Faster Recycle Time

[rpcrowe]

When I shoot my rescue dogs, I'd like slightly faster recycle times than I get with my Canon 600EX-RT flash bounced. I sometimes miss a good shot because the flash has not recycled fully. Generally, missing one or two shoots isn't a big thing unless I am shooting a shy or recalcitrant dog. Then, Murphy's Law says that the shot that I miss is the best (or the only good one) out of the group. BTW: I use Eneloop batteries.

One way to reduce the recycle time would be to use a higher ISO which would require less light and thus allow faster recycle. However, I do prefer to shoot at 160 ISO. I am already shooting wide open for DOF control, so I can't reduce the recycle time by using a wider f/stop.

I wonder how this battery pack would work. The price is pretty reasonable and I like the fact that I can attach the battery pack to the tripod screw socket at the bottom of the camera. The fast recycle time is pretty appealing.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...l/prm/alsVwDtl

What do you think of this plan???

[Black Pearl]

Just increase the ISO - you don't print posters out or have people scrutinising your work at super high magnifications hell-bent on picking faults so there is absolutely no need to keep the ISO at 160.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Richard,

I agree 100% with Robin.

If you're not cropping the heck out of the images and not under exposing, even if they might put to poster use, there's no need to stick at 160 iso - whatever noise you're seeing when viewing images at 100% during in PP is irrelevant by the time they come to be used and viewed at a sensible distance.

I assume you're using the 7D2 or 5D2 or 3, sorry, I forget what you use for these shots.


The device you linked to should achieve what you want and may be the simplest solution if funding it is not an issue.

The other factors which would reduce the light output required from flash while achieving the same illumination at the subject would be to brighten the reflective surface you're bouncing off and/or lower it, so the flash-to-surface-to-subject distances are shortened.

I assume you don't want to open up your aperture because of the reduction of DoF this would cause.

Dave

[Mike Buckley]

My take is exactly as explained by Robin.

[Glenn P]

Hey Richard,

I've been using the same battery pack (and batteries) for a little over five years now. It's worked just fine for me over that time.

And it will speed up your recycle times regardless of where your ISO is set.

[DanK]

This may be too obvious a question, but what batteries are you using? I forget the terminology now, but there basically two types of rechargeables: slow-discharge and fast-discharge. The slow-discharge batteries hold their charge a long time, but they have lower power capacity than the others and refresh more slowly. I use 2700 mAh Powerex batteries as my standard. theyse are the latter type. However, I also carry some slow-discharge batteries as backups because they will hold their charge in storage better.

[rpcrowe]

I do need to have quite decent imagery because i also need to have enough quality to produce 14x14 inch calendars cropped from these images...

I do frequently shoot at ISO 320.

I was wondering if batteries with increased mAh capability would give me a faster recycle time.

I use Eneloop batteries rated for around 1800 mAh...

I wonder if I bought a set of Powerex 2700 mAh batteries if I could use the Eneloop battery charger (I own two of these)

Watson 2550 mAh batteries and 8 battery charger seem like a pretty good price and seem like they get good reviews.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...l/prm/alsVwDtl

[george013]

I do need to have quite decent imagery because i also need to have enough quality to produce 14x14 inch calendars cropped from these images...

I do frequently shoot at ISO 320.

I was wondering if batteries with increased mAh capability would give me a faster recycle time.

I use Eneloop batteries rated for around 1800 mAh...

I wonder if I bought a set of Powerex 2700 mAh batteries if I could use the Eneloop battery charger (I own two of these)

1800 mAh is from the past century.
You should be able to use the same charger. They are both NiMh batteries.

In general I think Eneloop, the low self discharge batteries or LSD, are less suitable for photography. I know, everybody will say the opposite. The lower self discharge might be handy for your tv remote control.

George

[DanK]

The eneloops I have are low-self-discharge, so they keep their charger longer. If you search, there was a discussion about this a year or two ago, and my recollection is that the low-self-discharge batteries to refresh more slowly. Someone who k nows more may chime in.

[rpcrowe]

I made a mistake... my Eneloop batteries are 1900 and 2000 mAh. They are the original (I think) ones produced or distributed by Sanyo before Panasonic took the brand over.

I am going to purchase 4 2700 mAh Powerex batteries and try them in my Eneloop charger.

[george013]

The eneloops I have are low-self-discharge, so they keep their charger longer. If you search, there was a discussion about this a year or two ago, and my recollection is that the low-self-discharge batteries to refresh more slowly. Someone who k nows more may chime in.

They're not meant for photography. The reload in a flash takes longer. Wonderful for a remote control home.
I hardly use batteries, I don't flash often. But when I use the external flash I take care the batteries are loaded. Whatever battery it is.

George

[rpcrowe]

I just purchased 8 2700 mAh Powerex batteries and a Powerex 8-slot charger to go along with them. Since I often have two flash units working, I decided to go the 8 battery and charger with 8 slot route.

[george013]

I just purchased 8 2700 mAh Powerex batteries and a Powerex 8-slot charger to go along with them. Since I often have two flash units working, I decided to go the 8 battery and charger with 8 slot route.

What's the minimum amount of batteries that can be charged?


