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Im going through the internet to find a cheap macro ring for my Nikon D5100, but I really dislike the power input "4x AA battery". I dislike those batteries, since (yes, they can be bought easily everywhere) I want to (and can!) charge my batteries at all times.

Is there such a thing or am I being too unrealistic?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Would it not be simpler & probably cheaper to buy a shed-load of regular NiMh etc rechargeable AAs & carry a few boxes of them with you? Li-ion still need charging, & are not available afaik in AA form as direct replacements. You can get chargers that run off USB these days. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Feb 17, 2021 at 16:46
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Tetsujin You should post this as an answer. OP might not realize that NiMh batteries are rechargeable. Don't even need that many NiMh batteries as they last much longer than alkaline batteries. \$\endgroup\$
    – Eric S
    Commented Feb 17, 2021 at 20:25
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    \$\begingroup\$ What ring flash did you find that is fine (other than having AA batteries)? There are several different flashes and flash modifiers that are all considered "ring flashes", but differ based on size, mount style, inner diameter, etc. \$\endgroup\$
    – scottbb ♦
    Commented Feb 17, 2021 at 20:54
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Tetsujin In addition NiMH batteries are better than non-rechargeable because they allow a higher current and the flash cycle is shorter. \$\endgroup\$
    – xenoid
    Commented Feb 18, 2021 at 8:27
  • \$\begingroup\$ I did find regular AA & AAA Li-ion rechargeables. Added that correction to my answer, but heck, they're expensive! \$\endgroup\$
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Feb 18, 2021 at 10:18

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I'm sure it would be a whole lot cheaper to just buy a stack of rechargeable NiMh AA batteries & carry spares with you.

Li-ion still need recharging, even if they run better overall than NiMh. You can get Li-ion rechargeables in small forms like AA & AAA, but they are considerably more expensive. UK Amazon prices as example - AA NiMh, 16 for £25 (I got a free 8-port USB-powered charger with mine), Li-ion, 4 for £25.

Pick a supplier who provides tough plastic boxes, so you don't have to carry them loose.

There's one additional factor, which may or may not affect you. Aircraft flight operators have varying rules on being able to take Li-ion batteries on aircraft. Some are tougher than others, but be prepared that you may not be able to fly with them "outside of their device". I've previously managed to negotiate that a "device" can be the charger.

BTW Google found several Li-ion ring flashes for a mere £500 each, even for 'cheaper' manufacturers like Godox… for which you'd need to buy at least one additional battery. I have a pair of regular Godox strobes that run on large, custom sized, Li-ion batteries. The strobes were 300 each, the spare batteries another 50 each.
Everything else, I run on NiMh AA or AAA.

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