A while back we did a piece about how to manage your batteries on location. It turned out we left an important bit out of the equation.
We left the actual batteries 🙂 So this is what this poll is about. What batteries go into your strobe? We wanna hear in the comments.
While this question may seem trivial, there is a huge difference in some aspects of the batteries you use:
- Capacity? How many full pops can you get from a single charge?
- Cycle Time? Is the battery built for high drainage over short periods of time
- Self Discharge: Will the battery stay “ready” after charged, or slowly drain itself to death?
- Heat? How hot does it get when used?
If you are wondering what batteries you want next, there are two great resources for this information: SLR Lounge just did a comprehensive comparison between a few brands of batteries (see the highlights in the vid below).
The other great resource (which is also a great resource for strobing in general) is chapter 16 in Syl Arena’s Speedliter’s Handbook.
Don’t be shy, tell us everything about your strobe batteries in the comments.
I’ll go first: I just switched from “regular” Eneloops to their XX brand and could not be happier. Their recycle faster, got a higher capacity (2500 vs. 2000), and they still keep charge.
[Batteries photograph by Matthias Rhomberg]