A question about batteries.

[phillipb]

I use Energizer AA rechargeable batteries in my SB800 flash, but I find that if I leave them in the flash fully charged, if I don't use the flash for a month, they'll be flat when I try to use it. Is this normal or does the flash have an unusually high drain even when it's off?
Anyone else have this problem?

[radar]

Phillip,

that's normal. I always make sure I recharge before heading out if the batteries have been sitting for a while.

Have a look at the guide here:
http://michaelbluejay.com/batteries/

when at home, I always have some regular alkaline batteries sitting around in case I need the flash in a hurry and I don't have time to recharge.

Cheers,

André

[Matt. K]

Most rechargable batteries lose a small percentage of their power each day. Some lose up to 3% or more and that adds up over a number of weeks. I normally recharge all mine every 3 weeks including those I have not used.

[Yi-P]

Adding up to the topic,

Is it okay to charge the 5 batteries in the SB800 along with one that was not used? The charger allows to charge 6 batteries, but the SB800 takes odd 5, tho it has a 'discharge' before charge option there.

[stubbsy]

Adding up to the topic,

Is it okay to charge the 5 batteries in the SB800 along with one that was not used? The charger allows to charge 6 batteries, but the SB800 takes odd 5, tho it has a 'discharge' before charge option there.

No - when charging all the batteries being charged should have approximately the same discharge level for best results. Most (if not all) chargers charge all for the same time period so one that was unusually flat won't get a full charge.

Which leaves the dilemma of that 5th SB800 battery since most chargers are 2 or 4 or 6 batteries. My solution was to bite the bullet and buy the reasonably expensive ReZap Battery Doctor charger which can do 1, 2, 3 or 4 batteries at a time. Lots on batteries on this excellent site HERE

[Underload]

My solution was to bite the bullet and buy the reasonably expensive ReZap Battery Doctor charger which can do 1, 2, 3 or 4 batteries at a time.

Peter, just for future reference, or for anybody else reading this thread - DailyDeals seems to have a good price on the ReZap http://www.dailydeals.com.au/product_in ... ts_id=1106

I've not dealt with them, or have any affliation to them, but a good price deserves to be shared.

[the foto fanatic]

I use Energizer AA rechargeable batteries in my SB800 flash, but I find that if I leave them in the flash fully charged, if I don't use the flash for a month, they'll be flat when I try to use it. Is this normal or does the flash have an unusually high drain even when it's off?
Anyone else have this problem?

I always take the batteries out of the flash after a shoot.

I've had a battery leak inside a flash and it ain't pretty.

[digitor]

Hmm, I'm not sure I'd trust a battery charger which is claimed to recharge ordinary batteries -

"Normal throw-away batteries can be recharged up to 15 times"

Alkaline and carbon zinc batteries generate electricity by a chemical reaction which cannot be reversed, and the various manufacturers state categorically not to attempt to recharge them.

Having said that, the rezap may be a good charger otherwise, I don't know, I haven't used one - I use one of these: http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=407&cur=features#mid

Cheers

[myarhidia]

I recently purchased this charger from Jaycar. Will charge up to 10 batteries individually irrespective of how full / empty they are. Not sure if they're still on sale, I picked mine up for $54.95 reduced from $69.95

[Blackspear]

I use one of these: http://www.mahaenergy.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=407&cur=features#mid

Same here, absolutely brilliant charger. Theres a good review on it here: http://www.digitaldingus.com/reviews/ma ... hc801d.php

Cheers

[sirhc55]

Adding up to the topic,

Is it okay to charge the 5 batteries in the SB800 along with one that was not used? The charger allows to charge 6 batteries, but the SB800 takes odd 5, tho it has a 'discharge' before charge option there.

No - when charging all the batteries being charged should have approximately the same discharge level for best results. Most (if not all) chargers charge all for the same time period so one that was unusually flat won't get a full charge.

Which leaves the dilemma of that 5th SB800 battery since most chargers are 2 or 4 or 6 batteries. My solution was to bite the bullet and buy the reasonably expensive ReZap Battery Doctor charger which can do 1, 2, 3 or 4 batteries at a time. Lots on batteries on this excellent site HERE

Not strictly true Peter if you using a charger such as the Jaycar MB-3511. This charger has automatic cell detection, reverse polarity detection, bad cell protection and Delta cutoff to give maximum charge capacity. Each charging slot is independently controlled by a microprocessor to fully charge each cell

[sheepie]

Not strictly true Peter if you using a charger such as the Jaycar MB-3511. This charger has automatic cell detection, reverse polarity detection, bad cell protection and Delta cutoff to give maximum charge capacity. Each charging slot is independently controlled by a microprocessor to fully charge each cell

That's not a very good picture of the charger on the Jaycar website - you'd think they'd get a real photographer to take them eh

There's a few chargers out there that do each battery individually (or at least claim to ). There are also some shockers out there that do exactly what Peter says, and charge all exactly the same. Some don't even have protection built in to stop overheating - so watch you don't end up with melted batteries (or worse!).

