Best Ni-MH rechargeables for SB-910?

Looking in the Nikon SB-910 manual, it shows that both 2,600 mAh and "eneloop" Ni-MH rechargeable AA batteries give you an approx. minimum recycling time of 2.3 seconds with this flash. However, I find this unusual since Sanyo Eneloops are typically only 2,000-2,100 mAh. Does anybody have experience with Eneloops in this flash? Are they just as good as higher (ex. 2,600) mAh rechargeables? I already own a bunch of Eneloops and don't want to have to buy other rechargeables if I don't have to.

I don't have that flash and I only have the old original eneloops. (they never die). But I will say this. The mah is an indication of stored energy, but not necessarily how fast that energy can be delivered. I would think a 2000mah and 2600mah MiMH cell would deliver at pretty much the same high rate. Think of a water tank and hose. The 2600 has a bigger tank, but same size outlet hose. NiMH has fast delivery in general regardless of mah rating. Not as fast as a Li-ion battery, but certainly faster than an alkaline.

So the 2600mah will give more flashes but should recycle the flash just as fast as a 2000mah. In comparison, a regular alkaline may be 2800mah. It cannot deliver the energy as fast a a MiNH though. It has a much smaller 'hose'. It in fact will not achieve its rated capacity if drained at a very high rate. They are best for lower drain devices.

If you dig deep into specs, the higher capacity Nimh usually have shorter service life. So to a pro, it may be totally worth it to buy the higher capacity cells. You dont want to run down in the middle of a shoot. To the hobby user, the 2000mah may be a better value as they have more potential cycles.

lostnomore said:

Looking in the Nikon SB-910 manual, it shows that both 2,600 mAh and "eneloop" Ni-MH rechargeable AA batteries give you an approx. minimum recycling time of 2.3 seconds with this flash. However, I find this unusual since Sanyo Eneloops are typically only 2,000-2,100 mAh. Does anybody have experience with Eneloops in this flash? Are they just as good as higher (ex. 2,600) mAh rechargeables? I already own a bunch of Eneloops and don't want to have to buy other rechargeables if I don't have to.

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Eneloops are "better" than the regular type. Because...

The NiMH rated around 2600 mah are "regular" old NiMH, which means they lose charge just sitting on the shelf. In a month or two, they will be near dead (needing recharge) regardless if they are used or not. But if you recharge the day before your use, this is of no consequence. But if you get them out for shots next Christmas, you will discover a big surprise.

The Eneloop type (called low self discharge) hold the major portion of their charge for a few years. There are several of these brands now, all licensed from Eneloop, which developed it. These are marked "low self discharge", or more often, "precharged, ready to go", meaning they did not self discharge sitting in the store. They should mention long storage life. The factory does not fully charge them though, it's still a good plan to recharge them first.

So... if the larger 2600 mah capacity will be of use for your big shoot tomorrow, you may want the regulars. Or you could always just carry a spare set of Eneloops, and have 200% capacity. If you only shoot a few flash pictures a week, you will really enjoy the Eneloops always being capable to go.

I have eneloops that are almost a decade old that are still going strong. Charge them, leave them in the drawer, and they are good to go.
Love my eneloops.
I don't know anything about flash recycle, though.

The Eneloop is as fast, and probably faster recycle than the regular 2600 mah NiMH.

speed and power, the eneloop pro blacks are the best. you wont worry about it but for pros the blacks will hold for about 15 months of heavy use then are no good. longer they are not as explosive in power but last longer before retiring. I use energizer 2300mah for the 7 622n slaves I have and eneloop pro blacks 2500 for the 6 flashes. not cheap. the energizer will hold for 2 years and perform just a bit less than the blacks. they are between the whites to the blacks
I think fujitsu licensed the tech from sanyo and sell the blacks as well.

if youre a hobbyist, energizers or the regular eneloop whites will be fine for you. my work is demanding and batteries are very important.

eneloops ftw...

enegizer rechargables are my goto afterwards.

Eneloops are made by Fujitsu, and you can buy them cheaper under the Fujitsu brand. To add to previous good information, if you have high capacity non LSD cells and use them a lot, they will wear out quickly. I had some 2600 mAh Panasonic cells, after 6 months they were under 1800 mAh. GP Recyclo are said to offer decent performance for a low price.