The single most important thing about any gear that I use is, it must be dependable. It's gotta work when I need it. A long time ago I realized that there is no savings in buying a cheaper piece of equipment if it won't get the job done. Invariably, whenever I try to save some money, and buy something cheaper, it ends up costing me more. Because, in the end the cheaper doohickey won't do the job, and I end up buying the more expensive one too. I have learned that it is cheaper to buy the more expensive one right from the get go. For the most part, more reliable gear is, more expensive gear, and sometimes a lot more. But, not always.
When I am shooting with my speedlights, there is one thing I always use. Batteries! And lots of them. For three good reasons I use rechargeable batteries. The environment, economics, and most importantly-performance. The first two are obvious, but the third not a given. Rechargeable batteries only perform better if you buy the right ones. Currently, I say that because battery technology changes quickly, the best choice for me are nickel metal-hydride batteries. They work well in high discharge devices, like a flash. I have used a few different brands, but until recently, I couldn't find any that were great. Most performed fine when used immediately after being charged, but didn't hold a charge well if they sat around for anything more than a day or two.
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There are a few things to look for when buying nickel metal-hydride batteries. The first is to buy those that have a high milliampere-hour (mAh or mA·h) rating and are advertised as having a low self-discharge rate. The highest rated batteries I have are 2700 mAh. The unfortunate thing is, there's no way to tell how good the self discharge rate is, other than trusting the manufacturer.
The other essential piece of gear to have with your batteries is a good charger. Most batteries that come with a charger from the drugstore are neither good batteries nor a decent charger. As with anything, a good charger is going to be more expensive than a lousy one. That's the bad news, the good news is, you don't have to pay hundreds of dollars to get a great charger. My friend Paul Wright, a remarkable guy-an orthopedic surgeon turned photographer, told me about a place in Canada (a coincidence that the outlet is run by a guy named Paul too) that sells both excellent chargers, and great batteries. So far, I have not found a better charger than the Maha, or better batteries than the Powerex.
Since I have been using these batteries and charger I have been wildly impressed by how long they last, and how long they hold their charge. As well, the charger has rejuvenated some batteries that my old charger told me were long ago dead. So, not only do I now have batteries I can count on, which is not an insignificant thing, I also have countless hours of entertainment. When I am sitting in my office, procrastinating, when I should be doing billing, or something else equally exciting, I can watch the little bars on the charger go up and down. Really great value for my entertainment dollar!
UPDATE: 01/14/11 For all you Vancouverites (or online sales), you can find all the gear mentioned in this post at Vancouver Battery.
Haha. Funny and informative. Thanks Chris!
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