So far as the lost charge asked about in the original post, I'd agree with others here that it's pretty normal - although what you describe does seem extreme. I think I saw somewhere some rechargeable batteries claiming to hold their charge - can't remember what brand they were though. The idea of having a pack of 'normal' batteries lying around is a good suggestion - they have a rather long shelf life usually - and are 'ever-ready'

[Glen]

Chris, your post brought a smile to my face. I had to turn my charger over to check, but that is one of the chargers I have and I have found it very good. It also has a discharge ability. I bought it as the Maha was unavailable when I purchased, though it is almost 3 times the price of the Rezap or the same as the Maha.


Digitor, don't you know standard batteries only blow up on the 16th attempt to charge them?

[Yi-P]

This seems to be very hard to use the 5th battery on the SB800 without an extra expensive charger...

Maybe build a battery discharger myself for just one cell and then charge them 6 at once...

[sirhc55]

This seems to be very hard to use the 5th battery on the SB800 without an extra expensive charger...

Maybe build a battery discharger myself for just one cell and then charge them 6 at once...

No it’s not. I use a Varta charger to charge 4 batteries and then the 5th on its own - no problems, no hassles it works. To prolong the life of any rechargeable you need to spend a bit of dosh on the charger. When you think about it to put a Nikon hand strap on your camera is around $50 - a charger is a much more worthwhile investment

[Glen]

This seems to be very hard to use the 5th battery on the SB800 without an extra expensive charger...

YiP, excluding the 50mm 1.8 and upgrading the person pressing the shutter button, I think the word expensive sums up everything to do with photography

[Greg B]

OK, I can't resist...

The Varta recharges the Varta batteries in 15 mins, so running through three then two only takes half an hour and Bob is then your uncle.

I have had the Vartas for 18 months or so, they hold their charge as well as any, they recharge in 15 mins as promised, they have been fantastic.

I have 12 AAs, and everything works very well rotating them through. No worries.

[mark]

<snip> I think I saw somewhere some rechargeable batteries claiming to hold their charge - can't remember what brand they were though. <snip>

Perhaps you were refering to Sanyo Eneloop's?

I don't have any myself so I can't say if the claims are true. They are reported to be precharged ready to go and have a long storage life.

[Onyx]

Great initial post Phillip. I had recently discovered a flat set of batteries in my SB800 when I've gone to use it too. In my case it was only after 8 days and I expected a little more retained capacity.

I keep very a detailed recharging log to keep track of the 4-5 sets of AA batteries I have. I have found that my Energizers (1850mAh) seem to lose less of their charge than the two sets of Sanyo 2500's I have. To make matters worse, the latter were manufactured a few years later than the former - I would have expect the older cells to be closer to their end of life...

I've also tried out the ReZap charger, when they were on special at Kmart's 15% off sale. I did not have success with them. IMHO they're slow to charge NiMH, which I've read from sources are not ideal for this chemistry, and when I attempted to recharge a standard leading brand alkaline battery, only partially discharged as instructed, some of the cells warped and burst. Not to detract from their marketting statement, my dad, who has made a living in electronics throughout his life, agreed that their claims of recharging primary cell batteries were not completely obsurd. Normal alkalines can be recharged (under EXTREMELY low current loads) for a few cycles, maybe 3-5 times, fairly safely. However, counter to this - there must be some merit in the warning labels placed on just about every primary cell battery that warns against recharging...

[Killakoala]

BATTERY TIP

ALWAYS remove your batteries from your SB800 when not in use.

Even NiMH batteries leak as i have discovered. They were only in it for one week between uses. Even with my access to electronic repair equipment, it still took me 2 hours to clean the SB800 fully and then reassemble it.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the SB800 still draws a little bit of current from your batteries even when it's not turned on. Just like all Nikon DSLR cameras do too.

Once the batteries are drained, leaking is much more likely.

[Yi-P]

ALWAYS remove your batteries from your SB800 when not in use.

Even NiMH batteries leak as i have discovered. They were only in it for one week between uses. Even with my access to electronic repair equipment, it still took me 2 hours to clean the SB800 fully and then reassemble it.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the SB800 still draws a little bit of current from your batteries even when it's not turned on. Just like all Nikon DSLR cameras do too.

Once the batteries are drained, leaking is much more likely.

Now that scares the Sh*t out of me...

I'll have to recheck my batteries and SB800... have an important shoot tomorrow...


Q: Should I place the batteries back to charger to run a discharge/charge cycle even tho they were charged and only being used to fire off a few shot. Last charge was about 10 days ago. And problem is, I have put the 5th battery in with it...

[stubbsy]

I think Nick (Pippin88) also had a battery leak in his SB800

[sheepie]

Q: Should I place the batteries back to charger to run a discharge/charge cycle even tho they were charged and only being used to fire off a few shot. Last charge was about 10 days ago. And problem is, I have put the 5th battery in with it...

YES! Always make sure you have freshly charged batteries before a shoot - 10 days worth of draining since the last charge can be a significant drop in capacity