Best AA Batteries for Camera Flash Photography

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I use a lot of AA batteries.  So many in fact that finding them all and getting them charged up for a gig has become a significant bottleneck in my workflow.

Best AA Batteries for Camera Flash Photography

The above photo is all of my photography accessories that take AA batteries.  To power everything there, I need 33 AA batteries.

And then there are backups.

Even if I only have backup batteries for the strobes, that still works out to a minimum of 49 AA batteries!

AA Battery Charging “Systems”

Over the years, most photographers collect an ad hoc assortment of rechargeable AA batteries and AA battery chargers.

Currently, I have 44 AA batteries available, but the problem is that I can only charge 16 of them at a time – which means that I have to start charging batteries days in advance, which is a royal pain in the butt.

Best AA Batteries for Camera Flash Photography

The best AA batteries for camera flash photography available right now are Sanyo 2500 mAh Eneloop XX AA batteries.

best aa batteries for camera flash photography

If you haven’t heard about Sanyo Eneloop XX batteries, they are pretty awesome.  Here is a quote from Sanyo’s website:

eneloop XX – For Professional Use

eneloop XX batteries are the perfect choice for powering high current consuming devices such as photo strobe flash lights, wireless keyboards, mice, game controllers, radio controlled toys and a range of household devices.  They can all realize extended performance when powered by eneloop XX batteries.

SANYO’s engineers developed the eneloop XX batteries to excel in extreme conditions where high power performance in very low temperature environments (down to -20°C) is needed. The eneloop XX Nickel Metal Hydride batteries retain up to 85% of their capacity even after one year of storage.

They do cost a bit more than other AA batteries, but I would rather spend a bit more on the best AA batteries I can find than be stuck with dead gear on a shoot.

Best AA Battery Charger for Flash Photography

The big box store battery chargers that most photographers use are not terribly sophisticated and don’t really do a good job charging AA batteries.  Smart chargers on the other hand charge batteries individually and analyze each battery to make sure that it is charged to peak capacity.

I use several dedicated 8-cell smart chargers which compared to big box store AA battery chargers are the best AA battery charger for flash photography.

Best AA battery charger for camera flash photography

Find Out More

This is an abridged version of this article first published at DIYphotography.net.  To read the entire article, click here.

How Many AA Batteries Do You Use?

How many AA batteries do you use for your photography accessories?  How do you manage and charge AA batteries?  Leave a comment below and let us know!

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JP Danko

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JP Danko is an active lifestyle photographer based in Toronto, Canada. JP can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.

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