Posted by Brad Sharp on January 28, 2007 at 1:03 PM
Can anyone recommend a portable battery charger for a flash unit? I have a Conon 5D with a battery pack that holds two batteries, and it seems they last forever. By my flash unit goes through batteries really fast. I tried using rechargable batteries, but don't last long at all, and I'm always having to change them. Is there a portable unit that I could plug the flash into that would recycle the flash and not use up batteris so fast? I'm looking for suggestions or recommendations for the best solution to charging a flash unit. Thanks,
Which flash are you using? We use NiMH AA's in our Nikon SB-800s (as we did in our 550's when shooting Canon) and get pretty fair life.
If you're looking for more oomph than that there are lots of options such as Sunpak and Quantum when you move to rechargeable external power packs that connnect to your flash via a cable. Most are comparatively heavy and bulky, generally requiring you to hang them from a shoulder or your tripod via a nylon strap. We have them, but seldom use them any more except on our power-hungry Metz flashes because they eventually cause hassles when switching between cameras or carrying two cameras at once. You get "trussed up" in a hurry.
Posted by Brad Sharp on January 30, 2007 at 4:45 PM
Thanks for the reply Hank,
I have a Canon 580EX flash. 4 AAA batteries last about 300 shots. I guess that's not too bad, was hoping there was something small and portable that would be easier - but I agree with you. I wouldn't want to haul around a heavy power pack.
Actually 300 shots sounds terrific, if full power. We would get lots more from our AA's but change them out pretty quickly once the cycle time slows- 100-150 shots (and that's great in our book) for Nikon's SB-800. When we were using Canon gear and the 550EX, "battery life" by our narrow standards was more like 60-80 shots before cycle time started getting in our way. My wife now believes the SB-800 walks on water, so I'm not going to tell her about your 580EX!!!!!
Posted by Don Miller on January 30, 2007 at 7:46 PM
- non-rechargeable Lithium will last the longest $2 each, no cold penalty. Great backup AA. Lightweight and 15 year shelf life.
- NiMH rechargeables are the most used, have a lot of power, but can't be left in-camera for a long time
- Sanyo NiHM eneloop are rechargeable but hold the charge for months in flash $3 each
- alkaline are the worst, and most expensive per flash
Canon Compact Battery Pack CP-E3 holds eight AA batteries and keeps recycle time down.
www.thomasdistributing.com is where a lot of people buy battery stuff.
Discussion
4 repliesIf you're looking for more oomph than that there are lots of options such as Sunpak and Quantum when you move to rechargeable external power packs that connnect to your flash via a cable. Most are comparatively heavy and bulky, generally requiring you to hang them from a shoulder or your tripod via a nylon strap. We have them, but seldom use them any more except on our power-hungry Metz flashes because they eventually cause hassles when switching between cameras or carrying two cameras at once. You get "trussed up" in a hurry.
I have a Canon 580EX flash. 4 AAA batteries last about 300 shots. I guess that's not too bad, was hoping there was something small and portable that would be easier - but I agree with you. I wouldn't want to haul around a heavy power pack.
- NiMH rechargeables are the most used, have a lot of power, but can't be left in-camera for a long time
- Sanyo NiHM eneloop are rechargeable but hold the charge for months in flash $3 each
- alkaline are the worst, and most expensive per flash
Canon Compact Battery Pack CP-E3 holds eight AA batteries and keeps recycle time down.
www.thomasdistributing.com is where a lot of people buy battery stuff.