Rechargeable Batteries for Flashes & Other Acc.????

[guastellaf]

Hello All,

I was curious if anyone has any recommendations for Rechargeable Batteries.  I hate having to buy batteries constantly.  I want some that recharges quickly (hour or so max) will last a long time (both in use and overall lifetime).  I heard mAh number is important, higher the better.  Are some brands better than others?  Anyone recommend a website besides Ebay with good prices?  Whats your experience?

Oh.... I will using the batteries mostly for my 2 580ex ii flashes and Litepanel micro hybrid. 

Thanks!
Francesco

[wickidwombat]

I use the Sanyo Eneloop ones they seem to do the job pretty well

[Gary W.]

Hey all,

    Here are the ones I use. I can shoot an entire HS football game and still have a good amount of charge left after using my 430EX on full power. I own 16 of them for use in my flash and kids game controllers.

Gary W.

[aldvan]

Eneloop for me too, for the 430 EX. I rarely turn it on but I always find the batteries almost full charged. Rechargeable batteries are very good today, comparable to disposable batteries.

[Meh]

Sanyo Eneloops for me as well.  They're great.

[AG]

I use a combination of Eneloops and Apple rechargeable batteries (they are unbranded Eneloops).

Do the job nicely.

[pwp]

MAHA Powerex 2700 mAh Rechargeable AA NiMH
http://protog.com.au/maha-powerex-2700mah-nimh-aa-rechargeable-batteries-4pk-p-41.html
http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/listcategoriesandproducts.asp?idcategory=11

Do yourself a favour and check these out.

The design allows the batteries to deliver a high energy burst, which is why plenty of photographers are choosing these. They are designed for the power intensive load characteristic that things like flashes impose.

I'm getting better life from these than Sanyo and other "reputable" brands that I've used previously.

Do a search and check other opinions. Buy with the very smart charger.  Eneloops are good. These are more good!

Paul Wright

[nebugeater]

I use the Sanyo Eneloop ones they seem to do the job pretty well

I second, Third, or Fourth this selection.   Better than ANY rechargable I have ever used.  Hold a charge a long time when not in use so they are ready to go.  Use them in my Gigapan as well as my flash.  In the Gigapan a set will far exceed the life of the best set of throw away batteries by almost 2 to 1 life.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I have used many brands, many are excellent, like MAHA, but ended up using the enloops.  The reason is that they don't self discharge and can sit for a year and still have a lot of the charge left.  That means that they are ready to go when you grab your flash, and you do not have to wait and recharge a set uf almost depleted batteries to get started.  I have about 40 of them, and use them in all kinds of electronic equipment. 

Eneloop has a new higher capacity version, but I still am using my original ones that are up to three years old.  Costco is a good place to buy them, or Thomas Distributing online.

[triggermike]

Last time I checked Costco they had the original eneloops, not the newer higher Mahr. Eneloops have the convenient feature of holding a charge for months after they have been charged (similar to non-rechargeable batteries.)

Original poster was looking for one-hour charge time - note that shorter charge times = shorter hold times and overall life. Most users turn to MAHA's or similar with smart chargers which ensure max. usage of each charge cycle. Many systems will allow you to leave them plugged in w/batteries so you can grab-and-go with fully charged set of batteries. MAHA's are great and I've also had success with the higher mahr Eveready's which are available with the slow chargers at Home Depot/Loews/etc.

[triggermike]

I meant Energizers - not Eveready's.

[tt]

If you're looking for Eneloops - on Nov 15 they announced an update to them. Only available in Japan currently, but there is an English language Amazon Japan site if you want them.

[Forceflow]

Eneloops all the way. Found them last year and just LOVE them!

[Gothmoth]

ENELOOPE.

nuff said... 

oh and get a good CHARGER.. most cheap chargers are S.H..T.
make sure it has features like programable charge/discharge cycles (helps to put some life back into old rechargeables) and the option to set the charge rate manualy.

i use a MAHA charger myself.
not cheap but way better then all the crap chargers i had over the last 15 years.

i would not focus on fast recharging! you don´t get fast charging times for free.
better buy more rechargeables and make sure you do a proper charging.
 

[ferdi]

+1 on good charger and another +1 on multiple battery sets.

My slow charger revived 3 batteries that were marked as "dead" by my fast charger (GP Powerbank).
I'm keeping the small Powerbank in my backpack for emergencies but 3 sets of 4 batteries last quite a while.

Higher mAh doesn't mean they are better, it's just a measure for capacity.
Recycle time/burst power is more important.