canon Lee

Hi Rook.... Its not a question about if the battery is charged or not, but how fast the battery will "recycle".... As batteries get older they lose the ability to recycle fast. the multimeter has to be under load conditions to be accurate....

canon Lee

Hi Steve.. I do have a shoulder pack that I dont use... On one of my wedding shoots I was hooked up to my external battery pack & camera... While waiting for the procession to start, I put my camera down and not thinking, walked away, pulling my camera to the floor... I no longer use the battery pack... BTW the camera was ok as it landed on a thick padded rug.... I will be buying new and fresh, 2 sets of non rechargeable AA's, & tossing them after the shoot...

canon Lee

Exactly..... This is one thing that I will do.... New fresh AA's

hankswan

I change batteries in my flash and various other devices when I see that are slowing down or getting dimmer.. I buy my AA, AAA and 9 volt batteries on eBay in bulk. There are several different major brands available. I have also bought some Asia brands and got good service from them. If the batteries are in something that I do not use every day I remove the batteries until I need that device. Duracell, energizer, etc. are available. Savings are quite good. For example, I pay about $0.31 each for AAA and AA Procell (Duacell) or Energizer with fresh battery dates (good until 2023, 2024 etc). Usually in quantities of 50 or 100.
Check closely and you should find some US sellers that offer the same goods with very good prices. If the quantities are too much for you, you can usually find friends club members or work partners to buy some from you. I also buy off brand batteries for my Nikon cameras (D700, D200,P200, and S9300. Also I have read frequently on UHH that users that have tried the other than OEM brands of camera batteries have had less than the usual time that they have from OEM batteries. Remember that if you are paying one third the price of OEM and get one half the usual time with your OEM you are still ahead of the game price wise. I have found that I usually get about the same use on Asia brands as the OEM batteries. HTH.

OviedoPhotos

I use rechargeable for my flash. I'm using a sb910 Nikon flash unit with an Nikon sd 9 external battery back that auto switches battery usage. It was expensive but worth it. I also use fresh batteries every time.

aphelps Loc: Central Ohio

For critical i.e. no do-overs shots I would load up a fresh set of tested alkalines or lithiums. For me they are the most reliable. More expensive but worth it. You don't want to explain to bridezilla or her mom why the flash didn't work for a critical shot!

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

Most pro flash guns have recyclers available to help with that problem of "not fast enough recycle time". As for batteries I as a Pro use rechargeable batteries which beats the cost of buying new weekly. As for how long to leave batteries in any thing which includes flash lights and radios an test equipment you must always buy top of the line guaranteed not to leak batteries if you plan to leave the batteries in the equipment. Sometimes that means brand names. In any battery operated device never store the device with the batteries in the device. Always store the batteries separate from the device. Store the batteries in a plastic bag and if any batteries show signs of leakage throw them away. Signs of leakage include battery swelling and white deposits or oily like residue around the terminals or anywhere else on the battery. So if you will not regularly use the battery operated device as in daily or weekly use take the batteries out, if rechargeable recharge them and then store them but do not store them in the recharger.
As for how long a battery lasts while in use in a flash gun usually that depends on the ISO you use in taking the pictures. The higher the ISO the less the flash out put will be. Making the battery last longer. In my Sunpak flash gun I usually get at ISO 400 to 800 I get about 200 to 250 flash shots max but I am using a recycler with the flash gun. Without the recycler the number of flashes is around 150 to 200 at ISO 400 to ISO 800. When the recycle time slows at all I change batteries as soon as possible because unlike you if I missed the shot of a bride coming down the aisle the missing shot could be catastrophic later on. If I am even close to too long a recycle time I change batteries especially if the upcoming shots are really important. Once a lab lost a whole role of shots from a wedding on me. I am just glad it was just candid shots at the reception that were lost and not the important shots.

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

They call them recyclers these days or at least Sunpak does. I still have my Lumedyne pack and several battery packs to fit under the recycler head. most of the battery packs need replacement of the nicads by now. Mostly from non-use since I don't dare use the flash with digital for fear of blowing out the camera motherboard from too hot a voltage on the flash contacts.

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

Not really the fault of the battery pack ya know

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

quite right. a load needs to be there to test the battery on a multi-meter. You can build a load with a flashlight rated for 1.5 volts or a LED rated for 1.5 volts(usually the LED is rated for .5 volts but solder a resistor in series with the LED measured to drop the 1 volt and then you have a 1.5 volt LED) and a one cell battery box to use to test batteries with. That will even let you see the charge by viewing the light emitted from the LED.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

I use a Nikon SB-700 with Duracell Quantum (non-rechargeable) AA batteries. They hold their charge for several sessions. I don't like rechargeables because even fully charged new ones can be unpredictable as they discharge. They hold their charge for some period, but then discharge quickly. Non-rechargeable batteries discharge gradually over their life and predicting when to change them is easier.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

If alkaline batteries are so great, why don’t we see them powering more cameras ?

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

Alkaline suck in high drain (flash units) devices. A fresh set of rechargeable Eneloops will get me through an entire wedding and reception, of heavy shooting.

KK

PA Shutterbug Loc: Near Greater Pittsburgh Airport (PIT)

Found this on <photography-on-the.net> Long term rechargeable battery test.]:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=18572696

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

Do not use Duracell alkaline. They are known to leak.