It occurred to me that in recent posts I’ve talked about what kind of rechargeable batteries to use, how to charge them, and how to store them, but I haven’t actually talked very much about WHY you should use them. I’ll do that now!

This might be obvious to some of you, but for others it’s a pretty hard sell when they see price tags of $10-20 for a set of 4 AA or AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries (I prefer Sanyo Eneloop batteries) when you can buy a huge box of alkaline batteries for less (here’s a box of 48 AA’s for only 6).

Here are 3 reasons why you should use rechargeable batteries in all your electronic gadgets and camera equipment, especially in your Speedlite flashes:

1. Better for the Environment: Millions and millions of batteries get disposed of every year and most of them go into landfills. They all contain heavy metals and they really aren’t very good for the environment. Even when recycled they take lots of additional energy to reprocess, which is simply wasteful when their are excellent rechargeable alternatives available.
2. Cheaper in the Long Run: although alkaline batteries are relatively cheap to purchase, you can reuse your rechargeable batteries hundreds of times and they quickly pay for themselves. For the full time pro or the advanced amateur this is probably a no-brainer. But it’s still true even for a beginning photographer. If you use a Speedlight Flash that takes 4 AA batteries, I’m willing to bet that you have to replace your alkaline batteries at least once a month, and maybe even more often if you use it a lot (even spectators at a wedding often can’t make it through an entire event on one set of batteries). So even if you only replace your batteries 12 times per year, a set of 4 Eneloops for $13 is already cheaper than that big box of alkalines for $16, and you can save even more by buying the rechargeables in bulk packs. If you are using 2 or 3 flashes plus a few other electronic gadgets that use AA batteries these savings multiply (and you can share your spare batteries amongst all the devices!).
3. Better Performance: I find that NiMH batteries recycle my flashes faster and last longer than alkaline batteries. This is counter-intuitive since rechargeables are typically only 1.2v vs. 1.5v for alkalines, but they are different technology and it really is true. You may find that alkaline batteries work better than NiMH’s when they are both fresh, but that alkalines drop off very quickly. I find that NiMH’s continue to perform very well until they simply stop working; alkalines work well initially but then performance quickly drops off to the point where it might take 10 seconds to recycle a flash (compared to 3-4 initially). This was honestly the main reason that I switched in the first place, but in retrospect the other reasons are just as important.

Note – if you haven’t read it yet, you really owe it to yourself to read my earlier article about Better Rechargeable Batteries before you actually buy any NiMH batteries. They are not all created equally…

I got a few followup questions from my friend after my response to his request for advice about baby photography, so I figured I might as well put my additional answers up here too:

Should I be taking the shot in B/W or converting it later?

I always shoot in color and convert in software later. That way you have both options. If you shoot in B&W in the camera then you are stuck with it. But if you shoot in RAW (rather than JPG) then it doesn’t matter. The preview on the back of the camera would be in B&W if you shoot in B&W mode (which can be helpful to visualize the image in B&W), but the actually file will have full color and you can do whatever you want with the file.

Lens Hood required with the 50mm?

I use hoods on all my lenses to help protect the lenses if I drop them. The hoods for the 50′s are so small that they don’t really help much for flare or reflections. You can get after-market hoods for most lenses from stores like DealExtreme.com for less than $10 (compared to 2 to 3 times as much for branded hoods from Canon and Nikon), so for me it’s a no-brainer.

I have the 580EX [flash], should I be leaving it at home? Or is bouncing flash of the ceiling OK to do in low light?

Nice flash! I carry my flashes with me all the time and I use them a lot. I pretty much only use them by bouncing off the walls or the ceiling (or off-camera in a Softbox). It’s a different look than ambient only, but if you’re careful with it then it can still look very good. I probably use a flash less with my 50 than with other lenses, but I still use it a lot. You may want to use it at the hospital, but they may not be very happy with you if you do. I would definitely take it so you have it if you need it! After you bring baby home then you will be shooting so much that you should experiment with flash and no-flash and see what you like.

