Sunpak 622 battery setup

Sorry folks, I meant CG-10 battery holder not CC-10 or CL-10

That seems like a lot of work, just to get the recycle time down on an inefficient old flash.

 

A bracket taking two modern hotshoe speedlights (e.g. YN 560s) would give the same power; with better efficiency, faster recycling and possibly less weight and bulk too!

Joe, if pumping more amperage to the flash doesn't reduce recycling times, why is Quantum still in business? My tests show a recycling time of 11-12 seconds for the 622 with the CG-10 with fresh batteries. My 6 volt power pack drops the full power recycling time down to around 4-5 seconds. And I shoot some sports...I need the 622's zoom head for that.

 

I seriously doubt 2 flashes on a bracket would be less bulk.

"Joe, if pumping more amperage to the flash doesn't reduce recycling times, why is Quantum still in business?"

 

It very much depends on the design of inverter in the flash. Some have deliberate current limiting to prevent damage or overheat, and some may even have a non-resettable fuse that'll stop them working completely if the current isn't limited. All that a Quantum pack (usually) does is replace the original batteries with a larger capacity external supply. It's the greater number of available continuous shots that most users choose a Quantum pack for. That and the fact that partly used cells quickly build up heat and internal resistance and slow down the recycle time.

 

You just can't 'pump' more current into a circuit than it was designed to take. Not without increasing the supply voltage and risking damage.

 

"I seriously doubt 2 flashes on a bracket would be less bulk."

 

Are you saying that your custom inverter and SLA battery, together with the 622, are less weighty and bulky than a couple of speedlights and an aluminium bracket?

 

My quite old Nikon SB-25s recycle in well under 5 seconds, full-power to full-power, on standard NimH cells. That drops to around 2 seconds with a lightweight SD-8 battery pack.

 

Fired together they'll deliver a true and measured GN of 45 - metres/ISO 100 at 50mm zoom. Slightly more at maximum zoom.

 

Since maker's lying guide numbers are always optimistic by one whole stop, I'd say that puts them on a par with the 622. And a pair of modern YongNuos could possibly pare down those SB-25s weight and recycle time a bit more.

Joe,

With many flashes design for alkaline batteries I can pump more current into it and get shorter recycling time by using NiCad or NiMH. When the capacitor is empty the inverter circuit looks almost like a short circuit and the alkaline batteries drop their voltage to very low. The NiMH is capable of keeping a higher voltage under such load and thus they actually supply more voltage and more current. I notice this with most modern flashes. I did have a very old Vivitar flash and when I did that it did recycle much faster but it also emitted some smoke. It still worked after that though.

With many flashes design for alkaline batteries I can pump more current into it and get shorter recycling time by using NiCad or NiMH.

 

- Of course. That's because alkaline's have a high internal resistance and self-limit the current. They also generally have less capacity and pack up before NiCd/MH cells - (Sorry Bunny, but you just don't go on and on and on, except about how good your overpriced batteries are!).

 

FWIW, I just nipped outside in the near dark and snapped my neighbour's roof and chimneys about 30m (100ft) away. I used a YongNuo YN560 iii on full power @ 105mm zoom. The camera was only set to ISO 800 and f/4.5.

The chimney looks pretty well exposed to me when you zoom in.

 

So how much flash power does anyone need in this age of easy and grain-free high ISO speeds?

 

Pardon the poor focus BTW, it was so dark my D7200 had trouble focussing on anything.

Thanks all for the continued discussion, and especially to Harris for the awesome breakdown of his setup. My original question centered around the need to have an extended rechargeable battery pack for use in the field. I have 622s now, but am still open to changing equipment. I have no problem switching to some speedlights if they're a bit easier to deal with, and if extendable battery packs are available for use in the field. The discussion above doesn't address the possibility of the extendable packs for speedlights or otherwise. Any thoughts on that? Thanks in advance.

Count Chocula...trust me when I tell you that you want SLA batteries (sealed lead acid). The first power pack I ever built was for a Rollei E36-RE and I used a motorcycle battery. Motorcycle batteries have a vent tube-and if you knock the power pack over, you can wind up with battery acid everywhere. Not good for your car's carpet....

