@nuncle wrote:
Hi Bob!
That sounds pretty close to right, actually:)
The recycle time absolutely increases a ton after I've used the flash for a while. Later on in the day (Like during the wedding reception after the toast, during the dancing), it's pretty much guarenteed that I take a shot or two without the flash because it didn't fire when it was supposed to, because it was still recycling.
Now, that does only seem to happen when I'm using the flash relatively hard. Perhaps taking 5-6 pics a minute, on average. Not for an hour continuesly of course, but imagine taking pics while the wedding couple dances and all the fun that's happening and you get the idea...
Would rechargable batteries make any difference with this, do you think? Logically, it doesn't seem like it would since they must operate the same way as alkaline..?
And what about using a battery pack? Something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-CP-E4-Compact-Battery-Pack/dp/B000NSJ4Q0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=14056950...
Does it really make that much of a difference? This is a bit pricey and the newest review for it seems to be 2010, so that doesn't seem like a big seller, you know? 😛
I have two of those. I used to use them for all major events, but rarely anymore. The plastic tabs that hold the batteries in place are annoyingly flimsy and tend to break off. And since each one is just eight rechargeable NiMH AAs with some extra circuitry, it doesn't improve your recycle time very much. But any battery pack will at least keep the recycle time from deteriorating as much while the batteries are running down.
What I use for events now is one of the Godox lithium battery packs. (B&H sells them under the "Bolt" brand name.) On the one I have, the battery itself is detachable. So you can have a spare, and with a second charger you can charge both at once. It has two outlets, so you can power two cameras. I love that feature, becausse I almost always use two cameras at events, so that I don't have to change lenses.
A battery pack like my Bolt does decrease the recycle time, but that's a two-edged sword. When you fire the flash more often, it heats up faster, even though the battery doesn't. You can reach a point at which either the flash knows enough to stop and cool off or it burns out. Recent Canon speedlites are pretty good about knowing when to stop, but the online literature is replete with horror stories. So the more powerful battery pack you have, the more careful you need to be. Even if the worst doesn't happen, it's damned embarrassing at an inauguration or awards ceremony to have the flash take a 12-minute timeout while there are people on the stage waiting to be photographed. I sometimes try to have a third flash available to guard against that eventuality.
Even with a battery pack, you still need four batteries in the flash unit to control its circuitry. For that I always use high-quality rechargeables and wouldn't consider anything else.
Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