The recent release of the Canon EOS 7D has created quite a stir in the photography community. Initially people weren’t sure where this camera fit into the lineup of existing Canon cameras. From the naming convention it appears to fit somewhere between the 50D and the 5D Mark II; however, the feature set is so impressive that many assumed that it was intended to slot in above the 5D in the hierarchy. As the dust has settled it appears more and more that Canon has created a new product line designed to directly fight the Nikon D300s which is positioned in the market in a place where Canon had no comparable equipment.

Marketing aside, the 7D has a very impressive list of specifications and the image quality appears to be at least as good as the 50D (with increased resolution at 18 megapixels for the 7D vs. 15 megapixels for the 50D). It may not quite match the standard set by the full-frame 5D Mark II, but this is clearly one of the best SLR cameras ever produced.

Here are a few of the main reasons why I’m excited by this addition to the Canon family:

1. New Autofocus System: I’ve had the Canon 40D for almost 2 years (and 70,000 images) and in that time I’ve never really loved the autofocus system. It works well in some situations, poorly in others, and OK in most. But I’ve always felt that it could be faster and more accurate, and could do more to help me achieve critical focus. For the 7D Canon is boasting that the brand new “19-point, all cross-type AF system equipped with dual diagonal cross-type sensors in center at f/2.8 and f/5.6 and AF area selection modes to match various shooting situations” will be exactly what I’ve been asking for: faster and more accurate. I certainly hope they’re right.
2. Low Light / Low Noise Shooting: It seems that I can almost always use a little bit faster shutter speed and so higher ISO’s with lower noise levels are definitely exciting. I use ISO800 all the time with my 40D and the noise in those images is “acceptable” but often much uglier than I want it to be. In my opinion ISO1600 is not at all usable except in those extreme situations where getting any shot is better than getting nothing at all. I was able to test a 50D for an extended period and on that camera I find the images made at ISO1600 to be comparable to those at 800 on my camera, and the 7D is supposed to be even better yet. This is a very good thing and I’m excited at the possibility of having a camera where ISO3200 is a reality, not just a crazy dream!
3. Lots of Megapixels: Lately lots of people have been crying for the camera companies to stop chasing megapixels and focus more on reduced image noise. Not me. I want both! I shoot lots of birds and wildlife which can often be very small in the frame, and more megapixels means that I can crop my images tighter and post yet still have a large file for multi purpose use. So while I’m happy that this camera is 18 megapixels, I’d be even happier with more. Canon, keep the pixels coming!
4. HD Video: This isn’t so much exciting for me as it is very interesting. I don’t shoot a lot of video, but I do want to be able to in a pinch. I’m used to always having a point and shoot nearby to use for the occasional video that I want to shoot, but it would be much nicer to have it built into my SLR. The fact that the 7D includes 1080p High Definition video, with the amazing control over depth of field that only comes with an SLR is really nice. Video has already become a de facto industry standard for SLR’s, but I’m glad that Canon is pushing the quality envelope with the video capabilities implemented in this camera.
5. Wireless Flash Control: I’m saving the best for last with this one… The 7D comes with built-in capability to control multiple external Speedlite flashes wirelessly using TTL metering. That means that the camera can control the output level of each flash where in the past an external flash with Speedlite Master capability, or a dedicated wireless Master controller, had to be mounted on the hotshoe of the camera. These units are heavy, bulky, and expensive! Canon has long been way behind Nikon in this one little detail as most (all?) Nikon SLR’s have been able to control slave flashes wirelessly for a long time. Anyone even remotely aware of the Strobist movement will immediately understand why this is a big deal. It’s not just big, it’s huge!

I don’t necessarily think that the Canon EOS 7D is the perfect camera. In fact it only adds one of the features that I really want in my next camera (AF Microadjustment, which has also already become a de facto industry standard feature). But it is a huge leap over the existing xxD cameras and in many ways an improvement over the much more recent 5D Mark II. The main thing for me is that it shows that Canon hasn’t been sitting on their laurels and that they have some fantastic new technology ready to roll. Upcoming releases in the 1D and 5D series could get very exciting!