Post your photography equipment
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
hey I had been using Energizers for like 1.5 years before I started having trouble. I bought a new set of Energizers and had the same trouble. I tried brand new top-shelf Duracell alkalines, same trouble. I would estimate it has 150k+ flashes on it. I spoke with Helix camera here in Chicago and told them the symptoms, they said the flash could be repaired - but it would take 8 weeks, they would have to send it in. And I relly need a flash for NYE!
I prefer Sanyo Eneloop because they hold their charge longer between uses, so I don't always need to make sure my flash batteries are charged up before going out.
There's also a crazy good deal going on at Thomas Distributing on the Maha 9000 charger going on until 12/31: http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/-...ded-p-405.html
It's like having four chargers in one package because each cell is monitored and charged independently. It's a really good system.
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 64,153
Likes: 14,305
just to be clear, the Energizers are rechargeables - I only tried the alkalines to test recycle time (didn't know that about what you said regarding alkalines, though). But I am convinced its wear and tear, the flash is just USED.
cool on the Maha system, how would that help me over my current Energizer charger? I wait til my flash doesn't fire as much anymore, then I just put the batteries in there and charge em full, it takes 15 mins. And I am good to go for another 300-400 shots or so.
cool on the Maha system, how would that help me over my current Energizer charger? I wait til my flash doesn't fire as much anymore, then I just put the batteries in there and charge em full, it takes 15 mins. And I am good to go for another 300-400 shots or so.
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
I had an energizer charger and the problem was it would treat all four batteries the same. If one of them reached full charge, it would cut everything off. That's fine if you only have four batteries, but if you have multiple sets, some are bound to get mixed up and you'll have a hard time charging them all to full capacity.
The Maha works like 4 different chargers so it will charge each cell until it's maxed out. It also has a few different modes that will let you recondition old cells to give them new life. Or you can use it to create matched sets of batteries. It's a pretty crazy charger.
You generally don't want to be cooking your batteries in 15 minutes. The Maha will let you do it if you want, but a slower charge is better for longevity.
The Maha works like 4 different chargers so it will charge each cell until it's maxed out. It also has a few different modes that will let you recondition old cells to give them new life. Or you can use it to create matched sets of batteries. It's a pretty crazy charger.
You generally don't want to be cooking your batteries in 15 minutes. The Maha will let you do it if you want, but a slower charge is better for longevity.
Moderator
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 9,161
Likes: 58
I had an energizer charger and the problem was it would treat all four batteries the same. If one of them reached full charge, it would cut everything off. That's fine if you only have four batteries, but if you have multiple sets, some are bound to get mixed up and you'll have a hard time charging them all to full capacity.
The Maha works like 4 different chargers so it will charge each cell until it's maxed out. It also has a few different modes that will let you recondition old cells to give them new life. Or you can use it to create matched sets of batteries. It's a pretty crazy charger.
You generally don't want to be cooking your batteries in 15 minutes. The Maha will let you do it if you want, but a slower charge is better for longevity.
The Maha works like 4 different chargers so it will charge each cell until it's maxed out. It also has a few different modes that will let you recondition old cells to give them new life. Or you can use it to create matched sets of batteries. It's a pretty crazy charger.
You generally don't want to be cooking your batteries in 15 minutes. The Maha will let you do it if you want, but a slower charge is better for longevity.
, you'll really enjoy this fancy charger. 
nnInn
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 37,670
Likes: 1,084
Nikon
D700 w/grip 8fps modded, RRS L Grip
14-24mm
24-70mm
70-200mm 2.8VR
200-400mm 4.0VR
300mm 2.8 VR
105mm VR macro
SB900
Gitzo GT3541XLS tripod
Induro CX214 tripod
Gitzo CM-3551 monopod
Wimberly Gimbal head II
RRS BH50
RRS-BH40
Canon
S5IS
30D Converted to IR
18-55mm
D700 w/grip 8fps modded, RRS L Grip
14-24mm
24-70mm
70-200mm 2.8VR
200-400mm 4.0VR
300mm 2.8 VR
105mm VR macro
SB900
Gitzo GT3541XLS tripod
Induro CX214 tripod
Gitzo CM-3551 monopod
Wimberly Gimbal head II
RRS BH50
RRS-BH40
Canon
S5IS
30D Converted to IR
18-55mm
nnInn
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 37,670
Likes: 1,084
Never use alkaline batteries in a flash. They have a very high internal resistance that causes the flash to take forever to recycle. It's possible that your flash could also have problems, but definitely stick with rechargeables.
I prefer Sanyo Eneloop because they hold their charge longer between uses, so I don't always need to make sure my flash batteries are charged up before going out.
