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AA alternatives
In one or two threads recently, lively discussions have erupted regarding the
good, the bad, and the ugly of rechargeable AA cells. What was absent from those discussions was the merits, if any, of the more powerful alternatives to the AA. I sure wouldn't mind not having to spend many hours juggling my three 4-cell chargers (two at home, one at work) to get my 50 AAs ready for a shoot. And one of the alternatives, the Quantum Turbo 3, gets the highest user ratings I think I've ever seen at B&H for any piece of photographic equipment. (The most hostile reviewer gave it four out of five stars.) But the Turbo 3 is wildly expensive: $714 with the cables necessary to power two speedlites. Is it, or any of the other big batteries, really worth that kind of money? Has anyone here used the Turbo 3 or something similar? Does anyone here actually own one? Etc. Bob |
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AA alternatives
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#3
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#4
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AA alternatives
Robert Coe wrote:
In one or two threads recently, lively discussions have erupted regarding the good, the bad, and the ugly of rechargeable AA cells. What was absent from those discussions was the merits, if any, of the more powerful alternatives to the AA. lithium 1.5 volt AA factor primary batteries. Expensive, long shelf life, *lots* of power stored (roughly 3x as much as an alkaline AA cell, IIRC). I sure wouldn't mind not having to spend many hours juggling my three 4-cell chargers (two at home, one at work) to get my 50 AAs ready for a shoot. - Buy Eneloop, charge after use, store, use as needed. (Unless you store them for 2+ years at room temperature, in which case they may only have 50% charge left). - Buy a couple 8 or 12 slot chargers (of reputable makers and quality). And one of the alternatives, the Quantum Turbo 3, gets the highest user ratings I think I've ever seen at B&H for any piece of photographic equipment. (The most hostile reviewer gave it four out of five stars.) But the Turbo 3 is wildly expensive: $714 with the cables necessary to power two speedlites. And is a NiMH, just like your AA cells. Which you probably still need (in Canon flashes, the electronics always run from the internal batteries, IIRC). Is it, or any of the other big batteries, really worth that kind of money? Has anyone here used the Turbo 3 or something similar? Does anyone here actually own one? Etc. What's it's selling point over the much cheaper CP-E4 and similar (i.e. high voltage from 8 AA cells to recharge the flash for fast recharges and more staying power)? The flash will heat up much faster at full auto fire than the batteries will drain from it. The high voltage allows fast flash-to-flash times already with the CP-E4. So ... the only advantage I could see is if the Turbo 3 had *a lot* more energy stored than 8 AA cells and you couldn't pause and/or reach the flash and change batteries in the flash or CP-E4 ... -Wolfgang |
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AA alternatives
On 06/07/2013 21:12, Robert Coe wrote:
[] I'm really not badly equipped at present, with my two Canon belt packs and two 8-cell inserts for each. But at the Fire Department ceremony the other day, I found myself holding back a bit. They were swapping in a new combination of award recipients, FD bigshots, friends, and relatives every 90 seconds or so, and even a brief stop to swap in new batteries might have caused a logjam. OTOH, if I'd shot any faster, I might have overheated my flash; so maybe a bigger battery wouldn't have mattered. At least I probably won't see a more hectic event until the City Council inauguration in January, so I have some time to think about it. ;^) Bob Could you set the flash to half power, and increase the ISO? Do you /need/ the flash - would the results be more natural without? -- Cheers, David Web: http://www.satsignal.eu |
#6
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AA alternatives
Wolfgang Weisselberg wrote:
lithium 1.5 volt AA factor primary batteries. Expensive, long shelf life,*lots* of power stored (roughly 3x as much as an alkaline AA cell, IIRC). Hi, Be really careful about using lithium AA cells, and consult the owner's manual before using them. They put out a lot more current than alkaline or NiMH cells, and can fry some sensitive electronics. I have had good luck with Eneloop cells, albeit their voltage is 1.2 instead of the alkaline's 1.5. Whatever batteries or cells you use, take along plenty of spares, in your pocket and not in the car out somewhere in the parking lot. Good luck. Mort Linder |
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AA alternatives
In article , Mort
wrote: lithium 1.5 volt AA factor primary batteries. Expensive, long shelf life,*lots* of power stored (roughly 3x as much as an alkaline AA cell, IIRC). Hi, Be really careful about using lithium AA cells, and consult the owner's manual before using them. They put out a lot more current than alkaline or NiMH cells, and can fry some sensitive electronics. lithium aa *can* source more current, but it doesn't necessarily do that. it depends on the circuit. nimh can also source a lot of current. what does affect some devices with lithium aa is the voltage, not the current. it's higher, at about 1.6-1.7 volts, versus 1.5 for alkaline and 1.2 or so for nimh. this isn't normally a problem (especially with recent devices), but it could be in some. I have had good luck with Eneloop cells, albeit their voltage is 1.2 instead of the alkaline's 1.5. those work well, and with a low self-discharge. however, some devices don't like the lower voltage, especially ones that take 6 or 8 batteries, where the voltage difference is more than minor. with an 8 cell pack, there's a 2.4v difference (12v versus 9.6v). Whatever batteries or cells you use, take along plenty of spares, in your pocket and not in the car out somewhere in the parking lot. that's true, but being in the car is better than left at home. |
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AA alternatives
Mort wrote:
Wolfgang Weisselberg wrote: lithium 1.5 volt AA factor primary batteries. Expensive, long shelf life,*lots* of power stored (roughly 3x as much as an alkaline AA cell, IIRC). Be really careful about using lithium AA cells, and consult the owner's manual before using them. They put out a lot more current than alkaline or NiMH cells, and can fry some sensitive electronics. In other words: They have a low internal resistance, which is a *very* good thing for cameras and flashes. High internal resistance means the voltage drops dangerously when e.g. charging a flash or handling and storing the image just shot --- the batteries can't give much of the charge they actually have. Only old circuits that are stupidly designed to depend on the battery to limit the current by the batteries' internal resistance are affected. I have had good luck with Eneloop cells, albeit their voltage is 1.2 instead of the alkaline's 1.5. Which doesn't matter for properly designed circuits: Alkalines only have 1.5V for a very short time in their discharge, they drop to 1.2V pretty soon. Whatever batteries or cells you use, take along plenty of spares, in your pocket and not in the car out somewhere in the parking lot. "plenty" depends a lot on what you do. -Wolfgang |
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