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Thread: To Recharge or not to recharage...?

  1. #1
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    To Recharge or not to recharage...?

    I own two Canon 580 EXii Speedlites. What batteries do you use for your speedlites? I have several sets of rechargeables but I always seem to run out of juice at inopportune moments. Looking for a recommendation.

    Thanks

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  3. #3
    Super Moderator Kayaker72's Avatar
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    To Recharge or not to recharage...?

    Yep. I still use the classic enloops (white). They now have “pro” (black) and “lite” (blue). The pros have more power, the lites have less.

    https://www.panasonic.com/global/con...op/lineup.html

    But I am constantly amazed by the performance of the classics.
    Last edited by Kayaker72; 12-03-2017 at 04:13 PM.

  4. #4
    Senior Member clemmb's Avatar
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    When I was shooting weddings all the time I used the energizers. I buy them from Walmart because they spend less time on the shelf than some other places so I think they are fresh.
    I used the Eneloops as well. I have had the same experience with both of these as being good reliable batteries. I keep plenty of spares on hand and change them out a couple of times through a wedding. I try to change them before they fail me.
    Others I have tried, like Duracell, have not been as reliable.
    Mark

  5. #5
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    I use the AA Eneloop blacks for the flash (I've only had to change the batteries once, though I've had the flash a few years... they really do hold their charge!)

    I use the AAA Eneloops whites for a head-lamp. I only mention this because this lamp takes 3 AAA batteries, and it isn't immediately obvious that the Eneloop charger only works with PAIRs of batteries. Flashes tend to take 4, so they're fine, but if you have something that needs an odd number of batteries, ensure you have some extras kicking around, so you can leave an odd one uncharged until you have a second odd one to charge it with. I kept the packaging in a drawer, and put the fully charged ones back into the packaging, and leave the uncharged ones sitting free in the drawer... sure beats my previous method, which involved using a multimeter to find the dead ones. The odd batteries, when charged by themselves, appears to show a slight negative voltage when tested... that can't be good.
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  6. #6
    Senior Member neuroanatomist's Avatar
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    Eneloops, the standard white ones. I still have all Sanyo ones, from before Panasonic took over the brand. I probably have >40 of them, all are still working flawlessly.

  7. #7
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    Hi, I used to own a few sets of batteries with lousy self-discharge properties, but nowadays I’ve replaced them with more modern low self-discharge NiMH batteries. Sanyo Eneloop is a popular battery model of that type, but I also have other brands with similar properties (GP ReCyko and Varta Ready2Use). The thing about these is that they hardly self-discharge at all – I can leave them unused in the flash for several months, and when I suddenly need a flash the batteries are still charged. So, my recommendation would be to look for any brand’s version of low self-discharge NiMH batteries (a.k.a. "LSD NiMH" or "NiMH2").

  8. #8
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    Hi again, I forgot to mention that IKEA sell great batteries at an affordable price (I'm Swedish and I shouldn't have forgotten IKEA...). They’re branded "IKEA LADDA" in Sweden and have very similar specs as the Eneloop batteries, maybe they’re actually the same batteries in different packages. I have quite a few of them too and I’m happy with their performance.
    PS. I'm not sure if they're called "LADDA" worldwide. ("LADDA" is a Swedish verb that translates into "CHARGE".)

  9. #9
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    Thanks Guys!

  10. #10
    Senior Member Photog82's Avatar
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    I switched from the white Eneloop batteries to the new, black Eneloop Pro batteries. I used 4 in my 600s and also use the Canon battery pack which takes 8 of them. They lasted all day at a wedding.
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