[jatrax]

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The only problem with rechargeables is that the voltage starts out low compared to akaline batteries (1.2v vs. 1.5v).

I suspect flashes are rather tolerant of voltage differences compared to other things. One of the reasons the Eneloops got so popular here was that at the time many rechargeables would not work well in the k-x. The camera had issues with a lot of batteries actually. But for some reason the Eneloops worked fine. Someone explained back then that they held their voltage profile better during discharge so even though they are 1.2 volt they were able to hold that voltage instead of dropping under load as other batteries, even 1.5 volt ones did.

It is possible other brands would now work as well since that was almost 6 years ago but at the time they were head and shoulders better than anything else. And I find it quite remarkable that though the camera is long gone the batteries are still working just fine.

When we were having battery issues with the k-x, summer of 2010 I believe, I bought six sets of rechargeables, all different brands. Most lasted no more than a year or so, one set called Energyon finally died last year and another set branded Powerex lasted almost as long. But the Eneloops bought then are still taking and holding a charge. They might not last as long as they once did but since they are on flash duty now it is hard to compare.

[mee]

LOL. That would be my reason for going Pentax as well. I had a good collection of AA rechargeables from my bridge camera. I wanted a DSLR but did not want to abandon my investment in those batteries. Rather silly reason for picking a camera I went to one of those camera comparison sites, and selected all the features I wanted. The only camera left was the k-x.
Wish I could remember what site that was, it was a very useful tool.

haha


I went with the better high ISO performance, burst rate, and generally improved IQ vs the rivals but the AA battery usability definitely was a top reason for me. Ironically the DPR review of the K-x was one of the bigger reasons for this. Now, they seem to dislike Pentax.

[sarge]

Eneloops are the standard which all Ni-MH batteries are judged. There simply are no better. I use them for my flashes, my Pocket Wizards, my flashlights and just about everything else that uses AA batteries. Another benefit is they can be left long periods of time unused without fear of leaking.

[Alliecat]

I found this thread while researching Eneloops, so rather than start a new one, thought I'd ask here. Is there much difference between regular Eneloop and the black "pro" ones? I just got a K-x today which is on the way, and wonder what batteries to get for it. Some of the Eneloops I've seen online say on the package that they take 7 hours to charge...?? Is it worth the extra money to get "pro" if you aren't really shooting tons of pictures?

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Last edited by Alliecat; 06-09-2016 at 12:50 AM.

[virusn3t]

I found this thread while researching Eneloops, so rather than start a new one, thought I'd ask here. Is there much difference between regular Eneloop and the black "pro" ones? I just got a K-x today which is on the way, and wonder what batteries to get for it. Some of the Eneloops I've seen online say on the package that they take 7 hours to charge...?? Is it worth the extra money to get "pro" if you aren't really shooting tons of pictures?

The "pro" eneloops have more capacity (2450mAh) against the normal ones (1900mAh)... so, in theory thay can be used 25% more time without change the battery

[BrianR]

I found this thread while researching Eneloops, so rather than start a new one, thought I'd ask here. Is there much difference between regular Eneloop and the black "pro" ones? I just got a K-x today which is on the way, and wonder what batteries to get for it. Some of the Eneloops I've seen online say on the package that they take 7 hours to charge...?? Is it worth the extra money to get "pro" if you aren't really shooting tons of pictures?

From my k100d experience, get the higher capacity ones if you can get them for a decent price (4xAA used to go on sale for 15 $CAD shipped from dell.ca). Cameras are more sensitive to the voltage than flashes, and I found the higher capacity eneloops maintained the minimum voltage to run the camera for significantly longer, greatly reducing my frustration. I'd still suggest you keep a set of the 'standard' ones fully charged as a backup, so you could always start with a set of the standard ones and see if they do the trick for you.

I'd also highly recommend a good quality smart charger, like a maha wizard one or whatever lacrosse version doesn't light on fire. A smart charger should be able to safely fully charge either eneloop version in a couple of hours.

[Alliecat]

From my k100d experience, get the higher capacity ones if you can get them for a decent price (4xAA used to go on sale for 15 $CAD shipped from dell.ca). Cameras are more sensitive to the voltage than flashes, and I found the higher capacity eneloops maintained the minimum voltage to run the camera for significantly longer, greatly reducing my frustration. I'd still suggest you keep a set of the 'standard' ones fully charged as a backup, so you could always start with a set of the standard ones and see if they do the trick for you.

