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10-19-2018, 12:03 AM   #1
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Batteries for Flashes.

Ok, I think I asked this question before but I can't find the thread but anyway.. maybe technology has changed and there are better alternatives now, best to ask again

Initially when I asked about batteries for flash I held off on any purchasing advice as the Godox V860ii's/AD200 and their lithium batteries piqued my interest (thinking I would migrate across to them in the near future). Well after heaps of research and recent purchasing decisions I have decided to stick with Pentax and Cactus for my flash needs, being stuck with AA's is a bit of a bummer but that's the trade off for what I think is going to work best for me.

So, up till now I have just been churning and burning Duracell's, time to take things a little more seriously and get better value for money (as well as being nicer to the environment?) etc.

I have;

1x Cactus V6ii (2xAA's)
1x Cactus RF60x (4xAA's)
1x AF360FGZII (4xAA's)
1x AF201 (2xAAA's)

What I need is;

1) what are the absolute best brand and type of battery for these flashes for on the go use (out in the field, ie the type that reside within the flash/trigger heads)
2) a suitable charger that charges them
3) if there exists a non AA battery pack, something like a Godox Lithium battery pack, something that can be charged at home and used for studio sessions (thus leaving the AA's alone, or at least massively reduce the strain on them). For example, if my memory serves me correctly, Cactus make a battery pack for the RF60x's, however the battery pack takes AA's! Can't we get something that is all in one that connects and just be charged when it depletes?

Can anyone please advise?


TIA!

Bruce

10-19-2018, 12:07 AM - 2 Likes   #2
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For my AA battery needs I have used Eneloops and they are great. They are powerful, last long, and keep their charge for a long time when not in use. They also come in lots of different colors if that's your thing (helps keep track of which set gets used too!).
10-19-2018, 12:15 AM   #3
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For AA Batteries I would use Eneloop Lithium or Powerex Lithium. Battery pack the Godox PB960..Or PB820S..! Problem with all batteries "They wear out"

When using battery pack you still need AA's in the flash gun. The battery pack only recharges the capacitors in the gun and dont control the electronic controls.

Charger.. I find its best to use one that charges each battery individually. So you can easilly tell if one in a set is dead..
Something like the
EBL 12 Slots LCD Battery Charger AA AAA Ni-MH Ni-CD 9V Ni-MH Ni-CD Li-ion Rechargeable Batteries, Universal Battery Charger



Last edited by stub; 10-19-2018 at 01:16 AM.
10-19-2018, 12:21 AM   #4
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I use Eneloops (the white ones) in my flash too. I've used them in the Big Pentax flashes, and now in my little AF201FG. They last, and last, and last, I have 16 sets, and some I've had since 2010, still going strong. Oh and you can buy chargers that will allow you to discharge and recharge them if needed to prolong their life.

I just keep little plastic boxes to keep my AAs and AAAs in, and carry extras with me for my flashes. You know Eneloops hold their charge for a long time, but at least once a month I pull them out of the boxes and using the supplied Panasonic charger I got with the third or fourth set of four, I recharge them all. That way I know they're all charge up.


Last edited by photolady95; 10-19-2018 at 01:04 AM.
10-19-2018, 12:56 AM   #5
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Eneloop Pro (the black ones), with an eneloop (panasonic) brand charger.

Last edited by photolady95; 10-19-2018 at 01:04 AM. Reason: Corrected spelling
10-19-2018, 01:06 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by stub Quote
Charger.. I find its best to use one that charges each battery individually. So you can easilly tell if one in a set is dead..
The Panasonic charger that came with my Eneloops charges them individually.
10-19-2018, 01:22 AM - 1 Like   #7
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I'm using Panasonic/Sanyo Eneloop NiMH (white ones) and IKEA 2450 (which are rebranded Eneloop Pro (black version)).

As for charger I only use 'smart' chargers. My current one is bc-700. It only charger at 700mA so its gentle for batteries, unfortunately it takes about 3h to fully charge AA battery. But I stock plenty.

