How fast charger for eneloop 2000mAh>

Reinis.Gailitis · Jan 20, 2012

Hallo everyone, this is my first post in this forums

I'm a novice photographer, it's just a hobby for now, I would like to get serious though

I just bought 8x Eneloop 2000mAh rechargeble batteries, and I'm out for a good charger, they're for my speedlite. My fiancees sister is getting married this summer and they're not getting a profession photographer for their wedding because of financial constrains, so I decided and offered to do my best to capture their best day

I wont be as good as a professional, but I know I will get better pictures than someone with compact camera there, also I understood that this is my chance to do it for the first time.

So, first question is - which is the fastest speed I should be able to charge those batteries and do not harm them? I've heard that fast charging reduce battery life, so the question is how fast can I go without really harming their performance???

Also wanted to ask to everyone doing wedding photography and similar - how do you got about batteries - you charge them slowly before event and have many sets so you know they'll be enough, or you have two sets and you charge them in the time of wedding??? Hope you get what I mean...

Ok, hope I'll get some help

Thanks

Edsport · Jan 20, 2012

I bought a bunch on ebay for less than a buck each with free shipping. Good to have spares. Mine is 3800 mAh. Should be lots of chargers on there too...

jwbryson1 · Jan 20, 2012

I bought mine from B&H. See this: Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH 4-Pack with AC Charger SEC-MQN064N B&H

I own about 20 of them and I usually charge them on the charger that came with the kit. Total charge time varies depending on how low they get but on average it takes about 8-10 hours to fully charge from zero.

I would not charge them faster than that or risk killing them.

Reinis.Gailitis · Jan 20, 2012

So my best bet would be to get a nice charger with discharging mode, and get somewhere around 16 pieces of batteries, charge them before event and then just use on event, correct?

Derrel · Jan 20, 2012

I think 7 hour chargers are about as rapid as a person ought to use if he wants to see maximum battery life. I had a couple very simple Radio Shack 13 hour chargers that gave INCREDIBLE LIFE on several sets of rechargeable batteries. The thing was, that length of charge was simply not fitting my lifestyle near as much as the 7-hour chargers.

SCraig · Jan 20, 2012

I use a MAHA / Powerex C-9000 charger. Charge rate (and discharge rate and everything else) is adjustable. It normally uses 1/10 of the capacity for charge rate (2000 mAh = 200 mAh charge rate).

jwbryson1 · Jan 20, 2012

Reinis.Gailitis said:
So my best bet would be to get a nice charger with discharging mode, and get somewhere around 16 pieces of batteries, charge them before event and then just use on event, correct?

I think that makes sense. I'm not a full time pro, but if it were me, I think this is the approach I would use.

Good luck. Carry extras! :lol:

bburton · Jan 21, 2012

SCraig said:
I use a MAHA / Powerex C-9000 charger. Charge rate (and discharge rate and everything else) is adjustable. It normally uses 1/10 of the capacity for charge rate (2000 mAh = 200 mAh charge rate).

I use the Powerex MH-C204W. They make top quality chargers.

Overread · Jan 21, 2012

Another Maha/Powerex user here - using the C9000 unit as well, though honestly if you are going to be using multiple sets of batteries I'd get one of their 8 unit versions. The C9000 is great for 4 cells and also because of its reconditioning features, but its not the best for bulk recharging (unless you own more than one).

I'd also second just getting more batteries, having several sets in those 4 cell battery holders and just go through the sets during the day.

Another option is a battery pack, these offer improved performance, longer battery life and also faster recharging of the flash. They don't work with all flash units so you've got to make sure they are compatible and you've also got to watch how many and how fast you fire the flash off. Because the recharging speed is increased you can overheat the flash if you fire it too fast on too high a power (or even faster on a lower power setting due to heat building up).
I'm not sure what brand you shoot with, but Canon makes one of their own and I would assume Nikon does likewise; PIXEL also make a good quality, cheaper 3rd party option as well.