There's also a crazy good deal going on at Thomas Distributing on the Maha 9000 charger going on until 12/31: http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/-...ded-p-405.html
It's like having four chargers in one package because each cell is monitored and charged independently. It's a really good system.
I prefer Sanyo Eneloop because they hold their charge longer between uses, so I don't always need to make sure my flash batteries are charged up before going out.
There's also a crazy good deal going on at Thomas Distributing on the Maha 9000 charger going on until 12/31: http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/-...ded-p-405.html
It's like having four chargers in one package because each cell is monitored and charged independently. It's a really good system.
, the coming soon 
,
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
to both points:The L-bracket can be moved away from the body slightly to make room for the shutter release as is shown in the second photo. When you're not using the release you can snug it up against the body so you don't have a gap.
Last edited by Dan Martin; Dec 27, 2008 at 10:03 PM.
is learning to moonwalk i
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 15,520
Likes: 3
From: SoCal
Dan - So, the RRS L-Plate slides into the tripod either in landscape or portrait orientation? Did you need to change anything on your Acratech ballhead to get them to work together?
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 64,153
Likes: 14,305
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 64,153
Likes: 14,305
one quip... the built-in diffuser and bounce card (which I use rather frequently) are a good bit smaller than the 580's.. but I'm not complaining. too much.
gonna get the 580 fixed and then I think I'll have to try some off-camera / dual-flash action
gonna get the 580 fixed and then I think I'll have to try some off-camera / dual-flash action
is learning to moonwalk i
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 15,520
Likes: 3
From: SoCal
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 64,153
Likes: 14,305
is learning to moonwalk i
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 15,520
Likes: 3
From: SoCal
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
The 50D has been great so far. What has surprised me most is how good the autofocus is. It's a major improvement over the 30D, and the 30D was already pretty good. I know it's supposed to be the same module from the 40D, but I've used the 40D and it's a step up from that for sure. There's more at work here than Canon is letting on...
For example, SS and I recently took our dog to the park at night to play in the snow. There were no overhead lights or street lights to help, just the glow of city lights against the clouds. Ambient exposure was 1/4s f/2.8 ISO 1600 and I was able to AI Servo focus on my black dog running around at night.
I was fully expecting to manual focus the entire time but it totally wasn't necessary.
The only issue I have with the camera is with the expanded ISO range, which is pretty much useless. I'm sure the marketing dept was just buffing up the spec sheet by adding these two high ISO modes. In fact, I've just turned it off altogether and use ISO 100-3200 in one stop increments. The 30D/40D weren't known for being amazing low light cameras either, so it shouldn't really be a surprise that not much has changed. That being said, at the same sized prints, the 50D appears to have a one stop improvement in noise because the noise is rendered much smaller. It's like using a fine grained film.
I have a 16"x20" print about two feet from my head as I type this and it looks spectacular.
I'm also really liking the LiveView with the 10x zoom. It's a fantastic tool for judging focus for macros, landscapes, and studio stuff. I even used it to just watch the moon go by when I was shooting the full moon a couple weeks ago. It was like a digital telescope.
The 5D2 is probably a better tool for my style of photography, but this 50D will more than hold its own until the next greatest thing comes out.
For example, SS and I recently took our dog to the park at night to play in the snow. There were no overhead lights or street lights to help, just the glow of city lights against the clouds. Ambient exposure was 1/4s f/2.8 ISO 1600 and I was able to AI Servo focus on my black dog running around at night.
I was fully expecting to manual focus the entire time but it totally wasn't necessary.The only issue I have with the camera is with the expanded ISO range, which is pretty much useless. I'm sure the marketing dept was just buffing up the spec sheet by adding these two high ISO modes. In fact, I've just turned it off altogether and use ISO 100-3200 in one stop increments. The 30D/40D weren't known for being amazing low light cameras either, so it shouldn't really be a surprise that not much has changed. That being said, at the same sized prints, the 50D appears to have a one stop improvement in noise because the noise is rendered much smaller. It's like using a fine grained film.
I have a 16"x20" print about two feet from my head as I type this and it looks spectacular.
I'm also really liking the LiveView with the 10x zoom. It's a fantastic tool for judging focus for macros, landscapes, and studio stuff. I even used it to just watch the moon go by when I was shooting the full moon a couple weeks ago. It was like a digital telescope.
The 5D2 is probably a better tool for my style of photography, but this 50D will more than hold its own until the next greatest thing comes out.
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
The plate is a standard Arca-Swiss dovetail design, so it will work in just about any Arca-Swiss style clamp.
nnInn
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 37,670
Likes: 1,084
All you do is loosen that plate clamp and turn the camera. You never have to touch the ballhead.
