rechargeable AA batteries

[Geoff F]

For the past 3 years I have been using the common Duracell batteries with no problems. But it is the higher spec 2500mAh version.

When photographing insects etc I take 200 to 300 flash images each day often with a quick recycle time. Always start the season with a new pack of batteries and recharge them after each day of shooting. I have used Ansmann in the past and that is the maker of my recharger, but I never found any difference with those batteries.

[CP140]

The use in flashes is a different matter because recycle time is so important. There used to be both low-self-discharge and other Powerex batteries, and I had both, the latter for flashes. They may still, but I didn't find both when I looked this time, so I bought Ansmann instead, which were recommended to me years ago by macro photographers who wanted fast recylcing times to capture stacks of bug shots.

I really can't offer much on this... but I would think that a hand held radio pushing out 5W of RF energy (which means it is pulling more than 5W from the battery) is sucking power out the batteries at a pretty quick rate, so I think the comparison to cycle times on a flash might be appropriate

[bralk]

Eneloop+Ikea test

https://lygte-info.dk/review/batteri...comparator.php

[Manfred M]

Eneloop+Ikea test

https://lygte-info.dk/review/batteri...comparator.php

You had mentioned this in #35. Comments on that posts that pushed back on that were in threads 36, 37, 38, etc.

As was mentioned before, the problem with private label batteries is that:

1. There is no guarantee that the company continues to source the batteries from the same source. There are many battery makers around the world and supply contracts are typically renewed either annually or might run for a couple of years.

2. There is no guarantee that the batteries that are sourced from the OEM supplier are built to the same spec as the branded ones. Private label goods are usually discounted, which means that lower quality materials are often used to manage the price point.

3. Technology; both in the OEM branded product and the private label product may be quite different from the test results. Unless we have test dates, we have no idea as to how old the test results are. These tests may not even be relevant because of supplier, chemistry or manufacturing changes.

[rpcrowe]

I use both Eneloop and Powerex batteries in my Godox/Flashpoint hotshoe flash units.

However for really fast recharge times, I have switched to a Godox/Flashpoint unit that uses Li-ion rechargeable batteries. These units have the fastest recharge time of any units I have experimented with.

They are more expensive than the units using AA batteries but, if fast recharge is what you need - these units are great.

BTW: they are actually less expensive than many Sony, Nikon or Canon flash units...

[rpcrowe]

Dan... recycle time should be no problem when shooting macros with flash... Usually, when I shoot macro. my flash is quite close to the subject. Thus, the power expended (even when using modifiers) is quite small and either in TTL mode or manual mode at a low power rating of 1/16 - the recharge time of my Godox/Flashpoint (they are the same - Adorama rebrands Godox to their Flashpoint house brand - I tend to use Flashpoint because of the warranty offered by Adorama) is pretty well instantaneous even with units using AA batteries for power...

I usually to shoot most of my macro shots at a smaller aperture (for increased DOF) my shutter speed is quite often at or below the maximum sync speed for the camera: 1/160 - 1/250 second depending on the camera.

Another way to speed up the recycle time is to shoot at a bit higher ISO. My Sony cameras (both full frame and crop) have no problem with image quality at ISO 400... ISO 400 will use a lot less flash power than shooting at ISO 100!

I have three Godox/Flashpoint Mini Hotshoe Flash units https://www.adorama.com/fplfsmminiso.html (I purchased one and got the second and third from Adorama free as part of bundles with other camera gear). These are AA powered units but, shooting from up close with TTL or with manual at 1/16 power, they give me very-very fast recycle times using either Eneloop or Powerex fully charged batteries... Since one of these units on-camera can control the other two-off camera, this is a nice lightweight lighting kit...

I already own these units, so, I don't want to spend the extra money to convert to Li-on flashes for the minimal decrease in recharge times that the Li-on units would give me... However, I do own one full size Godox/Flashpoint Li-on hotshoe flash https://www.adorama.com/fplfsmzl2so.html which I use for when I need the extra power combined with faster recharge times.

