Sanyo Eneloop (HR-3UTGA) and Sanyo XX (HR-3UWX)

[Miglas63]

Hello !

Thisis my first post and my English is rusty!
I'ma Swedish photographer and I've been using different brands of LSD AA NIMHbatteries a couple of years now.
Anormal day at work I use my primary Canon Speedlight 580 EX mk II about 800times in 7 hours, of course with different power output. To keep up with therecharge speed I need, I normally change a set of batteries after 300-400shots. At the time for change my Sanyo Eneloops (HR-3UTGA) are a little bitwarm. Now I've tried the more powerful Sanyo XX (HR-3UWX) and they last longerbut they get quite a lot warmer. Does anyone know if that's normal? I've read alot of different posts but I haven't found much about the double XX ones. Thevoltage after a charge in my Maha C-9000 charger is also lower than in my SanyoEneloops, is that normal? I find the (HR-3UTGA) to be a better value. A coupleof weeks ago I also bought the Varta Power Accu Ready2use 2300mAh. And they'vebeen working hard in two of my other flashes (580EX MK II). As always I firstdid a break-In then I've been using them, recharged them and so on, nowyesterday I finished my second Break-In and the average power was 2127mAh in myfirst set of four and 2080mAh in my second set. I'm a little disappointed intheir performance. First they have a lower mAh capacity than I've expected.Second at a full power flash output they reload in an average of 4.1s. SanyoEneloop and the XX in about 2,9-3,1s...That difference mean a lot to me! Arethere any other brand of LSD NIMH's out there that's faster?

 

[Mr Happy]

Hello,

:welcome:

You have some good questions there.

Regarding the difference between regular Eneloops and the Eneloop XX, I am going to say the warmer temperature of the XX is probably normal. When a battery has a fixed physical size (e.g. AA size), then power output and storage capacity work against each other. The XX has higher capacity, but probably lower power, meaning higher internal resistance, meaning it will likely get warmer under intensive use.

On the other hand, warm is not necessarily a problem. NiMH batteries work better when they are warm. As long as the batteries don't get hot, you are OK.

I think most people believe the higher price of the XX cells is not good value for the increased capacity. If you can carry spare Eneloops and swap out the batteries for fresh ones when needed, then regular Eneloops are the best choice.

As far as general performance and flash cycle time are concerned, I think you will find Eneloops are about the best you can obtain in regular consumer cells. There are some specialized cells under the 'Elite' brand (e.g. Google for Elite 1700) that might do better, but you will have to buy these on-line. You should also bear in mind that if you make the flash recharge time too fast you might overheat some components inside the flash itself.

Some people have tried the PowerGenix NiZn cells to make their flashes cycle faster, but quite a few flash guns have died during the experiments.

About the performance of the Varta cells, I am not too surprised. On this forum people have tested every NiMH cell they can lay their hands on, and so far nothing is really better than the Eneloop.

 

[shadowjk]

I would imagine that the Varta heats up a bit more than eneloops?

 

[Eismagier]

Varta = Rayovac. They're pretty much the same as all of the other made-in-China LSD cells. Usable, but nothing out of the ordinary and certainly not on par with Eneloops.

 

[Miglas63]

I would imagine that the Varta heats up a bit more than eneloops?

- Yes they do! Quite a bit actually.

 

[Miglas63]

Thank you Mr. Happy for your answer!
You say that "- The XX has higher capacity, but probably lower power." Does that also mean that the XX has/should have, a lower voltage when fully charged?
I see a difference between my regular Eneloops and the Eneloop XX in that regard.
Eneloops it is then.

Which brands comes in second and third place? Good to know if I travel to another location and haven't my own gear with me. I've found that the Powerex Imedion and the GP ReCyko+ have good reputation, but are they any good in camera flashes? I don't want to buy any Varta Ready2use again!

 

[Mr Happy]

I don't own any XX cells, so I can only speculate. I would think they would have similar voltages to Eneloops when fully charged and unloaded, but the voltage would be a bit lower when under the load of a flash gun.

To see how XX cells perform under rigorous testing, and to compare them with other brands, this thread contains much useful information:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?298090-The-AA-NiMH-Performance-Test-Thread

When looking at the constant current discharge graphs, the better cells will have higher voltages and/or higher capacities. The perfect cell would have high voltage under load and high total capacity, but the perfect cell does not exist. You have to pick the best compromise for your application. Good luck!