Feasible? Camera flash uses same Li-Ion battery as DSLR? If so, available?

L_D_Allan

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Jan 24, 2015
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I've got a Canon DSLR and several external flashes that use 4 AA batteries. The DSLR uses LP-E6 Li-Ion batteries.

The Canon OEM battery has specs:
  • Made in China
  • DC 7.2 v
  • 1800 mAh
  • 13 Wh

Would the above make for a good-to-very-good battery for an external flash that was designed to use that specific Li-Ion? Or "close as in horse-shoes"?

My less-than-informed impression is that there could be advantages for a camera and external flash to share the same model of Li-Ion battery. It would be nice to have a "spare battery" in the flash. My speculation is that Li-Ion is suitable for flash, and perhaps better. Or not?

A disadvantage could be yet more proliferation of Li-Ion batteries. AA batteries do seem to be fairly standardized. It's great to be able to remove the exhausted batteries and quickly slap in another, fresh set.
 
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NoNotAgain

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Blue Ridge Mountains, VA
I've got a Nikon external battery pack that I used to use with my Nikon Speed lights that was powered by 6 C batteries. I used this until I got one of the Quantum batteries.

The only reason I stopped using the Nikon pack was that I could use the Quantum pack with both the Nikon lights as well as the Metz.
 

tandem

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First consider voltage:

4xAA = 4x1.5V = 6V or 4x1.2(nominal) = 4.8V.

Some flashes take a "high voltage" external power pack where "high voltage" simply means higher than the internal 4xAA. Check the specs for your flash and any external power packs the OEM may offer.

Second consider capacity, are you gaining anything?

Canon battery nominal voltage 7.2V * 1.8Ah ~= 13Wh
AA (NiMH) 4.8V * 2Ah = 9.6Wh or higher capacity
AA (NiMH) 4.8V * 2.7Ah ~= 13Wh

No appreciable gain in available energy but the increased Li-ion voltage probably gives faster recycle times.

Of course if you are building your own custom li-ion power pack the sky is the limit for capacity, but you've got a bunch of design work to do to make it practical and safe. Or you can buy a third party or OEM high voltage pack.
 

StandardBattery

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.... My less-than-informed impression is that there could be advantages for a camera and external flash to share the same model of Li-Ion battery. It would be nice to have a "spare battery" in the flash. My speculation is that Li-Ion is suitable for flash, and perhaps better. Or not?

A disadvantage could be yet more proliferation of Li-Ion batteries. AA batteries do seem to be fairly standardized. ....

I think basically you have it. AA Standard, flush guns tend to outlast cameras and their batteries by a wide margin, even when they die the flashtube is replaced and they are good to go.

Also... To get a significant increase in recycle time you need more voltage, although the sustained amperage rating of a good external low voltage pack will help as they don't have the same fast degrade in recycle time as the capacity is used since they can hold their voltage, unlike an alkaline cell. The typical speedflash are pretty much as big as they can be or that you would want them. Maybe someone will dare make one with a different power source at some time, but the external packs are basically the norm still at least for now whether they are low voltage packs or high-voltage packs (some use Li-Ion now).


....Some flashes take a "high voltage" external power pack where "high voltage" simply means higher than the internal 4xAA. ....
A flashgun or speedlight that has a true HV input really does accept a high-voltage input that is 300-330V and I believe it is fairly standard as it is based on the voltage required to fire the flash-tube. Some offer an external low-voltage input but that's a different input.
 
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tandem

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^^^ yes of course. Not sure where my brain was at; I have a high voltage Metz pack for the one Metz I have with ttl integration as well as a couple of not nearly as well built clones of the Canon CP-E4 that I use for my manual slave flashes.
 
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