In reality though, I don't use rechargables because my dad used to rent out a building of his to the red cross, and when they moved out, they left behind 20 cases of energizer e2 lithium batteries, each case containing 250 batteries. It was like striking gold!
I will test my powerex often and write their capacity on the batteries - then make matched sets for each wedding - poor performers go for refreshing and any that do very poorly (2000 mAh or less) get dumped.
I use four sets of Powerex 2700 mAh and four sets of Immedions. I haven't had the Immedions long enough to say much about them, 'though. I do like the confidence that they'll always have enough charge for an impromptu shoot, and sometimes my flash gear goes weeks between uses. When I know a flash shoot is coming up, I'll refresh the 2700s using two Maha C9000 and two Maha C401 chargers.
As soon as I got the batteries, I ran all of them through the "break-in" cycle of the C9000 chargers. This conditions the batts and gives a readout of the actual capacity of each batt. I group the batts into sets of similar capacity, which I label with colored electrician's tape and number each member of each set with a Sharpie pen. The tape makes for a tight fit in my SB800 flashes, but doesn't interfere with the SB900s.
Since the usable charge of a set of batts relies on the weakest batt, grouping them by actual capacity gives me a bit more reliability and I know that, for instance, the blue group has the highest capacity and the yellow group the lowest so I can judge how I use them. BTW, the lowest capacity of any of the 2700s (after two years of use) is 2450 mAh, while the lowest capacity of the brand-new Immedions is 1875 mAh (only one of them is below 2000 mAh and I'll be replacing that one).
I keep track of used/new batts simply by putting the fresh batts in one pocket and the used ones in another. No chance of confusion. I use the cases, but sometimes things get frantic and I'll just dump the dead batts in the pocket since it's easy to sort them by color when I get back to the shop.
I started buying directly from Maha/Powerex, but was surprised to learn that the products are significantly cheaper through Thomas Distributing.
What I would be interested in is....if cost is NOT in the final result...and looking at pretty much just recycle times and the amount of flashes per set of batteries before a change is needed....what do you all think of rechargeables as opposed to just plain old Duracell non rechargeables?
I have used PowerX and Duracell rechargeables and found them to be kind of a pain...they did not seem to recycle as fast or last as long as just plain old regular Duracells. Now...I have a connection where I can get the regular Duracell batteries for pennies on the dollar but...Im not looking at price for this topic...just recycle and lasting abilitiy.
George
The Duracells and other standard alkaline batt's become horrendously slow at recycling. According to my camera-lens repair buddy, the Duracell alkalines seem to leak more than other brands... Go with the Eneloops of Energizer Lithiums.
julian45 wrote:
I bought a selection of batteries from http://www.thomas-distributing.com - conditioned them and tested times in my flashes. The Powerex under load were great. Next best were the Duracell 2650 then some other brands (Sanyo 2700 , Ansmann, Energizer, Maha ..... to name a few). Note I am only testing the top part of the batteries capacity.
The Powerex 2700 also had the most capacity when I tested them on the BC-900, even against higher rated batteries such as the Ansmann 2900.
Agreed.
I've only tested the Powerex, Maha, and Sanyo Eneloops. I conditioned them to peak performance with the 9000 charger, then ran some tests.
The Powerex have the highest capacity, but much more important- they give the fastest recharge rate in my 580 & 430 speedlights. That's really important to me, as I often take a lot of quick bursts when inside. (Powerlund has me curious now about regular alkalines, though I think at some point the limiting factor is heat in the speedlights)
Of course, the Eneloops stay charged much much longer. So, lately I've been keeping Eneloops in the speedlights, in case I'm out the door in a hurry, and keep the Powerex cells trickle-charged in an 8-cell Maha charger. When I have an important shooting situation, and a few extra minutes before leaving, I swap in the Powerex.
G Lund wrote:
What I would be interested in is....if cost is NOT in the final result...and looking at pretty much just recycle times and the amount of flashes per set of batteries before a change is needed....what do you all think of rechargeables as opposed to just plain old Duracell non rechargeables?
This is an older comparison (before the ULD NiMH technology of the Eneloops and their brethren), but see what he states about alkaline batts in high drain devices like modern cameras.
Also, notice his (rather basic) discharge graphs comparing alkaline with NiMH/NiCD (NiCD have really been put out to pasture by NiMH). For devices like photo gear we'd like to see a power supply with as flat a discharge curve as possible. This shows a consistent power delivery throughout the use time of the batt. Alkaline batts have a sloping discharge curve, showing them to deliver inconsistent power.
G Lund wrote:
I have used PowerX and Duracell rechargeables and found them to be kind of a pain...they did not seem to recycle as fast or last as long as just plain old regular Duracells. Now...I have a connection where I can get the regular Duracell batteries for pennies on the dollar but...Im not looking at price for this topic...just recycle and lasting abilitiy.
Good quality batteries are important, but a good quality charger is absolutely essential. Most of the problems folks have with rechargeable batteries isn't the batteries but (poor quality) chargers.
About those Duracells your connection can get cheap for you... will you know what state of charge those batteries are in when you get them? Will you know if they've been exposed to excessive heat and/or moisture? Will you know what you're getting? Sometimes "cheap" isn't always the best choice.
Buy good quality rechargeable batteries and a good quality charger, and then "manage" the batteries yourself (so you'll know just what you'll be getting each time you load them into your gear). Then your life will be much easier (consistent power is hassle free power ).
Just an update. I've been using the Eneloops for the last two weddings that I've shot and I'm amazed as to how long they last. On a side note, the Canon 5D MK2 battery is amazing. I've shot both weddings without having to recharge the battery or put in the replacement battery. Unreal!
Maha and higher-end LaCrosse chargers are highly regarded. The BC900 is IMO the best 4-battery conditioning charger you can buy. The Maha C801D the best 8-battery one.
pipspeak wrote:
Maha and higher-end LaCrosse chargers are highly regarded. The BC900 is IMO the best 4-battery conditioning charger you can buy. The Maha C801D the best 8-battery one.
I prefer the Maha MH-C9000 to the to the BC900 and the Maha MH-C800S over the C801D. The only difference between the C801D and the C800S is that the C801D charges faster than the C800S. All else being equal, a slower charge will ensure better performance and prolong the life of the battery.
My brother is an event photographer and I bought him the Yuasa AA 2700mAh Ni-Mh batteries as his birthday gift. He loves the Yuasa batteries as they perform flawlessly. He constantly takes 660 plus photographs with his Nikon flash guns using Yuasa baterries. I am also using the Yuasa batteries for my Canon digital camera and they last at least 5 days during my vacation.
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