George

[mostlyphotos]

I bought Eneloops for my Nikon Flashguns and they significantly shortened the refresh time (I had been using none re-chargeable) - I also bought the Sd-9 Nikon Battery Pack (not sure what the Canon Equivalent is) which made re-fresh faster still... just had to watch for over-heating... as mentioned earlier try to keep the power as low as you can get away with...

[rpcrowe]

What's the minimum amount of batteries that can be charged?


George

I believe that the minimum number that can be charged is four. That's O.K. with me since I would most often use four batteries in each of my hotshoe flashes 320EX and 600EX RT... I have two Eneloop chargers which can charge either two or four batteries each...

I just received a reply from B&H to questions that I posed to them. The questions are obvious if you read the answers...

"You could use the Eneloop charger for the Powerex NiMH batteries, but the 2700mAh batteries are not going to speed up your recycling time. It would just give you greater life."

I will just see how things go with the Powerex batteries in my hotshoe flash units...

I might end up getting a power pack for my flash units. I would need the eight batteries for the power pack...

[DanK]

You could use the Eneloop charger for the Powerex NiMH batteries, but the 2700mAh batteries are not going to speed up your recycling time

With respect to the first, some chargers track and charge each battery separately. My Ansemann charger does, and I vaguely recall that there is at least one Maha (Powerex) that does. I can put any number in my Ansemann; it makes no difference, because it is handling each battery separately.

With respect to the second: we need someone who knows more about electrical engineering than I do, but I think there are really two questions, not one. First, does the larger capacity lead to faster recycling? Second, does substituting high-self-discharge batteries for low-self-discharge batteries lead to faster recycling? I thought that the answers are no and yes, respectively, but I am just repeating what I remember reading and don't understand the underlying engineering. maybe someone else does.

[george013]

With respect to the first, some chargers track and charge each battery separately. My Ansemann charger does, and I vaguely recall that there is at least one Maha (Powerex) that does. I can put any number in my Ansemann; it makes no difference, because it is handling each battery separately.

With respect to the second: we need someone who knows more about electrical engineering than I do, but I think there are really two questions, not one. First, does the larger capacity lead to faster recycling? Second, does substituting high-self-discharge batteries for low-self-discharge batteries lead to faster recycling? I thought that the answers are no and yes, respectively, but I am just repeating what I remember reading and don't understand the underlying engineering. maybe someone else does.

I only can repeat what I learned/read before. First of all I repeat to say that the low self discharge is no item in photography. As a photographer you should be sure that the batteries you'll going to use are full. And the only way to be sure is to take them out of the loader, and not from a table.

I remember Nikon flash manuals stating the Eneloop where slightly slower with recycling as normal NiMh batteries. But that was a few year ago. Things might have changed.
When the lower self discharge is gained through a higher inner resistance, than the max load it can deliver will be less. That was and is the picture I've.

To make it more confusing, there're 3 different eneloop for sale. https://www.panasonic.com/global/con...hnologies.html Pay attention to the Eneloop Pro.

Also pay attention to the comparison being made. Probably a sales trick, it's done with alkaline batteries. The choice of the photographer should be with a non eneloop NiMh battery. Which are made by Panasonic too.

I bought last year 3 led lights and eneloops batteries. I hardly used them, but I can't see any difference between these and normal NiMh batteries. Only the price.

George

[DanK]

First of all I repeat to say that the low self discharge is no item in photography.

This is groundless. I have often used low-self-discharge batteries in my flash. They work fine. They have lower capacity, and they may or may not recycle more slowly, but if your aren't concerned about those two things, they work fine.

Like any other batteries, you want them charged before you use them, but they discharge slowly enough that they are useful for quite a long time after being charged.

My routine when I travel and don't want to lug my big Ansemann charger is to take two sets of high-capacity batteries that are not slow-self-discharge and a set of 8 eneloop low-self-discharge batteries as my backup.

[george013]

This is groundless. I have often used low-self-discharge batteries in my flash. They work fine. They have lower capacity, and they may or may not recycle more slowly, but if your aren't concerned about those two things, they work fine.

Like any other batteries, you want them charged before you use them, but they discharge slowly enough that they are useful for quite a long time after being charged.

My routine when I travel and don't want to lug my big Ansemann charger is to take two sets of high-capacity batteries that are not slow-self-discharge and a set of 8 eneloop low-self-discharge batteries as my backup.

About what time interval are you talking?

They work just as any other NiMh battery.

George

[rpcrowe]

I have not done a scientific test but, it seems that my old Sanyo Eneloop 1900 mAh and 2000 mAh batteries (I don't have any Panasonic Eneloops), when fully charged, last longer than Energizer AA batteries. Like I said, the comparison has not been scientifically backed up, it it just the way things appear to me.

The Eneloop Pro batteries seem to not have the life expectancy of standard 1900-2000 mAh Eneloops. (500 recharges vs. 2,100 recharges).

The Powerex ad states that they can be recharged "hundreds of times". The Watson ad states 1,000 recharges.

The 12 cell Powerex recharger has two modes: fast charge and slow charge. The slow or soft charge apparently extends the life of the batteries.