Flash Batteries

Donde · Jan 6, 2018

Anyone have suggestions for rechargeable batteries for a Canon 600ex Speedlite flash unit? I have used both PowerX 2700s and Eneloop 2400s. The Eneloops gave out the soonest as far as no ;anger being able to be recharged. With both brands in good condition performance seed the same. However with both of those I have been disappointed with the time the flash takes to recharge. If I am trying to take repeated pictures of a bird say waiting only a second or two between firings I will get black frames alternating with flashed frames. I had a visitor once with all Nikon equipment including flash and it seemed he was able to fire away like I would like to be able to and all of his frames were flashed.

tirediron · Jan 6, 2018

The problem isn't with the batteries themselves, but rather with the number of them. This is why the old Nikon SB800 with it's optional 5th battery was so popular; greatly decreased charging times. Rather than re-battery, my suggestion would be to purchase either (1) an external AA battery magazine, or an external battery pack like this Godox, which should cut your recycle time to almost zero*

*Based on NO first-hand experience; you're on your own for research!

ac12 · Jan 6, 2018

Generally, cutting the flash power decreases the recycle time. Read the manual.

If I want FAST recycle, I connect a high voltage pack onto my flash. But not all flashes will accept a HV pack.

WARNING, RTFM. Rapid sequential flashes will cause heat build-up inside the flash. You NEED to stop shooting and let that heat dissipate, or the flash will fail from overheating. In the extreme, the flash will DIE from thermal failure, or you could melt the flash tube housing/lens.

Derrel · Jan 6, 2018

tirediron said:
The problem isn't with the batteries themselves, but rather with the number of them. This is why the old Nikon SB800 with it's optional 5th battery was so popular; greatly decreased charging times. Rather than re-battery, my suggestion would be to purchase either (1) an external AA battery magazine, or an external battery pack like this Godox, which should cut your recycle time to almost zero*

*Based on NO first-hand experience; you're on your own for research!

Agreed...you need more "OOMPH!" from more batteries, or something like a Quantum Battery pack. I still use the Nikon SB-800 with the fifth battery...having that one,single extra battery really does help speed things up.

I've used the Quantum Battery 1 for 25+ years when I need FAST flash, like at reunions and events or when using a speedlight paired with studio flash.

You can buy any number of external devices to speed up the flash; what is needed is more "power"..."necisitas mas fuerza!"

Donde · Jan 8, 2018

Thank you guys, your replies are very informative!

astroNikon · Jan 8, 2018

as above,
basically if you increase the ISO setting on your camera you can then reduce the flash power on the flash. So less powerful flash and the quicker the recharge.

I'm assuming your Shutter and Aperture are fixed as it's related to a moving bird. If you are shooting in AUTO then the flash could be at FULL 100% power which is what you do not want to happen in this situation.

Cortian · Jan 8, 2018

FWIW: Eneloop batteries, in other forums where I frequently see such things discussed, almost invariably get high praise. Personally, I've replaced all alkaleaks with either Eneloops or primary (non-rechargeable) lithium cells.

In an article I ran across, somewhere, Energizer brand Recharge batteries outlasted Eneloops. That was then and this is now, so YMMV. (I've got a couple packs in rotation with my Eneloops.)

I have been using rechargeable battery technology of different kinds in portable devices for better than forty years. I will tell you this about rechargeable battery technology: If you abuse them by running them down too far too many times they will die an early death. This has been true ever since the early days of NiCads and remains true even with the latest lithium rechargeable technology. (Eneloops and the like are NiMH, btw.)

Try not to let them get below about 40%. Try to avoid mixing cells with wildly different ages or usage histories. Even with NiMH: Better to charge early and often so as to minimize heating during charging.

It's not a bad idea to invest in a really smart charger that can recondition them on occasion. E.g.: I try to keep cells with like histories more-or-less matched-up. Happened the other day I had two sets of two that I knew were about the same age, but were at different charge levels. I put all four in my smartest charger and told it to recondition them. That charges them up, runs them down to a certain point, then tops them off again. Now, instead of two mismatched sets, I have one set that's more-or-less matched. (You obviously don't want to do that often, as it's wearing on the cells.)

astroNikon · Jan 8, 2018

FYI, Energizer has 2 or 3 different level of rechargeable batteries.
The top one is in an all silver shell at 2300 mAh. I use these for the flashes or any LCD operated device.

The 2nd from top has a green top and silver bottom and is about a 1600 mAh. I use these for the RF triggers. Though my triggers are sensitive to when power gets somewhat low so they ended up mostly in my clocks and remote controls around the house.

Also to optimize the batteries longevity and reuse I bought a smart charger - LaCross BC-700. This brought some "dead" rechargeables back to life and they work fine now that the regular recharging stations could not revive.

davholla · Jan 11, 2018

Donde said:
Anyone have suggestions for rechargeable batteries for a Canon 600ex Speedlite flash unit? I have used both PowerX 2700s and Eneloop 2400s. The Eneloops gave out the soonest as far as no ;anger being able to be recharged. With both brands in good condition performance seed the same. However with both of those I have been disappointed with the time the flash takes to recharge. If I am trying to take repeated pictures of a bird say waiting only a second or two between firings I will get black frames alternating with flashed frames. I had a visitor once with all Nikon equipment including flash and it seemed he was able to fire away like I would like to be able to and all of his frames were flashed.

Are you using a smart charger that tells you how charged they are? I have found that batteries often take a lot longer to charge than stated. If your batteries say "fully charged in x" but in reality you need 4x and you have been charging for x then you will always be unhappy with their performance.

beagle100 · Jan 14, 2018

davholla said:
Donde said:

Anyone have suggestions for rechargeable batteries for a Canon 600ex Speedlite flash unit? I have used both PowerX 2700s and Eneloop 2400s. The Eneloops gave out the soonest as far as no ;anger being able to be recharged. With both brands in good condition performance seed the same. However with both of those I have been disappointed with the time the flash takes to recharge. If I am trying to take repeated pictures of a bird say waiting only a second or two between firings I will get black frames alternating with flashed frames. I had a visitor once with all Nikon equipment including flash and it seemed he was able to fire away like I would like to be able to and all of his frames were flashed.

Click to expand...

Are you using a smart charger that tells you how charged they are? I have found that batteries often take a lot longer to charge than stated. If your batteries say "fully charged in x" but in reality you need 4x and you have been charging for x then you will always be unhappy with their performance.