 Deborah Bettencourt |
Rechargable Batteries I own a Nikon SB800 flash and have been burning through batteries. I wondered if anyone could recommend a particularly good brand of rechargable batteries and is it advisable to even work with rechargables in a strobe flash? Thanks in advance for any input or considerations before I invest any money this weekend!
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John Rhodes |
Deborah, yes, you should use rechargables in your strobe. I have 2 SB-60os and an SB-800. You are right in saying strobes use up the battery power quickly. I use NiMh (Nickle Metal Hydride) batteries. It is also important to buy the highest powered batteries; that is, the mAh (miliamp per hour)rating. Mine are 2650mAh. Have several sets and keep a spare set or two, fully charged, in your camera bag. John
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Mark Feldstein |
Greetings Deb. I've got an SB800 but I use it with a separate high voltage Quantum Turbo Battery that cuts my recycling time down to almost nothing regardless of power setting. Before plugging in rechargable batteries I'd check with Nikon on the issue. While a mAh is a mAh, Nikon might tell you that as the NiMH batteries drain (or get older) and require longer time to recycle (as do the alkalines, of course) but they might be harming the electronics at the same time and void the warranty. I honestly can't say for sure but I think it'd certainly be worth asking Nikon about. Take it light.
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John H. Siskin |
I’ve been using Quantum and other high voltage battery packs for years. The fast recycle time is just great. Unfortunately the price is not attractive. My quantum has been with me for years, so it has paid off. Thanks, John Siskin
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Christopher A. Vedros |
Mark, I certainly won't argue about the Quantum Turbo being a better power source . . . but there's no danger in using NiMH rechargeables. Most flash manuals recommend using them. While alkalines have a gradual drop in voltage as they drain, NiMH batteries maintain a more constant voltage level then have a sharp drop off when their charge is depleted. So you spend more time at the full voltage level with more consistent recycle times. I've used several different brands of NiMH rechargebles, and haven't really found any brand to be necessarily better than any other. I've bought most of mine on eBay, but have also used Energizer rechargeables off the rack when they were on sale. The important thing is to keep them in matched sets. Don't mix batteries with different mAh ratings at one time in your flash or in your charger. I won't go into the details, I've just read that you shouldn't do it, so I don't do it. Chris Vedros
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Mark Feldstein |
Howdy Chris ! Thanks for the scoop on that as I really wasn't sure. I always figure a manufacturer should know much more about the electronics in their gear and what might harm them than I would and that's the primary reason I suggested it. Matched sets eh? I'm gonna try that with my radio and see what happens. Thanks again. M.
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