 

By extendable, do you mean they provide a large # of flashes? I'm not understanding your use of that word in this context.

 

My original purpose in building the battery packs was for wedding photography. The Rollei E36-RE while a very good flash suffered from what my camera repairman said was..."Great flash design...piss poor battery design!" The 12 volt NiCad battery made for it was a wimpy 600 Mah and was only good for about 40 full power manual flashes and maybe 80-100 on auto. Plus, IF you could find new ones,they cost about $70 each. The first battery pack I ever built-Bubba Pak 1-was good for at least 2 weddings and 12-14 rolls with flash at each wedding before a recharge. Also, a motorcycle battery generally has way more amperage than a SLA or gel cell. When I was prototyping the BubbaPak 1, I set one of my E36RE's on fire! I finally had to put a diode in the negative side to throttle the power down.

 

For a Sunpak 622, a common 4.5 amp 6 volt SLA battery will work just fine.

 

If you want, give me your email and I'll draw up a parts list and circuit diagram of the BubbaPak Model II Mk 2 I'm now using. Pretty much everything can be found to make them on Ebay or Amazon . Generally, a 6 volt BubbaPak costs me about $35-40 to make with is way under the price of a Quantum Battery 1.

 

Harris

Modern 'always ready' hybrid NiMH cells can challenge SLAs for capacity-versus-weight/bulk, and for low self-discharge IME.

 

They're available up to around 4 Ah in C size, and 2400 mAh in AA size.

 

When I used SLAs, I found that they had a more limited number of useable charge-discharge cycles compared to NiCds, which made them more expensive to run over time.

 

Both Canon and Nikon have external HV battery packs available for their speedlights. They're very compact, being barely bigger and heavier than the 8 AA cells they take. They reduce the recycle time of the speedlight to about half of what's got from its internal cells ~ 2 seconds, and also give extended capacity. The type number is SD-8(A) for the Nikon pack, and YongNuo make a near-clone at a fraction of the price.

 

The YN copies work very well, and I've had no trouble with mine.

 

An alternative approach is what Nissin and Godox offer. Some of Nissin's flashes take a quick-change battery pack that can be swapped in seconds, while some Godox guns use a high-capacity lithium-polymer battery. The Li-pol battery gives a huge number of shots and a very fast recycle time, and since it's a single unit it can also be very quickly swapped out.

 

Personally, I think the days of cumbersome shoulder packs and hammerhead guns are past. Because although the power of top-line hotshoe speedlights really hasn't increased in 25 years or more, the ability of digital cameras to offer high ISO speeds with little loss of quality is a total game-changer.

 

Overpowering the sun is a different matter though.

Interesting thread... Moreso as I've just been using my 622's today... and they're a dream.

 

Battery options I've arrived at are: The simplest - Use 5500mAh NiMH C cells. Great duration, great recycle times, great single combined flash unit and power supply. Next easiest - Quantum Turbo batteries, Great duration, great recycle times, but umbilical cord cable connection to contend with.

 

The Sunpak 622 Super with its zoom head and integral battery really are a tough combination to beat. Their efficient reflector makes them a worthy competitor to a 400Ws parabolic and with better ergonomics. In syncro sunlight situations, overpowering the sun and matching ambient they're pretty much unbeatable. Where you have any requirement to combine external lighting along with lighting a subject the power provided y the 622's is what is needed and no adjustment of ISO will ever save you.

 

Gear Porn: Opening the Sunpak case today.

http://www.accolade-photography.com/DPR/622kit1800.jpg

 

The flat fronted battery packs provide a great location for fixing a radio receiver and when given to an assistant the handle/flash/battery/radio are a fantastic combination. Without an assistant theres a 1/4" screw fitting at the bottom of the handle.

Sunpak users might like this setup where I've fixed a Quick Release clamp to the battery holder rather than needing to use the supplied L bracket. The supplied L bracket, whilst sturdy leaves a vicious pin sticking out if the flash is removed from the bracket:

 

http://www.accolade-photography.com/DPR/spbracket2.jpg