High capacity AA batteries for weddings

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Can you recommend any high capacity batteries for flash?
Currently I use Energizer 2450maH. I heard that there are special batteries which recycle faster and last longer than my energizer batteries... I would need them for wedding photography.
Some people recommend Powerex Maha....
Has anybody used them? Is there a good battery on the market which outperforms all the other AA batteries?
Thanks,
Otto
 
Sanyo Eneloops.
 
There are 2700maH capacity batteries by Powerrex/Maha (same company, different trading names). As far as I know they won't outperform any other major brand 2700maH batteries.

What you might have heard of are the Sanyo Enloop batteries that have become very popular - however its important to note that many of these are not large in capacity and are often less than the max on the market ( though I think some new larger capacity ones might be on the market now). The attraction to these is not the capacity or recycle rate, but the fact that they will hold up to 80% of their charge after around a year without use. This is fantastic for those who don't have a planned shoot and want to be able to leave the batteries in teh flash and still have them usable when they go to use the flash - and in this respect the Enloops are fantastic. I had a set of 4 batteries in christmass and 2 months later used the flash without any problems - regular rechargables would have drained down considerably over that period of time.

You might want to look at external battery packs if you want faster recycling and more shots - they would certainly give you both advantages that you are after if you are willing to put up with the added bulk to carry.

Also remember that a rechargable battery is only as good as the charging unit that you use - a good recharger is essential to ensure a good long usable life of the battery, the quick (and cheap) 30min kind of chargers are no good long term and will dramatically cut the life and storage capacity of batteries recharged in them - esp things like flash batteries that go through a lot of recharging cycles. Spending good money on something like a Powerrex/Maha recharger (C9000 was what I went for myself) is well worth it long term.

**I know I've said this in other places, but I'll add here for readers of this forum as well**
 
Can you recommend any high capacity batteries for flash?
Currently I use Energizer 2450maH. I heard that there are special batteries which recycle faster and last longer than my energizer batteries... I would need them for wedding photography.
Some people recommend Powerex Maha....
Has anybody used them? Is there a good battery on the market which outperforms all the other AA batteries?
Thanks,
Otto

With the technology available today, this is a no brainer...extra batteries. They are relatively inexpensive and storage space in the bag is minimal. :mrgreen:
 
Yes, just use more sets of batteries.

The Eneloop (and similar) style batteries that everyone is talking about, are unique in that they don't self-discharge like regular NiMH batteries. This means they can be sold as 'pre-charged' rechargeable batteries. They can basically be used like alkaline batteries.

That doesn't mean that they will last any longer for shooting a one day event. In fact, the Sanyo ones have a lower capacity than most energizers (as mentioned above).
 
Yes, just use more sets of batteries.

The Eneloop (and similar) style batteries that everyone is talking about, are unique in that they don't self-discharge like regular NiMH batteries. This means they can be sold as 'pre-charged' rechargeable batteries. They can basically be used like alkaline batteries.

That doesn't mean that they will last any longer for shooting a one day event. In fact, the Sanyo ones have a lower capacity than most energizers (as mentioned above).

they have lower capacity but for some reason! they wont die!!! :p:p:lol:
 
Remember if you have a prebooked wedding you can recharge regular - higher capacity - batteries up the day before and (provided you use a good charger and charging practice) the batteries will certainly perform well the next day. Any longer and they will start to lose performance quickly.
That is where the enloops step in - however there is no point in shifting to them if you have set shooting dates and time to charge the batteries the day before.

I can also understand the need for longer constant performance from batteries which is why I suggested the battery packs. Sometimes you won't have time to change batteries around in the heat of the moment without having to miss shots. You do have to be carefull though as if you are firing off a good number of highpower or many lowerpower shots you can build up a lot of heat in your flash. This will mean that some will enter an auto shutdownmode to cool off - whilst other might overheat and break - so do keep an eye on how many flashshots you take (I think there are guildlines and such you can follow for this)/
 
I can personally speak of Powerex and Eneloops and they are both good batteries, I bought the Powerex because of a review I saw on Steve's Digicam. The Powerex batteries I have are the 2500 mAh and the Eneloops are about 2100 mAh. I tested the Powerex batteries on a digital point and shoot and got a lot of exposures using the flash (150 or more - it was a while ago) where alkaline gave me about 30 and lithium AA gave me about 100. I was very impressed by them. The Eneloops are also very good as they really hold their charge and I did use them in a digital camera, got a lot of photos but wasn't counting.

I would agree that the best thing is to carry a few sets of batteries with you. If you decide on Powerex or any standard Nimh battery I would keep them on the charger as long as you can to keep the charge from dwindling down (ie: don't keep them off the charger for a couple of days). Also make sure you use the batteries before needing them - it takes a few cycles to get up to full capacity.

Speaking of chargers, Maha (Powerex) has a charger that is powered by your car's battery. I have never used mine in the car but it comes with an about 90 minute charge cycle (less mAh takes less time, more mAh takes longer) and I always thought it was interesting "just in case".

BTW, do NOT buy the bargain batteries from Ebay. A friend of mine bought some a few years ago and most of the batteries were garbage. I would stick to the name brand batteries.
 
I've had a lot of cheap things (calculators and the like) with cheap batteries in them - many of which end up leaking at some point! Generally a pain to remove (sometimes quite litterally) and a total mess to clean up (if indeed you can - if the acides get inside and away from the contacts there's not much point cleaning unless you're going to take the whole unit apart)
 
Agree with above poster. take more batteries! My SB 800 eats them. factor the price into your Package!

Em
 

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