Ugly Hedgehog - Photography Forum
Home Active Topics Newest Pictures Search Login Register
Main Photography Discussion
Battery Substitute
Page <prev 2 of 6 next> last>>
Jun 10, 2019 09:37:41   #
repleo Loc: Boston
 
jradose wrote:
Sounds like Eneloop rechargeables is the answer, thank you!!


In the past, several posters have claimed that the rechargeable batteries from IKEA perform better than the Eneloop at a fraction of the price. I have no personal experience of them, but thought I would pass it along in case you live near an IKEA store.

Reply
Jun 10, 2019 11:34:10   #
grandpaw
 
After hundreds of shots using Enloop batteries with my nikon sb900 my recycle time is about 3 seconds and that is at full power.

Reply
Jun 10, 2019 11:38:25   #
BebuLamar
 
If the OP was concerned about the cost of alkaline batteries then something like the Eneloop is a good solution. If the OP wants to shoot many shots without having to change battery then an external battery pack is the solution.

Reply
 
 
Jun 10, 2019 11:47:51   #
DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA
 
When I first got my Eneloop batteries I was disappointed in their performance at first. I finally found that the problem was my charger.

I had been using the old charger I got with a bunch of NiCd rechargeables. It required that you charge the batteries in pairs because it charged them in series. The charger would shut off when the voltage got above some threshold. Unless the batteries were perfectly matched one would be fully charged and the other would have only a partial charge. This was also a problem because I had a flash that took 5 AA cells.

I bought a good charger which charged the batteries individually. Every battery now gets a full charge and the Eneloops are now performing at their full potential.

Reply
Jun 10, 2019 12:10:24   #
Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx
 
Batteries are rated in mah, milliampere hours. The bigger the better. The best recharables I have found are 2700mah at Batteries Plus Bulbs. You can get a charger there as well.

Reply
Jun 10, 2019 13:13:38   #
speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho
 
jradose wrote:
As most external flashes do, my flash takes 4 AA batteries. The problem is, those batteries die out so quickly. Is there a better battery one can get that will replace those 4 AA batteries?


Use a power pack, it will make recharge times a lot quicker, gives you a lot more shots and saves energy!

Reply
Jun 10, 2019 13:19:17   #
19104 Loc: Philadelphia
 
I use quantum battery pacs. They make 6 volt and high energy turbo paks. The six volt units have a clip that takes the place of you double. A. The turbo battery give you almost instantaneous recyle. But beware not all flashes can handle them. Check there web site qtm.com these units are american made(if that matters to you). There are other brands that do the same thing just go to b+h and look for external battery packs. They may seem expensive but you never have to buy aa again.

Reply
 
 
Jun 10, 2019 14:09:56   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
repleo wrote:
In the past, several posters have claimed that the rechargeable batteries from IKEA perform better than the Eneloop at a fraction of the price. I have no personal experience of them, but thought I would pass it along in case you live near an IKEA store.


The story is they are made in the same plant as Eneloop and rebranded.*
There are also people who claim that Amazon's own brand (Amazon Basics etc) are just rebranded Eneloops made to the specs of the last generation of Eneloops. I have a bunch of them and they seem to work just fine. I do also have some Eneloops - in a kit with case and C and D cell shells that a AA can be put in and used in your flashlight etc. 6 AA and 2 AAA in the kit plus 4 C and 4 D shells) It came from Costco for the same price as a pack of 8 Eneloops without the case and goodies.

*this is common in many product lines - my stepfather was an electrical engineer who worked for a company that made industrial water purification equipment. He often got sent to one distillery to readjust their machines (finally took off the controls and locked them in a safe-one of line managers thought he could adjust the machines better than specs). While working on the machine on the line for Gin he watched the bottles coming out of the filling machine and into the labeling machines on the next line over. He saw bottles go into the machine, get filled and then labels applied for several different brands in a couple of hours. They ranged from large retailer house brands to nosebleed price premium brands. He and my mother liked Gin, he made notes of the brand names and started buying the lowest priced one. When they had dinner guests they poured the Gin into a premium bottle they kept in the cabinet. Over several years no one ever noticed a difference.

Reply
Jun 10, 2019 15:34:58   #
Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA
 
All the battery suggestions are great but wedding photographers simply up the ISO to get their batteries to last longer. They test how far they can go before grain takes over. I've seen some photographers go as high as 3200 ISO, but personally I wouldn't go over 2000 ISO with my D7500 and have done so. Your batteries will last much longer, whatever kind you decide on using. Oh and external batteries are great and allow fast refresh but you still need the AA's in the flash. Godox flashes use a rechargeable brick which is very nice (no AA's at all).

Reply
Jun 10, 2019 17:55:22   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
Another vote for Eneloops.

Reply
Jun 10, 2019 21:22:44   #
Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal
 
Chemistry means:
3x 1.5 volt alkaline batteries = 4x 1.2 volt NiMh batteries.
1x 3.7 volt 18650 battery = 3x 1.5 volt, or 4x 1.2 volt batteries.
A pair of 18650 batteries in parallel may extend your shooting time. A holder, a cable, a little solder, and fugly wins the race.
I just ordered a cheapo battery grip for my camera. I won't feel bad about the Dremel molestation. If I can fit 4x 18650 batteries in there, that'd be good. 6x will give me the wedding AND reception.

Reply
 
 
Jun 10, 2019 21:51:20   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
I would just add that recharging time is a function of both voltage and current, which in turn, is a function of the internal resistance of the battery. If you substitute 4 Eneloops for the Alkalines, while the initial voltage will be lower (1.55 V or a fully charged Alkaline vs 1.25 for a NiMH cell), the internal resistance of the Eneloops is so much lower, that the increased current will actually result in a faster recharge, and the discharge voltage curve is flatter for the Ni MH, especially at a high discharge rate, so the recharge time doesn’t increase as quickly with discharge as with alkalines - a win-win

Reply
Jun 11, 2019 03:48:19   #
Pistnbroke Loc: UK
 
As normal with this silly site we don't know what brand of camera the guy has or what model of flash.
If its Nikon set it to iso 200 and when the flash is on it will automatically go to 800. This will balance ambient light to the flash as every exposure with flash is flash + ambient. I shoot weddings with an SB400 on a flash flipper ( two AA) and maybe change the batteries before the speeches.You must have the flash always directly over the lens and as close as practical..See Trumps photographer in action with her Canon and modified bracket to put the flash horizontal over the lens..no side shadows or silly bounce flash .

Reply
Jun 11, 2019 05:58:30   #
dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida
 
Humm, yes, battery science has come a long way from the first flash I had in which the handle was filled with large guaranteed to swell leak and corrode C cells. Eventually, NASA may sell leftover Plutonium Powered cells ... I hope not.

Reply
Jun 11, 2019 06:40:59   #
catchlight.. Loc: Wisconsin USA- Halden Norway
 
jradose wrote:
As most external flashes do, my flash takes 4 AA batteries. The problem is, those batteries die out so quickly. Is there a better battery one can get that will replace those 4 AA batteries?


1. Any brand rechargeable with Ah 2600 listed as the capacity, is what you need.

2. If you can afford it run two or three flashes... there will be a power reduction of 1/2, 1/3 and so on.

Three flashes on a tri-mount is best. Your recycle time is dramatically reduced, wear is reduced, and then double or triple the use time.

Reply
Page <prev 2 of 6 next> last>>
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.
Main Photography Discussion
UglyHedgehog.com - Forum
Copyright 2011-2024 Ugly Hedgehog, Inc.