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Im buying 3 YN-460 II flashes. If anyone has any suggestions as to what batteries i must buy for these flashes it would be helpful.

Ive heard about eneloop batteries. Ive got options of 2000mah, NiMh, AA size. Ive heard they dont discharge as rapidly as other brands and last 3 times longer. They also boast a shelf life which can retain 85% of the charge over 12 months.

Id like to know what mah i should go for. 800mah or 2000mah ? Is there a Nicd version too, and which one should i choose. Also there are chargers whhich can discharge them and then recharge them back up to improve or recondition the battery. Id have to buy nearly 20 of them to be on the safe side, so id like to choose the correct type before i make the purchase.

Please share your feedback.

Regards

2000mah is not good enough. Look at something that is at least 2400. Energizer and Duracell batteries should be the best in my opinion. why would you need batteries that keep the charge for 12 months? If you use your flash more often sometimes you might find your self changing the batteries 2-3 times daily... and No, Sanyo are not that good.

Boots' 2200mAh NiMH rechargeables I've had for about three years have suited me just fine with my YN-468.

I can't see 800mAh working in the YN-460. My YN-468 won't even turn on using Uniross' 1300mAh NiMH and my LED ring light turns on for a fraction of a second before dying out.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

Popo > Energizer and Duracell ? You mean normal Duracell batteries ? What will that last,, about 100 flash bursts ? And then we wil have to replace them with new batteries right ? Wont that work out expensive ?

The 12 month holding pattern was just menationed as a technical spec. I doesnt neccesarily mean im going to charge my batteries and leave them on the shelf fo 12 months. What it means is that charging them a week ahead for a travel plan will not be a bad idea since other rechargeable batteres dont even hold good for 3 to 4 days. They start draining off on their own the moment you take them out the charger so to get a rechargeable battery that mimics a normal cell like duracell (since normal cells hardly discharge at all on their own). Yet giving me the ability to reuse the battery.

How many flash bursts approx do you get out of a set of 4 duracell's on your flash ? Because most specs say 100-1500. Thats a vast range to guess within. If your getting about 300 to 400 flash bursts out of 1 set of normal then i think ill skip buying the eneloops and the chargers etc and just go for normal ones.

What I meant was Energizer or Duracell batteries not alkaline(normal which you refer to) but rechargable. They sell for around 30$ with a rapid charger. So if you purchase any of these batteries, you will have the best performance. Here's proof for that: An year ago my potentiometer started malfunctioning. I opened it and inside there were two batteries, an energizer and a duracell. (alkaline-normal). I had bought the potentiometer from a garage sale many years ago...maybe 20... Well, the Energizer battery had leaked, it's -best before date was 1997(OMG) but what amazed me was the Duracell battery. It's expiry date was 1998 and I don't know how but it still measured at 1.5 Volts. Maybe these days you can't find such quality, but still they are the best to go with.
Let me explain about the 100-1500 specs
What this means is, if you use high capacity batteries such as 2700mah NiCd or Lithium batteries and you use the flash at a maximum output you will get only 100 flashes ( or less), and if you use it at the weakest power output you will probably get 1500 flashes. So you need to make the calculations on how much power you're going to be using with the flash, accordingly you'll get the number of flashes.

I use the eneloops myself, as they suit my style of flash usage, which is somewhat infrequent. The low discharge there helps a lot, as it means I don't have to worry about remembering to top up the batteries before using them. Higher capacity ones may be more suited if you're likely to have heavy or frequent use.

On a Nissin Di622 I think I was getting around 200 shots per set of eneloops, but that was diffuse/reflected/macro so I think the flash power was generally quite high.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Popovski > Thanks ! Ive never heard of duracell rechargeables. Ill try searching for them. I was looking thru ebay before i wrote this message and i saw some not so known brands but specs wise are 3000mah LR6 batteries and are about 1$ each. Do you think these should also do the job.

My usage of these will be only on the weekends and that too not every weekend guranteed. So lets say max 4 times in a month. So which do you feel i should get. Have you ever used eneloops on your flash ?

I have them, just they have another name- GoodPower 3000mah. I got them from ebay, 16batteries for 10$. I still haven't used them well enough, so I can't give any opinion yet. But they are worth to buy at such a cheap price.

Popo > How many shots do you get on your eneloops and what mah are you using on what flash ?

Thanks

The eneloops are 2000mAh. I used them on a Nissin Di622. The only big workout I gave them was an indoor reptile shoot. Most of the time I was working f/8 or smaller and was using ceiling bounce.

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I just got my flash. The second one is on its way too. So I might have to buy about 20 batteries to work with since id also be ordering a third flash.

Most of these NiMh batteries are rated 1.2v. Is it ok to use them with this flash because normal alkalines are rated 1.5v. Am i safe using 3000mah 1.2v Nimh batteries ?