Power Adapter for flash???

[Ppub101]

I have to shoot a wedding coming up and I am using a D70's with the SB-800 Flash. I was wondering is there some sort of rechargeable wearable battery back for the SB-800. I want the batteries to last all day and have very fast recycle time. With 5 AA's batteries, it is just too much. Any ideas guys???

Thanks for your time
Paul

 

[greyflash]

Personally I use the 5 AA batteries (rechargeable) and have a second set available in my bag. If I deplete the 1st set I just put them on the charger in an out of the way place and pop in the 2nd set. The battery pack that you mount on your belt is fairly expensive and you have to have a cord that goes to your flash battery drawer. It is more trouble than it is worth for me.

 

[Retief]

I have both a Digital Camera Battery as well as the Nikon battery pack, SD-9a I think. As Gordon points out the cord is a bit of a pain, but what you get for the trouble is about 1 second faster recycle, the Digital Camera Battery being just a touch faster. You can buy a lot of rechargeable batteries for the cost of one of the external packs and as long as you don't need the faster recycle and you can afford the time to change the batteries, I agree with Gordon, that would be the way to go.

 

[espn]

I believe, it's SD-8A, I think for Eruopean countries, it's SD-8

If you want faster power in recharging get the Quantam 2x2. However, the external battery packs only aid in faster recharging, this doesn't mean your 5AA batteries won't be depleted over time (especially for a full day of shooting).

Alternatively, but not least, I've heard of a friend mention, Nikon does have a lead-acid type of battery (like those used in cars) for flash, weighs about 1KG and as expensive as the Quantum.

Hope this helps.

 

[marc]

a quantum battery pack, is excellent, however it is very expensive.

battery , plus correct cord is $400.00

you still need batteries in sb800, but only for lcd display

i have gotten 1000 plus shots from quantum, over 2 days, no recharge.

it really is only worth the money if you are going to use it on a somewhat regular basis. i bought one, since we shoot a great many events, where we take 200 or 300 photos and prefer reliable power.

nikon external power is much less costly and probably a better choice, if your needs are 1 time only.

 

[jgrove]

I have to shoot a wedding coming up and I am using a D70's with the SB-800 Flash. I was wondering is there some sort of rechargeable wearable battery back for the SB-800. I want the batteries to last all day and have very fast recycle time. With 5 AA's batteries, it is just too much. Any ideas guys???

Thanks for your time
Paul

I sold my SD-8A becuase i never used that much power. On top of that the cable used to annoy me. The recycle time was, in reality, no quicker at all.

If you are going to use flash for all your shots then the SD-8A is recommended if not then the 5 batteries will suffice (2500mAh) carry a spare set it only takes a sec to change them all.

 

[Joseph S. Wisniewski]

Be careful, SB-800 has a tendency to overheat when you're firing pop after pop.

 

[Ibn]

Use a Quantum Turbo with the CKE cord for the SB-800 myself (2 sets total). Also have a QT-48 cable when I have to fire two flashes and only use one battery. Very quick recycling time and allows me to squeeze off 1k plus shots as stated above.

 

[SilverEagle]

I like the simplicity of carrying extra batteries, and not worrying with cords and packs. If you dial your ISO up to 400 and use a second SB-800 flash held by an assistant (which is a really good idea for backgrounds, backlighting, sidelighting, etc) this also reduces the required flash power per flash unit. You make the SB-800 on your camera as the master, and you can control both flashes from this master unit. Nikon has a great multiple flash system.

 

[RDM3]

I use the Quantum Turbo with the CKE cord for the SB-800 as well, it lasts a good amout of time and for me it doesn't really get in the way.

B&H sells 2700 mah AA's. 10 pack is like $24, they just take hours to charge

 

[simonramsden]

Paul

As money is no object (it's not my money :biggrin: ) there is always the extremely expensive Nikon SK-6 (SK-6A in Europe).

Takes 6x AA batteries as well as the 5 internal to the SB-800. Thats a lot of batteries. Also has a grip handle.

Rather expensive though $240

I'd opt for an extra set of batteries.