[DanK]

Richard,

I focus in bug macro by moving the camera, so having fast recycle times is important. When moving the camera, most images are not in proper focus, and I've had many instances where the shot that would have been in focus was useless because the flash hadn't fully recycled.

Increasing ISO is not an option for controlling recycle times when shooting macro in E-TTL mode. One needs ISO to control the illumination of the background. That is, ISO is used to balance exposure between the bug in the foreground and whatever is in the background. The farther away the background is, the higher the needed ISO. Most of my bug shots end up at ISO of either 200 or 400 for that reason.

I looked at the reviews of the Godox flash on B&H, and they weren't encouraging. Lots of complaints about units breaking after only a few months, the connector to the hotshoe breaking off or no longer functioning correctly, and nonexistent customer service. So for now, I think I'll stick with my old Canon flash, which is very solid and has functioned well for years.

The best solution may be an external power pack, but my bug hunting gear is already so heavy that I'm reluctant to add more.

Dan

[xpatUSA]

... Another way to speed up the recycle time is to shoot at a bit higher ISO.

Just out of interest, does anyone other than @rpcrowe know more about this rather brief claim?

Is there more to it than just raising the ISO?

[Manfred M]

Just out of interest, does anyone other than @rpcrowe know more about this rather brief claim?

Is there more to it than just raising the ISO?

At a higher ISO setting,less light will be required from the flash for the exposure. This means more residual power left in the flash capacitors, so not at much draw on the power supply to recharge the flash = faster recycle time. This also applies to studio flash plugged into the electrical main.

[xpatUSA]

At a higher ISO setting,less light will be required from the flash for the exposure.

Thanks for the quick reply, Manfred. "Less light" meaning a shorter duration and assuming that the capacitor(s) is always charged back to full.

This means more residual power left in the flash capacitors, so not as much draw on the power supply to recharge the flash = faster recycle time. This also applies to studio flash plugged into the electrical main.

Got it!

[rpcrowe]

This is not exactly macro but it is a close up image shot with my Sony A7iii and Tamron 28-75mm lens at 28mm. Lighting quality is not premium in this shot, I was just testing for recycle times.



Exposure was manual 1/160 second at f/6.3 using ISO 400 with the Godox TTL350S in manual at 1/16 power with Eneloop batteries. The flash was mounted on the camera hotshoe and bounced straight up and modified with a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro. The FlipIt portion of the diffuser was straight up... The recharge was almost instantaneous - so fast, in fact, that I shot a series of four shots in burst mode (slow) and all the exposures were identical... TTL gave me just about the same recycle times. The recharge was so fast in either manual or TTL flash mode that I could not measure those times. The manufacturer states that recycle time could be 0.1 - 2.2 seconds using (using 2500mAh Ni-MH Batteries). Obviously at a lower power, the recycle time will be nearest the shorter time...

I would expect that any Canon, Nikon or Sony flash might provide close recycling times...

BTW: I have been using Godox/Flashpoint units for years now and own quite a few of them. Despite the crappy Sony Multifunction Shoe (which looks like it would break off if I breathed on it), I have experienced no difficulties with any of my Godox/Flashpoint flash units. Except for the TTL360 (which I don't use with a hotshoe mount) all of my Godox/Flashpoint units have hotshoe mounts... I have not used a Godox/Flashpoint unit with a standard hotshoe mount like is found on a Canon camera...

A problem with Godox flashes could be that the company expects the vendor to take care of warranty service. That is why, most of my Godox type units are rebranded as Flashpoint and sold by Adorama. Although I have not needed to take advantage of the warranty, I have had another piece of gear fixed by Adorama through warranty and thus, I have some confidence in that company... BTW: Adorama will (at least it used to) honor international warranties for gray-marker equipment that they sell...

[Markveber]

It's cool to hear that Duracell's 2500mAh batteries have been holding up well for your flash photography sessions. It's all about that quick recycle time, right?

[royent]

Note that this thread is three years old

[Manfred M]

It's cool to hear that Duracell's 2500mAh batteries have been holding up well for your flash photography sessions. It's all about that quick recycle time, right?

No. While recycle time is important, the number of flashes I get out of a set of fully charged batteries is even more important than recycle time.