10-19-2018, 01:24 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by sawitar Quote
It only charger at 700mA so its gentle for batteries,
Thanks for that. I bought a PowerEX C900 and wasn't sure where to set the mA on to charge the batteries. Now I know. Now back to Bruce's question.
10-19-2018, 02:00 AM   #9
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Eneloops (black), but I've heard the batteries from IKEA are essentially equivalent but cheaper (LADDA 2450 I think).

Last edited by Paul the Sunman; 10-19-2018 at 02:08 AM.
10-19-2018, 02:54 AM - 1 Like   #10
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I use the bc-700 too. Very good charger. I have also a second charger from Uniross. Before the AD200/AD360 I had only flashes with batteries. Before a work it took me several days to have all the bateries fully charged. I think that at that time I had around 24 batteries or more.

The most important thing I discovered about the batteries was the 'high drain' capacity. This is how fast a battery can give energy to your flash, and is directly related to the time your flash needs to recharge. I really never worried about such thing, but two years ago I suffered a kind of issue with my flash during a work. I was covering a First Holy Communion. On the most important moment I used my main PTTL flash to take two pics of every child, and I had a quick look at the pictures on the back display... all pics were dark! I keeped calm and finished, but made some quick test with the flash and somethig was wrong. I thought that maybe the capacitor was dying.

At home I reviewed the pics and it was not a disaster, just one in two pics were dark. It seemed that my flash fired, but could't fire a second time.
I got all my batteries and tested my flash, to see how much time it needed to recharge after a full discharge, and that was the result:

* cheap supermarket batteries: less than 4 sec
* varta batteries: 4,5sec or more
* hybrio: 7+ secs

I was using the hybrio! Official recharge time for my flash is 3.5sec, so no problems with the capacitor.

Lesson learned: use always high drain batteries. I use the hybrio for my triggers, and the supermarket ones for my flash. I think the hybrio are not bad batteries, but not adecuate for high drain devices.

Regards.
10-19-2018, 03:50 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Paul the Sunman Quote
Eneloops (black), but I've heard the batteries from IKEA are essentially equivalent but cheaper (LADDA 2450 I think).
Oh! I'm actually going to Ikea tomorrow, so is that a yes for Ikea Ladda 2450 ones? (will watch the vid tomorrow morning, must hit the sack now).
10-19-2018, 05:57 AM   #12
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I use Amazon Basics low self-discharge rechargeables, which AFAIK are simply rebranded Eneloops. They're cheap and work very well with all of my flashes (one Metz 52 and two Pentax FGZ 360). They last long enough that I never had to switch batteries in the middle of a shoot. My guees is they're good enough for a few hundred shots...
10-19-2018, 06:14 AM   #13
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This latest video seems to suggest virtually no difference. Older articles came to the same conclusion. Are Ikea batteries Eneloops in disguise? by Jose Antunes - ProVideo Coalition
10-19-2018, 06:22 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Paul the Sunman Quote
Eneloops (black), but I've heard the batteries from IKEA are essentially equivalent but cheaper (LADDA 2450 I think).
Here's some tests on the LADDA by the battery geeks at CandlePowerForums: Test/Review of Ikea Ladda AA 2450mAh (White) 703.038.76. What's under wrappers sometimes changes (Duracell had a couple versions of rebadged LSD batteries that were packaged the same), but at least in 2016 they were speculating the LADDA's are eneloop pro's.

If you have heavy bouts of flash usage, then the pro's are a better option compared to the standard eneloops. For more intermittent users who don't punish their flash in any single shooting session, the standard ones are fantastic. Either way, a smart charger or at least one that charges cells individually is a must.
10-19-2018, 07:13 AM   #15
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I’ve been using Bonai batteries, with a 2800 mA capacity. They seem to hold up well popping off full power flashes. I have no idea about their discharge curve.

I use generic chargers mostly and the original Eneloop model I got years ago. They all seem to work fine.
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