Question about the Canon 430EXII Speelite

[sarahdavis]

I have a question about the Canon 430EXII Speelite

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...hoe_Mount.html
(this is the one I'm looking at)

My question is (and I'm not even sure I want to know the answer)
Do I need the $214 battery and charger set in order to use it or does it run ok on the AA's?

My aunt is offering to buy the flash for me if I travel 3 hours to their house and take my cousin's senior portrait. Which is AWESOME cause I would have been happy with way less than that. But I just got to looking at the accessories more and am totally freaking out. So....Anyone who knows the answer, I would really REALLY appreciate it!

Thanks,
Sarah

[RexK_Cozumel]

It runs on AA's the battery pack is just to get longer flash life and faster recycle times.

[FocalFrenzy]

I use Energizer Lithium batteries in mine and they seem to last much longer than standard AA batteries. They are more expensive, but I've never had to stop in the middle of a shoot to swap batteries.

[vsa]

I use rechargeable AA's and it works just fine. You need 4 of those so either get loads of non rechargeables or at least two sets of rechargeables (obviously with a quick charger too). In the end the rechargeable batteries will save you money.

Also pay attention to the batteries' mAh. The higher the number, the longer it will last.

[m.c.adams]

I have a 550EX, a 430EX and a 420EX. Get lots of rechargables and most important, get a good charger. The one I have holds 10 batteries at a time.
Mark

[OeterB]

Originally Posted by m.c.adams

I have a 550EX, a 430EX and a 420EX. Get lots of rechargables and most important, get a good charger. The one I have holds 10 batteries at a time.
Mark

Couldn't agree more. A good charger. Not a fast one, but a good one. Rapid chargers burn your batteries out faster. My good chargers (which came with the batteries below) take 5-8 hours for a full charge. Slow, yes, but oh so good.

I just bought myself eigth 2800mAh rechargeable beecroft batteries on the recommendation of another photographer. Each set of four came with it's own charger --- means I can charge both up over night... but also means, as I'm using four, if I've access to power, I can charge the other four (I also have eight 2400-2600mAh rechargeables as extra backups).

If you get rechargeables, the higher mAh rating, the better. You want the power to be delivered in fast, reliable sets for fast recycle times. Higher rating doesn't mean they'll last longer, but they'll allow your flash to operate faster.

[stitchbug]

Originally Posted by FocalFrenzy

I use Energizer Lithium batteries in mine and they seem to last much longer than standard AA batteries. They are more expensive, but I've never had to stop in the middle of a shoot to swap batteries.

Ditto!! They are the best batteries ever! The recycle time is SO fast with these batteries!

[vsa]

Originally Posted by OeterB

My good chargers (which came with the batteries below) take 5-8 hours for a full charge.

That's not even slow. My old one takes 15 or so hours for just 4 batteries. >.> ......I should get a new one.

[OeterB]

Haha... wow... 15 hours? My other charger and batteries take about an hour to do a full charge... but the batteries don't last as long. The first charge was 8 hours --- since, they've been about 5ish (coz, I guess, they've still got charge left in them from previous chargings).

As for lithiums... I used them for a shoot the other week, and didn't rate their performance. While the refresh time was great, I found they didn't last all that long (I'd only had the flash an hour, so didn't have spares/rechargeables --- so I wound up using on board camera flash as the lithiums died). Perhaps they were old batteries, I'm not sure --- but they're too expensive regardless... may as well spend two or three times as much and get rechargeables that you can use a 1000 times.

[PhotoJunkieJen]

Originally Posted by sarahdavis

I have a question about the Canon 430EXII Speelite

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...hoe_Mount.html
(this is the one I'm looking at)

My question is (and I'm not even sure I want to know the answer)
Do I need the $214 battery and charger set in order to use it or does it run ok on the AA's?

My aunt is offering to buy the flash for me if I travel 3 hours to their house and take my cousin's senior portrait. Which is AWESOME cause I would have been happy with way less than that. But I just got to looking at the accessories more and am totally freaking out. So....Anyone who knows the answer, I would really REALLY appreciate it!

Thanks,
Sarah

I'm not a professional photographer, but I do own that flash

The short answer is no, you don't need to blow an extra $200. You can breathe a sigh of relief now.

In my experience, the standard double A's (non rechargables) last for quite a few pops of the flash. When they die, they die fast but I personally just always carry an extra set in my bag and I'm good. Never go to a shoot without an extra set... maybe 2.

Your flash will run fine on AA's. You might want to save your money for some kind of re-chargable system in the long run... it would obviously save you $$$. I don't know much about the Energizer system mentioned above, but I imagine it's a lot cheaper than the $200 system you're looking at. I've owned that flash for 7 months and actually have never heard of nor felt like I needed a $200 battery and charger system.
But again, I'm not a professional... just a serious hobbiest.