580EXII and batteries....any suggestions?

Kevin CTMP

Hey everyone,

I've been shooting my 580EXII for about 6 months now with rechargeable Duracell NiMH 2650's.....at first, they seemed to work fantastic, the flash functioned great with a fast refresh rate.....but lately the refresh rate has been drastically slower, i'm only getting 2-3 consecutive shots in descent lighting when they're fully charged!!.....and i'm switching out sets constantly.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what batteries work the best in the 580EXII??.....would it bet better to let the batteries die completely before recharging them??.......are there other rechargables that work better?.....or should i just use regular lithium batteries (which get expensive really fast!).......i'm also not a fan of the external power supply....i don't like feeling "tethered" while shooting.

any information would help greatly

thanks!

Kevin

www.ctm-photography.net

Shootin1st

I have been using the Energizer Lithiums. They are expensive and the local store only allows two packages per purchase (that's still 16 batteries).

But, they last and last and last. No direct comparison with rechargeables, but for me, the time/hassle factor makes it easier to pay the money up front. They leave regular alkaline batteries in the dust.

Hmmm. Does this flash give a count anywhere of total activations? That would be interesting to know.

cmason

The regular duracell rechargeables do not hold their charge all that well compared to some other newer technology batteries, including the newer Duracell Rechargeable Precharged. You will only notice this if you do not use your batteries right after charging them. For example, if you charge your batteries after a weekend shoot, and then do not use them until the next Saturday, they will have lost considerable charge over the week.

However, the precharged versions do not lose their charge fast and may be more appropriate if this is your scenario. Also, batteries that are used often may benefit from being reconditioned, where a smart charger conditions the battery so that it can hold its designed maximum charge. It may be the case that your batteries need to be conditioned, and if you use the charger that came with the batteries, typically they do not offer this feature. I recommend the La Crosse BC-900, btw

Cameron

cmason has some good recommendations. The other battery to look for which is similar (same?) as the pre-charged Duracells is the Sanyo Eneloop.
I agree that if usage will be intermittent, you'll be better off using alkalines or lithium batteries OR the Duracell precharged / Eneloop batteries. I'll second the recommendation for the LaCrosse charger - Maha also makes some good ones with similar features.

cmason

CSwinton wrote:

cmason has some good recommendations. The other battery to look for which is similar (same?) as the pre-charged Duracells is the Sanyo Eneloop.

Thanks CSwinton, forgot to mention that there are other batteries out there, including Rayovac Hybrid and the Eneloop.

The bad thing about the Duracell is it is really hard to tell these newer ones from the older ones. Oddly enough, I have discovered that the newer 'precharged' actually carry the 'copper top' that should be familiar with Duracells, whereas the older version Duracell regarchables did not! At least that is my observation, so check your stores.

Another thing is that the older Duracells listed the mAh on the battery, many of them were 2650mAh batteries, said to be perfect for flashes, BUT the new precharged either don't list it or are 2000mAh. I have found no difference in practice myself, others experience may vary.

It is very nice to charge these batteries up and toss them in the camera bag and forget about them. They stay charged very well, and always seem to be ready when I need them.

Village Idiot

I use Sanyo Eneloops. Great batteries.

I had some crappy off brand rechargables I did use and I was out shooting when it was about 30-35F outside. The flash with the eneloops kept going and going and going, but the two with the generic brand rechargables died after about 10 shots. Needless to say, I went and bought two sets of Eneloops for each flash.

jchin

Get the Canon external battery pack (CP-E3 or CP-E4, forgot the part number). It holds 8 AAs and last nicely. Plus faster recycle times.

Photoskipper

I have bad experience with the rechargeable batteries for both 550EX and 580EXII. I tried couple of brands - GP, Duracell, and ...... All can fire for couple flash then die suddenly.
Now I stick to alkaline batteries as it is much cheaper compare to Lithium batteries or other new tech batteries.
Considering to get the 8-cell external battery pack but found it too expensive. Not sure whether can make one from the kitchen. It looks simple, just put the 2 sets of 4 battery parallel so it provides higher current and capacity for the fast re-charge of the flash.