I'd also highly recommend a good quality smart charger, like a maha wizard one or whatever lacrosse version doesn't light on fire. A smart charger should be able to safely fully charge either eneloop version in a couple of hours.

That's helpful; thanks. Never thought about Dell. I'm not familiar with charger types, but "light on fire" doesn't sound good . Does this mean the regular Eneloop charger wouldn't charge the Pro ones to capacity? Would the pro charger charge the regular ones ok?
I see some on eBay & Amazon, with 4 batteries plus the charger. Can you charge regular/other rechargeable AAs in an Eneloop charger? I like the suggestion of having the backup set. I'd just buy the package of batteries plus charger all at once, depending on whether I can charge both types in whichever one.
My wee Optio is good for a little over 100 pictures on a charge, less in the cold; so I'm quite familiar with running out of battery on it!

[BrianR]

That's helpful; thanks. Never thought about Dell. I'm not familiar with charger types, but "light on fire" doesn't sound good . Does this mean the regular Eneloop charger wouldn't charge the Pro ones to capacity? Would the pro charger charge the regular ones ok?
I see some on eBay & Amazon, with 4 batteries plus the charger. Can you charge regular/other rechargeable AAs in an Eneloop charger? I like the suggestion of having the backup set. I'd just buy the package of batteries plus charger all at once, depending on whether I can charge both types in whichever one.
My wee Optio is good for a little over 100 pictures on a charge, less in the cold; so I'm quite familiar with running out of battery on it!

The earlier lacrosse models had some overheating problems, I think they've been sorted out for several years (I may occasionally be a little silly).

The eneloop chargers should work fine with either version, or with other brands of AA's, but the 'smart' chargers work much better. They treat each battery separately (the eneloop chargers work in pairs, meaning it treats a pair of AA's as one single unit), and tend to do a better job at cutting off the charge once the batteries are full. In some cases, they can also 'refresh' poorly performing or old batteries into better condition. I've had a wizardone for several years now and even though it is costly compared to the ones packaged with the batteries, I wouldn't hesitate to replace it if it died today.

You might also check paulsfinest.ca, they sometimes have good deals on the maha chargers and maha batteries, which also have a low self discharge version and seem to rate well. candlepowerforums.com is a great resource if you want to get dorky and look for all the battery comparison test charts you'd ever want.

[mee]

Are you certain the Eneloop chargers in the past year still charge only in pairs? I'm pretty sure I've charged single batteries and even multiple with some finishing their cycle before others (individual lights)

[Alliecat]

Thanks, BrianR
Mee, I'm looking at a Pro charger here and it says it'll do 1-4 batteries. But you'd probably want to charge at least 2 out of the camera at any time anyway, I would think.
https://www.amazon.ca/Panasonic-KKJ17KHCA4A-Individual-Rechargeable-Batterie...ustomerReviews

[noelpolar]

I found the black eneloops wouldn't fit in some things..... they are just a little bit fatter.

[BrianR]

Thanks, BrianR
Mee, I'm looking at a Pro charger here and it says it'll do 1-4 batteries. But you'd probably want to charge at least 2 out of the camera at any time anyway, I would think.
https://www.amazon.ca/Panasonic-KKJ17KHCA4A-Individual-Rechargeable-Batterie...ustomerReviews

It looks like they've improved the chargers bundled with eneloops since I've last looked, the BQ-CC17 shown in eneloop pro package seems to rate pretty well as a basic charger that should treat your batteries kindly.

Single cell charging comes in handy - I have several devices that use just one battery, a couple of them in my camera bag (light meter and a small flashlight).

---------- Post added 06-11-16 at 06:14 AM ----------

Are you certain the Eneloop chargers in the past year still charge only in pairs? I'm pretty sure I've charged single batteries and even multiple with some finishing their cycle before others (individual lights)

You're absolutely right, it looks like recent models have improved. That's excellent.

[Alliecat]

I found the black eneloops wouldn't fit in some things..... they are just a little bit fatter.

Uh oh... I saw that, in one of the Amazon reviews. But if so many photographers love them so much, they ought to fit in a camera...? It's a K-x. What things could you not fit them in?

[noelpolar]

Uh oh... I saw that, in one of the Amazon reviews. But if so many photographers love them so much, they ought to fit in a camera...? It's a K-x. What things could you not fit them in?

In my sigma flash and some of my torches (i have 20-30 AAs I move around)....single barrel tube torches seem to be an isssue.

I started using eneloops in my K200d...... which is long gone....great batteries.