Has anyone ever had their Canon flash overheat during heavy shooting? I am using lithium batteries.

[tarasteffenfoto]

While shooting a wedding and reception, everything needed flash. I use lithium batteries in my flash, but they overheat and I must change them out with fresh ones. Is there another kind of battery that works better or is this just a fact of life that I must be prepared for?

[kvbarkley]

As I stated above, lithium batteries are good in places where you want them to last a long time under harsh conditions. For example, I put them in the outside temperature sensor for my home wireless thermostat system. Just don't ask them to put out a lot of current in short period of time, like say, a flash!

[RobertTheFat]

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@kvbarkley wrote:

As I stated above, lithium batteries are good in places where you want them to last a long time under harsh conditions. For example, I put them in the outside temperature sensor for my home wireless thermostat system. Just don't ask them to put out a lot of current in short period of time, like say, a flash!

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I don't think it's quite that simple. There are commonly used lithium battery packs that clip onto your belt that can be used to power a flash. They deliver power a lot faster than the four NiMH AA's in the flash unit itself, yet they don't get hot in normal use.

[kvbarkley]

I am talking about these. As I also said above, don't confuse *re-chargeable* Lithium's with non-rechargeable Lithium-Alkilines. The OP has not told us what he is using.

[Waddizzle]

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@jrhoffman75 wrote:

Canon put out an advisory on the use of lithium batteries. 

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I didn't even realize that they make lithium AA batteries. I'm pretty sure I've never seen one.

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Well, all of this talk about batteries is making me nervous.  What about the B&H "Watson" batteries, which they claim are NiMH?  Are they any good, you think? 

[RobertTheFat]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@jrhoffman75 wrote:

Canon put out an advisory on the use of lithium batteries. 

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I didn't even realize that they make lithium AA batteries. I'm pretty sure I've never seen one.

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Well, all of this talk about batteries is making me nervous.  What about the B&H "Watson" batteries, which they claim are NiMH?  Are they any good, you think? 

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I've used B&H's previous NiMH house brand, whose name escapes me at the moment. They were marginally better than Radio Shack, but not nearly as good as Eneloops.

[amfoto1]

I agree that you should try using alkaline or NiMH batteries (rechargeable, if possible). The lithium you're using might be part of the problem.

But, even alkaline or NiMH will get warm or hot with heavy use.

I think most Canon flash have an automatic shut-down if the flash itself  overheats, after which it will need to cool down for a while before it will work again.

Depending upon which flash you're using, an external battery pack might help. 500EX and 600EX series have a socket that allow them to be used with Canon CP-E4, CP-E3, etc. "compact battery packs". Those hold six or eight additional batteries, in addition to the four that are in the camera. Having all the extra batteries give a lot more shots, of course... but also seem less prone to heat up.However, even the CP-Ex battery packs will get quite warm with extended use.

There are third party external, rechargeable batteries, too. Many of those come with assorted power connectors, including a plug like that used by the 500EX and 600EX series flashes. Some of those might be usable with 400EX and 300EX series flashes, too... Although with all those that I've seen you have to modify the flash to be able to connect the battery pack (It connects via sort of a "dummy battery" that fits into the flash's battery compartment... but you have to cut a hole in the battery cover for the power cord to pass through).

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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