Eneloop Batteries and the La Crosse Charger

Over the past few months I have been using my SB-600 more and more while gaining greater confidence in how I am using it.  The downside is that I have been burning through AA batteries at a feverish pace.  Of course I was disposing of them properly but the shear number I was going through was far too many.

I knew that I needed to make the switch to rechargeable batteries but I was unsure of which ones to get.  I turned to Twitter to to put the question to the numerous photographers who would be able to point me in the right direction.

The almost unanimous response that came back was to pick up the eneloop batteries from Sanyo and the La Crosse charger.  This combo allows for having highly reliable batteries that do not suffer from the ‘memory effect’ that plagues other rechargeable systems.  The La Crosse charger allows a variety of modes for either a quick recharge to a complete discharge followed by a slow recharge.  While recharging the batteries slow sounds like a nuisance, it is the speed along with the prior discharge that allows for the lifetime of the batteries for use and reuse to be so amazing.  What is great is that the eneloops come fully charged and ready to use so you do not have to wait a day day to use them.

Knowing that I wanted to use the slow discharge > recharge step, I picked up two 4 packs of the batteries so that I would always be able to have a fully charged set with me as well as one being prepared.  They are a great addition for use in my SB-600 but would be great for any other device that you have that requires batteries.  Be sure to check them out for yourself!

Special thanks to @mhthomps, @n8smith, and @urbangrafix for your recommendations!