James Eaton wrote:
Duracell or Energizer 2500ma are more than sufficient. I use 2500 in my 580EX and get approx 250 flashes per charge.
it is unfortunate that my experience with the energizer batts has been less then enthusiastic. yes they do work well hot off the charger. but it seems they seem to have the highest self discarge rate of its type in the market. they need to be under constant charge and after just a few days in a bag rapidly become dead weight. i have pretty much given up on them as a useful part of my kit.
Maha Powerex 2700s if you use them often enough (enough to need a charge more than every few weeks). I'd avoid the Duracell and Energizer batteries, frankly, as often overrate their batteries and have extremely high discharge rates. If you don't want to have to charge your batteries frequently, go for the low discharge cells; the Eneloops are the best low discharge cells on the market right now. Also make sure to get a good charger. A bad (timed) charger will kill batteries faster than anything else. A good charger will have a - delta V cutoff and individual charging channels. If you plan of going through batteries a lot, a charger like the Maha C800s or C801d would be nice, as they have eight slots. Otherwise, a charger like the c401fs will be fine.
I quit using rechargables in my flashes because regular AA's lasted longer and I didn't have to worry about carrying a charger. I might have look into it again.
Sanyo's eneloops really are amazing, despite their lower mAh ratings. Get yourself a good charger, too, which can make all the difference. Thomas Distributing is a great vendor, and I like the MAHA chargers. Avoid the 15-minute quick chargers, and instead buy yourself an extra set of batteries if you need to.
I quit using rechargables in my flashes because regular AA's lasted longer and I didn't have to worry about carrying a charger. I might have look into it again.
yep the horses are out of the gate. i currently count about 8 different brandings of the new tech NiMh products.
now the next round will be the slow ratcheting up of the mah values in said products. yet another reason to maintain their ad accounts.
Have you used the Eneloop batteries? They are extremely nice. You lose a relatively negligible amount of capacity, but you also don't lost about 5% a week like you do with normal Ni-MH batteries. As for the other LSD (low discharge batteries), there are quite a few brands out now, including Kodak, Uniross, Ansmann, etc. Most tests have shown the Eneloops coming out on top, although the Powerex Imedion are so new that no one's really had a chance to test them fully yet.
As for the Eneloop package at Costco, look for the one that has the NC-MQN05 battery charger, which is a fairly nice four channel sensing charger. Sanyo seems to be replacing it with the NC-MQN06 charger, which is an inferior two channel charger, but keeping everything else the same, right down to the barcode.
take your 2700 batts and throw them in your bag for about a month in your flash unused. then whip it out and start shooting and see how many shots you get out of them.
do the same with the eneloop ones. i think then you might notice the difference in usability. i have a few sets of the maha 2700 too.
i just pulled out my 2700 maha cells (8) and had to put them on charge as they were flat as a pancake after a month.
yes a 5 yr warrantee is nice but it only covers failure to charge not the need to charge due to self discharge.
dirb9 wrote:
Have you used the Eneloop batteries? They are extremely nice. You lose a relatively negligible amount of capacity, but you also don't lost about 5% a week like you do with normal Ni-MH batteries. As for the other LSD (low discharge batteries), there are quite a few brands out now, including Kodak, Uniross, Ansmann, etc. Most tests have shown the Eneloops coming out on top, although the Powerex Imedion are so new that no one's really had a chance to test them fully yet.
As for the Eneloop package at Costco, look for the one that has the NC-MQN05 battery charger, which is a fairly nice four channel sensing charger. Sanyo seems to be replacing it with the NC-MQN06 charger, which is an inferior two channel charger, but keeping everything else the same, right down to the barcode....Show more →
the NC-MQN05U has 1 basic flaw in my book. its input voltage is only rated for 100-120vac. so it is no world voltage charger.
SOP for PowerEx Batteries or any rechargeables for that matter is to charge them the night before your job. But I have many sets of 4 so I can keep 12 on the charger at all times.
i have 8 of those 2700 powerex's sitting on the charger right now. and the other day they were there too and a had to shoot with some fill just kinda forgot them. the eneloops in the flash (now in over a month and a half) and the extra set in my bag still untouched popped 30 shots off. as of today i still haven't touched them. i just turned the flash on and instant red pilot light and did another 20 or so test whacks w/o the pilot going out. thanks for reminding me that i should give them a refresh charge just in case
