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1. Use high-quality NiMH cells You want the NiMH chemistry because it's able to supply the high peak current that leads to faster recycle times (and less energy lost to internal resistance). "Hold their charge when not in use" and "long lasting (on a single charge)" are opposing criteria: the reason is that the newer low-self-discharge (or "hybrid") cells ...

I agree Sanyo Eneloop are very good batteries, but you should also consider getting a high quality charger if you want your batteries to last a while. I took the recommendation from this Coding Horror blog post and went for the BC900, but the newer BL700 is highly recommended as well (comparison here).

I (and many others, from what I've ready), really love the Eneloop batteries by Sanyo. That's an Amazon link to an 8-pack but they're available elsewhere as well. I've had great results as far as the batteries remaining charged, recharging quickly, and offering good performance for things like flash cycle time.

Is it really necessary to fully drain the Ni-MH batteries before recharging them? As a rule, I always want my speedlite batteries to be fully charged. At the end of each day when I use my flashgun, I put the batteries charging, regardless whether I fired 10 or 100 times. Now I am wondering if that is the right way to do it... NimH battery care ...

Rechargeable Ni-Mh batteries have a lower voltage, and a higher current. This gives a faster recycle time. I use Sanyo Eneloop batteries, which claim to have a long shelf life. The claim is that they retain 85% of their charge over 12 months. I have no reason to doubt them, although I have only been using them for 6 months. update I have now been ...

NiZns recharge around twice as fast as Sanyo Eneloops, but last maybe 75% as long and require a different charger. See this discussion thread. If you use your flashes continuously in a short amount of time, a higher capacity NiMh will actually perform better than a Low-Self-Discharge NiMh like eneloop. If you don't intend to discharge the batteries in a ...

I always get the Low-Self Discharge batteries like the SANYO Eneloop or Duracell Pre-charged. They have a low discharge rate when not in use and seem to have a longer lifespan than the other rechargeable batteries I have.

You probably want a name-brand high capacity NI-MH rechargeable. The higher capacity the better and to improve their lifespan use a "peak-detecting" charger, that will avoid damaging the batteries. The higher the mAh number the better. There is a good review of the top brands at www.metaefficient.com

Rechargeables are the best bet, but I recommend the 'shelf stable' or low discharge rechargeables, because 'regular' rechargeables will not hold their charge, and must be charged just before you intend to use them. Low discharge rechargebles maintain their charge in storage. Sanyo Enloop are the best known variety of these shelf stable rechargeables, but ...