Senior Moderator
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 14,667
Likes: 13
From: NY
The 50D has been great so far. What has surprised me most is how good the autofocus is. It's a major improvement over the 30D, and the 30D was already pretty good. I know it's supposed to be the same module from the 40D, but I've used the 40D and it's a step up from that for sure. There's more at work here than Canon is letting on...
For example, SS and I recently took our dog to the park at night to play in the snow. There were no overhead lights or street lights to help, just the glow of city lights against the clouds. Ambient exposure was 1/4s f/2.8 ISO 1600 and I was able to AI Servo focus on my black dog running around at night. I was fully expecting to manual focus the entire time but it totally wasn't necessary.
The only issue I have with the camera is with the expanded ISO range, which is pretty much useless. I'm sure the marketing dept was just buffing up the spec sheet by adding these two high ISO modes. In fact, I've just turned it off altogether and use ISO 100-3200 in one stop increments. The 30D/40D weren't known for being amazing low light cameras either, so it shouldn't really be a surprise that not much has changed. That being said, at the same sized prints, the 50D appears to have a one stop improvement in noise because the noise is rendered much smaller. It's like using a fine grained film.
I have a 16"x20" print about two feet from my head as I type this and it looks spectacular.
I'm also really liking the LiveView with the 10x zoom. It's a fantastic tool for judging focus for macros, landscapes, and studio stuff. I even used it to just watch the moon go by when I was shooting the full moon a couple weeks ago. It was like a digital telescope.
The 5D2 is probably a better tool for my style of photography, but this 50D will more than hold its own until the next greatest thing comes out.
For example, SS and I recently took our dog to the park at night to play in the snow. There were no overhead lights or street lights to help, just the glow of city lights against the clouds. Ambient exposure was 1/4s f/2.8 ISO 1600 and I was able to AI Servo focus on my black dog running around at night.
I was fully expecting to manual focus the entire time but it totally wasn't necessary.The only issue I have with the camera is with the expanded ISO range, which is pretty much useless. I'm sure the marketing dept was just buffing up the spec sheet by adding these two high ISO modes. In fact, I've just turned it off altogether and use ISO 100-3200 in one stop increments. The 30D/40D weren't known for being amazing low light cameras either, so it shouldn't really be a surprise that not much has changed. That being said, at the same sized prints, the 50D appears to have a one stop improvement in noise because the noise is rendered much smaller. It's like using a fine grained film.
I have a 16"x20" print about two feet from my head as I type this and it looks spectacular.
I'm also really liking the LiveView with the 10x zoom. It's a fantastic tool for judging focus for macros, landscapes, and studio stuff. I even used it to just watch the moon go by when I was shooting the full moon a couple weeks ago. It was like a digital telescope.
The 5D2 is probably a better tool for my style of photography, but this 50D will more than hold its own until the next greatest thing comes out.
I think you'll notice quite a difference from your XT.
nnInn
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 37,670
Likes: 1,084
As long as Canon keeps the 40D and the 50D out at the same time, I don't think the 50D will get that much cheaper. The $100 off ends 17 Jan 2009. Getting a 40D will be a pretty big step as well and will save you about $300 on a body.
Moderator Alumnus
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 64,153
Likes: 14,305
I no longer have a quip with this flash, comparing at home, the 580EX's bounce card is maybe 3-4 mm wider than the EXII's - not as different as I had thought. And the diffusers are pretty much identical. Funny how you look at new things more closely.
And I do need a new Stofen, the head is just a tad larger on the EXII.
And, the 580EX definitely has a firing problem, this EXII is firing off like mad with the same batteries I had been using (Energizer 2500's). Think I'll be getting some Eneloop's with the Maha tho, thanks to AZ.
And I do need a new Stofen, the head is just a tad larger on the EXII.
And, the 580EX definitely has a firing problem, this EXII is firing off like mad with the same batteries I had been using (Energizer 2500's). Think I'll be getting some Eneloop's with the Maha tho, thanks to AZ.
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
I no longer have a quip with this flash, comparing at home, the 580EX's bounce card is maybe 3-4 mm wider than the EXII's - not as different as I had thought. And the diffusers are pretty much identical. Funny how you look at new things more closely.
And I do need a new Stofen, the head is just a tad larger on the EXII.
And, the 580EX definitely has a firing problem, this EXII is firing off like mad with the same batteries I had been using (Energizer 2500's). Think I'll be getting some Eneloop's with the Maha tho, thanks to AZ.
And I do need a new Stofen, the head is just a tad larger on the EXII.
And, the 580EX definitely has a firing problem, this EXII is firing off like mad with the same batteries I had been using (Energizer 2500's). Think I'll be getting some Eneloop's with the Maha tho, thanks to AZ.
Senior Moderator
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 14,667
Likes: 13
From: NY
I'm just not in a money-spending kinda mood right now, though.