Any suggested work arounds for delay with ST-e3?

[cpsico]

I use fairly new Eneloop rechargeables, got them last year and don't think they are anywhere close to the 1500 life cycle recharges limit the packaging notes. (Packaging says they can be recharged up to 1500 times but i doubt I'll push that before buying new ones.) I didn't know that about either the drain rate on the ST-E3 or the way the flash heads drain, but it makes sense. I reloaded my flash heads with freshly charged batteries twice (I always refresh in between church service and reception,) and then I did again during a break at the reception when everyone was eating.
I have another wedding this weekend, I plan to watch for similar issues ..and I doubt I powered down the St-e3 or e flashes before switching them around - really good suggestion that I"ll watch for next time!!!!
Thank you!

I never use rechargeable battery's for one reason 1.2 volts vs 1.5 volts, the flash gets more power faster from regular 1.5 volt batteries. Try one then the other and I bet you see a heck of a difference!

[privatebydesign]

I never use rechargeable battery's for one reason 1.2 volts vs 1.5 volts, the flash gets more power faster from regular 1.5 volt batteries. Try one then the other and I bet you see a heck of a difference!

Syl Arena did an extensive series of tests on AA batteries for his book, The Speedliters Handbook, he found Lithiums to be totally unsuited for average, and above average flash use.

I am surprised at the number of Speedliters I’ve met who use lithium batteries in their Speedlites. Based on the torture test, lithiums are very hesitant to give up their electrons- —which is why lithium are touted for their 5–10 year shelf life (which I admit is a plus).
In the torture test, the lithiums averaged a mere 52 pops before a misfire. However, when I tested a set of lithiums at a three-minute interval, instead of the 20-second interval, they gave up 218 pops before failure. So, it’s not that they don’t have the capacity. It’s just that they don’t want to deliver the juice at the rate the Speedlite wants it.
Interestingly, they are much lighter in weight than other types of batteries—an advantage perhaps if you are outfitting for a long journey and must take only precharged batteries.
My thought is that lithiums should not be used for day-to-day Speedliting. However, I think that there is a place in every Speedliter’s bag for a set or two as an emergency backup. Throw them in and forget about them for sev- eral years. Then, when you are desperate, dig them out and start your Speedlite up again.

Whereas his results for the Eneloops provided over 4 times more flashes than Lithiums when done at the shorter recharge interval.

A few years ago, “precharged, rechargeable” batteries became widely available. If you look at the really small print on the battery, you will see that they are NiMH.
The great benefit of these batteries is that they will hold 75–80% of their charge for up to a year. This is great news for Speedliters who are not diligent about recharging their batteries before every shoot—which is essentially all of us. So consider LD-NiMh to be the best battery choice for Speedliting.
In the torture test, all the brands provided 150–200 pops right out of the package, which puts them on par with alkalines. Then, in the recharge tests, they averaged 235 pops. That’s about 20% less than regular NiMH—but for the long-term stability, this is a good trade-off.
Sanyo Eneloop, Powerex Imedion, and Kodak Digital Camera Battery are the three leading LD-NiMH. Eneloops are available at many Cost- cos. The Kodak version is stocked at Walmart and many other big-box stores.

All in all I believe it was his tests that cemented the Eneloop name into the small flash communities brains.

[neuroanatomist]

I never use rechargeable battery's for one reason 1.2 volts vs 1.5 volts, the flash gets more power faster from regular 1.5 volt batteries. Try one then the other and I bet you see a heck of a difference!

Bad advice.

Yes, the 'regular' (alkaline) batteries recycle the flash a heck of a lot SLOWER than NiMH's like eneloops - 40-50% slower, in fact.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2007/09/feed.html?m=1

It's not just about the voltage. The lower internal resistance of NiMH chemistry means they can deliver power faster in high-drain situations like recharging the capacitor of a flash.

[Tara Copp]

So, after two more weddings in the daytime, I had another evening reception last weekend - and decided to have the same set up as the last wedding I wrote about at the start of this thread. I'm irritated to report that I a still having issues with the st-e3 that I don't have when I take it out of the equation. This time, just having the st-e3 on while it was on my back up camera to remote fire a flash on a tripod atthecornerof the dance floor, it created 1.) a issue for my primary camera with an on-camera flash - my on camera flash was very slow to focus and. Missed several shots (I had it on al servo, I should have kept it on one shot) - but my camera rarely has focus issues. With the st-e3 on, it was very frustrating. In addition, with full charge for all the batteries (my half of the shoot responsibilities had just begun, so all batteries had just been charged/were fresh) the flash would only fire every 5 or 6 frames. I am so frustrated by this performance I'm considering leaving the st-e3 at home from now on unless I am doing a portrait shoot. Is anyone else running into these challenges?? Thanks! Tara

[privatebydesign]

Tara,

I am now using up to six 600-EX-RT's and one ST-E3-RT on two bodies and I have not had any of the issues you are reporting. If you can do some testing at home and definitively pin down a powered up ST-E3-RT as the only cause of your issues then get it repaired under warranty. Don't give up on it as it is a fantastic tool, but it might be faulty.

[digital paradise]

Correct - NiMH's is the way to go. I use Ansmann batteries and when they die one day I'll probably switch to Eneloops.