Best Rechargeable Batteries for photography equipment
Where to start? Have you been looking for the best rechargeable batteries for photography equipment? There are so many batteries to chose from when you’re a photographer or a videographer. I had gone through the challenge in the beginning to find a battery that worked well. When I was photographing with the Sb-900 flashes from Nikon I was having difficulty. I thought it was my battery brand/mah that was causing the problems. I had tried 4 batteries to resolve the problem. From Eneloop, Energizer, Duracell, to even a higher end Tenergy. after all the use and challenges I actually discovered that the Sb900 flashes were overheating and causing their own problems. During this time, I burnt up a few of the rechargeable batteries, specifically the Eneloop batteries. The Tenergy batteries after a bit of recharging and high discharge that was the root of the problem would not charge after a few months. I had no recourse with them to obtain a replacement since I was out of warranty.
Energizer 2300 mAh Batteries.
After the determination of the flash causing the battery failure, I went back to 2300 mah energizer batteries. Since 2008 I have used them religiously and charge them before a wedding/event with the OEM charger. Over the ten years, I have had approximately 10 out of the 40 batteries we originally purchased fail. I threw a few away but then when I purchased a new package, I noticed something amazing. Specification sheet for Energizer 2300
Other Capacity batteries
I have found that the higher the cap obviously the more energy it can store and release. Flashes seem to work really well around the 2000/2300 mah range and provide nearly all day battery on both the Canon and Nikon flash systems. Specifically the Canon 480 ex ii and the Nikon Sb-910. I can go an entire wedding *(8 hours) without a change so as long as I am not photographing a ceremony outdoors with trying to push 1:1 flash at the subject. Sometimes this is needed when a ceremony is poorly laid out for a roof to be casting a shadow over the couples. Unfortunately, venues don’t see what we see as photographers all the time. Make sure you check the mAh on the battery circled below.
Warranty
The Energizer batteries come with a 5-year warranty. I contacted support with my issues, provided the lot number, and in about 10 days I received a coupon in the mail to purchase a new set of batteries. In fact, I received 3 coupons for the 10 since they come in 4/8 pack. It was a pretty quick and easy to obtain a replacement. In some instances, you might have to pay tax or a little higher price since some stores don’t honor the MSRP of $9.99 and under for a 4 pack. You can get them directly from Amazon and with subscribe and save you can them cheaper with the pre-order break.
Charging
Charing is easy, I have two chargers, one slow charger that does all of my C, D, and 9 Volt batteries. The rapid charger 15-minute charger seems to do the best job and I have two in my collection so that one travels with me and one stays at home. The battery charger will alert you with a flashing light if you have battery issues. If you do have any battery issues, I recommend trying to charge them with a different charger or a slow charger. Sometimes with the lithium batteries, they will drain to below rechargeable state. That’s the most common failure. But if they do, there is a slight stamped code on your battery that gives you a date. It’s pretty straightforward in a 2 digit year code. That number plus 5 is your warranty expiration date.
When using the other batteries in a failing flash that was drawing more amps due to the overheating issue the breakdown of the batteries that outlasted the stress was the energizers. Ever since then I have always used them and currently still have them in my bag. The experience with canon is that my assistant uses them in her flash and on an 8-hour event there is no change of batteries in her flash. What products do I use them in? Flash, Led Light, Battery backup, Assistant flash. They truly are the best rechargable batteries for photography equipment that I can find. That coupled with the warranty and you have peace of mind for failures.
I hope you enjoyed the review and recommendation of the batteries. Get a pack of yours here in AA, AAA, C, and 9 Volt. I do recommend these as the best rechargeable batteries for photography equipment. I have adapted to using the same brand but a lower mah in our remote controls, and children’s toys. Check out my other reviews here