Anyone using Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries?

[Jeanne B]

I've seen these getting recommended quite a bit on dpreview lately. Is anyone here using them?

Apparently they have a much longer shelf life than NiMH rechargeables, you can leave them in your camera without them losing power and they come already charged right out of the package.

I use the Energizer lithiums and I don't remember offhand how many shots I'm getting but one set lasts me for quite a long time (it seems as if I'm getting close to 1000 shots, maybe more, on one set with little flash use).

If you already have a charger they seem to be cheapest at Circuit City right now...$12.99 for an 8-pk (check the website for local availability).

Here's a link to them on Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...t_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I've been using them for non-camera applications. They've been working very well. My camera's use proprietary batteries, so they aren't an option there.

 

[Groucho]

They're useful for flashes even if your camera doesn't use AAs. Possibly even more useful, since a flash is more likely to sit around unused than the camera body.

Anyway, they are very high on my list. My spare proprietary battery just arrived today for my K20D (I actually got a genuine Minolta that BH sells for virtually the same price as the cheap eBay knockoffs) and a couple sets of Eneloops, for the K100D and my flash, are next on the list. Some of my usual NiMH AAs are losing charge within just a few days of being off the charger - very frustrating. I'm perfectly willing to trade a little bit of battery life for the knowledge that the batteries will still have a charge left in them.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Circuit City price, they were $15 for the same pack just a week or two ago, but they're still not available at any local stores near me according to their site.

 

[My2Girls66]

Can you use any charger with them? I have a Panasonic charger.
Tho, they aren't available at any stores in my area, either

 

[Groucho]

My understanding is that they work with any standard NiMH charger - though, as usual, the fast chargers (say, 1 hour or less) will put a hurtin' on them.

There are other similar batteries than the Eneloops, too - several companies have "low discharge" batteries now.

 

[ukcatfan]

They are avail. about 25 mi. away from me, but with gas over $3/gal, it is just not economical. That is at least 2 gal for me (i.e. >$6) so no deal unfortunately.

Kevin

 

[Jeanne B]

My understanding is that they work with any standard NiMH charger - though, as usual, the fast chargers (say, 1 hour or less) will put a hurtin' on them.

That's my understanding also which is why the CC deal is a very nice bargain if you only need the batteries...that's IF they're available at your local CC and IF you're only a short drive away.

I think once I use up my lithiums I'll be switching to the Eneloops. I never wanted to be bothered with the rechargeables but I really like the longer shelf life these offer.

 

[boBQuincy]

The tradeoff is capacity. Low-self-discharge NiMH cells such as Eneloop are rated for about 2000 mAH for AA size, other NiMH cells are up to 2500 or so.

If you are the type to take the cells right out of the charger and use them you would get more life out of the normal NiMH cells. If you like to leave them in a device for days or weeks (like most of us) you probably would get more life out of the low-self-discharge cells.

 

[pjacobi]

Ray-O-Vac, Duracell and Radioshack now have "pre-charged" NiMH batteries. I wonder how these compare to Eneloops.

-Paul

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

The tradeoff is capacity. Low-self-discharge NiMH cells such as Eneloop are rated for about 2000 mAH for AA size, other NiMH cells are up to 2500 or so.

If you are the type to take the cells right out of the charger and use them you would get more life out of the normal NiMH cells. If you like to leave them in a device for days or weeks (like most of us) you probably would get more life out of the low-self-discharge cells.

I use them for my SB800 flash (which I hardly use). So far they hold the charge. In fact, I bought them in October. They came pre charged. I used the flash several times since then, and they still work. I haven't charged them yet! I bought the batteries and charger from Amazon.

 

[Groucho]

Ray-O-Vac, Duracell and Radioshack now have "pre-charged" NiMH batteries. I wonder how these compare to Eneloops.

-Paul

I've heard good things about the Ray-O-Vac ones, and they are 2100 mAh so theoretically should last slightly longer than the Eneloops. I expect all the major vendors will have similar batteries soon.

Thomas Distributing (a great place for chargers and batteries) has various low discharge batteries from companies like Maha and Nexcell and several other brands.

 

[DizzyV6P]

I've been using Eneloops for the past 6 months and found them perfect for flashes. They recyle much quicker than the Energizer lithiums and Duracell digital ones I used to use. A lot of other folks on POTN have also all switched to Eneloops for their flashes.