lasting/ more reliable ones ?
thanks

sanyo eneloops.

yeah they look pretty tough, but are also super expensive !!

anorphirith wrote:
yeah they look pretty tough, but are also super expensive !!

Well you asked which ones were the longest lasting and most reliable, and these are it.

Expensive? Maybe a bit more than some of the other Ni-MH brands out there, but......They're worth it.

I've been thru dozens of brands of Ni-MH batteries for portable strobes, and these are far and away better than anything I've seen yet.

They also seem to hold a charge much better during periods of non-use. Typical Ni-MH cells seem to really fall off after about a week or so of sitting in the flash without being used, but not the eneloops.

After paying that much for a flash you're going to cheap on the batteries? I don't get it.

Avi B wrote:
sanyo eneloops.


Best purchase you'll ever make!!!!!

+1 to what Dennis said.

they are head and shoulders better than the others and you have no idea what 'super expensive' for a battery really means.

COSTCO's got a $9 off? coupon for an Eneloop set! Gitty-up.

I meant more expensive than the other rechargeable, I remember when they got released, they were like 15$ more, but it looks like it's totally worth it !
thanks guys !
how many flash do you think they would go (at full power)
@trenchmonkey where can I get the coupon ?

Also get the MAHA or LaCrosse chargers, as they allow various charging currents (ie how fast you can charge).

Avi B wrote:
Also get the MAHA or LaCrosse chargers, as they allow various charging currents (ie how fast you can charge).


So they can actually charge faster than the regular charger ?, isn't that affecting the battery life ?

Those are the only batteries I use. Charge them with this:

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/maha-mh-c801d-battery-charger.htm

I have 2 chargers and 16 eneloops. The ONLY way to go...

I'm using Delkin 2900mAh rechargables and they seem to be workin out pretty well so far.

Radio Shack?

Larry

Alkaline batteries are by far the most expensive. These are also the poorest performing in terms of recycle time and number of flashes.

$2.50 a piece for eneloop with a life of 1000 charges is very inexpensive.

I've found all the major brands of the slow discharge nimh are pretty good. I buy different brands in sets of four to keep organized. I suppose I could mark the batteries with purchase date instead and just buy eneloop.

Non-rechargeable lithium batteries are excellent for backup. They have years of shelf life, tons of power, and are light weight. I try to keep one or two sets in my bag for the times I mess up with recharging.

Anything is better than alkaline in a flash. The voltage drops quickly with akalines and flashes and cameras don't like that. The total power of traditional alkaline is pretty good, but there's no way to use most of that power in photography.

you're unlikely to get 1000 cycles from any battery. more like 200-500 but even then, it's a no-brainer.

yes, fast charging, esp. high capacity AA size batteries does take it's toll on the life. You generally would not want to charge a 2000mA battery at more than 1100mA rate which is about 2-3 hour recharge time (if fully flat). And even then, get a good charger that 'peak detects' NiMH *well*

+1 on eneloops.

They are great.

J.

The enloops are the best that i have ever used. I was at costco yesterday and the batteries with charger kit was about $28 and a separate package of just batteries was about $18. While i still use alkaline once in a while, the money that i have saved using these is quite surprising and they have a long shelf life when charged and really hold up not like the early "re-chargable" batteries that first came out.

+1 for eneloops.

Based on everyone's recommendations, I bought these off amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-Eneloop-Pre-Charged-Rechargable-Batteries/dp/B000IV0REA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1226943962&sr=8-2

seems like a pretty good deal, plus it has great reviews

++eneloops

anorphirith wrote:
@trenchmonkey where can I get the coupon ?
If you don't receive it in mail, then you should be able to find one in store.

Keep in mind, that the Sony "Cycle Energy" batteries, are identical to the excellent Eneloops. Just different labeling.

Kiron Kid

As many FMers know, Thomas Distributing is a good online retailer of all types of batteries including eneloops.

Jim

Avi B wrote:
Also get the MAHA or LaCrosse chargers, as they allow various charging currents (ie how fast you can charge).



I got mine from Thomas Distributing, Very reasonable prices

http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/sanyo-eneloop-aa-2000-mah-4-battery-pack-brultra-low-discharge-nimhbr1-free-4-cell-battery-casebr25-977-per-4-pack-6-or-more-957-p-287.html?SP_id=50&osCsid=na8b2tqm43b2bql5hcfcud1dh3


This is the Maha Charger I'm using, not the cheapest but it works very well.

http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=422

trenchmonkey wrote:
COSTCO's got a $9 off? coupon for an Eneloop set! Gitty-up.

I just got my coupon the other day but I hope my local Costco has restocked them because they got rid of them months ago.