After a year together, I can conclusively say: I really, really like this little battery.
While the rest of the world was paying attention to exciting gadgets like smartphones and self-driving cars, the rechargable standard battery market quietly became something truly amazing. These boring little batteries are now dollar-for-dollar the best purchase you can make in tech. And just about anyone can make use of them — whether in your TV remote, game controller, wireless keyboard, or headphones, it's a near-certainty that you're wasting money on wasteful, single-use batteries. A one-time rechargable purchase could end that expense for years.
I've privately become something of an evangelist for these little wonders, foisting them on photographer friends and anyone else willing to listen. They solve a simple problem: Normal batteries have uneven power and cause enormous waste; high-quality rechargable batteries are reliable and less wasteful. And they do it while saving you money. How many gadgets can claim to pull that off without any drawbacks?
People who boarded the rechargable AA/AAA train even a few years ago may still have a bad taste in their mouths. A number of early brands produced sub-par products that failed to hold their promised charge or rapidly degraded after several uses. A number of AAs I bought in 2013 to power the flashes in my home photo studio became useless after just two high-intensity shoots.
But I'm here to tell you that at least one company is making high-quality rechargables: Panasonic, through its Eneloop brand.
I bought a $34 12-pack of 2000 mAh AAs and $16 eight-pack of 800mAh type AAAs last Spring, as well as a $20 charger. I've used both packs heavily since in my photo studio, with SB-900 flashes and transceivers that used to chew through their fuel supply of max-strength Duracells like a Humvee in stop-and-go traffic. I've saved about $100 in my annual studio expenses since the switch, and seen no decline in the batteries' performance.
Of course, most people won't have quite the insane AA battery gobblage that I do, but anyone who uses them anywhere in their home or everyday gadgets will find they pay for themselves by the fifth or sixth recharge — plus, you save yourself the trouble of running to the store every time your controller dies.
If you do have something resembling my monstrous battery needs though, or just want to recharge less often, I recommend the less cost-efficient but substantially more powerful Eneloop Pros. It'll take you longer to make back your investment, but you'll get incredible use out of them. I picked a few up recently and they have taken me through up to eight hours of shooting without a change, which is frankly astonishing.
One note: I haven't tested the Eneloops against other rechargable brands. Amazon, for example, has a house brand, and Duracell and Energizer both make their own versions. Eneloop comes with by far the strongest recommendations in user reviews though. And personally, I can't recommend them highly enough.
